Fish for lunch

Bird Weekly Photo Challenge – Birds that eat Fish as their Primary Diet

A White-faced Heron

Silver Gulls like fish…..and chips

Osprey with lunch

White-bellied Sea Eagle on the lookout for lunch

The Great Cormorant has his lunch

A Darter chasing fish

A Pied Cormorant thinking of lunch

Pelican cruising the water looking for fish

It’s all white now

Terri’s Sunday Stills: A #White Washed World

Puff Ball Fungi

White flower (can’t remember the name)

White Rose

Caper White Butterfly

White Native Hibiscus

White-headed Pigeon

Pelican

Dendrobium flowers

Pied Cormorant

Small white native flowers

White-throated Honeyeater

White Swans on Loch Lamond

White Hydrangea

White calf

A foggy morning

This is November 2019

November has been quite a month. I managed to get away for a week and a half, part of October and the beginning of November, to Tasmania where I experienced fresh air, so many different sights and managed to relax. I am still working on a post of my Tasmanian adventure. I have already shared a couple of photos in some of the photo challenges.

Unfortunately I came back to the heavy smoky atmosphere which has made it quite difficult to relax or feel calm. The constant smoke has affected my lungs, a bit of a “smokers cough” and my eyes are quite sore at times. Be assured I am safe and will remain so. I have repacked my car with some of my “treasures” and am ready to go when I have to. I shan’t dwell on this part of my life but there will be touches along the way in This is November.

This isn’t huge but you may like to make yourself comfortable, settle back and let’s go…..

Most of my sunrises are like this through the smoke
sunrise_fire_orange_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019

I had to get out and see where the fires were to the west. Took a bit of a detour to Cangi. You cross this wooden bridge over the Mann River.bridge_wood_mann river_named_cangi_nov 2019
The water levels are quite low. It is still a pretty place to stop and contemplate the world.mann river_named_cangi_nov 2019
I was surprised to see quite a few small fishfish_mann river_named_cangi_nov 2019
There must be bigger fish in the Mann otherwise this Pied Cormorant is just hanging about enjoying the ambience.pied cormorant_mann river_named_cangi_nov 2019
I watched the White-faced Heron stalking among the rocks. He did eventually catch a small fish which was quickly gobbled down.white-faced heron_mann river_named_cangi_nov 2019
I think he may have followed me home. I saw him sitting in a tree in the garden.white faced heron_garden_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
I have a family of Laughing Kookaburras who are around the garden on a regular basis. This fella liked to show his tail feathers off.kookaburra+tail_colour_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The older Kookaburra is showing his age now.kookaburra_gate_watching_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
I have an old swimming pool which is a bit of a frog pond. The evaporation is taking the water so the frogs are getting snapped up.kookaburra_frog_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
Once lunch has been consumed, it’s off to sit in an old gum tree.kookaburra_flying_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
How hot has it been in November?king parrot_hot2_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The young King Parrot liked to sit in the shade of the verandah and let a cool breeze get through his feathers. He also asked for a drink and a snack with an enquiring face.king parrot_hot_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019

Some days there was a queue to get a drink and a quick splash at the bird bath. A White-throated Honeyeater makes a King Parrot wait her turn.
king parrot_female_white throated honeyeater_garden_water_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The Satin Bowerbird found a water pot on the ground where the Brush Tailed Possums and Wallabies drink.satin bowerbird_drink_ground_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
At my besties place sometimes the bird bath gets quite crowdedscaly-breasted lorikeets_rainbow lorikeets_croiwd_bird bath_named_caniaba_nov 2019
Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and Rainbow Lorikeets often squabble over whose turn it is.scaly-breasted lorikeets_rainbow lorikeet_flying_bird bath_named_caniaba_nov 2019
The “just out of the bath” is not a good look for a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet.scaly-breasted lorikeet_bird bath_named_caniaba_nov 2019
Meanwhile, a Olive-backed Oriel was keeping an eye on what was going on.olive-backed oriel_garden_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The Crested Pigeon really loved sitting on the shovel handle.crested pigeon_shovel_named_caniaba_nov 2019
A rare visitor to my besties garden is an Australasian Pipit. He walked among the grasses looking for insects.australiasian pipit_named_caniaba_nov 2019
I don’t think this Noisy Friarbird wanted his photo takenfriar bird_looking_close_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
There may not be much water around but the dragonflies are flitting about the garden.dragonfly_red_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
I love a close updragonfly_red_close_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
One of my pot plants, a Calathea has small delicate flowers.flower_calathea_plant_pot_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The bees were everywhere on the Eucalypt flowers down at the river at Cangi.flower_eucalypt_white_bee_named_cangi_nov 2019
Another plant my friend Geoff gave me has flowered. a wonderful Day Lily.day lily_yellow_garden_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The Stingless Native Bees love it too.stingless native bee_day lily_orange_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
Look at the well filled pollen sacs on these tiny bees.stingless native bees_hippeastrum_garden_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
One of the almost daily occurrences are the helicopters going to the nearby Clarence River to fill the water buckets. Sometimes they fly over my house. That is smoke not cloud. The fires are not near my place.helicopter_bucket_fires_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
Well the sun is setting so it’s almost time to go.sun_smoke_fire_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
The solar lights have come on in the garden.garden_light_solar_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019
and our Moon is bright overhead.full moon_named_home_jackadgery_nov 2019

I hope you had a lovely time wandering through my world. We must do it again sometime.
PS Yesterday the fires jumped the highway and are at Cangi today. This does not bode well for me as westerly winds will eventually send the fire towards my place. Cangi is around 25kms from here. Hopefully that old wooden bridge will be OK. The Rural Fire Service has the fire under control at the moment.

Also included in Su’s  The Changing Seasons Do drop by and see the wonderful posts over at Su’s place

This is June 2019

About time I hear you say. Yes I am a bit late with last months wrap up. I didn’t take as many photos early on and then I seemed to find lots to photograph. This months photos have a couple I have used in other photo challenges but I decided to keep this post a bit shorter by not including the those photos.

So sit back and have a scroll through my June

Let’s start in Inverell, a town about 200kms from my place. We decided to have a mini holiday and ventured west. My goodness the drought has really hit hard out there. Didn’t see the usual paddocks with sheep and cattle in them. Many farmers have de-stocked and just holding onto their core breeding stock for when the drought breaks.
We stayed at a fabulous B’n’B, Blair Athol a Manor house from the early 1900’s. It is a great place to stay
blair athol estate_house_named_inverell_june 2019
We did venture around the countryside. It was quite sad. I think this granite outcrop says it all.granite_rocks_outcrop_named_tingha_june 2019
I found a Pied Cormorant just after a bit of a dip in the water. I love how Cormorants do this. Makes me smile every time.pied_cormorant_named_inverell_june 2019
Back home I was surprised to see ducks on my house dam as the water level is quite low. Three Pacific Black Ducks cruise the dam.pacific_black_ducks_dam_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
Sometimes when I am about in the garden doing a bit of bird spotting I get a feeling I am being watched as well. This Grey-shrike Thrush was making sure I was being good.grey_shrike_thrush_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
Another Winter visitor to the garden are Golden Whistlersgolden_whistler_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
Of course a monthly wrap wouldn’t be the same without the resident Eastern Yellow Robin who found a post to sit on while surveying the garden for a snack.eastern_yellow_robin_named_home_jacadgery_june 2019
Little Striated Thornbills are flying about the garden in the afternoonsstriated_thornbill_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
The Rose Robins are still around as wellrose_robin_named_home_jacadgery_june 2019
The Agave looked lovely in the afternoon lightagave_garden_sun_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
This is called Witches Broom it is on a small Eucalypt. witches_broom_garden_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
The variety of plants that are growing on a palm in the garden is wonderful. At the front is an Elk Horn, behind it on the right is a Birds nest Fern. They are surrounded by Hares Foot Fern and to the left rear is Fishbone Fern. All of these plants have decided to grow among the palm’s trunk.palm_elkhorn_birdsnest_fern_haresfoot_fern_garden_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
Nearby, a Jacaranda has a lovely growth of moss that cascades to the ground.moss_garden_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
My mate Geoffs Iris has flowered. Always will bring back a memory.iris_purple_garden_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
All around the place Lichen has sprung up as there has been showers of rain over the last part of the month enough to keep the garden happy and for some plants to emerge.lichen_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
I love finding water drops. My besties place has had much more rain than here.cumquat_water_drop_garden_named_caniabajune 2019
These are the seed pods from an Eucalypt tree I found in Inverell.nut_eucalypt_tree_inverell_june 2019
I haven’t taken many photos of the Red-necked Wallabies that hang around my place. I caught this bloke with a mouth full of grass.red-necked_wallaby_named_home_jackadgery_june 2019
Late one afternoon at my besties, she called out to come over to where she was in the garden. She found a little Bandi Bandi going across a log heading for a safe place to spend the night.bandi_bandi_named_caniaba_june 2019
There appears to be lots of Wanderer Butterflies about at the moment. Found this one flying around the lane-ways of Lismore.wanderer_butterfly_flying_named_lismore_june 2019
Meanwhile there are Wanderers in my besties garden feeding on Echinacea flowers.wanderer_echanacia_flower_garden_named_caniaba_june 2019
One day we decided to head to the coast for lunch at the Ballina Beach Surf Club. Afterwards, after watching whales from the window while eating, we wandered up to the headland and watched the Humpback Whales cruising past. I bit of blow usually let me know where they were.humpback_whale_blow_named_ballina_headland_june 2019

I love it when they gave a wave.
humpback_whale_fin1_named_ballina_headland_june 2019
Managed to get some tail shots.humpback_whale_tail_splash2_named_ballina_headland_june 2019
but could never be focused on the right place when a Humpback breachedhumpback_whale_tail_splash1_named_ballina_headland_june 2019
Now for a bit of weird. Walking down a lane in Lismore we always look to see if this window has changed. I think the hand and flag on the right have been added.eclectic_window_wierd_named_lismore_june 2019

A stack of chairs in a window.
chairs_window_named_lismore_june 2019

One morning, the mist was settled in the valleys. I used to tell the kids that the mountains have captured the clouds.
great_dividing_range_cloud_june 2019

A bit of my playing around with photos. A Magpie on a steel post
magpie_post_art_named_inverell_june 2019
OK the sun is down so time for me to go.sunset_orange_named_caniaba_june 2019

I hope you have enjoyed a bit of a look at my June. The feature photo is a butterfly among the Zinnias in my besties garden.

It’s Black and White

The May Photo a Day Challenge from Maria at CitySonnet: Silhouette

I have been doing silhouettes for quite some time now. These are my original photos converted to black and white and the outline of the birds redrawn by hand. The black enhanced and filled but not “flood filled” but each pixel or a group of pixels. The same process with the white part of my photograph.

I haven’t done any new ones for a while now as it is rather time consuming. I haven’t applied borders. When the photo is framed it doesn’t need a border but on the web page perhaps.  I hope you enjoy my bird silhouettes.
This is the first one I attempted. A White-faced Heron who was sitting on a tree in my garden.silhouette_blog_white-faced-heron
A Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo flying at my placesilhouette-blog_yellow-tailed-black-cockatoo
The distinctive tail shape of a Spangled Drongosilhouette_blog_spangled-drongo
Another easily identified bird by their tail – a Rainbow Bee Eatersilhouette_blog_rainbow-bee-eater
A Golden Whistler singing in the treesilhouette_blog_whistler

 

One of my best and most complicated, a Wattlebird on a Banksia flower at Evans Headsilhouette-blog_wattlebird

The featured image is a Pied Cormorant keeping watch on the dam at my place

the old song

The new song

More Birds for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge

I have lots of birds for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge of Birds

Here are my Black and White Birds

Magpie Geese resting up after a long migratory flight
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_magpie geese

Wonderful Willie Wagtail as he hops about the grass looking for a snack
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_willie wagtail

A White-winged Chough surveys where to walk to next
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_white winged chough

A raucous Magpie Lark, or better known as Pee Wees, shouts at a tree
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_magpie lark

Meet Chip, the Magpie who used to knock on the door to get a small snack, at my besties
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_magpie

This Pied Butcher Bird would always come when I was in the bush cutting firewood hoping that I would disturb a grub or two.
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_pied butcher bird

A Pied Cormorant catching a bit of afternoon sun
180629_blog challenge_black and white_birds_pied cormorant

A Pied Currawong looking for a free feed at the picnic table
pied currawong91_named_home_oct 2017

Black-&-White-Banner

 

 

This is March 2018

Here we are at what I saw in March.  There has been a couple of photo challenges I have done in March so some of those photos aren’t in this lot. It is another big photo post. There are a few photos of snakes, spiders and other insects but try to have a peek through your fingers when they come along. Nature is full of wondrous colours and shapes.

Of course there are flowers and birds plus my March obsession of spiders webs. So I do recommend getting your favourite drink and perhaps a snack as you settle in and have a look at my month of March.

OK, I’ll get the insects out of the way first for all those who have told me of their dislike of bugs. You will be rewarded with seeing some lovely little creatures from my world.

I’ll ease you into the insect section with a lovely Wanderer Butterfly
wanderer butterfly_binna burra_march 2018

Remember My Quest to photograph a Blue Triangle Butterfly. Well now it seems they are waiting for me. This Blue Triangle was on the road when we went for a walk.
blue triangle_named_road_binna burra_march 2018

There were a lot of Easten Common Brown Butterflies around this year.
eastern brown crow butterfly_named_binna burra_march 2018

A long range photo of a lovely bug with orange feelers. Some close ups are coming next.
beetle_named_binna birra_march 2018

When you are a small insect you really have to hang on if there is a breeze about.
insect_named_binna burra_march 2018

I look fearsome but I’m not.
insect_close_named_binna burra_march 2018

A small Fly with red eyes came to sit with us while we had a drink on the deck. Spiders next
fly_named_binna burra_march 2018

Remember the spiders web from my March Squares. Lots of people were glad the spider wasn’t in the web. Well here he is, all 5 or 6mm of him. Better watch out if you are a mossie.
spider_web_named_binna burra_march 2018

Some spiders hang up side down on their web.
spider_web_upsidedown_named_binna burra_march 2018

First prize in the messiest web. I love the droplets on the web from the morning mist.
spiders web_messy_named_binna burra_march 2018

As part of my obsession, I have been playing with my photo editor. Do you like this one?
spiders web_blackandwhite_named_binna burra_march 2018

A bit of respite now. A Lemon Migrant Butterfly on Lantana
lemon migrant_named_road_binna burra_march 2018

While on a day trip, we stopped at an art gallery which wasn’t all that great. Outside life was far more interesting. I found a Praying Mantis eating a Bee in the flower bed.
praying mantis_bee_named_blue knob_march 2018

This poor little bloke couldn’t get his wings folded
beetle_named_binna burra_march 2018

Photographing some grass seeds I was photo-bombed by a Dragonfly
dragonfly_photobomb_flowers rd_march 2018

I don’t think it was this lovely red Dragonfly. I love the shadow
dragonfly red_named_binna burra-march 2018

My favourite Australian Native Bees are the Blue-banded Bees which are in other posts this month. This Australian Native Bee has the best named of all. Let me introduce you to the Teddy Bear Bee. Do you know of a cuter bee name?
teddy bear bee_named_binna burra_march 2018

When we look out of the kitchen window at my besties place, neatly framed in the arch, waiting for his breakfast too is PJ the horse. He knows where to stand to get attention doesn’t he?
pj_horse_gate_named_binna burra_march 2018

The grass seed photo I talked about earlier.
grass seeds_named_flowers rd_march 2018

An Australian Native flower that grows at my place. This one was on the side of the road.
pea flower_named_jackadgery_march 2018

My besties Roses are lovely this year. The camera couldn’t capture the wonderful red colour though
red rose_named_binna burra_march 2018

A great year for Bromiliad flowering too.
bromiliad flower_named_binna burra_march 2018

This plant is called Ink Weed. Apparently you can make ink from the plant. Not sure which part but they did in the early days of the colony.
ink weed_ named_binna burra_march 2018

I have often shown the Blue Ginger flowers up close, sometimes with a Blue-banded Bee in them. This is one patch of them in my besties garden.
blue ginger flowers_named_binna burra_march 2018

I love Cats Whiskers flowers. They are just opening in March.
cats whiskers_flower_named_binna burra_march 2018

Aren’t the colours of the garden striking?
binna burra garden_named_march 2018

Remember the many posts about the Dancing Lady Hibiscus. Here is a shot of the many flowers that came out this year taken from the verandah where we sometimes have breakfast, the most flowers we have ever seen. The Hibiscus bush trails up the Poinciana tree trunks. How many Dancing Ladies can you count?
dancing lady hibiscus_named_binna burra-march 2018

A tiny Eco-system in a tree trunk on the side of the road.
tree life_named_road_binna burra_march 2018

The fence post was covered on one side with these fungi.
fungi_named_road_binna burra_march 2018

A lone fungus on the side of the hill.
fungi_named_flowers rd_march 2018

I love this shot from under the Poinciana tree at the small fungi high up.
fungus_tree_named_binna burra_march 2018

The Common Garden Skink, I call a Copper Headed Skink, doing its best not to look at the camera before it scurried away.
copper garden skink_named_binna burra_march 2018

Apart from flowers, fungi, birds, the Poinciana also has a non-venomous Green Tree Snake who lives in the hollows. These Pythons are harmless
green tree snake_named_binna burra_march 2018

Beautiful little snake. Aren’t the colours and markings lovely?
green tree snake_close_named_binna burra_march 2018

I wondered why the chook was hesitant about coming out of her yard. When she did she would run across the yard to a sheltered spot. She never came into the front garden. Then I spied why. The Square-tailed Kites have built a nest in a eucalypt in the front yard
kites nest_named_home_march 2018
The Black Kites are everywhere near the Lismore Waste Centerblack kite_named_lismore_march 2018
On  a drive to Caniaba, while waiting for some dairy cows to cross the road, I saw two Wedged-tailed Eagles wheeling about high in the sky.wedged tailed eagles_caniaba_named_march 2018

The Little Wattlebird enjoyed singing and searching for food in the Poinciana tree
little wattlebird_named_binna burra_march 2018

He saw me with my camera while up side down looking for grubs.
little wattlebird_looking_named_binna burra_march 2018

The tiny Buff-rumped Thornbill defied gravity looking for a snack in the Poinciana tree  too
buff rumped thornbill_named_binna burra_march 2018

A Golden Whistler was in fine voice in the Poinciana tree.
golden whistler_named_binna burra_march 2018

Another singer in the garden is the Varied Triller
varied triller_named_binna burra_march 2018

A flock of Silvereyes called in to have a feed
silvereye_named_road_binna burra_march 2018

A Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike strained to see if it was food or just the wind blowing leaves about
black faced cuckoo shrike_named_binna burra_march 2018

On a recent walk, I spied a young Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike harassing its parent for food
black faced cuckoo shrike_juvenile_named_jackadgery_march 2018

“Where is everyone?” the Pied Cormorant seemed to say as it looked around before diving for fish once more in the Brunswick River.
cormorant_named_brunswick river_march 2018

Meanwhile on the beach at Brunswick Heads, a Welcome Swallow found a convenient stick to perch
welcome swallow_named_brunswick heads_march 2018

Remember the Bromiliad Flower? The Lewins Honeyeater has been sticking his head into the flower to get a snack. The flower also rewarded him but giving him a pollen crown.
lewins honeyeater_pollen head_named_binna burra_march 2018

I love Wonga Pigeons. This pair were sitting in the garden preening and looking about.
wonga pigeons_named_binna burra_march 2018

The Grey Fantail looked like he was walking on stilts.
grey fantail_stilts_named_flowers rd_march 2018

A great moment in March was seeing the Green Catbird feeding her young. Seconds later another young one came along which disturbed the scene and soon all three had flown off.
catbirds_feeding young_named_binna burra_march 2018

I can’t do a post with birds and not included Bobbin, the cute resident Northern Yellow Robin. I recently discovered that I have been calling the Yellow Robins around here and at my besties, Eastern Yellow Robins. There are two distinct races of Yellow Robins. So from now on Bobbin and his friends are Northern Yellow Robins.
northern yellow robin_table_named_binna burra_march 2018

Thanks for getting this far. I even made a second coffee to keep me going to the end.

The afternoon colour and trees looked so lovely
yellow sky_trees_named_binna burra_march 2018

The Full Moon earlier in March looked great with the clouds drifting by.
moon_clouds_named_march 2018

I like to put the captions before the photo. What do you do? Do you prefer the captions before or after a photo? Let me know what you think?

Did you have a favourite photo from March?

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Letter N

Have you ever seen a Nest hotel? The Pied Cormorants must enjoy nesting together as it was rather raucous with calls of “It’s your turn” or “Bring me a fish” or just chatting to while the time away. How many nests can you count?

171122_blog challenge_letter n_nests

There are more nests here have a look

Check out all the other fab “N” photos at Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge

CFFC