It’s a rainy morning, the first in about two weeks. I gave the garden time to dry out as some plants suffered from being wet for so long. They are welcoming the rain. It was a bit hazy as well.
A wonderful start to Winter in my part of the world. The rain has stopped for the moment. The days are in the low 20’sC with cold night into single figures necessitating lighting the fire giving a warm glow to the loungeroom.
I have managed to get out for a few little excursions as well as take photos at home. A lot of time has been spent cutting and splitting firewood with a few delays as I have me camera with me just in case something happens – or has been the case a few times not have it.
I hope my June song to scroll with works for you. Please enjoy
I did make it out for a quite pastel sunrise. Something to begin with for having a look at what I found in June. I loved the lines across the sky.
Someone else was enjoying the early morning as well aboard their yacht
The sparse vegetation on the point at Wooli really does take the brunt of wind and water
On the other side of the point, the river winds its way to the sea. A Striated Heron took a stroll while the tide was out looking for lunch.
In the morning at Iluka, a fluffed up Pied Butcherbird warmed up among the Banksia trees
There was a look at the works the Iluka Landcare team had been doing planting Red Gums to increase the Koala habitat. While we were there looking around I spied a Pacific Baza. Later on her mate appeared and landed on a branch above her.
In the late afternoon a White-cheeked Honeyeater sitting atop a Banksia sang to the setting sun
A Silver Gull basking in the afternoon sun on a wharf post.
An Australian Pelican kept a wary eye on me while resting on the old wharf post
A nearby Darter was stretching probably contemplating heading off if I came any closer
There are all manner of ways to secure your craft at the wharf. I was attracted to the rust.
Overhead an Osprey patrolled the beach looking for breakfast
Back in South Grafton the copious amount of Little Corellas wheeled about before landing on their roost or in the paddock to scour the ground for seeds and grubs. Little Corellas are migrants who arrived on the coast after a very prolonged drought over the ranges. They liked it so much they never left, built up numbers and can now be found all along the coast.
The Little Corellas were flying over this part time wetland. The Black Swans had a nest among the reeds in early June. The Pacific Black Ducks were always around looking for a meal as well as other water birds. Towards the end of June the paddock dried out and the farmer let a few cattle in to graze. Unfortunately all the reeds you can see were eaten down to almost ground level. I fear that the Black Swans nest was disturbed, perhaps even trampled by the cattle as I never saw any Cygnets.
One surprise when I went to a small village, Diggers Camp, was this Pheasant Coucal hunting for insects. He didn’t even care about me walking about.
This little Superb Fairy Wren female, called a Jenny wren, blended well with the grass at Iluka as she foraged for food.
While this Jenny wren kept an eye on me at my place as I walked through the bush.
She was making sure I didn’t get too close to her babies
A Red-browed Firetail Finch took in the afternoon sun
A Grey Butcherbird stayed in the shadows while looking about for food.
Standing on your head to get some nectar an Eastern Spinebill enjoys a Bottlebrush in my garden.
Walking down my street I saw a Jackie Winter was just sitting on the wire fence
On the way back, a Restless Flycatcher was intently watching something while sitting on the wire fence.
I often have photos of Satin Bowerbirds but rarely have a male and a female in the same photo. They were hanging around the tree near the verandah. This photo is through my office door while sitting at my desk. I love lazy photography.
I had been putting out some bird seed on the verandah to see who was around. The Male Satin Bowerbird and a Blue-faced Honeyeater came for an inspection.
A young Blue-faced Honeyeater and a King Parrot looked hopeful.
A juvenile King Parrot just getting his adult feathers hopped about the verandah.
The Firesprite Grevillea is having a fantastic flowering. A number of the smaller honeyeaters are able to sit on the flowers. This Eastern Spinebill was always chasing the Brown Honeyeaters away from “his” flowers.
All of the Grevilleas had a good flowering in June. This one was a rescue plant that has done well.
The Coconut Ice Grevillea also having a great season.
In the Iluka Rainforest some of the old fallen trees have some wonderful wood fungi
The wood fungi at my place has been bright orange
OK Now for all the people who don’t like spiders get that scrolling finger ready to zoom past this beautiful Huntsman Spider I disturbed when I was cleaning up around a shed.
Here is your second warning…..you know who you are.
Ready, steady……scroll
Now for a bit of arty farty. Looking deep into a stump and a cascade of moss with a rim of lichen.
A stick on the beach
She Oak needles with a blue sea and sky – Minimalism
Sunset through the trees with some ICM (Intentional Camera Movement)
Looking out of my kitchen window at the Red-necked Wallabies grazing in the garden
I love a foggy morning. Looking down the hill near my shed.
Well it looks like the sun is setting so it must be time to get going. The sunset at Iluka was a treat.
The Super Moon was supposed to be a wonderful sight. This is the best I could do. Goodnight and see you next Changing Seasons for a wrap-up of what I found.
Of course I would love to know what your favourite photo is.
The Changing Seasons
The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.
For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.
But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.
There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.
Tags and ping-backs
Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them
Create a ping-back to Ju-Lyn’s latest post or my post, so that we can update it with links to all of yours.
More lovely days. The temperatures have been in the low 20’sC and cold nights, last night was 4C, with clear blue skies.
Something different to listen to while you scroll. Everyone needs someone to keep them warm on Winters night don’t they? A good video too if you have time.
Do you see the tree in the lower right hand corner?
Did you see the little bird? Probably a Yellow-faced Honeyeater as they arrived in numbers at my place during the week. Some will stay, others will continue their migration north.
Another thing to see in this photo. The sun is just kissing the Eucalypt tops this morning but there is something else to see. Very faint and small in the sky.
This is so you don’t have to strain to see what it is. Just a hint of Our Moon on it’s way to becoming a New Moon.
This morning I was up when the sun had already risen. Last night there was cloud and I really wanted to get some lovely Moon photos. This morning the sky has only wispy clouds and another blue sky. Earlier on this week there had been days where there there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Winter around here is single figures during the night, so 4C has been the coldest, and a cold wind comes down the mountains in the early afternoon, so it’s inside and the fire gets lit. During the day, like today’s 23C will be, the temperatures are in the low 20’s. Winter here is quite lovely despite having to have a change of clothes as the day goes on.
Here is this mornings sky with a hint of colour
Some light cloud around
Around thirty minutes later, the blue sky appeared and the clouds still had a hint of colour.
I did take some photos at the beginning of the month as the sky was too colourful to leave out. I didn’t put them on my blog as I awaited Hammad’s Weekend Sky post to link them.
Well another wet and rainy month. Not as much rain as the previous three months but enough to keep the ground sodden. I didn’t take a lot of photos and some I did take just weren’t all that good as the light was quite poor.
Some of these photos have been enhanced using my photo editing program. Some people have asked what I use to edit my photos. I use Corel PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2022. I used to use Corel when I was working so it made sense to use the same program only a better version. I have used it since 2009 and upgraded every year as some of the function change and improve.
Trying to think of a May song for you to scroll to. Arcade Fire’s Month of May is a bit fast and you might get scrolling in a rapid fashion but I really like Arcade Fire. ACDC’s Stormy May Day seems appropriate being Aussie and the weather but not all enjoy ACDC. So I went for something a bit gentler and also a band who started their career in Australia with one of their lesser know songs which I love. Enjoy your scroll while having a listen.
I managed to get away for a few days to visit a mate at Port Stephens. I started my drive in rain and after a while the skies cleared and I was lucky enough to have a couple of days in sunshine.
This is sunrise from his place. So as the sun is up, lets go.
We went for a picnic and saw a White-bellied Sea Eagle cruising the shore line.
Meanwhile back at home the rains continued and again the Clarence Valley experienced a minor flood. Previous floods in March, the water went over the pylons but under the Grafton Bridge.
The Pacific Black Ducks didn’t seem to mind the high water.
I had fungi popping up around the place but not as much or as many as I thought. Possibly as it was wet and not much sunshine or heat in the soil.
I love the colour and frills on this little fungus
When I went to clean out the leaves from my water tank strainers, this big fat Green Tree Frog was sitting on the tank. It was not a good idea as a bird would have loved to make a meal of it. This photo was taken in my green house where I relocated the frog so it may have some insects to snack on as well be safe.
While in the shade house I took a few photos of the Begonias and the flowers. This is one is the better photos of Wax Begonia flowers with some water drops.
Water drops were everywhere and it was hard not to try and get a few photos despite the dismal overcast days. This orange Hibiscus has loved all the rain and has flowered better than ever.
I saw sparkles when one evening the sunset looked spectacular through the trees
This year the Zygote Cactus are flowering so well. I love this apricot coloured one which is a new one in the shade house getting started. Also has water drops all over.
I had this Zygote on the verandah and it wasn’t happy so I put the pot in the garden. It certainly enjoyed a change of scenery.
The Satin Bowerbird didn’t seem to mind when the rain started to fall. He was more intent on enjoying lunch.
Christine – Stine Writing – said she didn’t know that birds, other than parrots, could be green when I posted a photo of a Green Catbird Well here you go Christine here’s another one. A female Satin Bowerbird in the tree outside of my office.
The Satin Bowerbirds liked the fruit of the Benjamina Fig Tree
The Benjamina Fig Tree had a fantastic fruiting this year as well. The fruits are around 10mm and when they fall the Peaceful Doves walk around under the tree eating the fallen fruits
The little Silvereyes liked eating the figs too and then pop over to the Grevilleas for a bit of a sweet drink.
The bees enjoyed the sweet nectar too. Here a couple of bees shooting are the breeze over a few drinks.
The Chinese Lanterns looked good in May and continue to flower.
The Cats Whiskers are having a full on flowering too. After this flowering I will have to get some cuttings as I love Cats Whiskers as do insects. Unfortunately the Red-necked Wallabies like them as well so I have to fence the plants.
Through the bush the Egg and Bacon plants are flowering. Some are covered in these tiny 10-12mm flowers other plants have less numbers of flowers but are showy nevertheless.
At this time of year, the Eastern Spinebills turn up at my place. This Spinebill enjoyed the Pentas flowers in the garden.
One exciting thing to happen was that the Eastern Whipbirds that live in the gullies around my house have started to come into the garden. They are quite allusive and move rapidly through the undergrowth occasionally giving off their whip cracking call in the bushes. I managed to get this photo from my verandah.
The Golden Whistlers are in the garden too. This female was quite happy to pose for a few photos before flying off into the bush.
Sometimes the birds come to me. This Blue-faced Honeyeater flew onto the verandah to come to see what I was doing in my office.
What has been lacking for a lot of this year has been Red-necked Wallabies around the house. I was pleased to see a small mob turn up for a couple of days and one female had a joey. I grabbed a photo from the verandah down toward the end of the garden just as they were hopping away.
I was so glad that they turned up the next day and were in the garden for quite a while. The little Joey was quite adventurous and hopped away from Mum but not too far. Yes another verandah shot.
I did get out a couple of times and again I had a sunny day when I left the rain at my place and went to see a mate who was holidaying at Woolgoolga. On the way home I stopped at the lookout and there was a pair of Australasian Pipits hopping around the car park.
Another car park stroller. This time at the riverbank in Grafton while I was checking out the floodwaters a Crested Pigeon just walked past.
Another bit of excitement was when I was driving home from town one afternoon and I saw a Black-necked Stork in a flooded paddock that has turned into a quasi wetland. That is where I took the photos of the Black Swans recently. This time she was close to the road so I managed to get quite a number of good photos.
The Black-necked Stork is the only species of stork that occurs in Australia. Its name is a little misleading, as the bird’s neck is not black, but an iridescent green-and-blue sheen. I only just found out that the female has a yellow eye.
Another bit of excitement was hearing a sound in the garden late one afternoon and seeing a shape moving around the garden. I realised it wasn’t a Wallaby and saw a Northern Bandicoot looking for dinner in the garden. I rarely see Bandicoots but know they are around by the holes that are dug around the garden looking for worms and grubs.
The only other time I have taken a video of a Bandicoot in the chook house in 2014. You can see that this one is a female as there is movement in her pouch.
I think this could be a male but it moved quickly and I didn’t get a good look at it. When it stood on it’s back legs to see what it heard in the garden, it had its back to me. Males can weigh up to 3kg
As I mentioned before, one evening there was a spectacular sunset. I don’t get to see sunsets and sunrises living among the trees in the bush or forest, so when I do they are spectacular.
About The Changing Seasons
The Changing Seasons is a monthly project where bloggers around the world share their thoughts and feelings about the month just gone. We all approach this slightly differently — though generally with an emphasis on the photos we’ve taken during the month.
For many of us, looking back over these photos provides the structure and narrative of our post, so each month is different. Some focus on documenting the changes in a particular project — such as a garden, an art or craft project, or a photographic diary of a familiar landscape.
But in the end, it is your changing season, and you should approach it however works for you.
There are no fixed rules around post length or photo number — just a request that you respect your readers’ time and engagement.
Tags and ping-backs
Tag your photos with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons so that others can find them
Create a ping-back to Ju-lyn at Touring My Backyard or this post, so that we can update it with links to all of yours.
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