opportunists!

Scrounging pig food .

The Apostlebirds are very much at home here- helping themselves to left over poultry feed, and demanding extra when I feed April the pig. :) They sit on our clothesline and scold when I hang out washing - they swoop and scold if one of the cats is outside ,and they also alert to feral cats/foxes .
They are generally sociable, but fight noisily when feeding! They play with each other, and preen each other - they perch right next to each other, and are unafraid of us mere, earthbound mortals .

The photo on the left was taken at dusk , using a flash . These were in April's pen .

(Struthidea cinerea) Apostlebird.

I like having them around- they make me smile :) :)

Trials&Tribulations-Upside Down.

..Walking with a pig has its moments..April sometimes is not  easy to keep track of , and other times is close by when inconvenient .

On Wed. night  we were returning from our walk, and as I have many times, decided to do the shorter walk home- which means climbing over the fence near our house.Our fence is just an old plain wire stock fence- no big deal. Anyhow- With walking stick firmly planted on the opposite side of the fence, I gripped the top wire, and straddled it- just getting ready to earth my topmost foot , when April pushed her way thru the fence underneath me!
Elegantly ( it must have been!) and in slow motion , I turned, still holding the top wire, and landed on my back right on top of a dry prickle bush! April thought this was wonderful- she now had easy access to the food treats in my pockets - and I had to clamber upright quickly, before she started her raid in earnest !

Luckily, apart from some sore muscles, and a stiff and sore neck, there were no real injuries . I have de-prickled my clothes....and I shall now be  more careful when climbing fences! :)

Under a Halo

Last night's walk was cold and calm -
Overhead, the moon was centered in an ice-halo , a glowing , perfect circle .The stars covered their faces with wispy clouds, and the birds of the night sent calls out across the dampness.
A lone frog croaked out into the night, as tiny spiders sat atop prickle bushes, their eyes glittering in the headlamp's light.

:)

Wedgetail Proud

Wedgetail Proud
Originally uploaded by binjy

The Wedgetails are a glorious sight . This one was very near the house - he had his eyes on a nearby rabbit warren - and allowed me to get within a reasonable distance.
Photo was taken in Summer- when food was scarce and 'our' wedgie family supplemented their diet with our free range Guinea fowl!

My Imagination and a snowy slope.

This morning , it was minus 2, and the morning was casually scattered with glittering frost patches .The sky was  pink, dotted with birdsong, and stirred into tiny breezes by the beating of many bird wings as they all started their day .

As I looked east to where the sun was just making an appearance , my imagination decided to intrude. It does this, frequently, and carries my mind off to somewhere else :)

So, this morning, I was looking across our shallow valley and the fog, (which was clambering up the ridge to get away from the cold ground) made the slope appear as a snow-covered hill , and it looked just beautiful :)

Winter mornings are the best!

I love fog!

Foggy mornings are my  treasures- to be stored away and remembered on those dry scorching summer mornings when moisture seems extinct .
Fog gently covers the imperfections and the 'wrinkles' of our landscape - it washes the leaves, and provides a 'soft-focus' view of things :)

 clumps of trees are soft shadows on a foggy morning .

and a hopping kangaroo seems drawn in charcoal- then  smudged.

All praise for  Fog!

:)

Oops- no camera

..so this will have to be a word picture!

This afternoon, I drove the car to the homestead, and parked alongside a shed. As I  was about to get out, I noticed,on a white sandy patch  alongside an old galvanised iron tank , a tiny little rabbit kitten.(yes, they are called kittens).
This little fella would have fitted neatly, cottontail & all, into my curved palm. He sat quietly for a minute, then hopped over to a clump of wild spinach . With his tiny front paws, he moved aside the larger,tougher leaves and proceeded to gnaw at a stem attaching a centre leaf. he had to work quite hard to get 'his' leaf out of the plant -he was only a teeny little bunny! With his special leaf detached from the main plant, he munched meditatively for a little while- then gathered himself and sat up on his hind legs, watching me in the car. I was wondering whether to finally get out, when he made a  decision, and hopped right over to the car!
Stopping about a metre away, he sat up and , with tiny nose wiggling and sniffing, inspected the grey monster bravely . I was captivated - feral, pest, all of these,  but such a CUTE and engaging little scrap he was. All of a sudden, a light shower spattered the windscreen, and rabbit baby decided to race for cover. He crouched under the lee of a bush, where he proceeded to thoroughly groom himself , cleaning his fluffy feet of stray damp sand grains- carefully wiping stubby ears with his paws to dislodge raindrops, and then shaking, just to make sure his fur coat fell neatly .


Yes, we do have rabbits in the freezer - and the cats enjoy a rabbit dinner ,and often I am left to wonder .....



and I did manage a photo of him ,after the fact ;)

Contrast-

Driving to town on the weekend, my eye was caught by vivid green scattered through mallee clumps .On looking closer- there were large areas of ground carpeted in moss! I have not seen this for many years ..and it amazes me that after so many years of drought  such a green carpet can spring up, resilient and beautiful, with the coming of the rains, and some cool weather.

The temperature rises....

...there is some more rain, and all of a sudden, some brave froggies venture forth! Last night, there was a solitary , thin looking Peron's tree Frog in the potplants

I do love these frogs . They are the most prolific in this spot - and seem quite unperturbed by human activity . 

I also spotted this frog out on the damp red sand - I am presuming it is a Pobblebonk . The photo may look an interesting composition - well, that is due to the actions of my 'assistant', April! just as I was about to press the shutter button, I was rudely shoved forwards by a very hard wet snout in my back!  It is so hard to get good help nowdays .:)

While temperatures of an evening are certainly not 'warm' , being around 8 -10 before midnight , dropping to 4- 5 later , obviously the frogs are able to do some activities !Guess it won't be long before it will be warm enough for them to be fully active !

ICE

ICE
Originally uploaded by binjy

This morning, our little world was ice :) I was lucky to capture this sculpted, chiselled surface on the trough, before the sunshine started reclaiming the moisture! it was minus 5 :)

It's COLD

With this cold, cold weather- all my Viking ancestry is cheering at the fog and the frost and the crisp clean air . Not sure why, but it is at this time of the year I feel happiest and most comfortable .

The mornings, with wisps of fog, crunchy white frost, and breath hanging in little clouds  are just magic .

Birdsong seems sharper, sunrises are a gentle pink,and not an angry hot red/orange ..and the sky at night is such an amazing dark blue .

:)

I am enjoying it while it lasts !!