Our World Tuesday - Mud Islands

I spent Saturday on Mud Islands in Port Phillip Bay.  This may not sound very attractive - but don't let the name put you off.  If you want to have a real idea of what a meter change in sea level would do, this is the place to do it.

While it looks like you are in the middle of the ocean (well sort of), the fact that the depth finder on the boat is telling us we are in 90 cm of water is a bit of a shock.  It seems strange to be "out to sea" but know that you could wade about if safety!

The islands themselves are not made of mud and it really feels like there is only one island!  So, the name is a bit misleading.

We walked around the edge of the islands - about 5km or so - and waded through small channels that cut into the centre of the islands - or at some times separate the islands from each other.  There was lots of bird life (pictures to come soon) and many, many shells on the beach.  One of the best things was the lack of litter.  I think I only saw about two bottles, which we removed.

The islands are rather flat - the highest point can be more than a couple of meters above sea level.  The day was windy, which was a blessing in some ways as it would have been very hot without it.

Coming back onto land at the end of the day was like walking into an oven!

The land you can see in the background is the "main land" of Victoria.

I'd love to go back and just sit and wait and find out what comes along.

You can fond more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

Macro Monday - Three Butterflies (and 400 posts)

Summer has clearly lost is calendar down here as there is really no sign of autumn yet.  I was up early on Saturday morning - and it was hotter at 6.30 am than the long term March average maximum!  I drank a lot of water that day!

I have gone back into the archives for these weeks shots - its just too hot to think about anything new!
So, to celebrate 400 posts on this blog i'll post 3 butterflies from Queensland!

Swamp Tiger

Blue Tiger

Chocolate Argus

I have not have much luck with butterflies this summer - too much time with birds! 

You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday.  

Enjoy the close ups.

SkyWatch Friday - A miss and a hit

As some of you will know, I tried to photograph some bats this week.  There were two reasons for this - firstly I would be able to continue my cricket themed posts "Batting Through the Night" or some such like, and secondly I thought it would be different to post a picture concentrating on the nights sky, but not one that was about stars or the Moon.

So, I set up a tripod in the day light, prefocused the camera on the top corner of the fig tree in the next door garden.  Once that was organised I removed the camera, but they the tripod in place.  Once it was dark and the bats were batting about I put the camera back.  At tho point I could see nothing at all through the viewfinder!  Every time a bat came near the place where I thought the camera was pointing I took a flash shot.

I scared the living daylights out of one car driver who clearly thought the flash was a speed trap!

Now, I did get a picture of a bat - but generally I think this image is a "miss".  Although it sort of shows that the process may work eventually!

Now, just in case you think "I came here for this?" which would be justified I have to say, I will include a much better shot from the archives!

This is what a sky shot should look like!  This is an evening sky on Kangaroo Island - and I think its a hit!

You can find more skies - and generally fewer underexposed, slightly out of focus noctural mammals at Sky Watch Friday!

Enjoy the skies!

WIld Bird Wednesday 34: Out for a (Wood) Duck

Straight up, I feel the need to apologise for the title of this post - the last two have been cricket related and I could not resist one more truly appalling pun.  I promise thats the end - unless my plan to photograph bats tomorrow night yields fruit!

These birds are Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata).  They are neither rare, nor particularly shy, but they do turn up in some odd places.  This is the only duck on my garden list, as I once spotted a pair sat on the chimney pot of my house!

They are about 48 cm long and have a liking for fresh grass.  The males are the birds with the solid chocolate coloured heads, and the females have paler heads and stripes above and below the eyes.  These ducks nest in tree hollows near or over water.  One thing that I would dearly love to see in the chicks parachuting out of the nest. This happens very soon after they have emerged from the egg!

It was only as I was putting this post together that I noticed this birds tendency to put its head to one side in a rather attractivley photogenic fashion!  I think I like them all the more for doing that!

Now its your turn.

Click the link below and away you go.  Here is a challenge:  invite one other blogger to join in WBW this week!

Our World Tuesday - Watching the Cricket

As I drive H to and from karate on Saturday mornings I often see games of cricket going on.  School competition games, which hark back to boarding school Saturdays where work was found for idle hands.  Local club games with parents sitting in collapsable chairs on the boundary cheering on their son (it does seem to be mainly boys).  On the return leg of my journey the school boys have often gone home and the older lads - some very much older - are getting ready for a game.

A few weeks ago I noticed that one cricket pitch seemed to attract an odd crowd of spectators, so I went back with camera in hand (or more accurately - on tripod!)

These birds are Straw Necked Ibis and I'll do a WBW post on them in a couple of weeks.

There are so many Australian things about this picture that I had to post it.  The birds, the cricket, the fondness for wide brimmed hats, even the colour of the summer dried grass.

You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

If you are new to my photo-blog you may not yet have had time to visit my other blog - it's a wordy effort that comes out about once every two weeks.  You can find the latest post here.  Some people suggest it's a decent read!

Macro Monday - Backyard Cricket

A while back I was doing a backyard safari with the kids - some form of school mini-beast project no doubt.

We found this cricket in the plants that grow between the rocks.  We thought it was a bit to marco to be collected for the project, so I took some pictures instead.

Initially I was not pleased with the result - way to much movenment from me, the wind, the grass and the cricket.  But its slowly dawned on me that I rather liked the image.  It may not be sharp, but it does seem to capture the atmosphere of the find.

So here it is:

You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday.

Enjoy the close ups.

If you are new to my photo-blog you may not yet have had time to visit my other blog - its a wordy effort that comes out about once every two weeks.  You can find the latest post here.  Some people suggest its a decent read!