Share your desktop – 15 December

Clare’s Share Your Desktop

As I have been doing this year, showcasing past blog post photos, I thought the year should end with a bit of a smile and happiness. This one is from December 2016

Little Striated Thornbills after their bath

Little legs

The Bird Weekly – Photo Challenge: Short Legged Birds

This is September 2019

What a month September was. A month of fear of fires, another month of not much rain, watching the dam level drop and not being able to water the garden with the last bit of water in case I needed the water in case a fire appeared. The fires were not close, over 40kms away from my place but the sky and atmosphere was choked with smoke. A few rainfalls during the month helped alleviate my concerns, topped up my water tanks so I have enough water for my household needs and I have been watering the pot plants around the verandahs and in the house with the tank water. I also use this water to put in the various bird baths around the house as well as other water containers for the animals that may pop in and need a drink.

The downside is I am watching a lot of my garden die. Some palms that provide lovely shade for my house have already lost their tops and the others are struggling. Most of the garden is Australian native plants and some, like the lilli pillis are not looking all that flash. The Wallabies and Possums are also eating some of the garden plants so I may have to put fences around gardens so the new shoots appearing now the weather is warming don’t get nibbled.

There are a few photos to get through, so maybe a cup of tea, coffee or glass of wine or beer, depending when you are reading, Sit back and I hope you enjoy a scroll through my September.

I have found a few photogenic animals on my travels. The horses have already had their post and some others have appeared already as well but I have to put this fluffy Donkey in again.
donky_furry_named_lismore_sept 2019
I love going past the dairy and seeing these beautiful cows.cow_dairy_named_kyogle_sept 2019
It is never good to see one of these ants on the verandah. Their bite is quite painful for such a small insect.ant_verandah_named_caniaba_sept 2019
I do enjoy finding a spiders web in the right light.spider_web_small_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The start of Spring has a few butterflies appearing. The Caper White Butterflies are migratory and this one is one of the first to arrive.butterfly_caper_white_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Meadow Argus are enjoying the early Spring flowers on the Pittosporum. butterfly_meadow_argus_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019
The Stingless Native Bees certainly loved the Rocket flowers.bee_stingless_native_flower_rocket_named_caniaba_sept_2019
As did the honey bees.bee_flower_rocket_named_caniaba_sept_2019
Flies are pollinators as well. This one was in a nursery we went to in Byron Bay. There were lots of other insects on the flowers too.fly_insect_flower_nursery_named_byron_bay_sept 2019
Saw this amazing flower but forgot to write down the name, sorry.flower_petals_nursery_named_byron_bay_sept 2019
The Cacti were in bloom as well.flower_pink_cacti_nursery_named_byron_bay_sept 2019
Yes it is a bud, a very weird hairy bud. Can you guess what flower may appear from this in my besties garden?poppy_flower_bud_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The yellow Poppy enjoyed the sunshine.flower_poppy_yellow_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Here is the hairy buds flower, a red Poppy.flower_poppy_red_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Spring brings out the Begonia flowersflower_begonia_verandah_named_caniaba_sept 2019
And the Bottlebrush are starting to look fabulous at my besties but mine are having a hard time and the bushes haven’t looked like flowering yet.bottlebrush_flower_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Her Roses are looking wonderful. This one is a Double Delight just opening.flower_rose_double_delight1_named_caniaba_sept 2019
This Double Delight is open showing lovely delicate colours.flower_rose_double_delight2_named_caniaba_sept 2019
My White Fig tree is struggling a bit in the dry weather. The figs often drop their leaves at this time of year. The ground is covered in the yellow and orange leaves.leaves_white_fig_colours_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019
It also likes to show its true Aussie colours of Green and Goldleaves_white_fig_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019

There are lots of birds around at the moment too. The Red-browed Firetails are cruising the grass eating the seeds
red_browed_firetail_finch_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The Straw-necked Ibis are also wandering about looking for grubs in the paddocks.straw-necked ibis_ named_caniaba_sept 2019
I have a few Australian Ravens who have a walk about the garden looking for snacks.australian_raven_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019

We saw some Chestnut-breasted Mannikins down the road. They must have followed us home as later on I saw around 20 to 30 sitting in the fence.
chestnut_brewasted_mannikins_fence_named_caniaba_sept_2019
The King Parrots are enjoying the last of the seeds in the Leopard Tree.king_parrot_garden_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019

The Mistletoe Bird has wonderful red colours.
mistletoe_bird_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Remember the Willie Wagtails nest that was destroyed by something a month or so ago? Well they found a safe place and have raised three chicks. Only a mother could love a baby like this.willie_wagtail_chick_nest_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The Welcome Swallows have four chicks in two nests at my besties under the verandah. They are always hungry.welcome_swallows_chicks_feeding_named_caniaba_sept_2019
Some years, Welcome Swallows have two nestings. Here comes another feather to line the nest for the next lot of babies.welcome swallow_feather_nest_named_caniaba_sept 2019

 

The Restless Flycatchers like to patrol the fence lines in the morning.satin_flycatcher_fence_named_caniaba_sept 2019
As the season was so bad I felt sorry for the birds and put a container of food out every now and then. The Currawongs tended to dominate but one morning a small flock of Satin Bowerbirds turned up. I have never seen so many bower birds together. These are females and juveniles. The male sat by and kept watch from a nearby branch.satin_bowerbirds_verandah_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019
A lot of the birds at my place are not hanging around the house as there isn’t much food in the garden. Normally the grevilleas are full of flowers but a lack of rain has seen a reduced number of grevillea flowers. There are a lot of birds down the lower part of my property at the waterhole. A Yellow-faced Honeyeater and a White-throated Honeyeater enjoy a drink together.waterhole_drinking_yellow_faced_honeyeater_white_throated_honeyeater_named_home_jackadgery_sept 2019
The little Striated Honeyeater just jumped straight into the bird bath.striated_thornbill_bird_bath_diving_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Whereas the White-throated Honeyeater just dived straight in.white-throated honeyeater_bird_bath_diving_named_caniaba_sept 2019
This is the first time I have seen a Little Friarbird and a Noisy Friarbird together.friarbirds_noisy_little_bird_bath_named_caniaba_sept 2019
A female Olive-backed Oriel came to the bird bath for the first time at my besties.olive-backed oriel_female_bird_bath_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The Male shows why they are Olive-backed Oriels.olive-backed oriel_back_bird_bath_named_caniaba_sept 2019
He doesn’t look to pleased to see me with my camera does he?olive-backed oriel_looking_bird_bath_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Everyone like the Australian Raven skipping down the hill last month. How about a Silver Gull dancing? gull_dance_named_brunswick_heads_sept 2019
AS I said, the sky was been choked with smoke from the fires. I couldn’t quite capture the red sun at sunset one afternoonsun_red_named_jackadgery_sept 2019
Other sunsets were quite orange.sunset_red_named_caniaba_sept 2019
or a blaze of yellow!sunset_fires_named_caniaba_sept 2019
The smoke mixed with cloud made for some interesting shapes and spooky atmosphere.sunset_fires_orange_named_caniaba_sept 2019
Well here we are at the end. The grass seed heads made a lovely part of the afternoons walk. When I looked at the photo on the computer screen, there was, I think, a Grasshopper winging away for the night.sunsegrass_seeds_insect_named_caniaba_sept 2019

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my September.

Also a contribution to Su’s The Changing Seasons

 

This is July 2019

Welcome to This is July 2019.

What a month it has been. Over the month the lack of rain has started to bite again. There was 10mls of rain at the start of the month and since then it has been quite warm during the day. Some days have been in the low 20’s while the nights have been in single figures. The warm days are not that unusual for my winter but the constant sunny days are. There has been rain on the coast, yesterday (1 August) there was 20mls of rain while some sporadic rain clouds drifted overhead here. My dam I use to water the garden around the house is very low. I have to decide what part of the garden I’ll give water to to try and keep plants alive. I am loathe to use the dam’s water because it is so dry and I may need that water in case a bush fire springs up nearby. There has been a few fires but they have been a fair way from here. I am glad I don’t have any animals or crops to look after as it is depressing enough as it is.

July was Becky’s #JulySquares so all of those plus others I have used in other photo challenges aren’t in here but I thought I would use the photo that had the most comments and likes as the header.

Enough of that. This has been a bit of a cropper month for photos though so I do suggest that you get a drink, perhaps a snack, settle back and scroll along.

Hey ho let’s go……………

I spent a few days down the coast visiting my mate whose wife is quite unwell. It is a lovely place and the ferry that goes across the bay is so cute. The size of the other boats docked at the marina make the ferry look so small.
ferry_marina_boats_nelson_bay_july 2019
We found a secondhand shop on the way home. We didn’t buy as their prices were a bit over the top. The glassware was well displayed.glass_coloured_vase_nabiac_july 2019
Don’t look at this too long as you will probably see it move.wind_chime_nabiac_july 2019
In Lismore, a nearby town, they have a train in a park that the kids love, OK I have been on it once or twice. I was getting photos of the park and I really liked the tunnel photo.tunnel_train_heritage_park_lismore_july 2019
My bestie found a Wanderer Butterfly caught in a spiders web in the garden. After removing the web, the butterfly sat on her hand for ages before flying off.wanderer_butterfly_saved_hand_caniaba_july 2019
I wonder if this is the same Wanderer Butterfly?wanderer_butterfly_grass_caniaba_july 2019
While away down the coast, we did a bit of exploring the surrounding area. I found these flowers on a most unusual plant in the sand dunes.flower_dune_plant_harbour_beach_july 2019
Isn’t this flower and it’s hairy plant lovely? I think it is called Herb Robert.flower_herb_robert_caniaba_july 2019
My Billbergia Nutans are floweringflower_bromiliad_billbergia_nutans_home_jackadgery_july 2019
I found this flowering native shrub while out on my place cutting firewood.flower_native_wide_gully_home_jackadgery_july 2019
The Magpies found a warm place in the sun. They were warbling away as we walked down the street to where we were staying.magpies_wall_sun_nelson_bay_july 2019
Pied Currawongs are a sign of Winter as they come down from the mountains when the weather get cold up there. This one seems to be taken with the house and the verandah.pied_currawong_verandah_ball_home_jackadgery_july 2019
The Willie Wagtails at my besties like riding around on the cows next door. I think they may be collecting nesting materials from the cows.willie_wagtail_cow_farm_caniaba_july 2019
The Cattle Egrets love riding around on the cows too.egret)cattle_standing_cow_farm_caniaba_july 2019
Back at home, the King Parrots are still hanging around despite the dry conditions.king_parrot_male_garden_home_jackadgery_july 2019
The females are quite different compared to the males.king_parrot_female_garden_home_jackadgery_july 2019
Among the garden bushes, a little Striated Thornbill was hunting for insects.striated_thornbill_caniaba_july 2019
The Scarlet Honeyeaters are always around the garden. It is lucky I have some Eucalypts flowering so there is a food source for these wonderful little birds.scarlet_honeyeater_home_jackadgery_july 2019

There seems to be lots of small birds around at the moment. The Double-barred Finches were happy to hop around the grass eating grass seeds.
double_barred_finch_caniaba_july 2019
A new bird for me, a Black-faced Woodswallow at my besties placeblack_faced_woodswallow_garden_caniaba_july 2019
Some of my grevilleas are bravely trying to flower despite the lack of water. The wonderful bird attracting Honey Gem which usually has an abundance of flowers has a few straggly flowers that the Lewins Honeyeaters have found.grevillea_lewins_honeyeater_garden_home_jackadgery_july 2019
Yes, I am looking at you Satin Bower Bird. Taken while sitting in my office through the door. The camera is always on the desk.satin_bowerbird_male_looking_garden_home_jackadgery_july 2019
The female Satin Bower Bird was also curious to see what I was going.bowerbird_female_verandah_home_jackadgery_july 2019
While down in the lower part of my place there is a wide grassed gully which I drive along to find suitable fallen timber for firewood. Often when I arrive there is a flurry of activity from White-winged Choughs or these birds, Grey-crowned Babblers. A small group walk along the gully flicking over leaves, bark and small rocks to find insects to eat. They have a constant chatter as they do and there is one bird who is the lookout who will let everyone know that danger lurks. As I approached, they flew into the trees so I just sat and waited until they resumed normal business.grey_crowned_babblers_three_home_jackadgery_july 2019
Here you can see their grey crowngrey_crowned_babbler_gully_home_jackadgery_july 2019
If the piece of wood is too hard to kick over, you have to get down and get your beak in to get your snack.grey_crowned_babbler_digging_gully_home_jackadgery_july 2019
Back at home, the White-throated Honeyeaters love this little hanging pot which I fill with water for the birds. If I am outside and the pot is empty, one of these birds will sit near me and let me know.white_chinned_honeyeater2_hanging_pot_july 2019
I love the olive colour on their back and wings.white_chinned_honeyeater_hanging_pot_july 2019
The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters also come to drink and bathe here.yellow_faced_honeyeater_hanging_pot_july 2019
After a bust day at the grevilleas, a Lewins Honeyeater enjoys a drink and a dunk.lewins_honeyeater_hanging_pot_july 2019
“Hello….is anyone using this bird bath?”
A White-throated Treecreeper looks over the edge of the bowl. This is a replacement for my wonderful terracotta bird bath which doesn’t attract as many visitors as the terracotta one.white_throated_treecreeper_bird_bath_home_jackadgery_july 2019
The Welcome Swallows are starting to nest at my besties under the verandah as they have for years.welcome_swallow_caniaba_july 2019
Busy collecting nesting material, it’s time to line the mud nest with feathers, probably from the Cattle Egrets on the farm next door.welcome_swallow_feather_nest_caniaba_july 2019
The Willie Wagtails are nesting too. Unfortunately the next day after I took this photo the whole nest was gone. We looked around the garden, under and nearby, but there wasn’t even a sign of the nest. The Wagtails were distraught in the morning. willie_wagtail_nest_build_caniaba_july 2019
Time to look up and see who has been flying over head. This is a collection of the Raptors. A White-bellied Sea Eagle was cruising around Harbour Beach at Port Stephens.sea_eagle_flying_port_stephens_july 2019
The Black Kite is a regular at the Lismore Waste Facility. We go there usually on a Saturday as their Revolve Shop has some great bargains from items recovered from the waste collections.  black_kite_flying_lismore_tip_july 2019
A very brave Magpie was making sure the Wedged-tailed Eagle wasn’t hanging around near their nests. It harassed the Eagle until it flew higher than the magpie could. wedged_tailed_eagle_magpie_flying_caniaba_july 2019
I love seeing the Wedged-tailed Eagles soar overhead.wedged_tailed_eagle_flying_caniaba_july 2019

No I wasn’t in the Sahara. At Harbour Beach the sand dunes are enormous and there is a Camel ride operator. We were there late in the afternoon and this was the last tour of the day coming back in.
camels_sand_dunes_harbour_beach_july 2019
Well the sun is on the way down so I better say see ya.sunset_red_caniaba_july 2019
On the road from my place to the river the setting sun gave the road a redder hue than the normal red gravel on the roads surface.sunset_jackadgery_purgatory_creek_road_named_july 2019
I had to get a close up as the sun started to disappear behind the mountainssunset_close_jackadgery_purgatory_creek_road_named_july 2019

Well that’s all from me for July. I hate to end on a sad note but Chicken, the last of my chooks, died last month. Chicken came to me from my friend who lived down the road, the same one who gave my the beautiful Iris. When he had to go into care, he asked me to look after his chooks and Chicken is the last one. She was quite old and had been ill for a while and I used to take her with me when I went to my besties and also to my daughters. Since the start of the cold weather at night, I would pop her into her travelling crate and she would sit inside with me near the fire.

chicken_home_jackadgery_june 2019

Also linked with Su’s Changing Seasons

 

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.

This is March 2019

What a month of differences. I had some good rainfalls in February but March became quite dry. The dam I use for watering the garden and use outside didn’t receive any run-off and is very low. I am in water conservation mode and back to watering the garden plants sparingly. The pot plants on the verandahs are getting the precious tank water. I have lost a number of my Begonias sadly. I have a number of plants of the same species and nothing has been lost altogether.

The coming of Autumn is usually a time to plant but as the same as last year, there isn’t the promise of rain and soil moisture. I have a number of plants that are now going to re-potted into bigger pots. The best thing is the sunsets this Autumn so this post has a number of sunsets as I couldn’t decide which ones to use.

I haven’t included the photos I have used in posts over the past few weeks, such as the Wedged-tailed Eagle having lunch on the side of the road. I have also put some in reserve for posts to be written later on.

There is a a good selection so maybe a cup of your favourite beverage, a snack and get comfortable to see some of the stuff I found in my world in March.

I was very privileged to be part of a smoking ceremony. A traditional Aboriginal welcome to their part of country. The leaves that were on the fire, Lemon Scented Gum, Cinnamon Gum and another type of eucalypt leaf I can’t remember.
smoking_ceremony_aboriginal_indigeous_pit_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019
We stood or sat around the circular fire pit. One of the most amazing part was we were told that the smoke would touch us all. They began playing a welcome tune and the smoke went in a spiral around the circle of people, the smoke touching everyone. Yes the hairs on my arms and neck stood, it was a magical moment.smoking_ceremony_aboriginal_indigeous_players_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019
The leaves had to be put on regularly to infuse the people and the moment which gave us a sense of being part of country. smoking_ceremony_aboriginal_indigeous_loading_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019
One of the murals inside of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence where the NSW Landcare Forum was heldmural_NIEC_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019

The city sunset
sunset_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019
One afternoon, the sun was so yellow bathing the countryside giving an eerie glow to the Grass Tree sentinels that watch over my besties place. grass_trees_named_caniaba_march 2019

I wish I had more time to explore Redfern its streets, houses and gardens. I love this ornate piece on a gate.
gate_decoration_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019

Back at my part of the world, I found a bit of rust.
rust_hole_pier_named_macleay_island_march 2019

One of the jardinieres in the front of a house
urn_garden_named_redfern_sydney_march 2019
Meanwhile at the beach, the shadows  on the sand caught my attention.beach_grass_shadow_evans head_march 2019

The colours of a Small Common Yellow Butterfly seemed to change as it sat on the lomandra.
butterfly_small_grass_yellow_named_caniaba_march 2019
My nighttime visitor who dropped in and commenced doing her laundry. praying mantis_home_march 2019

The early morning rain at my besties on a spiders web.
spider_web_water_drops_named_caniaba_march 2019
The water dropspalm_fronds_dead_water_drops_named_caniaba_march 2019

While on the hunt for spiky things for Beckys March Square Photo Challenge, a purple Spider Orchid said pick me.
orchid_spider_purple_named_lismore_market_march 2019
Another angleflowers_orchid_purple_named_lismore_march 2019

Some Eucalypt flowers look spiky but are so soft
flowers_white_named_lismore_march 2019
Purple flowers in the morning sun.flowers_purple_named_caniaba_march 2019
Another orchid found at the Lismore Farmers Market where we go most Saturdays for breakfast and get some produce from the growers.flowers_orchid_named_lismore_march 2019
The Desert Rose is also for sale at the Marketflowers_desert_rose_named_lismore_march 2019

After not doing much, the rain came to my besties in March (but not my place) and the bean plants started to grow and flower.
flower_bean_named_caniaba_march 2019

This is the very first time I have seem coconuts growing on a tree.
cocnuts_named_macleay_island_march 2019
Time for a few bird photos. The cute little Striated Thornbill enjoys dropping into to use  the bird baththornbill_bird_bath_named_caniaba_march 2019
OK….now we are back at the beach. The Crested Terns flew in and sat on the beach with us.crested_terns_sitting_evans head_march 2019

On Macleay Island, the Bush-stone Curlews had a young one.
bush stone-curlew_young_named_macleay_island_march 2019
Having a drive around we came across a family of Grey-crowned Babblers having a feed along the side of the road.grey_crowned_babbler_named_gore rd_march 2019
One afternoon the sky was filled with a cacophony of squawking Little Corellas, the most Little Corellas I have ever seen in one huge flock. There were hundreds.corellas_little_flying_flock_closer_named_lismore_march 2019
The flock stretched across the sky in the afternoon sun.corellas_little_flying_flock_named_lismore_march 2019
I love the graceful Ibis as the soar overhead.ibis_flying_named_lismore_march 2019

The Black Kites are always hovering and swooping at the waste facility.
kite_black_named_lismore_march 2019
A look at the steering mechanism on a Black Kite.kite_black_steering_named_lismore_march 2019
I am so happy that the Scarlet Honeyeaters are still around the garden at home.scarlet honeyeater_grevillea_honey_gem_home_jackadgery_march 2019
It is always a treat to come across Eastern Rosellaseastern_rosella_fence_named_gore rd_march 2019
The rain at my besties has bought out the happy looking Green Tree Frogs.frog_green_tree_named_caniaba_march 2019
On the drive around we came across an Eastern Grey Kangaroo and her Joey.eastern_grey_kangaroo_joey_named_gore rd_march 2019

The morning sun on the pampas grass seed heads
grass_seed_head_pink_named_caniaba_march 2019
The car ferry on the way to Macleay Island was soon overtaken by the catamaran ferryferry_fast_named_macleay_island_march 2019

It was a treat when the yacht owner put up the red sails
boat_sails_named_macleay_island_march 2019

The sunset over the bay made the end of a busy day worthwhile.
sunset_yacht_golden_named_macleay_island_march 2019
The sunset on the watersunset_water_named_macleay_island_march 2019
The farmer next door ploughed and planted a paddock next to my besties place. When it was ready, he let the cows into the paddock. This cow certainly seemed to enjoy having a snack.cow_licking_named_caniaba_march 2019
The calf kept a wary eye on me.calf_looking_named_caniaba_march 2019

The calf at sunset.
sunset_calf_named_caniaba_march 2019
Another fabulous sunset.sunset_dark_named_caniaba_march 2019

Another day, another sunset. This is the eastern sky
sunset_swirl_named_caniaba_march 2019

I think this was my favourite sunset of March
sunset1_orange_named_caniaba_march 2019

Probably my favourite sunset photo. Well the suns gone down…..
sunset2_orange_named_caniaba_march 2019
…..and our Moon is in the sky, so it’s time to go.moon_named_caniaba_march 2019

I hope you have a had a good time wandering about, sometimes a bit chaotic, in my world. The featured photo is one from Beckys photo challenge which a lot of people liked. Maybe you have a favourite photo too?

This is January 2019

January. A month of hardly any rain, only 6mm over 2 days at my place, whereas the average is around 120mm and it rains most days. It was also freakingly hot. Days in succession of over 38C to a top of 42C here. There were some magic moments, a bit of travelling and the return of the butterflies. I spent a lot of my time watering my garden and plants in shade house. The dam became low so I was thinking of water rations to the plants. I became the bad parent having to decide which plants would get water and those who I hoped would survive.

Among all of this I did manage to get out and about and take quite a number of photos. Looking through the folders, I decided that I would have to do special posts that encompassed some of my days out and about, as I have a lot of things I want to show you this month. It has taken me a long time to decide on what I want to put into this post.

Yep……it’s another huge lot of photos.  So once again, get a cup of tea or coffee (I have a coffee while writing this) perhaps a snack (I have already eaten my biscuits). For those reading in the evening, a glass of wine will help sustain while scrolling through this mammoth month. I shall try to keep the captions short.

Ready. All sitting comfy. Lets go

I best start off with a bit of morning and sunrise through the trees. I don’t get to see the full splendor of sunrise living in the bush or in a forest for those non-Australians
sunrise_red_named_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

I liked this morning photo as it has a sliver of our Moon. Can you see it?
sunrise_moon_named_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

This is what our Moon looked like up close
moon_morning_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

Seeing a full moon in the morning was fabulous. A great start to the day.
moon_full_morning_named_caniaba_jan 2019

While visiting my daughter in Toowoomba, we spent time walking about the streets looking at street art (a post of those wonderful art works to come) and strolling though the many gardens and parks.
I was glad to see that Yarn Bombing was still happening and Council was leaving them in place.
tree_yarn_bombing_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

I just had to get a photo of this carrot that was on top of the vege display at the local Farmers Market
carrot_lismore_markets_rude_jan 2019

The distant hills have sentinel like Grass Trees over looking the valley.  Grass Trees grow at around 25mm (1 inch) a year. Some of these are probably 2+ meters tall so ancient wonders on the other side of the valley from my besties place.
grass_trees_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Now for the flowers.
The many colours and shapes of (I think) a Gazania
flower_gazania_garden_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

Despite the heat, a red Frangipanni buds and flowers appeared.
flower_frangipanni_red_view_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The photo doesn’t capture the wonderful red colour.
flower_frangipanni_red_open_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The flower of a Eucalypt, not sure which one, with a bee. There was lots of bees around in January too.
flower_eucalypt_red_bees_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

Just a wonderful flower.
flower_colourful_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

Bougainvilleas flowered well in the heat and dry.
flower_bouganvillea_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

I have many photos of Native Frangipannis but have never seen a seed pod before
native_frangipanni_lismore_rainforest_botanical_gardens_jan 2019

The Dahlias in my daughters garden
flowers_dahlia_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

I saw a flower and while I was looking, some kids came along and said “Look brain flowers”. Yep Brain Flowers or Cockscomb or a Celosia flower.
flower_celosia_yellow_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

Also came in red.
flower_celosia_red_line blue_butterfly_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

More bees and flowers
flower_colourful_bees_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

This one was getting stuck into the pollen at my besties
bee_pink_flowers_named_caniaba_jan 2019
A Wattle Line-blue Butterfly enjoying a Brain flower. Did you spot the butterfly earlier?butterfly_wattle line blue_flower_celosia_red_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

An Orange Ochre stopped to enjoy the afternoon sun
butterfly_ochre orange_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

A Cabbage White Butterfly flitted about the garden
cabbage white_butterfly_flying_named_caniaba_jan 2019

and stopped to have a snack
cabbage white_butterfly_flower_pink_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The Dragonflies are all flying around the garden and over the dam. These two stopped for some “relaxation” on a branch on the ground.
dragonflies_mating_bush_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

Should I have told my visitors that Dragonflies are having sex on their car aerial?
dragonflies_mating_car_aerial_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

A golden moment with a smiling Dragonfly
dragonfly_gold_durranbah_jan 2019

The Lesser Wanderers came to feed on the flowers that popped up in the grass.
lesser wanderer_butterfly_purple_flower_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Wings open to get a bit of sun before take-off.
lesser wanderer_butterfly_wings_open_purple_flower_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The Meadow Argus Butterfly seemed to stop anywhere. You can see how dry it has been. The grasses are dead.
meadow argus_butterfly_closed_named_caniaba_jan 2019
With wings open it helps to know what butterfly I have photographedmeadow argus_butterfly_named_caniaba_jan 2019

On the flowers, the Meadow Argus looks lovely.
meadow argus_butterfly_pink_flowers_named_caniaba_jan 2019
Another photo of the flowers and butterflymeadow_argus_butterfly_flowers_named_caniaba_jan 2019

A Native Australian Bee, a Carpenter Bee flying among the Ponytail Palm flowers with some beetles and ants. Carpenter Bees quite often make their nest in Grass Trees.
carpenter_bee_ponytail_flowers_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Among the dried grasses, the Dandelions still had time to flower (see This is December 2018) and set seed
dandelion_seed_head_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The branches of a Bunya Pine – Art Direction, my daughter, Photo, me
bunya_pine_sky_gardens_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

High in the trees at my besties, late one afternoon, a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos came to roost for the night. Not the best photo as the light was failing and the birds kept moving.
yellow-tailed black cockatoo_caniaba_jan 2019
The raucous sounds of the Sulpher-crested Cockatoos sounded all over the park as we strolled about. cockatoo_sulpher_crested_gardens_named_toowoomba_jan 2019
As the weather was hot and dry, the bird bath had to be topped up regularly. The Lewins Honeyeater made enough noise to let us know that there wasn’t much water in the bird bath.lewins honeyeater_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019
Once the bird bath was filled, the Noisy Miners queued up to get a drink and a bath.noisy miners_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019

The Silvereyes stopped by to get into the water while a Striated Thornbill waited his turn.
silvereyes_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019

I was spied by an Eastern Rosella who dropped by for a drink
eastern rosella_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Getting a drink helped show the lovely back feathers pattern.
eastern rosella_birdbath_drinking_named_caniaba_jan 2019
The Superb Fairy Wrens make a lovely couple.superb fairy wrens_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019

“Hey babe, check this fancy bit of flying”
“Get out of the way, you’re in my shot”
superb fairy wrens_birdbath_flying_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Do you mind, I’m trying to take a bath here
king parrot_birdbath_named_caniaba_jan 2019
The King Parrot having a look at what I am doing in my officeking parrot_male_verandah_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

Just strolling through the park. Move along, there’s nothing to see here!
duck_looking_japanese_gardens_named_toowoomba_jan 2019
The Tortoises sunning on a rock while another is swimming over.tortoises_japanese_gardens_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

What a face
dog_gardens_named_toowoomba_jan 2019

It has been so hot that I have left nearly all of the windows and doors open. That seemed to be an invitation for a Lesser Long-eared Micro-bat to take up residence in my pantry.
bat_micro_lesser_long_eared_named_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

This is one of the reasons I keep some doors closed at night. Brush-tailed Possums like to range about the garden at night. Given half a chance they will wander inside creating chaos.
possum_cassia_night_named_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

The Koalas have been active as it’s mating season. I have heard their loud calls at my place. At my besties place we can see this male who has taken up residence occasionally in the trees. Usually asleep, around 18 hours a day, the big feller was not very happy at me walking around taking photos even if he was about 10 meters above me.
koala_tree_caniaba_jan 2019
Well it’s almost time to say goodbye. A wave from one of the many Geckos who live behind the pictures on the walls.gecko_hand_home_jackadgery_jan 2019

The sun is setting. Aren’t the colours just wonderful?
sunset_blues_caniaba_jan 2019

The oranges made for a spectacular sunset
sunset_orange_caniaba_jan 2019

I was quite pleased to get a photo of our Moon with the coloured rings. It is a hand held photo. Most time I would use a tripod but didn’t have one handy.
moon_full_night_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Well it looks like it is getting late so goodnight.
moon_full_night_house_palms_named_caniaba_jan 2019

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have enjoyed a scroll through bushboys world for January 2019. Did you have a favourite photo?

This is September: The birds

G’day,
September, the first month of Spring but still no rain. The last drop of rain I have had was 6mls on the 6th July. Good news is there was 21mls over the last weekend. The dry Winter and September didn’t  stop the Grevillieas from flowering. I didn’t include many Grevilleas in this or the next blog. You can see them here from a previous blog. But I digress. This part of This is September is just the birds. The next blog is everything else as I looked at the number of photos and there are too many for one blog. I didn’t want your cuppa to get cold scrolling through or fall asleep before the end.

Ready……..lets get going.

The first lot are birds who are not very good at hiding, although some were just sheltering from the heat of the day probably.

The Australian Raven gave the game away by incessantly calling.
australian raven_hiding_named_grafton_sept 2017

The Noisy Friarbird was in the Sweet Pittosporum
noisy friarbird_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

The Little Friarbird was hiding behind the Mago
little friarbird_looking_named_home_sept 2017

The Striated Thornbill was hiding in the Hibiscus
striated thornbill_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Can you spot the White-throated Treecreeper?
white throated tree creeper_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

The Figbird was trying to be inconspicuous
fig bird_named_home_sept 2017

Little Friarbirds don’t hide very well do they?
little friarbird_hiding_named_home_sept 2017

I love seeing the Variegated Fairy Wrens hopping through the garden. They usually come in small flocks looking among the bushes and flowers for insects or heading to the birdbath.
The females are hard to see aren’t they?
variegated fairy wren_female_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Whereas the males really stand out
variegated fairy wren_males_named_binna burra_sept 2017

They are so cute when they sit together
variegated fairy wren_male_female_named_binna burra_sept 2017

As the weather has been very warm, almost Summer temperatures, the bird bath was the place to be. The Little Friarbird came for a drink.
little friarbird_birdbath01_named_home_sept 2017

Bottoms up
little friarbird_drinking_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

Looking about before having another drink
little friarbird_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

A Spangled Drongo seemed to have a gargle
spangled drongo_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

While a White-throated Treecreeper jumped in and splashed about
white throated treecreeper_birdbath_splash_named_home-sept 2017

Sometimes you can emerge from the birdbath looking a bit bedraggled like this White-throated Honeyeater
white throated honeyeater_birdbath_named_home_sept 2017

Eastern Whipbirds love the birdbath
whipbird01_in birdbath_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Almost ready for another dip
whipbird02_birdbath_named_binna burra_sept 2017

Lewins Honeyeaters like the mosaics of this birdbath
lewins honeyeater_named_binna burra_sept 2017
Of course there are birds who live in the water. Darters enjoy a swim
darter_named_grafton_sept 2017
While other birds prefer to be in the trees. Blue-faced Honeyeaters enjoy lunch
blue faced honeyeater_named_home_sept 2017

blue faced honeyeater01_named_home_sept 2017

Figbirds wonder what other birds are doing
figbird_looking_named_home_sept 2017

Yellow-faced Honeyeaters like sitting on sticks
yellow faced honeyeater_named_home_sept 2017

A regular Spring visitor is the Rufous Whistler who sing their little hearts out during the day
rufous whistler_named_home_sept 2017

The Square-tailed Kites have come back to their nest from last year to raise more chicks
square tailed kite_nest_named_home_sept 2017

Other birds don’t mind a stroll about. A Grey-shrike Thrush hopped about the leaf litter
grey shrike thrush_named_binna burra_sept 2017

On their regular patrol around the garden, the Wonga Pigeons stopped for a drink.
wongas_named_binna burra_sept 2017

A Common Bronzewing takes a walk along the road
common bronzewing_named_home_sept 2017

I like the first signs of Spring when the Rufous Whistler and the Spangled Drongos arrive at my place. Did you have a favourite bird?