Leaving for Kenya and Tanzania

Posted at 7:32 PM, Friday 7 September 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Well it has taken a long time to get here but finally we are a couple of days out, from leaving for Africa. I will be returning on the 2nd October and with a bit of luck, will have a blog update, not long after, for all of you who have been waiting patiently. These few shots I took while in Kruger National Park, South Africa, 3 years ago.……Ian and Annette from Adelaide, it was quite a surprise to see that you have been looking at my blog. It was lovely to meet you for those brief moments at the Polar Bears and to know that there are other people out there, who love all these amazing creatures as much as I do. I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and feel free to share it with others.I'm signing off now, so until I am able to share my travels and encounters with you all, stay safe and well. Talk to you all in October.

A morning in the sun

Posted at 7:49 PM, Monday 3 September 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Today I had to do some last minute shopping for my up-coming safari and it was a beautiful day, inspite of the weather man forcasting rain. So after I got my errands out of the way, I headed back to Pizzey Park. There was a couple of beautiful Egrets that were very shy but I managed to get a few shots.………………A Pied Cormorant took flight right before my eyes.…The Darter perched high in a tree.…The Gallah…A gorgeous little bird that I can't identify but was so keen to have his photo taken. He very graciously sat on a branch and waited for me to get this shot before he went about his business.My day was cut short when I came across an older lady searching in the grass for something. Her and her husband had been walking their dogs and when it was time for them to go home, they realized they had dropped their car keys somewhere in the park. I did one circuit of the lake for them and couldn't find the keys, so I did what any good person would have done and offered to drive one of them home to get their extra set of keys. On the way to my car, I grabbed my last shot for the day and what a cute little Kookaburra he was.

Up Very Close and Personal

Posted at 7:31 PM, Wednesday 29 August 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

I never imagined getting as close to a whale in the wild, as I did today. It was difficult to get good photos as they were so close to the boat. We encountered 5 pods of whales but stayed with a pod of three, that entertained us with their frolicking, right beside and underneath our boat. There was moments that if I could have reached out, I would have been able to touch them. It was a magical day even if I wasn't able to catch there every movement on camera.…………………………………………………………………………This last shot shows you how close the whales were coming to the boat.

The Majestic Egret

Posted at 9:58 PM, Saturday 25 August 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

The weather on the Gold Coast has been pretty horrific over the last week, making it impossible to get out with the camera. They are saying the freak weather that we have had, we haven't experienced since 1880. I was getting edgy to get out. 1, to get some fresh air and 2, to take some photos, so I took advantage of the dry moments we had today. Here are some of the results from todays outing. This magnificent Egret was so obliging. I hope you enjoy.………………………………………………………………………………………

Simply irresistible......Polar bears

Posted at 5:34 PM, Saturday 4 August 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Todays adventure was one I had been putting off for a while, as I am not much into theme parks. A little bit of encouragement from some overseas friends was all I needed to get me off my butt and and drive the short 15 minutes to get to Seaworld on the Gold Coast. Now you may be wondering why I would want to go to Seaworld but when you see what I have photographed, you will know the answer.Polar Bears!!!!And oh what a joy they are to watch. Seaworld has 4 polar bears which are on loan from other zoo's around the world. Two of them, Hudson and Nelson are from Quebec Zoo and the other two, Liya and her brother Lutik are from Leningradsky Zoo in Saint Petersburg, Russia.Much amusement was had with a simple palm tree leaf.There was plenty of moments when sleep would overcome play…Or nearly. Play is so much more fun than sleep especially when you are only 7 years of age.…Awake now and on the move, it must be time to eat. Food is placed around the bears enclosure hidden in logs and other places. Scrubs and logs are moved often to ensure the bears are stimulated by their changing enviroment. There are plastic toys for playing with, palm tree branches for ripping to shreds and bark chips for rolling in. I wonder if this bear is thinking about a swim.Oh yes! Here we go......Head first and…Feet last of course.Did someone call me?What am I suppose to do with this?All of you who are reading this, will be wondering where this milk crate came from and what it is for. Well............One of the keepers came up to the viewing platform and called out to this beautiful girl, Liya. He called her Princess and of course I gave a big Awwwwwww! That was the moment she dived into the water. The next shot where she came up from her dive and looked straight at the camera, was when she was asking the keeper to throw her a treat. Now that is what is in the milk crate. The keepers try not to make it too easy for the bears to find their treats and meals, so they place their food in different objects to keep the bears thinking.And here Liya is, thinking this is not hard.Hmmmmmm. What have we got here?Nearly got it!So is that it! Or is there more?…Hahaha. I got it! That was too easy.This is soooo good! And I'm not sharing itArghhh yuk......is that sour or what????Just tricking. It's really very yummy.Such delicate little mouthfuls, hard to believe, isn't it?……This has to be a face anyone could love. Just one photo, then I must get back to my meal……… Surely now it must be time for some fun. I can't see you!!!!!Oh.... there you are.And a swimAnd even more fun.I was laughing so much at Lia's antics that the people around me, must have thought I was wacko. More fun was yet to come.…………This sack drapped over her head kept her amused for ages but little did I know what she was really after.……That's better, I can see. Now what have I got here?More food!Hahaha. And you thought I was playing.……Of the 1190 photos I took, at this point I am only up to 340. There will be lots more to come.

Whales migrating north for winter!

Posted at 1:30 PM, Thursday 26 July 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Some of you may wonder, how on earth I got this photo of the Gold Coast, when it appears that I have taken it from the ocean. I was in the ocean but not getting wet. I was on a Gold Coast Whale Watching boat, enjoying a magnificent morning watching 3 Humpback whales on their annual migration north. It is late in the season for them to be going north because in 3 weeks they all start to head south with their calves. Once you see these photos, I'm sure you will agree, that I will have to have a few more trips out to capture the whales and their young on their return. Humpback whales grow up to 18 meters and weigh up to 50 tonnes. Their mating and calving season is between June and October and their gestation period is 11 and a half months. This means, that one year they are up north mating and the next year, they are giving birth in the same waters.I managed to take 551 photos while watching the whales but have reduced them to 48. I hope you enjoy!………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Posted at 7:22 PM, Sunday 22 July 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Last week I returned to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary to ask the raptor handlers some questions about Osprey. As I have started visiting the Osprey tower on a regular basis now, I needed to know whether or not, I was in any danger being near their nest. After lots of information was given and some sort of re-assurance that I was in no danger, I spent the rest of my visit, checking and photographing all the wildlife that I have come to know quite well. The Rainbow Lorikeets are the sanctuaries main attraction when you walk in the gate.…Breeding season has started early due to the drought.This adorable, furry nose belongs to the Southern Hairy-nosed WombatThe Gang Gang CockatooThis chap looks like he's just finished a big mealAnd after a big meal, a man needs a good scratch.I have never managed to get a good opportunity to photograph the Emus but today I discovered where they hang out. Don't you love the hair do!!!You mean ME!Or him!This was an uncommon sighting, a raptor known as the Pacific Baza, flying freely through the trees.The Wedge-tailed Eagles always have me captivated. I can't help but think, that this is no life for the two, who have injuries from gun shots that have left them unable to fly.………As I was waiting for a good moment to capture the Cassowary, there was a lot of movement behind me. I turned to find a couple of Australian Brush Turkeys sitting on the wall next to me.When I turned back to the Cassowary, I got the photo I have been waiting for, for many months now.…This beautiful Eclectus Parrot was making an awful racket in the Tropical Aviary. It was like he was warning everyone that I had arrived.In past visits, I have not been able to get a decent shot of the Glossy Ibis but today they were playing in the creek.Please don't ask me what type of turtle this is. I have no idea but I am guessing he may be native to Australia.I couldn't resist this shot of the Water Monitor.And the Freshwater crocodiles.This delightful little bird is the Gouldian Finch.I know you are all going to love this shot. And he's not laughing, he's yawning. How strange!!!!!!!Before leaving the sanctuary, I stopped and had a coffee with a Grey Butcherbird.Time to hit the road and head for home but I had one more stop to make.Still busy renovating the nest!

Just birds for a change..........lol!

Posted at 4:55 PM, Wednesday 18 July 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

The other day while I was enjoying myself photographing the surfers of Burleigh Heads, I was also fortunate to see some bird life. The first bird to catch my eye was the Australasian Gannet. I have never seen one before and these aren't the best shots but they were the best I could manage at the time.This next shot, the Gannet has a fish in his mouth but he was a long way from where I was.I thought this was an unusual sighting to see at the beach and that was a White faced Heron, normally I see them up a creek somewhere.……What there was in abundance, was Cormorant. This couple are Pied Cormorant.…And a much larger flock of Little Black Cormorant.The next day I dropped in at the tower and I was so surprised at the amount of Pied Cormorant that were swimming in the canal. At one stage I counted 12 and there was still more. I like the next series of shots. Bottoms Up!………While I was enjoying myself watching the Cormorant, I was suddenly interrupted by an enormous screeching from above and looked up to find one of the Osprey hovering in mid air, apparently warning me that I was too close to his nest.…………I was told only today, by one of the raptor handlers at Currumbin, that the difference between the male and female, is that the marking around the chest gradually fades for a male but for a female it doesn't. Knowing that now, I would think that the above photos are of the male and the one below would be the female.

No need to go far

Posted at 5:00 PM, Tuesday 10 July 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

At present, I am finding I don't have to travel far to be able to find bird life. It seems to be everywhere I look. The Black Swans are keeping me very busy. Every time I see them, which would be 3 times a day, I run down to the pontoon with my camera, hoping for that shot, that is that little bit more special than the last. A few days ago now I dropped by the tower to check on the Osprey and they are there, very busy, adding to their nest. ……While I was waiting for the Osprey to return to their nest, I spotted a Darter (Anhinga) trying to balance on a very unstable branch. ……During one of my daily trips down to the pontoon to see the Swans, a Little Black Cormorant dropped in for a visit.He didn't hang around too long when he realised those Black Swans aren't the friendliest of critters.I am becoming very familiar with the Black Swans and really I should have given them names by now but I haven't. This swan appears to be looking at his reflection in the water.I have noticed that since they have been frequenting our water ways, we have had more seagulls hanging around as well.…I'm not sure what the problem is between the swans and the seagulls but the swans definitely don't like the gulls and they aren't afraid to show it.As I walked up from the pontoon, Prince, my beautiful boy, was waiting to greet me. I'm sure he wishes I spent as much time with him as I do the Swans.The next trip down to the pontoon was a little later in the day and the swans were having a good time flapping ……………and preening themselves.…………………I was very surprised when a Straited Heron flew in to look for his dinner. He must have thought that I was a permanent fixture on the pontoon.……………This shot he nearly lost his balance in the wind.And finally, he made his way into the neighbours garden to see what he could find there.

Cygnets learning to fly.

Posted at 8:03 PM, Monday 2 July 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

I think you will enjoy these photos of the young black swans that have been visiting our waterfront daily. Mum and Dad Swan haven't been seen around the canal for over a week, so I am assuming they have left to make more beautiful babies. These photo's show the first day where the cygnets have discovered they have wings.……………………………………………Now that you have seen all the photos, I have to tell you that I am very lucky, thanks to technology, to have these photos. I accidently deleted all my photos of the swans from my memory card before I got them onto my computer. I was devasted because I knew there was some great shots. After putting on my thinking cap, I remembered I had some software from Sandisk called Recovery Pro, all I had to do was purchase a card reader and I was able to recover all the photos that were deleted from my card. What a find and something everyone should know about, should any of you ever make the same unfortunate mistake.

Clear Blue skies but not very warm.

Posted at 9:04 PM, Thursday 28 June 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

I am fast learning that even birds don't like the cold weather. There wasn't a lot of activity today, the few little birds that I found, would not sit still long enough to be photographed, so I lost patience in the bitter cold and left them to it. This couple of Kookaburras didn't like being interrupted by an intruder. They were sitting on the branch laughing their heads off, till I entered the scene. They didn't stay there for long but enough time for me to get one shot.The Whistling Kite that I had come to see, was high in the sky.Everytime I looked up to find him above me, it was too late to get a good shot. One of these days I will.I don't know much about Pelicans and infact any bird for that matter but there seems to be a lot of pelicans in the skies. I wonder if it has something to do with the winter season.…………This beautiful speciman flew directly in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the car as quick as I could and headed down to the waters edge, through the mangroves. My eyes were scanning the tops of the trees in hope that I would find him and I sure did.This is a Brahminy Kite.Such beauty requires lots of photos............lol.…………………And finally, he must have had enough of me and took to the sky.…

Trying out the new lens.

Posted at 7:46 PM, Thursday 21 June 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

This week I took the plunge and bought a beaut, new, pro lens. It has been an absolute pleasure to use and I am getting more familiar with it by the day. The first morning I had it, it was a very windy, cold day on the Gold Coast but I couldn't stay home when I had to try the lens out. I headed over to Pizzey Park lake, where I can always be sure of some sort of action. When I first arrived, I could see a Darter sunning and sheltering himself from the wind near the rock wall. I only had a moment to get these shots because as soon as I got out of the car, a person out for a morning walk, startled him.……My next encounter was with a flock of Eurasian Coots.And wherever they are, you can be sure to find the Dusky Moorhen.…I was freezing cold at this point and decided it would be better to be at home in the warm because there was not a lot happening here at the lake. As I headed to the car, a white object in a tree, at the other end of the lake, caught my attention. My luck had changed, it was a Little Pied Cormorant swaying on a branch.………………It was definitely time to hit the road when a conversation with a male person walking his dog, led to him asking me if I would like to look at some bird photos in his van. You have never seen me move so fast! Upon my arrival home, the local swans dropped by for their daily visit.………Today was a little warmer and I had to go to Burleigh so I threw the camera in the car and thought I would see what I could find in the mangroves at Tallebudgera. The White faced Heron was my first victim.Good timing and I caught him diving for his breakfast.I love this next shot of the Heron's butt, as he has another attempt at finding breakfast.The beautiful Collared Kingfisher is predictable, always hiding in the mangroves on low tide.I made my way up into the hills and found myself amongst a large gathering of Silvereyes. They were flittering and fluttering everywhere so I stayed very still and gradually they relaxed and I was able to catch these lovely photos. This bird is very small, between 4 -5 inches.……………On my way home, I decided to drop by the Osprey Tower, as I have come to call it. I was very pleased that I did.Look closely and see if you can see lunch in his claws.…………While one of the Osprey was busy eating, the other flew off to find some more building material for the nest.…………

Birds in flight

Posted at 6:55 PM, Friday 15 June 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

A few weeks ago now, I came across this couple of Brahminy Kites perched on a sign at the end of a canal. They obviously were very surprised to see me and spread their wings the moment they saw me. ……………On the same day I was lucky to see these Darter flying above me.……Only yesterday, I was fortunate to be able to catch another Darter taking flight from the lake.……………As I was sitting in the car deciding whether I would brave the wind and get out and take some photos, an Egret landed beside the car. I stumbled around to locate my camera and then spent the next hour trying to follow this Egret. There was lots of people at the lake doing their exercise, so the Egret was continuously moving to another spot, making it nearly impossible to photograph. ……This Purple Swamphen was making an awful noise in the reeds. He was obviously not very happy about my coming to close.Another bird that was not happy with my presence was the Straw-necked Ibis. I was getting the feeling that the wind was affecting the birds today. They seemed very skittish. I found this Little Pied Cormorant in a tree, that is a first for me, normally they are sunning themselves on a jetty or wharf somewhere.

Black Swans daily visit.

Posted at 11:08 AM, Saturday 2 June 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

The Black Swans and their youngsters are still visiting our waterways on a daily basis. I took some bread down to the waters edge to feed them this morning and to check that they were all accounted for and well. The cygnets are growing so fast.……And these are my favorites for the day.……………And off they went for a feed at another persons house. They'll be back tomorrow for another head count.

Osprey in the tower

Posted at 9:46 PM, Friday 1 June 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Not a day goes by now, where I don't see some sort of movement from the Osprey nest. Often I am just making a quick trip to the supermarket so I throw the binoculars in the car just in case something is happening. One day this week, I woke to a beautiful sunny morning, after a night of rain, I thought this would be a good time to go and stand watch with my camera under the tower. When I arrived, no-one was home but I did see my first Nankeen Kestral being attached by another bird which I think could be a Honey-eater.…………When finally one of the Osprey did come home, I was ready and waiting.…And we had touch down.Not content there, he had to move to another level.…Eventually the mate came home and I am guessing this is the female because she looks a lot larger than the male.She circled the tower………before preparing to land.And I know this shot is ruined by the powerline but I love that look of feet first and brakes going on.

Dogs playing

Posted at 9:23 PM, Wednesday 30 May 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

On a recent day out, I came across these two dogs in the lake. One of them had such great facial expressions that I could nearly guess what they were saying to each other."I'm not getting out! You come and get me," he says, then pokes his tongue out."What was that? I can't hear you.""He's got the stick but I think he's in a bit of difficulty.""Help!!!!!! Someone help me.""Phew! Thanks, I thought I was going to die out there.""It's okay mate, what are friends for.""Arwwwww. This is so embarrassing. What's she looking at?""Hey mate, thanks for helping me out back there. I owe you one.""Wow, that feels good!!!!"

Beauty at its best!

Posted at 8:54 PM, Friday 25 May 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

A couple of days ago now, the sun was beckoning me, to come out and play. How could I resist? I thought Pizzey Park would be the place to go, close by and always plenty of dragonflies to capture. By the end of my hour at the park, I had not captured one dragonfly but I did manage to take 300 photos of this beautiful creature. In Australia, we call this bird a Darter, his common name is the Snake Bird and in other parts of the world, he is also known as the Anhinga. I have tried to pick the best but it was a difficult task as they were all equally as good.…………………………………………………………………

The mystery of who lives in the tower.

Posted at 4:56 PM, Thursday 24 May 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

I awoke today to another glorious winters day on the Gold Coast. I had to drive up to the postoffice so I threw my camera in the car just in case there was some action in the nest on the tower. For those of you who don't know, I have been watching a nest in an electrical tower for the last couple of weeks but I haven't been able to identify who is residing in the nest. When I got out of the car, I could see a small head but not much more.I crossed the 4 road lanes that seperated the shopping centre from the tower, to get a closer look.Not a lot was happening and it was very difficult to see anything, so I went across to do what I had to do at the newsagency. When I walked out and looked up at the nest, I could see what I thought was 2 birds.I ran for my life as I knew one of the Osprey was about to take flight. As I pushed my way through some bushes, I missed the moment when he took to the air. But I did get him in flight.The mystery was now solved. I was looking at my first Osprey.…I stood there in the middle of the grass medium strip looking a right sight and I must have had a smile on my face from ear to ear. It was such a great moment. Looking over at the nest, I could see the other Osprey was not going anywhere, so I troddled off to the postoffice to do what I had come to do. On the way there, I caught these Australian White Ibis, waiting for their next feed.After I had finished at the postoffice I walked back to the tower, crossing the road which is one of the busiest on the Gold Coast. I looked up from under the tower and couldn't believe my eyes.Was that a fish tail I could see? I went around the other side to get  better look.The Osprey was having a hard time keeping its balance and holding a rather large fish in its claw.…At one stage, I thought it was going to loose the fish so I had myself in the perfect position in the event that that should happen. It would have made an amazing series of shots if the fish had fallen and the Osprey had dived to retrieve it. ……Once he got his balance back, he appeared to be doing nothing with the fish, just watching and waiting.I took this moment to step back and get a shot of the entire scene.Next time I look up, there is the mate that has returned but without a meal.The Osprey with the fish moves to a less exposed beam. I am guessing about now, that there is not going to be any sharing going on.…The mate who had just returned looked like he might still be on the hunt.As a Pelican flew by, I grabbed a shotbut in that brief moment when I looked away, the osprey had taken flight and was nowhere to be seen. So quick and silent. And the second time today that I missed the shot of the osprey spreading his wings to take off. I walked around to the other side of the tower to watch the osprey eating his fish. My neck was aching from looking straight up at the tower, so I lay down in the grass beside the road and waited for whatever was to come next. What came next was a bull-ant who decided to bite me, not only once but twice under the arm. Being biten by a bull-ant is not the most comfortable of feelings, infact it left my arm throbbing. I had my camera sitting on my chest ready for the next moment. The osprey suddenly lost interest in what was left over of his fish,out of nowhere, arrived the mate with fresh fish for dinner.It may not have been as big as the last fish but it was a meal.………So now the mystery is solved but keeping an eye on this couple is going to go on for a long time. Just think when baby chick season comes along!!!!!!!

It's a bugs life!

Posted at 7:52 PM, Monday 21 May 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

Recently I had a day at Currumbin Sanctuary and I was amazed at the amount of dragon flies that were buzzing around. It wasn't easy to capture them as they were not going to sit still. This first shot I took while the dragonfly was in flight.………………These next shots were the last of the Grasshopper that resided in my herb garden for many weeks. He has finally decided to move on and my basil is actually coming back to life.………

An eventful day.

Posted at 8:34 PM, Thursday 17 May 2007 in Animals and Wildlife

I headed off early today, hoping to catch some water birds up at Oxenford. Little did I know when I started off, that there was going to be a big surprise for me. Oxenford is a suburb about half an hour north from home. To get there, one must get on the motorway to Brisbane. My first stop was at a man made lake where I have seen a lot of bird life in the past. The Australian Pelican……………The Little Black CormorantAnd with his mate.A Little Pied Cormorant flew in to join the sun-bathers.A good shake to get rid of the excess water.And now for some quality time in the sun.…It was so nice to see so many different birds all sunning themselves together. The Magpie Goose, the Little Pied Cormorant, the Australian Wood-duck, the Dusky Moorhen and some turtles. That's a first for me, turtles in the wild.…And even the Black Swans were there.Little Corellas were flying in and out of the trees.Not far from the lake I found a nice rock wall on the Coomera River where I found this beautiful Egret looking for his breakfast.……Moving on from there, I crossed the highway heading east and made my way along Foxwell Drive in Coomera, hoping to see some raptors. I hadn't been down this road in at least 16 years, in fact the last time I had come, it was nearly all bush except for the odd large home on acreage. Today I was very surprised to see so much developement. I was having doubts that I would see any bird life out here. I made my way to the end of a very long road, stabbing at a guess, I would say it was about 10kms long. Having spotted nothing yet, I decided to drive a lot slower and sure enough I wasn't disappointed. Up above I found a Kite. I'm thinking a Whistling Kite.Now that I was out of the car and the Kite was moving further from me, I decided to follow him throw the bush, hoping to get a better shot of him. No luck! I made my way back to the car and started the engine. One last look up to the sky and there he was again.Seeing a raptor soaring through the sky is the most amazing feeling. I was pleased with what I had seen and knew that I would be making many trips back here in the future. As I opened the door to the car, I looked over the roof of the car to the trees and bush where I had just walked. Something caught my eye!!!Was I seeing correctly or was I imagining it. Was that a koala on the branch?I was so scared, that if I didn't get a shot then and there, that by the time I got through the bush to get a closer shot, he may have disappeared.This was so exciting, to finally see and photograph a koala in the wild. And one that was so co-operative. ………He barely moved, most probably because he was so startled to see me. And then when I started to talk to him, he turned to look at me as though I was some crazy lady.…What a successful day!