Sea Seals

A few weeks ago I took a boat trip around Phillip Island - which is about 2 hours east of Melbourne.
We were looking for whales, seals and albatross - and managed to see all three.

As well as taking my normal sort of shots I was looking to get some images of a less straight forward type.

At seal rocks we were visited by almost all of last seasons surviving seal pups - like dogs with flippers as they were described.  These were not seals that come around the boat because they are used to being fed - this is just inquisitiveness.

As you can see there were lots of seals in the water - which I actually found made it hard to get a focused shot.  (Not one that was in focus - but an image with a real focus).

Once I starting see the seals just under the side of the boat I realised I would be able to photograph them while they were still underwater - and that gave me the kind of image I was looking for

And although not sharp - these seals are fast I like the movement and life in this next image.

You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Let Sleeping Dogs

I can never resist a walk on a pier or a jetty - they seem so inviting.  Even when nothing is really happening you can find something to look at.  I think this fine fellow had given up on the possibility of anythings happening a long time ago!

The most interesting thing to look at was some crazed photographer lying on his stomach pushing a lens up the nose of a dog!

This image makes me smile.

You can find more close up shots at Macro Monday 2 and I love Macro.

Sky, Stone and Sea

This is another shot where I tried to blend stone, sea and sky into a single image - you can see my other attempt here.

These granite boulders can be seen on the walk up to the summit of Mount Amos in the Freycinet, Tasmania.

I like the way the clouds (sort of) point in towards a path of blue sky over the boulder.  But most of all I like the fact that this was taken on a great day, when both of my small people climbed a big hill - or even a small mountain!

You can find more skies at Sky Watch Friday.

(Sorry, replies to comments may be very slow over next few days)

Wild Bird Wednesday 51 - Superb Fairy-Wren

Fairy-Wrens are delightful little birds that are often found in busy family groups.  They seem to be able to move at near light speed when you try to photograph them.

So I was pleased to find this rather more cooperative than normal family of Superb Fairy Wrens at Flinders a fe weekends ago.

These birds go by the scientiifc name of Malurus cycneus - with the genus name meaning delicate tail and the species name meaning blue - so we have "blue delicate tail".  Which of course would lead you to ask - "So, where is the blue?"

Unfortunately the male birds are not at their most superb at this time of year - I'll have to wait until the spring for those shots!  The last picture here is of a male - you can see his blue tail and the lack of red around the eyes and towards the beak .

Now its over to you to join in with WBW - click the link and off you go.  Don't forget to link back to here to visit and invite.

Next week WBW (in this version) will be 1 year old!  So, I think I may have to celebrate.

One Tree

This is the start of some busy (but hopefully good) times - so my responses to posts may be a little slow and my posts wont be as long.

While we were away at Flinders - actually at the same beach as the last post - I noticed this single tree on the other side of the bay.  It reminded me  of a tree I used to see near where I fished as a kid.  (You can find a whole series of pictures of this memory tree here)

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

On the beach

On our weekend at Flinders we went is search of a The Blowhole - a feature in a rocky coast the jets water up into the air.  I'm not convinced we found it!

However, we did find a beach with black sand - which was good to look at and very hard to photograph!  White surf, black sand and looking into the sun was all too much for my meagre brain!

So, faced with this I decided to do some macro shots instead!

You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I love Macro