Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Aussie Bigfoot – Macropods

Bigfoot dwells in Australia, but we call it macropod.  The term macropod is derived from the Greek words makros (meaning large) and poús or pod (meaning foot).

Macropods cover a group of marsupials that have large hind feet and which move by bounding.  They cannot move their legs independently and often propel themselves forward with the help of their tails.  They also raise their babies in pouches.  There are several species of macropod including kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, bettongs and potoroos, among others.  Today I thought I would share some photos of two species of macropod, the Swamp Wallaby and the Long-Nosed Potoroo, found at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, just outside of Canberra (Australia). Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

King Of The Flies

I forgot to include this photo of a beautiful fly in my November Changing Seasons post.  You know the weather is warming up when the blow flies come a-visiting.  Maybe these exquisitely beautiful creatures are not such a pain after all.  Unlikely praise for the king of the flies. Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Trip The Light Fantastic

This is my response to the Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge – Magical Light.  Join me for a photo journey of light across the seasons.

In Australia, our light can be very harsh.  Generally, if the light is too harsh for photography, it is too harsh for me.  Nevertheless, I understand intuitively that different colours require different light, and that some colours create their own light. Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Purple Swamphen

Today I had the pleasure of reading about the African Swamphen on the De Wets Wild blog.  If you haven’t checked out the De Wets Wild blog, you really should.  Dries and his family travel to the many wilderness areas of South Africa to bring us beautiful photos of the flora and fauna of each place they visit.  Anyway, the African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis) is a sub-species of the Purple Swamphen.  The Purple Swamphen has a wide distribution across the globe, including Australia.

At Dries’ request, I’m posting a few photos I took recently of the Purple Swamphens in my area. Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Holiday Bird Diary – Part 5

This is my last holiday bird diary post.  For this reason, I am going to indulge in a few scenery photos as well.  This post features some common waterbirds and parrots.  The beauty of the setting makes the birds appear very glamorous, like models on a photo shoot. Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Holiday Bird Diary – Part 4

To celebrate completing my tax return, I thought I would do another bird post.  This post will feature the non-water birds around Yallakool BP Dam and Lake Boondooma (Queensland, Australia). Read more

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

It’s Getting Late. Come inside?

twilight

Today’s word prompt from Margaret of the Ragtag Community is crepuscule, meaning twilight.  It may be because I’m getting older that twilight for me symbolises the last days of life — my life or possibly life as we know it. I am not a religious person so I take no comfort in there being an afterlife.  In fact, at this point of my life I find death a frightening prospect, if only because I will never see my children again and because of the state of the world that my generation has bequeathed them.

Read more
Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Holiday Bird Diary – Part 3

Have I mentioned what a great holiday I had?  As I’m not a coast dweller, I hadn’t really appreciated how beautiful and mesmerising Australia’s water birds are.  Let me show you just a few of the water birds that my True Love (TL) and I saw when we visited two of the man-made dams in Queensland, Australia. Read more