After a busy break doing the usual stuff, my True Love and I headed off to the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) for a relaxing New Year’s Eve stroll. To be frank, I find NYE rather a trial due to the inevitable illegal fireworks and a small dog who is terrified of them. I imagine it is not only small dogs that are terrified. The birds and animals at the ANBG get to hear and see the official fireworks show. At least that show is time-limited, unlike the unofficial ones which seem to go off all night.

White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos) at ANBG

New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) at ANBG

Red-Browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis) at ANBG

This year I expected the firework shenanigans to be worse than usual because earlier pandemic restrictions seem to have caused more than the usual number of idiots to have slithered out of their holes. I asked my TL whether I should speak to those who had gone crackers but my TL suggested that would not be a good idea if I wanted to live til morning. So I didn’t. One friend in another city did tell her neighbours to fornicate with their illegal fireworks and lived to tell the tale. She may regret this next year when they let off even more.

As I keep saying over and over again, there are worse things than snakes, ladies and gentlemen.

By the way, after a two year break due to the pandemic, the ACT Herpetological Association in partnership with the ANBG, is again hosting Snakes Alive! from 9-15 January 2023. It is great fun for kids and adults alike. See here for details.

Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata) at ANBG

Anyway, happy 2023, everyone. I hope it is a bloody good one.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

About the Photos
The photos of the red-browed finch and the bearded dragon were taken by my True Love. All the other ones were snapped by me.

54 thoughts on “Sign Of The Times”

  2. I’m very far from hoping for ‘bloody good’. Passable, perhaps (I’m talking governmental and world events of course). I’m guessing Snakes Alive won’t get as far as the UK. And a happy 2023 to you too!

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    1. I can only see the challenges getting bigger, Margaret, but we will keep putting one foot in front of another for as long as we can. Also, I went to bed at 7.30pm last night. I was so tired, hence the outburst. Snakes Alive is normally on every year. I’ve got photos of my kids when they were young holding snakes. I wonder if there is a UK Herpetological Society?

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  4. We attended the 9am official fireworks (a first for us). The gulls certainly seemed quite disturbed by the shennanigans. But the bats seemed unperturbed. It was a lovely fresh sort of evening and our attendance at the fireworks was an off-the-cuff thing and therefore probably much more exciting and fun than if we’d planned it as something to do that night. 🙂

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  6. Great bird photos, and all of them of birds we don’t get in the UK, so interesting to see as well as beautiful. I also love the Eastern Bearded Dragon – again, nothing like that here!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. I never tire of visiting our Botanic Gardens. It is a real hotspot for wildlife and the plants are gorgeous.
      Margaret sent me through the link to the British Herpetological Society. I am actually surprised that the UK has as many reptiles as it does.

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  7. Thank you for sharing your bird sightings at the Botanic Gardens. I always enjoy my visits with your feathered friends. Our neighborhood has its own share of cave-dwelling pinheads. This New Year’s, they decided to go with shooting off their guns instead of fireworks. (Unfortunately, both are legal here. 😦 ) I hope 2023 is kind to you.

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      1. Speaking of strange, the current farce/embarrassment to elect a Speaker of the US House of Representatives has reached the level of the Monty Python “Dead Parrot” sketch.

        I’m going to be Speaker of the House.
        No, you’re not.
        Yes, I am.
        But we didn’t vote for you.
        But you will.
        No, we won’t.
        I’ve moved into the Speaker’s office.
        But we didn’t vote for you.
        But you will.

        And on and on it goes.

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  9. I have new neighbours, so this is the first New Year’s in a long time where I wasn’t woken in the night, by fireworks or exuberance! I think you picked the perfect activity for New Year’s Eve. Thanks for sharing your lovely photos.

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  10. Excellent bird and other creature photos Tracy. When we lived in Los Angeles, the sale of fireworks were illegal and noise was at a minimum. People had to go to other counties to buy them and hope they weren’t caught setting them off. We would go to see fireworks set off at official sites. However, in Sacramento County selling fireworks is legal and the noise goes on all night. My dog seems to be used to it now.

    So, with that said, Happy New Year. My wish for everyone is health and happiness. They seem to go together, especially for you and your TL.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re lucky to have such an accommodating dog, Anne. I’ve got two others that cope okay. They also cope with thunderstorms quite well. I think something must have happened to Ama when she was a puppy to make her so anxious of storms and fireworks.
      I wish you all the best for 2023 too, Anne.

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  11. Interesting angle of the New Holland Honeyeater photo. You caught the downy breast feathers perfectly.
    As they’re one of my favourite local birds to photograph, that shot really appealed.

    I’ve never got a really good close-up of the Red-browed Finches though as they seem to startle easily and fly away before I’ve got the camera steady enough.

    I’ve never seen a White-winged Chough before so that was interesting too.

    I always enjoy seeing the varied bird species up in Canberra and whether we get them down in Melbourne. I suspect you have more natural bushland near your home?

    My current home area seems a bit too manicured with its mown grassy areas compared to where I briefly lived on the north-east side of Melbourne. That had both natural bushland close by and more formal walking paths as well.

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    1. Thanks, Vicki. We saw the NH honeyeater in the ANBG rock garden. There is also water in a grotto there that I think the little bird had been bathing in. My camera settings were all wrong because I was taking plant photos at the time but I’m happy with the way it came out.
      I’ve got a couple of close-ups of the choughs that I might post later. They move through in flocks at great speed running over the ground.
      We had quite a bit of bushland and paddocks around our place but it is getting built out. Housing density in those newer areas is much greater and doesn’t really allow for retaining and planting of eucalypts. Of course, everyone wants pretty deciduous trees so the new areas look really boring imo. It does not auger well for enabling the small migratory species to visit our gardens like they once did. Manicured is not great for biodiversity, as you know.

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    1. I think there is a similar type of finch in South Africa, Lou. Aussie and African birds are very similar in many ways. Much like our plants too. I will post some verge photos soon. Not much to see though, except for the blue devil which is colouring up beautifully.

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  13. We enjoyed a walk around the Botanical Gardens in 2019 even though the drought was in full swing at the time. Being so full of native plants, the gardens still looked great. Thanks for the bird photos. I wish you all the best for 2023, Tracy.

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    1. Thank you so much, Fab Four. All the best to you too for a very happy 2023.
      My year is off to a good start with our wildlife habitat restoration in my local park continuing apace. The small things bring purpose and clarity.
      Also, I meant to leave a message on your Christmas post, offering my congratulations on Dina’s and Klausbernd’s wedding. I was on the wrong computer when I read the news. Long story but comments are impossible on that device! The news made my day. I wish them both a “bright” future. May their love for each other and the seals grow stronger with the passing years.
      Keep well.
      Kind Regards.
      Tracy.

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  17. A lovely way to end the year Tracy – loved your birds especially (and your TL’s as well). Whatever our issues, nature find a way to soothe and calm us – even if things like politics, rampant viruses and idiots are enough to drive us mad! Here’s to more of the former and less of the latter in 2023!

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      1. Oh… I’m pretty sure the would have NEVER been a photo of me either. I don’t like them like most, even though they are good critters. I am, however the first one in line to take my grandkids . 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

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