dinner time

so trusting

young lonely and lost

fledgling bird

A couple of weeks  ago Jill and I were sitting in the garden eating our lunch when this baby Pied Butcherbird flew in and landed on a branch above us. It then flew to the ground and began demanding something to eat. All we could offer  this young carnivore were a few pieces of tinned tuna. That was enough to curb the appetite and it flew back to the branch and had a short sleep. This is the first young one of that species we have seen. When small birds are breeding in Spring adult Butcherbirds raid nests after fledglings. This baby looks cute however it is destined to become a feared marauder in our neighbourhood. The other curious fact about the visit was the time of year. We are almost to Winter and we have had visits from a young Butcherbird, then fledgling Little Wattlebirds and some young looking Magpies during this last month. One more pointer to the effects of Climate Change?

The one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is LOST.  This is my contribution . For this years 52 weekly challenges planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

footprints

come or go

footprints in the sand

lonely fox

As we were walking along the Norman Bay beach near Tidal River in the National park we stopped to observe and photograph some feathers embedded in the sand as shown in “Life Cycle” two posts ago. Through the lens we noticed faint footprints. First I thought dog, but no dogs are allowed in National parks unless they are feral or working and the former are in danger. Then we realised fox and they are even more in danger. I have a soft spot for foxes even though they are significant predators of native fauna. They are smart survivors  and have such  a gift for play but they are wanton killers as well.

Anyway these prints became stronger as we followed them along the beach until they disappeared . Was the fox coming from Tidal River after a scrounge for campers food or was it going down there and returned a different way? We will never know however there is one guarantee, it will be hunted by the rangers. Good luck fox.

stationary stillness

silence guards

stone river watchers

reflecting

The geography of Wilson’s Promontory National Park is as fascinating as the flora and fauna. Rocks of all shapes and sizes can be found through the Southern and Tidal River sections of the park. Tidal River is where we stayed in the luxury of a cabin where Wombat splayed around outside rather than barging in through the side of a tent. We walked  the boardwalk alongside Tidal River near the mouth and photographed these rocks in morning, afternoon and evening light. Many years ago I would lead groups of my junior school students down here on weekend hikes. One of my former students came back here as a Fine Arts graduate to rearrange groups of rocks he had seen years earlier into conceptual works of landscape art.

The one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is STATIONARY.  This is my contribution . For this years 52 weekly challenges planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

life cycle

recycling

from bird to beach

back to dust

Sometimes nature leaves works of art waiting to capture your imagination. As we walked along Norman Beach at Wilson’s promontory National park this collection in the sand made us stop and wonder . At the time we thought there may be a haiku in the scene so I took some photos.

Then I discovered the one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is CYCLE . To be different I have used this image with the haiku.  This is my offer. For this years 52 weekly challenges planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

curious

grey forest 

quick flash off yellow

autumn bird

Birds in their natural environment are always exciting to watch and listen to.  This Eastern Yellow Robin is a relatively common bird however it is not widespread across Victoria mainly found in forests and scrub down the east coast. We had never seen one so imagine our amazement to be joined on a walk by this curious little Robin  who stayed close to us for a few minutes.. The next day two more made our acquaintance close to the cabin we stayed in.

The one a week Photo Challenge word challenge this week is BIRD . This is my offer. For this years 52 weekly challenges planned by Cathy and Sandra visit Cathy’s blog at  https://nanacathydotcom.wordpress.com/one-a-week-photo-challenge-2017/

The Prom

wombats play

kookaburra laughs

people search

wombats play

kookaburra laughs

people search

We have just returned from a holiday away at Wilson’s Promontory National Park, known affectionally as THE PROM. http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/wilsons-promontory-national-park This is the most Southerly point on the Australian mainland and one of the most visited national parks in the country. It had been nearly 20 years since we last visited here, in those days  carrying everything in packs and hiking on tracks for hours to  camp sites kilometres from cars etc was our forte. This time at that pampered stage of life we stayed in a fully serviced cabin with all luxuries except TV, wifi and that kind of stuff hence no posts, visits comments from me for over a week. Every day we walked, rested, watched wildlife, took photos, remembered, read, knitted and then rested some more. The peace and quiet was a therapy. We both wrote some haiku. The Wombat lived with its baby under our cabin so we were able to watch them closely, as in walk around them if they were on the paths. The Kookaburra was quietly sitting outside our window revving up for a laugh at the Wombats. There were few people around and many of them like us were out using our senses.

 During our stay the weather was often cold, windy and sometimes wet, the sky was usually overcast and sunshine a rare visitor. If you have time to visit this link https://www.google.com.au/search?q=wilsons+promontory&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmrfvf09_TAhUIfLwKHbh7CLgQsAQIfw&biw=1827&bih=1110&dpr=2 there are images of the Prom from across the year . I will post some more haiku/image stories  from our experience.