Category: spring

Australia · clouds · in my garden · Mount Warning · native Australian birds · pecan nuts · spring · Tweed Valley

Blue-grey clouds at sunset

Joanne2 Comments

The day started off rather cool this morning, but by midday it was in the mid-twenties and rather warm. Around sunset, when this photo was taken, it looked like it could rain – it didn’t – and I made sure I fit as many interesting blue-grey clouds into the camera lens as I possibly could.

During the week I have taken a few photos of birds when they have visited the garden. I thought this kookaburra had quite an inquisitive tilt to its head.

And this butcher bird actually stayed still long enough for me to get a half-decent photo. They flit around very fast usually, so I often end up with a blurred patch of wings in flight on the screen when I upload photos.

All of my figbird photos are taken from a distance. They are very shy birds who don’t get too close to people. This photo is as much about the tree as the bird, it’s my pecan nut tree, and the branches are showing signs of new growth. That means I won’t see the birds on the branches for too much longer, at least until the tree loses its leaves again next winter.

I couldn’t resist adding this last photo of the two little larrikins! Kookaburras have a talent for saying so much, without speaking.

This week is the last week of semester two at uni. I submitted one assignment today, and still have two to go, so it’s going to be a busy week. I’m already dreaming about spending more time in the garden every day after my assignments are done. 🙂

Australia · clouds · fiction · Mount Warning · native Australian birds · quotes · reading · spring · sunrise · sunset · Tweed Valley

The Misty Mountains

Joanne5 Comments

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
~~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit.

The mist is below the mountain actually, but what a glorious sight it is! I’ve been looking forward to daylight savings so I could rise an hour earlier, which at 5:30am – in real “Earth” time, even though the clock says it’s 6:30 – is right on sunrise. It’s a magical time of day, when the valley has an atmosphere of belonging to another world at the break of day.

I haven’t heard of any dungeons in the valley or the mountain ranges, but I’m sure many “caverns old” could be discovered there.

If only the kookaburras could talk, they could tell the tales of caverns they have discovered in the valley.

Looking east towards the coast as the sun was rising, I could see the clouds catching glimmers of sunlight – more magic!

There are no dragons from Middle Earth guarding this “pale enchanted gold” at the end of the day, just the sparkling lights in the sleepy town below. 🙂

Australia · birds · in my garden · Mount Warning · native Australian birds · new · spring · Tweed Valley

First 2020 Fledgling Sighting

Joanne7 Comments

It’s our Labour Day long weekend, so husband and I spent the day in the front garden today. (I should also mention that daylight savings started for us this weekend too.) We had already spent a lot of time out there during winter, weeding, pruning, planning and mulching, but of course, now the weather is warming up the grass is growing faster and the occasional weed peeks through the mulch.

We pulled out a few random weeds in the garden beds we’d already tended, then while husband mowed the lawn – it takes a while because it’s a pretty big area – I finished weeding a garden right up the top of the hill, next to the road. I took the photo of the mountain today from right next to the garden bed I was working on.

For the past couple of days I have been hearing the cheeping of a baby bird. Up until today I haven’t sighted it, but today, I did. Mama magpie spent the day either searching for food, or sitting on the branch high up in my Lemon Scented Gum Tree next to her fledgling. I took some photos, and this is the best I could get.

You should be able to see some downy white feathers there. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the parents bring the baby down to the garden to “introduce” their newest addition. I didn’t see father magpie today, so I’m wondering if there might be another fledgling that he’s taking care of elsewhere. I don’t even know if that’s something birds might do – split the care. I’m sure I will soon find out.

I’ve been feeding magpies for so many years now, and every year when the baby birds arrive it’s still an exciting event. 🙂