SkyWatch Friday - Gull Sky.

Hi there - there are storms in my area tonight - so I'm trying to catch some lightning - wish me luck!

I watched these Pacific Gulls for ages, trying to find a new way to take a picture of a gull at rest.  Then I worked out that they looked much more interesting in the sky.  A few (well, many) shots later I came up with this.

I dont know if the sky defines the birds, or if the birds define the sky - or maybe neither does either.

But I like the symmetry of the picture.

You can find more skies at SkyWatch Friday.

Enjoy the pictures.

Wild Bird Wednesday 32 - Tasmanian Native-hen

Tasmania is about 150 miles from the  mainland of Australia and has been separated from the mainland for about 10,000 years.   As a result it has a number of endemic species - that is ones that are not found anywhere else.

One of Tasmania's least colourful endemics is the Tasmanian Native-hen (Gallinula mortierii). This flightless bird is closely resulted to Moorhens.  Its about 45 cm long and can generally been seen dashing about from patches of cover.

Luckily for me these birds seemed a little more relaxed than some and were more willing to show than most of the others I saw.  This could be due to the fact that they were outside I coffee shop that also sold ice-cream!

As you can see the chicks are of such supreme ugliness that you can't help but like them!

Now its over to you!

Don't forget (please!!!) to link to an actual post rather than just to you blog address - it does make it easier for me, and directs other bloggers to the indented post.

So, click on the link below and off you go!

Our World Tuesday - Rock Towers

I have to say it's hot here in Melbourne!  As a result I will post a quick picture and retire to cooler locations than my study!

When we were in Tasmania, we went out on a boat trip around Bruny Island.  The souther end of the island has some of the tallest sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere (or so we were told!).

At one point there is a tall rock pillar called The Monument which sits a little off shore from the south end of South Bruny.  The boat can pass at high speed between the rock pillar and the shore - its all rather frantic!  The kids loved it.

At the time - and even more so now when I have looked at them for a long time - I think they could be the inspiration for the Argonath, the huge statues that mark the Norther Border of Gondor in Lord of the Rings.   (If you know the scenes in the book or film the Fellowship paddles under them just before the death of Boromir).  I know this is not really the case - but you may see what I mean!

You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday - and probably less reference to Middle Earth!

Enjoy the pictures.

Macro Monday - My front door.

The house we live in was built somewhere around 1915 - and one of the things that we like about it is that it has retained a number of its original features.

One that gives me pleasure every time I see it is the lead-light glass in the front door.  I've been meaning to take a picture of it for a while and motivation we high this weekend - so here it is.

One of the things I like about this type of glass is the way it changes colour depending on where the main light source is.  This image is taken inside looking out - so the glass looks bright.  But from outside it would look much more dull.  On a winters evening - when the hall light is on, but its dark outside you get the opposite effect.

So, here is my front door!

You can find more shots at Macro Monday.

Enjoy the close ups.

SkyWatch Friday - Cloudy Sky / Hour Glass Sea

This is a post and run today.

About an hour south of Hobart in Tasmania is Bruny Island.  Its about the same size as Singapore and has a population of about 500!  Its my kind of place.

The island is really two islands - North and South Bruny - which are joined by a narrow sandbar.  Penguins and shearwaters nest in the sand dunes.

And in a splendidly photogenic location is a hill that allows you get this view:

You can find more skies at SkyWatch Friday.

Enjoy the pictures.

Wild Bird Wednesday 31 - Pied Oystercatchers.

I know that science is supposed to be a very serious thing - rational, unbiased, rich in data, low in anecdote and so on.   Which is why I would have made a very poor ornithologist.  I am but a humble big watcher, and Pied Oystercatchers are one of my favourite birds.  They always make me smile.  And I suspect that if I had ever had to study them in a serious fashion, enjoyment and bias may have got in the way of objective observation.

The Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) is found all around the coast of Australia, with a greater fondness for sandy beaches that rocky ones.  It's noisy, easy to spot and always busy - its my kind of bird really.

I had some very good views in Tasmania - and managed to get some images of what I take to be family parties of these birds.

You can tell the juveniles in these pictures by the shorter beak and the scalloping on the feathers on the back.

As you can see they do not avoid rocks entirely - and as you may also see, they dont always eat oysters.    One of the beaches where I took these pictures had a healthy population on small soldier crabs - they would cork-screw themselves into the sand as you approached. They were very popular with my kids and equally popular with the oystercatchers.

These (rather over cropped) images show what happens to the crabs when their defences fail!

Now its your turn.

Click on the link below to join WBW.  Visit as many links as you can and dont forget to link back to this page.  (As a gentle reminder, could I ask that you link to a specific post in your blogs, that way its easier for me (and others) to find!)  Cheers  SM