OUR WORLD, Wild Bird Wednesday, & Nature Notes - The Wild Wood in Autumn

For a number of years now I had not made it to the wild

wood for health reasons.

Yesterday I just could not stay away when I saw so much gold 

down there from my vantage point on the hill

the sheep cheered me on

as the gold on the ground blinded me

I must be the richest person on the planet

with all that gold at my feet! 

Near the dam, a white-faced heron rose at my approach

and wonder of wonders,

I managed to get a blurry shot of it

I even managed to see and snap a grey Fantail

cute isn't he?

Almost three months late in his arrival

but who's complaining?

back on my golden carpet to struggle up the hill 

carting my camera with 500mm lens.

Yep, I was exhausted . . . but it was worth it!

Linking with

OUR WORLD 

Wild Bird Wednesday

and Nature Notes

World Bird Wednesday & Nature Notes - Around the Farm . . .

New boy on the block and a lifer for me, Horsefield's Bronze-

Cuckoo, Chalcites basalis, conveniently sitting on the power

line to our house. I heard the unfamiliar call and made a dive

for the camera.

Much as I like to see a new addition to our home birds, this

is one I would prefer to see elsewhere since the dear girl lays

her egg into our little Superb Blue Wren nests just when our

blue wren population has increased again and we dearly love

those cheerful streaks of blue in the garden.

I tried to get a shot at the wing that has a shimmer of green

but the bird was unobliging and did not turn around.

With warm days and rain, the weeds have grown to high heaven

but even so I spotted this Stumpy-Tail Lizard having a feed of,

and this surprised me, of all things the sharp and spicy green

seed-pods of the wild radish.

I had never before given any thought to what these creatures eat.

I am always happy when I see them in the garden since they use

the same nesting holes as snakes and if you know a lizard inhabits

a certain hole, it is unlikely that a snake does as well. Of the two

reptiles, the lizard usually manages to protect the hole.

This is only a teenager at most, isn't he/she cute?

Moving to the dam in the park, a White-faced Heron and

Wood-Duck companion sitting on the children's diving platform.

On the vantage point of one of the birches we lost in the drought,

an Adelaide Rosella poses. The beauty of my new camera is that

I have a much longer reach as these birds are notoriously shy here.

My evening walk bagged this Shrike-Thrush with it's late

supper. I really thought it was too dark for photos but the

camera surprised me

and lastly, a Sacred Ibis, again at the dam. This is the first

time in 20 years that I have spotted one on our home turf.

Who knows what I shall bag next week? As you see, I have been

exercising my new Canon EOS 600 D and am reasonably pleased

with it.

Wonder over to WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY and Nature Notes and

check out what else is going on. Both memes are accessible from the

relevant Logos on my side bar.

Watery Wednesday ~ Tropical waters

From our trip a while ago to tropical Queensland,
just remembering the warmth and the sunshine on
this cold, wet, blustery winter's day.


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The lilacy pink of a profusion of waterlilies
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and a patient juvenile Heron for contrast, fishing in just a
trickle of the river after a severe flood when it ran 20'deep.


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All photos enlarge but the last one really needs it to see the clarity
of the running rater.
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Click on the Logo to test the waters elsewhere.
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Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy we can all participate and/or just enjoy this meme.

MY WORLD ~ 25 The Great Autumn Leaf Hunt 1

At last the rain moths came, and three weeks later
the first autumn rain followed and we dared to leave
our brown landscape behind to seek solace for our souls.



Still breakfasting together after 51 years at our
first over night stop in Horsham Vic. at the Majestic Motel,
our usual half-way house to Melbourne.




One night's rest at my sister's in Melbourne and
onward to our destination...



passing through Benalla I spotted a Heron and he
had obviously spotted lunch



Our destination, 'Alpine Park' cabins at Porepunka
and lovely autumn leaves littering the ground



While the Prof checked us in, I tore once around the
block madly snapping like a rabid dog



all the lovely remembered sights from last year were
different, but just as beautiful. The leaf turn was a little
later this year.

View up our private driveway with pure gold draped

across it.

Sunrise on the river next morning. We arrived with

rain and loved it after our long dry, but for the rest of
our stay we had perfect tourist weather!

If you like what you have seen, come again next week
for the next colourful installment.

Now click on the Logo at right and enjoy Spring in the

Northern and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

With thanks to Klaus and the MY WORLD team for

giving us the opportunity to show off our particular patch.