You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.
Monday, 30 June 2014
Cactus Flower
I have no idea what species of cactus this is - but I do know that it has a great flower!
You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.
You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Wild Bird Wednesday 102 - Crested Shrike-Tit
One of the birding - and photographic - highlights of my recent trip to Phillip Island was to get great views of a pair of Crested Shrike-Tits. This is a bird I have seen on less than half a dozen previous occasions - all of them in a pre-digital age!
The female was a lot less bold then the male, and rarely came within camera range. On the other hand the male was as bold as brass (as my mum would have said).
As you can see the Crested Shrike-Tit is a cracking looking bird - and it's name is that classic combination of half remembered names of other birds and spurious relations to others. There are three distinct populations of this bird, and this one is a member of the south eastern group, which is the only part of Australia where it is considered "common". I have to say I would beg to differ on that assessment!
Its formal name - Falcunculus frontatus - actually refers to a "small falcon with a forehead", which is due to its hooked beak and crest.
This is a robust looking bird the reaches a maximum size of 19cm - and as you can imagine I was rather excited when I saw them.
Now, once more, it's over to you! Click on the button below and off you go!
The female was a lot less bold then the male, and rarely came within camera range. On the other hand the male was as bold as brass (as my mum would have said).
As you can see the Crested Shrike-Tit is a cracking looking bird - and it's name is that classic combination of half remembered names of other birds and spurious relations to others. There are three distinct populations of this bird, and this one is a member of the south eastern group, which is the only part of Australia where it is considered "common". I have to say I would beg to differ on that assessment!
Its formal name - Falcunculus frontatus - actually refers to a "small falcon with a forehead", which is due to its hooked beak and crest.
This is a robust looking bird the reaches a maximum size of 19cm - and as you can imagine I was rather excited when I saw them.
Now, once more, it's over to you! Click on the button below and off you go!
Monday, 23 June 2014
The Nobbies
Down at Phillip Island there are two islands that collectively are known as The Nobbies - apparently because the look like two islands in Scotland with the same name.
Well, I am in no position to comment on such similarities - maybe somebody out there can pas judgement! All I know is that the sea was rough, the air crisp and that I could have stood and watched for much longer than I did!
You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday. SM
Well, I am in no position to comment on such similarities - maybe somebody out there can pas judgement! All I know is that the sea was rough, the air crisp and that I could have stood and watched for much longer than I did!
You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday. SM
Alien
I found this Preying Mantis on the inside of the fly-wire last week. She seemed as interested in me as I did in her!
You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.
You can find more macro shots at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Phillip Island Sky
The coast is a good place for big skies - and this sky is rather big to say the least.
This was taken nr. The Nobbies, on Phillip Island last weekend. More shots from that trip to follow.
You can find more sky shots at Sky Watch Friday. SM
This was taken nr. The Nobbies, on Phillip Island last weekend. More shots from that trip to follow.
You can find more sky shots at Sky Watch Friday. SM
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Wild Bird Wednesday 101 - Cape Barren Goose
I spent most of this Sunday down on Phillip Island - which is about 2 hours (give or take the traffic) east of Melbourne. When I catch up, I'll do a full post about the trip over on my wordy blog - but for now, I just show some pictures.
The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a true goose - although some books describe it as "an aberrant one" - i.e. not really typical of the birds we call geese. This is a substantial bird, weighing in at about 4 - 6 kg. Every time I see them I am surprise they were not eaten into extinction in the early colonial period of Australian history.
The males and females are very similar - but the female sits on the nest which is a bit of a give away some times.
When ever I watch geese of any kind feeding I can't help but think of them as flying cows - large, slow moving, grass eating herbivores.
The name Cape Barren seems to have come from the Island of the same name, which lies between Tasmania and the mainland - although it only seems to have become popular as a name when sealers started to use the island. I can only assume that was bad news for both the seals and the geese.
Now its over to you for WBW 101!
The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a true goose - although some books describe it as "an aberrant one" - i.e. not really typical of the birds we call geese. This is a substantial bird, weighing in at about 4 - 6 kg. Every time I see them I am surprise they were not eaten into extinction in the early colonial period of Australian history.
The males and females are very similar - but the female sits on the nest which is a bit of a give away some times.
When ever I watch geese of any kind feeding I can't help but think of them as flying cows - large, slow moving, grass eating herbivores.
The name Cape Barren seems to have come from the Island of the same name, which lies between Tasmania and the mainland - although it only seems to have become popular as a name when sealers started to use the island. I can only assume that was bad news for both the seals and the geese.
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| Male |
 |
| Female - on nest |
 |
 |
| eating grass |
Now its over to you for WBW 101!
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