Lena's final resting place.

I spoke with Zoe several days ago and said I needed to bury Lena (which I was not looking forward to). She straight away suggested I select a spot where Lena liked to "hang out".

Good Idea.

That was pretty easy.

Lena's final resting place catches the morning sun
and is cool and shady in summer

Just out the front of my house, and to the side, there is a mixed planting of Camellias, Azaleas and a Japanese Maple. Underneath the Maple is a little open patch, where Lena used lie in summer, in the afternoon shade, or to catch the morning sun, in winter.

small statue
marking Lena's final resting place

I buried Lena there, and then added a small statue of a kneeling figure, which Zoe had given me several years ago.

ABC Radio Program "Birdland" and video imagery as well.

My daughter Zoe sent me this message

I believe this is the radio documentary your friend mentioned (on Facebook). I heard it on RN on Thursday.
But first please check out the youtube link I put below- it shows a slideshow of PHENOMENAL bird photos that was exhibited at Federation Square in conjunction with the Birdland project.

Video to accompany "Birdland" and shown at Fed Square

http://youtu.be/i3-0tu-QEaI

The ABC Documentary Zoe mentioned may be downloaded from the link below.

Birdland

The Program runs for about 55 minutes, so be prepared to download it, and once it is fully downloaded and cached you can then save the file and replay it at your convenience.

The ABC site introductory comments for this program are as follows:

How would Australians feel if bird numbers diminished so much that the sight of a bird became a rarity, instead of a given. Australia's bird populations are under threat - even such iconic and common birds as the Kookaburra are diminishing in numbers.

The Birdland project asked Radio National listeners to tell us what birds really mean to them. Responses ranged from audio to text, and images. The best contributions are a part of and have informed the direction of the radio documentary. The result is a special exploration of what birds mean to Australians... and how we'd feel if they were gone.

As well as the radio broadcast, Birdland also became a slideshow, at Federation Square, Melbourne, which you can see below.

Music on the show was by Gretchen Miller, Russell Stapleton, Boyd, Stephen Adams, Bree Van Reyk, Alex Anderson, Rose Lang, Sean Scott, Al Kash, Terry Plunkett and Ashley Holmes. Poems and writing by Anne M Carson, Catherine Evans, Judy Fander, Maya Ward, Willow, Marian Waller, Carolyn Leach Paholski, Rebecca Newman, Belinda Hansen and Barbara Henery.

Daffodils in flower - for Daffodil Day.

Yesterday I took a couple of shots of some charming miniature Daffodils in flower near my front verandah.

These are "Tete-a-tete"Two flowers on a single stem give them their name.
Charming little things.
Today my daughter Zoe reminded me that it is Daffodil Day.
I had completely forgotten.

Zoe brought with her a Cancer Council Teddy Bear which a good friend of ours, Sean Leane had given her - for Daffodil Day. Thanks Sean.

Furthermore, Zoe chastised me for not having broadcast to all my friends or even to her, apparently, that last week I was given a "clearance" by my Oncologist - he said that I do not need to see him for another 12 months.

After months and months when I had daily treatments, then monthly check- ups and then 3 monthly scans, and then 6 monthly scans, getting told to not bother for another 12 months is terrific news.

Zoe with Lena and the Daffodils

That translates, in Doctor-speak, to mean I am almost a "nuisance",
(they would never say that)
but it does mean I am taking up valuable space
in the Oncology waiting room.
That's good news for me.

That's why I am looking quite relaxed in this image.

Thanks Zoe, for reminding me to be grateful for good news.

Some good things,
such as being alive,
should never be taken for granted.

I tend not to focus on being a "survivor".
But today is a good day to think back over the past,
and be grateful for the wonderful medical and technical assistance
which allows me to be here today.

Lena wins Eurovision Song Contest

Well it has been coming for some time. And now it has happened - LENA has won the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.

Here she is at the After-Party.

And again, being carried out by her Minder, Zoe.

From the look in Lena's eyes, she had clearly indulged in too much "Green Fairy" at the After-Party.

Hopefully life in Robertson will return to normal tomorrow.

Catching up

I have been slow to post in recent days. I have been away for a few days, to visit my father, who is very old and very frail. 97 years sounds a great achievement (and it is) but I am sure Dad would say it is a little over-rated at this stage.

Anyway, he is still going, and over the weekend, his immediate family all got to visit with him several times, for Fathers Day.

Zoe told me today that Sandra visited Dad (with Zoe), and he was very touched that she had gone in to see him and he appreciated her visit. I do too.

Anyway, I decided not to take any photos of Dad this weekend, but I did take one of Zoe visiting Dad, a few months ago. It is slightly more flattering of both of them than would have been the case this weekend.



Memories deserve to be just a little "flattering".

Illawarra Escarpment - looking south to Wollongong

At the end of my day trip to Bundeena, we had wanted to drive south, through the Royal National Park. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so because of roadworks. That necessitated a trip back out to the Princes Highway, at Loftus, north of Engadine. We then headed south to Waterfall, and took the McKell Avenue turn off, and re-entered the Royal, on that road which would take us down a long winding gully to Lady Wakehurst Drive.
Click here to see the map of yesterday's trip. When we met Lady Wakehurst Drive, we turned south, through to Otford, and then Stanwell Tops.

We stopped to capture the view as best I could,
in the late afternoon light.
You can see the same basic view on a clear day - here.

Regular readers will note that this is the opposite view of the Illawarra Coastline and Escarpment, from that taken a few days ago, at Lees Road Lookout, near Knights Hill.

Stanwell Tops is famous for its cliffs overlooking the Illawarra coast.
Here is another Google Map showing the viewing point
and it marks the vista of the photo above.

Click to enlarge, to read the notes on marked points.

Stanwell Tops is famous for Lawrence Hargrave's early experiment with flight - below a train of four box kites on 12 November 1894. Hargrave was suspended on a line below the lowest Box Kite, and he was tethered to the ground by a line held by an assistant. He rose 16 feet in the air.

Hargrave's design of the Box Kite eventually led the way for the Wright Brothers experiments in flight, in their biplane (a powered box kite, if you think of it in those terms), the Wright Flyer 1 (or Kitti Hawk).

Bald Hill at Stanwell Tops is also famous for Hang Gliding. It is a simple equation of the geographical feature of the proximity of the cliffs to the ocean. This means the place combines reliable sea breezes and uplifts owing to the cliffs and mountains behind them. It is perfect for non-powered flight - such as in Hang Gliders and Paragliding.

Nearly every point along this road seems to commemorate Lawrence Hargrave, in some way or other.

This is Zoe standing beside the Lawrence Hargrave Memorial
on Bald hill, Stanwell Tops. Photo taken in 2007.

Now this patch of the Illawarra Coast has another feature to boast about - the Sea Cliff Bridge.

Here is the Illawarra Coastline and Escarpment, as seen from Otford.
Looking south.

"The Sea Cliff Bridge, opened in 2005, restored the connection between Clifton and Coalcliff, broken by frequent rock falls onto this section of the Lawrence Hargrave Drive. The bridge lies parallel to the former "coal cliffs" and offers scenic views of the cliffs, the sea, and surrounding coastline."

Here is a clearer shot, taken in 2007, from Bald Hill.

Here is a snapshot taken out the window, just on dark.
It shows the cliff line, as seen from the bridge.

You can see the cliffs from the free-standing bridge which is built on pylons which runs parallel to the coast. It was designed to overcome repeated blockages from landslips of the original road (the Lawrence Hargrave Drive)

Here is one of the official RTA aerial shots.

Clearly the RTA is very proud of this bridge.
They have many images of the bridge under construction and completed.

The "Nana Moon"

Two evenings ago I took a series of photos of the New Moon, as it dropped low in the sky, just as the sky darkened, after sunset. I love to watch the "new moon" like this. When my daughter Zoe was young, we used call it a "nana moon" - not for her Grandmother, but for the shape - of a banana! (Technically it should be written as 'nana moon, to indicate the abbreviation, but with the quotation marks as well, it gets too confusing.)

The first photo was taken at 9:03pm, and, as you can just see, there was enough reflected light from the earth's surface, to make the "dark side of the moon" just slightly illuminated.
At 9:08 pm (we are talking Australian Eastern Summer Time, or Daylight Saving Time), the sky had darkened, and the reflected light from the Earth had ceased bouncing back onto the moon. So, now we have the classic crescent of the New Moon. The colour of the illuminated edge of the moon (sun's light just visible on the merest arc of the Moon) had increased, as the Moon is now visible through a greater distance of the earth's atmosphere (as it is now lower than the first shot). That means more of the atmospheric pollution is now colouring the Moon.
According to a Moon Chart I found (on a "Aus bush foods" website) the New Moon event occurred on 8 January. According to the purists, the New Moon is when the moon is present in the sky, but is not visible (when the far side of the moon is being lit by the sun) because we are seeing only the "dark side" of the moon. I am not a purist, and tend to regard the first illuminated sliver of the moon as being the "new moon". I am not alone, in counting it from that time. Wikipedia will explain all the subtleties of that debate for you.

There are various websites and Moon Charts which one can use to plot one's menstrual cycle, (but I am not into that) and one's psychic state, and one's lunar astrology too. Over to you, folks. Just ask Dr Gooogle "Moon Charts + Australia".

Birthday celebrations - muted, but pleasant.

Zoe came up from Canberra this evening, to have dinner with me, for my Birthday.
We arranged to meet up at the Robbo Pub for dinner. It was very quiet in the back room there tonight (whereas, by all accounts, last night was a big night in the bar, despite the blackout). Anyway, we had dinner there tonight. We may have been the only people to eat there, tonight (or others must have eaten early on).

Zoe and me, about to have dinner in the Robbo Pub

(Photo: Peter Johnson).

I had their nice, but ridiculously large Roast Rack of Beef. They serve a single cut of what is effectively a huge bone with a sirloin cut attached (if it was Lamb, you would call it "a chop"). The food is good, but far more than I can ever eat, (and I am quite capable of eating a regular steak). But Lena does not mind my indulgence, as she gets the excess steak, and has the bone as souvenir (and then sleeps it off under the computer table, as I write this story).

(Photo by Peter Johnson)

Tonight the entertainment was provided by a clever musician, Joe, from Sydney. By day, he is an aero-space engineer, (would you believe), but by night he assumes the persona of a very accomplished "muso". He has considerable technological assistance, but he knows how to get the best out of his equipment, too. He also is a good judge of his audience, for he played a few numbers which were popular with both Zoe and myself, including "Sultans of Swing" which had Zoe and me reminiscing on having attended a famously wet concert by "Dire Straights" and "Hothouse Flowers", at the Bruce Stadium in Canberra many, many years ago.

Peter joined us for dinner, and a bit of a giggle. He was keen to take a photograph or two, and to re-live his moments as an assistant director on the shooting of Babe, in Robbo (also many years ago). Everyone had a few memories to re-live tonight, it seems.

Here is Peter "framing" a shot with his hands, showing us how it is done "in the movies".
Tomorrow I shall be handing out "How to Vote" slips for the Climate Change Coalition. Patrice Newell and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki are both standing for the Senate in NSW. I have no idea how successful they will be, but I certainly feel determined to help them both in their campaign. And that is not the least because of the support which Patrice has shown the Save Water Alliance in our fight to protect the Kangaloon Aquifer. It turns out that protection of rivers, (and Aquifers) is a State wide battle, in the face of the onslaught of Coal Mining, both Open Cut mining, and the insidious "Longwall Mining", which although conducted very deep underground, can crack rivers, and even risk damaging roads and bridges (such as the Douglas Dark Twin Bridges), as discussed recently.

Anyway, I am hoping for a Birthday Present tomorrow night, in the form of a certain result in tomorrow's election. Time will tell.

Life and slow death on the front verandah

Today Zoe asked me to remove a new Mud Wasp nest on her window, out on the front verandah. As this is Zoe's favourite sitting area, I agreed to remove the nests, before the wasps got too fond of going back to that spot, time and time again.

The basic safety of humans does count, a bit, in this household.

Anyway, it turned out to be a bit more macabre than I had anticipated. The first thing was that one of the two nests was not completed, and I could see some spotted or bi-coloured creature moving around inside the nest.


I assumed that this was a spider, as I have previously seen wasps carrying or dragging spiders towards their nests.

Turns out both nests had caterpillars inside. Both were still alive, though slightly paralysed.

The Caterpillars were about 4 cm long, and each nest was about 2.5 cm in diameter. I am giving the dimensions, as this nest resembles a large Mexican clay stove. It was quite small (smaller than an Aussie 20 cent coin).

This is what the wasps do, to provide food for their larvae. They sting their prey and semi-paralyse their victims, then lay an egg inside the nest.



I actually thought they laid their egg inside the body of the prey, but evidence in one case clearly shows otherwise.


The last photo clearly shows the larva (or is it the developing egg) inside the remains of the nest, after I had broken it off the window.

From a nature lover's point of view, I can only claim one good aspect of my human intervention. That is, the two caterpillars, which were surely doomed to a terrible, slow death, were despatched under my boot, to a quick death.

I am sure that the wasp will be back making new nests somewhere around the house - but I hope it is not to be at head height on my front verandah.

"Perfect Day"

Last evening, Boney rang to invite Zoe and myself around for a glass of something. When I got there, I discovered that Zoe and Boney had hatched a plot.

Today is my birthday. Last night was the eve of my birthday, and I was not anticipating any celebration then, so I was taken by surprise.

We had a glass, and went on to record Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" - a song which I fell in love with when in Glasgow. I used sing its heavily ironic lyrics when walking about in Glasgow, often with a throbbing headache (the kind one ought really describe as a "hangover"), while getting "Scotch Mist" sprinkles upon my jacket.

"Scotch Mist" is such a fine fog that it can bead up on one's clothes, without one getting wet. Of course, Robertson can produce similar effects on one's clothes.

But in Robbo, the irony of "Perfect Day" is lost, as one really can say:

"Oh It's such a Perfect Day,
I'm glad I spent it with you".....

Zoe sang the main lyrics and we doubled up on the chorus. Bones was on keyboard, Deb on Bass, and BJ helping out on backing vocals. Thanks to Zoe for thinking up the plan, and for keeping me in time (when singing).

I am now the proud owner of a CD of us all playing and singing "Perfect Day".

A nice surprise. A nice idea, Zoe. Thanks. And thanks to Bone for the technical know-how, and the keyboard playing and the encouragement to sing my favourite song - over the years we have known eachother, at the CTC's Music Nights.

The insulating Nature of fog

After a straight week of heavy frosts, this morning was refreshingly mild.

We swapped frosts for a light fog, last night.

The fog insulated us, during the night, like a comfort blanket, so that for the first time in a week, we did not have frozen soil, and a heavy frost.

The fog over Robertson during the night, lifted early, and become a light cloud cover.

However, it left patches of fog in the local gullies, below the house.

Zoe was up earlier than I was (I did my patriotic duty, and watched the Socceroos play Brazil so I allowed myself a little sleep-in to compensate for the lost sleep).

Anyway, when Zoe first woke, there were nice patches of light fog down in the local gullies below our house, so she felt inspired to take some photos. These shots are all looking down over the road down to Belmore Falls, but they are local views, not distant views.

It was good that she took these photos early, as the fog burnt off very quickly. You can see that in this photo, the fog is already very light and whispy. Lovely morning light, though. The green hills in the background are the next ridge across from the ridge where I live. It is the hillside that Pearson's Lane runs along.

I shall upload them later on. I have been filling in for Zoe, on a Volunteer's shift at the CTC, at Robertson.

*****

8:45 pm: Being true to my word, here are the photos. Sorry it took so long to put them up.

The Nature of Frost, (and an update on the Tree Dahlia)

I moved to Robertson from Canberra, where, undoubtedly it is colder than Robertson. However, there is something different about the "cold" in Robertson. It is a wetter place, and so the cold seems to penetrate more.

Two days ago, we had a lot of rain during the day, then the clouds cleared off in the late afternoon. I know that always means trouble. For example, I was alert to the possibility of black ice on the road, the next morning.

What I had not anticipated was that the heater would run out of gas at 4:00am, and that Zoe, (the great softie that she is) would decline to go out and turn the switch from one gas bottle to the other - 30 seconds work. I was persuaded to go out and do the job myself, by Zoe thumping around the house, trying to get warm - a futile exercise, on such a cold night. Indeed it was the hot water running out when she tried to run a hot bath in order to warm up, which really triggered my decision to turn the gas tap over myself. Incidentally, I have an electric blanket, but until tomorrow's scheduled visit to Bowral, Zoe does not - she just has a cat to keep her warm. She has been promised an electric blanket, though. The cat will be ecstatic!

Anyway, I went outside, to find the switch for the gas tank, only to be surprised by hearing myself crunching over the grass (weeds, really). Odd, I thought - must be a heavy frost to do that. Next morning, I discovered that the source of the sound effects was that I had been crushing thousands of ice crystals, under the soil, as I walked just a few paces to the gas bottle.

Technically, these crystals which form in the soil are known as "permafrost", but my Northern Hemisphere friends will scoff at the application of that term to this little bit of ice formation, for it is not "permanent", or even semi-permanent. We aren't on the Arctic Tundra here. But what I was experiencing is quite different from a normal frost, where tiny particles of dew freeze on the surface of the grass, or soil. This was moisture in the soil freezing slowly, and, as a result, the crystals growing up out of the soil, and they lift the surface of the soil up to the height of the crystals, about 3 or 4 cms high. These crystals have great lifting power, and tiny pebbles, and small rocks will be lifted as the crystals beneath them form. Such crystals can, indeed crack large rocks, if they form within crevices in the rock, then expand.

Leo and Anni are entitled to tell me that I don't know anything about real cold. But it is cold enough for me, here in Robertson. It is also cold enough for Peonies, which was my primary criterion, when selecting a location when I moved from Canberra.

I mentioned last Wednesday the "Optimistic Nature of the Tree Dahlia". Great timing for that post. Have a look at it, on the morning of our big freeze. That was yesterday. Today it is showing even more damage, but you get the point - its growing season is over - for this year.

Oh well, it will have to start again next year to grow two metres tall, or more, before it will start to form its flowers, in late April or May. And, of course, it is destined never to set any seed, in Robertson. Poor thing. But I love the way it keeps on trying.

One could say that it is a metaphor for someone being treated for Lymphoma, really! No wonder I admire its stubborn hold on life.

More on Red Beaks

Yesterday I posted about Purple Swamp Hens (Galinules). I commented that the associated bird, the Eurasian Coot was "totally aquatic". Ooops. Today I went to Lake Tuggeranong, to be confronted by a bunch of Coots out grazing. Admittedly, as soon as they saw me, they headed to the water, where, clearly they felt more comfortable. However, I feel obliged to set the record straight. They also graze on dry grass, near water, as in this photo.

In the main cities of South-eastern Australia, there are 3 basically similar birds which are common wherever lakes and parks are found. (I am excluding Ducks, etc.) These are either aquatic birds which gather near picnic grounds, or birds with longish legs which hang around on the grass, looking for scraps from picnickers. Simply put, these birds are most likely to be Swamp Hens, Moor Hens, and Coots. Today I will deal mostly with the Moor Hen (and the others just in comparison). There are other, more exotic birds, called Black-tailed Native Hens, and in Tasmania, another species. But these three species are the most commonly seen, between Brisbane and Melbourne. Other related birds are Crakes and Rails, but they are usually very shy, and seldom seen. None of these birds under discussion is shy - far from it.

The Dusky Moorhen is the third bird in this group, which people often get confused about. This bird has a red beak, with a yellow tip, (as an adult). In general, its beak is like the Swamp Hen's, (but much finer). This bird is quite at home in the water (like a Coot). In size, it is slightly larger than the Coot, and only about half the size of the Swamp Hen. So, the main differences between them are (a) size (Swamp Hen clearly the largest); (b) preference for water over land 1 - Coot, 2 - Moor Hen, and coming a bad last - Swamp Hen.

So, of these 3 birds, if it is swimming freely and cheerfully, it is a Coot or a Moor Hen. (Check photo at left). If so, look for a red beak and head shield (Moor Hen), or silvery white, (Coot). Clearly, the bird on the left is a Coot, the other a Moor Hen.

If it is walking about amongst the reeds, it is likely to be, in order, 1 - Swamp Hen, 2 Moor Hen (distinguish them by size) 3 Coot (they do nest in reeds - look for the silver colour of the beak and head shield).

There is another more subtle clue - the shape of the tail and wings. Coots look as if they have rounded backs and their tails are not prominent. They fade off into the water. That "rounded back" look is apparent, even in the photo of the bird on land. The Moor Hen has a prominent, upward-tilted tail and its wings follow that line. So, its tail comes to a point, held high above the water. That is always helpful, in case you find an immature Moor Hen, which has a dark olive green beak, with maybe a touch of red just showing. Look at the wings and tail. It is immediately distinctive between these two species which swim freely. If its tail is pointed diagonally up, at about 30 degrees. and it shows a flash of white underneath, it is a Dusky Moorhen.

Finally, the Swamp Hen is a very active bird, on land. When it runs (as it does very well) it typically flicks its tail, showing a bold "alarm signal" patch of white feathers under its tail. This is totally distinctive. So even if you just get a poor, rear view of a large swamp bird, but it was flicking its tail, then you know it was a Swamp Hen. This particular bird ran away from me (sorry the photo is blurry), but it took with it a juicy piece of grass to chew on, when it was safely distant from me.

On big red beaks

"Purple Swamp Hen"

The other day, Zoe and I took my father out for a drive, and we ended up at the Lake (Lake Burley Griffin). There were a few, very hungry Swamp Hens (Purple Galinules)(Porphyrio porphyrio) around. Dad and I sat in the car, and watched these birds from close quarters, (birdwatching for the aged and the frail), while Zoe got out and took a few photos.

These birds are swamp-edge dwellers, normally, but they have had such a poor season that they have taken to digging up the nearly dry bulbous "crowns" of Kikuyu Grass, to eat. This is on the dry grassed areas surrounding the Lake. Slim pickings, indeed. Normally they pull up moist roots of swamp plants, reeds, etc.

"Swamp Hen Feeding"

They are particularly well adapted to this manner of feeding, with their huge, powerful beaks (with a head-piece extension, which looks like a shield over the top of the head).

They hold the roots they are going to eat, under the foot, held there by the outer toe supporting the root, which is tucked up by the toes being slightly curled to hold it up along the "ankle" of the foot. My description is not good biology, but if you look a the picture, you will get the idea. The root is squeezed between the upper parts of the toes, not "grasped" in the way that a parrot grasps its food. Of course, their extremely long toes are designed primarily for spreading their weight over a large area, as they walk over water weeds, etc. So their feet are not suited to grasping, but are great for spanning a thin bunch of reeds, and floating water plants.

"Eurasian Coot"

Zoe also had a chance to photograph the totally aquatic Eurasian Coot, (Fulica atra) which feeds by diving for water-weeds, which they bring to the surface, then eat, in small portions. On close examination of the photo at left (click for a larger image), you can see that the Coot has lobed toes, not a complete webbed foot (check the left foot), as a Duck has. But they are good swimmers and divers, none-the-less. Of course, their white beaks (with small head shields) are distinctive.

The Nature of Everlasting Memories

When Zoe and I went to the Botanic Gardens yesterday, I was scootering along the Main Path, when Zoe suddenly said: "Oh, look, - Grandma Flowers". And she was right.

We had come to an area where Everlasting Daisies were growing everywhere. My Mother, Zoe's Grandma, was an inveterate collector of dried flowers, for use in dried flower arrangements, and the Everlasting Daisies were her absolute favourites. The Garage was full of unused specimens, the house was full of little wall vases always with a few Everlastings in them.

Zoe remembers staying there on weekends, as a kid, and "helping" Grandma with her flower arrangements, which usually meant Zoe poking holes with her little fingers in the seemingly magic "Oasis" material which flower arrangers use. This stuff has a spongy texture, and, when dry it is nearly weightlessness. Of course, what Zoe didn't understand at the time, was that Oasis has its limits, and after enough poking with little fingers, it crumbles to a messy dust.

Still, Zoe loves these flowers, and to her they will always be "Grandma Flowers". So, they are a kind of Everlasting Memory for her. And I am pleased. My Mother, Nonie Wilson died on 18 March 2006, just a few days short of her 90th birthday. So this blog is for Zoe and for her.

The Nature of Eagles

This photo is here to prove that one cannot always take good photos of eagles, even with a fairly long lens. This bird spotted me, (and they have far, far better eyes than we do, so that is not surprising) and it decided that I was acting suspiciously, so it simply half-closed its wings, and went into a "semi-dive" mode, and drifted across the sky and away from me, at about 35 Km per hour (without even a single flap of its wings), until it felt comfortably distant from me again, a which point it resumed singing the chorus from "Oklahoma" about making "lazy circles in the sky".

For those of you who do not know, this is a Wedge-tailed Eagle, perhaps the Australian bird with the best Latin Name ever: Aquila audax, which means "bold eagle" (not bAld, bOld, as in daring). The word audacious comes from the same origin.

This photo was taken last weekend, on the same day as I went with Zoe to Tidbinbilla. This was taken near Tharwa, in fact at "Lambrigg" which is where William Farrer did his pioneering research into breeding rust-resistent strains of wheat, which led to the development of the Australian Wheat industry. What John Howard and the mob of conservative free-loading privateers have done since, with the AWB, is not his fault, folks.

Miss Eagle is celebrating her ability to soar over the ridges of Upper Ferntree Gully, tomorrow. Have a nice day, Girl. Fly Free.

The Nature of Kangaroos

Here are a few quiet "family" shots of some Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). I am posting these today because Zoe took the photos on the weekend, and because Anni wrote about a large "mob" of Kangaroos in her blog yesterday.

Anni wondered what they do all day. In a word, they rest. Most of the "mob" will be females, and all the mature ones will all be pregnant, or carrying a "Joey", or have a "Joey" at foot, as in the second photo. Some may be in all three stages of motherhood at once.

The other thing about such a "mob" of Kangaroos is that they feed in the early evening and early morning, when the grass is most likely to have some dew on it, allowing them to drink and feed at the same time. During the day, the "mob" usually rest under a stand of trees, where they can get some shelter from the sun.

Zoe was quite pleased to get a photo of the male taking his weight on his tail, just about to propel himself across the ground at ultra-slow speed, using the tail as a "prop" while sliding his huge back feet forward.

She was even more pleased to get a photo of a grown Joey having a bit off a feed from Mum, even though she is nearly as large as Mum is.

CSIRO biologists have studied the amazing fertility of Kangaroos, and one fact they have discovered is that the female (a "doe") can simultaneously produce milk at different stages (from different teats) to suit the developmental needs of an "independent" Joey, like this one, and a smaller one which is almost certainly a permament resident of the pouch.