In the early morning light, a White-headed Pigeon surveys the scene from the roof.
Lots of birds on rooves at Beckys
Tag: white headed pigeon
Pick a Word in June
These words have had me thinking, which is what Paula hopes we do. I hope you enjoy my word pictures for this month.
Nascent
Maternal
Victuals
Pullulating
Reflective
Head on over to Lost in Translation for other great photographers ideas on the words for June
Share this:
The Wildlife Camera
The Daily Post word prompt: Unlikely
This looks like a good place to set up the wildlife camera with its infra-red sensors to catch the action at the bird bath, or so I thought. It would unlikely that anything could go wrong and I would have a fine gallery of birds at the bird bath.
I didn’t count on the wisteria leaves on the arbor where I fastened the camera to be uncooperative.
Nicely positioned. Unlikely to miss anything. What? The wind has blown up.
Oh dear. Now it’s getting worse.
This is ridiculous. You can hardly even see the bird bath.
But wait. Here are some White-headed Pigeons
A Magpie has landed
The late afternoon sun on the Galah is perfect
So it wasn’t unlikely after all
Share this:
This is February
Oh dear, another month of photos that is too big. I think I should do a week at a time. I haven’t included the photos from the other posts, just a couple I think. It was a weird month. The days were the usual February hot to very hot days with the rain finally appearing at the end of February.
Perhaps, as usual, a cup of tea or a drink of choice, get comfy and I hope you get to the end without nodding off.
This time I am starting off with insects so those who have an aversion to spiders, moths or flies get your scrolling finger ready to zip past some fantastic photos lol
I found a tiny hairy caterpillar who looked so unusual. Yes I did get a bit close with the lens and the centre section did get a bit squashed by the lens
I surprised a small spider. She ran out to defend her egg nest
Even a hornet has to have a drink on a hot day
One of the more unusual grasshoppers I have at my place
These flies like to bite. The bit of the proboscis that is hanging down has a spike sheathed inside. The other dagger like thing is the antennae. The angle makes them look fierce.
You can see why the fly is angry all the time and wants to bite. A bit of baldness can make anyone cross.
With all the places in the garden to hatch out, these cicadas chose the same leaf
The Line Blue Butterflies had a monopoly in some parts of the garden. This tiny one found a quiet place to sit for a while
A moth, we call a tiger moth, really loved the scent of the Murraya flowers
Looking at a Crow Eggfly Butterfly who was looking at me
This Dragonfly has been in a mud puddle I think
Such a dainty tiny Dragonfly
The fig tree has so many figs which the birds love
Isn’t this Wood Fungus lovely
An old fashioned Hibiscus flower. This is one of the smallest Hibiscus flowers in the garden.
The Leopard Lillies liked the hot weather
So did the Ginger flowers
The Lilli Pilli bush doesn’t flower that much but when it does isn’t it spectacular?
Onto Animals which includes a couple of Python photos so snake phobes get ready to whizz past some really beautiful photos
As it was hot, the Carpet Python came out from the roof space and stretched along the rafter. It must have been quite warm so close to the corrugated iron
When the weather was a bit cooler, the Python managed to knot up into a smallish ball. This is about 2 meters of snake all rolled up
When it was a too hot, the Python decided that Charlies little pond was a cool place to be. Charlie didn’t care and swam about the snake while the snake ignored Charlie thankfully.
Charlie also had another unwelcome visitor. How ugly are Cane Toads?
Enough of ugly, here is some cute. Early one morning, a couple of Yellow-footed Antechinus were hopping around the verandah
When I went into the shed, I disturbed some Lesser Long-eared Bats. Aren’t their little feet lovely?
We are now in the bird zone so those who have been rushing past the previous photos can relax now
A great way to spend part of a hot day is in one of the many bird baths scattered around the place. A Grey Fantail contemplating a plunge
A Variegated Fairy Wren checking out the mosaic bird bath
The little Thornbill jumped straight in, splashing about
A Red-browed Firetail Finch just dunked under to cool off
A Jenny Wren looked on from the safety of the bushes
A Spangled Drongo was looking for some grubs in the Poinciana tree after his dip in the bird bath
The Eastern Yellow Robin took his usual lookout on the garden chair to scan the garden for dinner
We wondered who was making a mess on the car doors early in the morning. I finally was able to catch the culprit – a Green Catbird
This White-headed Pigeon was on lookout at the bird bath while its young one had a drink of water
One morning there was a terrible sound in the garden. There were Ravens calling and flying about. I finally spotted a Channel-billed Cuckoo young who was being raised by the Ravens
The birds were all calling out, making a real noise in the garden. I finally spotted the culprit who set them off. A Pacific Baza was sitting in a tree. Nearby another two were calling as well. They bought their young one to check out the garden.
When I go outside I always look up as often a Wedged-tailed Eagle or two will be wheeling about looking for an unsuspecting snack
I think I was lucky to have everything just right to capture this spiders web. The Primrose flowers add a splash of colour
The door latch from the Cathedral in Grafton. It doesn’t look very worn so I don’t think it is the original but looked quite good enough to photograph
I loved the lighting in the loungeroom one night
Thanks for your staying power. Enjoy a sunset
Share this:
White-headed pigeons
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge topic: Birds
I think I may have a photo or two of a bird or two I could use for this photo challenge. I took these a couple of days ago. It’s just a few so no need to get set in for a while.
A flurry of wings sounded as the large White-headed Pigeon alighted on the bird bath with a watchful gaze.
A short while later, a young White-headed Pigeon flew in, it’s grey plumage starting to turn white.
The parent bird was vigilant as the young one took a drink.
Such a lovely looking bird don’t you think?
Share this:
This is October: Part Four
Of course Part Four would have to be the birds of October.
On the Queensland expedition we came across a huge flock of Cormorants and Pelicans on the edge of Somerset Dam.
On a bit of a chilly day the Cormorants were a bit sleepy in Ballina.
So were the Pelicans
The Satin Bowerbird has been busy collecting his blue bits and pieces to decorate his Bower. This is the fifth year this Bower has been used in the bush at my place.
Of course who could forget Brendan the Bush Turkey. Here he is on his mound he has built for the females to lay their eggs in. The mound is about 2 meters tall. Brendan does a great job of raking the leaves.
A Figbird sits high on a branch keeping an eye on the goings on in the garden.
The Laughing Kookaburra was on the other side of the garden.
This bloke is more of a smiling Kookaburra don’t you think? He likes the sitting branch which is the most popular in the garden.
The Eastern Whipbird sends his call down the gully This is what a whip bird sounds like here
The Pied Currawong was always around the garden.
This branch is a favourite sitting spot in the garden.
The Pied Currawong is sitting on the eggs in the nest at my besties place.
The Noisy Friarbird on the famous sitting branch
Another stand off in the Honey Gem Grevillea between the Blue-faced Honeyeaters and the Noisy Friarbird. Check out the fight here from last year
The Yellow-faced Honeyeater was wondering what the fuss was all about.
Check out my pink feet said the White Headed Pigeon.
The King Parrot having a snack of wattle seeds.
The Eastern Rosella high in the old Fig Tree wondering what I am doing.
The Olive-backed Oriel took his turn in the bird bath.
There was a Rainbow Lorikeet queue at the bird bath.
“Hey Stan……are you in there?”
“What do you want?”
Well that’s the end of This is October. I hope you got through the Four Parts.
Share this:
The birds of June
It may be Winter, but here, it is the time when birds drop in on their way north to build their strength for the next part of their journey, or stay for the winter in the warm days on the North Coast. The nights can get cold but the days are usually in the low 20’s C with the warmth of sunshine and the number of plants that flower in late Autumn and Winter makes it a good place to stop off. This is not a complete record of birds as there have been birds who I haven’t managed to get in my lens plus there has been some who have just been to fast for me to photograph. Yes I have quite a number of photos of empty branches!!!
This first gallery of photos are the birds from my place.
The White-throated Honeyeaters arrive in the morning and in the afternoon with their chirp chirp chirp as they set about diving into the birdbath or pool to have their bath.
The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters arrive from down south, some stay while others in the flock fly further north.
The Blue-faced Honeyeaters come and go all year depending on what food is available. The Honey Gem Grevillea has finally started to flower after a long dry hot Summer. Look at the pollen dust on his head.
The little Eastern Spinebills are here with the distinctive clicking of their wings as they zip around the garden and their calls echoing in the gullies.
You can judge their size by comparing with the Blue-faced Honeyeater and Grevillea flower above. They really stretch to reach the blossoms at times.
Their plumage is quite pretty don’t you think?
I don’t include many photos of the female Golden Whistler but this one is so cute. They are around the place all year round with their repetitive call which can sound like a squeaky wheel, at times up to twenty single notes.
They also like to land on the side of trees and have a look around.
As do the White-throated Treecreepers who just hop up and down the trees looking for insects under the bark. They have a similar call to the Yellow Robins but not as persistent.
They also like to defy gravity as the give the trees a very thorough checking over.
The tiny Red-backed Fairy Wrens like to explore the lower parts of the forest eating grass seeds and insects foraging among the grass stalks. The Jenny Wren has good camouflage. 
The Silvereyes are migrants who stop for a few weeks to gather their strength for their next leg of their journey north.
They are another of the tiny birds around here.
The Red-browed Firetails are another constant visitor to the bush as they move about in small flocks looking for grass seeds. This is a young one as the red brow isn’t as prominent as the adults.
The tiny Striated Thornbills are always around the garden and in the gullies around the house.
They love the birdbath.
Someone who I haven’t seen for quite a while has turned up this month and has been around the garden early in the morning and in the gullies during the day. The Spotted Pardalote digs a tunnel in the side of the gully to make it’s nest. They are so pretty aren’t they?
I think this one saw me as I snuck along the verandah for a better photo.
They can be quite vocal too.
The sounds of Kookaburras signal the start and end of every day. There are about three families that live in the bush around the house and sometimes the cacophony of up to five or six Kookaburras can be quite deafening.
After I took this photo I noticed that there was another two sitting nearby in separate trees. All of a sudden they all flew off into the forest disappearing among the trees.
This next gallery are from my besties place.
The Lewins Honeyeater is the boss of my besties garden. They swoop on most other birds that dares to come into the garden. The Lewins at my place aren’t as bossy.
Can you spot the Varied Triller?
The Grey Fantails are always doing their acrobatic flying around the place catching insects on the wing. A very serious looking bird.
The Golden Whistler is always around the garden and nearby rainforest singing its lovely song.
My besties place is surrounded by rainforest so she has more doves and pigeons than I do at my place. The White-headed Pigeon has a deep sounding whoomp whoomp call. They also fly about in large flocks.
The Brown Pigeon didn’t want its photo taken.
There is always up to ten bar-shouldered Doves foraging on the ground in the garden looking for pecans that have fallen from the tree.
The Whipbirds also enjoy foraging among the leaves for pecans.
While high in the trees the Figbirds look for seeds as well as pecans. This female Figbird found the seeds of an Umbrella Tree.
The male Figbird was more interested in pecans.
The Green Catbird is also interested in pecans. Not long after this photo was taken, so was the pecan.
Another recipient of the fallen pecans is the large Brush Turkey. His strong beak breaks open the pecans and often leaves small pieces behind for the other birds to eat. This one we call Brendan who has taken over the garden and has a mound nest almost one meter tall in the front garden. One day I’ll try to get a photo of Brendan and his mound.
The most exciting discovery was finding a Regent Bowerbird just on the edge of the garden late one afternoon. I only managed to get a couple of bad photos but had to share in my excitement.
We went to Byron Bay one day to shop as we haven’t been for ages and Winter is a good time as the number of tourists is halved at least. The Golden Pendas are in flower and the Rainbow Lorikeets were having a great time screeching at each other.
And of course there are always chooks foraging around both our gardens.
That is a snapshot of some of the birds around here in June. My June photo round-up probably won’t have any birds this year. Hopefully I’ll get to that by next week.
Share this:
The year so far
So far this year I have found some allusive birds, some bees doing what bees do, lovely flowers, insects, a new bird that was very accommodating to be photographed and a photo or two that viewer discretion is advised.
Yes, this blog does contain images of sexual behaviour. Consenting sex I may add. The sexual activity did occur over quite a while although use of the word activity may be a stretch of the imagination. Most of the time both partners didn’t engage in much activity at all!!!
So it may be best if I start with “those” images. That way your titillation can be catered for straight away and you wont be scrolling through and perhaps missing other images that can perhaps be stimulating. The moths decided that near the back door, on the verandah was a good place to procreate.
How did I know that there was something mothy happening. Perhaps the next image is more explanatory.
They were indeed attached, chosing a cactus to add that extra bit of spice to the act perhaps.
I had a hard time trying to get a good photo of this insect. It was on a mission and kept marching along the leaf, which thankfully was a large leaf.
The bes were having a real buzzy time around the garden. There were plenty of flowers to choose.
The Blue-banded Bees love the Blue Ginger flowers even if you have to really scrunch up to get at the flowers goodness.
The Camelias were quite striking this year. As an added bonus, can you count the little Stingless Bees on the flower? One little bloke has even got a water drop drink!!!
I love this cacti flower. It is just a balloon like structure and when it opens there is nothing inside. The colour is lovely don’t you think?
The Blue Ginger flower. Now you can see why the bees love visiting.
The little Violet flowers love the cool and the shade. Plenty of water sees the plant send up lots of flower shoots to add small splashes of colour around the garden.
High up in the Bangalow Palm, the Lewins Honeyeater contemplated his vast bounty of seeds.
While the White-headed Pigeon observed hoping for some lunch after a quick dip and drink at the birdbath.
The Bar-shouldered Dove walked around looking for a tasty morsel amongst the leaf litter. He looks spectacular with those red legs.
The allusive Green Catbird. They can be heard throughout the forest in the mornings and late afternoons but here, they are quite shy and hop along the branches, never sitting still for long.
A drink and a bath at the little hanging birdbath is a family affair for the White-throated Honeyeaters
I love this photo. The antique wrought iron garden chair is a lovely resting place for the Eastern Yellow Robin, a constant visitor to the garden.
Now for something new. We went to Macleay Island in Moreton Bay. The island is home to lots of Beach Stone Curlews. These pair were having a sleep at the back of the house, opening an eye to see what I was doing. This is the first time I have seen Beach Stone Curlews so it was rather exciting.
After a while one decided to get up and walk a little way into the bush.
I don’t think that he was impressed at being woken. During the night, they were calling with their mournful call. Actually it seemed like all night they were calling. No wonder they didn’t like being disturbed.
Well, that’s what I have found, refound and photographed so far this year. I was excited photographing the Curlews and the Green Catbird. I hope you have enjoyed my images.
Share this:
An assortment found while travelling around
I have ben slack I will admit. Here is a collage of life that I have found. Some have no meaning and just are stuff that the world leaves lying around, or sitting or just being.
I went to the Bentley Blockade had a chat or two with the folk who were only too happy to chat, buts another story another time. Of course I have to go exploring, so Bentley is a good start and who knows where we will end up
This wonderful farm-house, just sitting there, neglected.
While overhead, the clouds were just blowing up and drifting apart, ever-changing.
On the way back to Lismore, the clouds in the east had a soft blush of colour which turned to storm clouds.
The pansies were blooming bright colours making spots of joy in the usually, almost colourless autumn gardens.
Everyone was enjoying the camellias, Lewins Honeyeaters were darting in and out and even the ants were traipsing all over the bush.
The stamen look like they are wearing boxing gloves…no wonder the ant scarpered
Of course someone had to shine. The Gerbera was the star of the garden.
The Emerald Dove can’t seem to stop still for a second. I think it scooped stuff up while strutting around the courtyard.
The little Eastern Yellow Robin was always darting about the foliage of the tree begonias.
While overhead the Eastern Rosellas just chatted away, mostly to no-one in particular.
The White Headed Pigeon took advantage of the last afternoon to have a last dip at the bird bath.
Up the flag pole!! The Butcher Bird thought the flag pole was a great place to scan the neighbourhood. As long as he looked up as well.
The Brahminy Kite was on the prowl making birds scatter everywhere.
Cormorants look very pretty with their wings folded. All that drip-drying seems to pay off.
The Pelican didn’t seem to give a rats about anything.
The Pied Oyster Catchers seemed unfazed by the Soldier Crabs who have just taken over whole of the little beach in a small bay.
The Soldier Crabs were everywhere….always seemed to be on a mission to somewhere and back again, a bit of over there and a “Hey it’s Norm again” as business is done as a cluster ever moving, occaisionally stopping for a quick drink or to stuff a claw into their mouths possibly with a snack of some sort..
They were so hard to get a good photo as they just scuttled away when you got close to them or they got close to me. Below is an artist’s impression of the Soldier Crabs
The crabs knew someone was looking on at their antics. No one was fooled by the shades.
The end of the day. The sun setting like an explosion of fire and colour.
The evil eyes are looking….beguiling you into the mouth of fire.
After the sun has set, it is sometimes just as beautiful. The purples, deep blues and almost a russet flow down into yellow with a lone house light in the distance.
When darkness sets in, the little Pademelons come scrounging around the chook yard, hoping to snuffle up some grain the chooks left behind. That’s why this bloke has a smudge on his nose.
I love our Moon. Sometimes the Moon just shines when full. Goodnight.
