Other Stuff

Looking over my side fences

I took my camera (Fujifilm FinePix A607) outside this evening to try to get a photo of our resident blue wren. It taunted me by flitting about by the back door. I forgot the dog would rush out the doggie-door if she thought I intended to go out, so missed out.

I wandered up the backyard to see what I could see. The sun sets on the right when I’m down the back. Nothing spectacular about this image, unless you count the sheep.

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looking over my right side fence

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looking over my left side fence

We don’t actually have a back fence, since the side ones complete our triangular plot. I love the way the sunlight flings about over my left fence. The highway is on the other side of those gum trees lining the paddock.

I had some bad news a few days ago. My mum rang and told me my brother had died on the 15th. She rang after the funeral (27th) so I had no option of going. I’m a bit annoyed as she could have rang me as soon as she found out the day before. Bernie was 53, having dialysis a few times a week. His heart gave out. He is the one who had schizophrenia. My sister Carol was 53 when she died, too. Mum has four kids left now.

To-day, we went to Ballarat to watch a grandson play junior football. They won by a point right before the final siren. Straight into the grand-final in two weeks. I really enjoyed the four-hour round trip – the scenery was amazing. Sorry I didn’t stop and take photos. I should have!

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you all have a good week.  🙂

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Birds

Another new-to-me bird: Eastern Rosella

This first rosella is the one that springs to mind when I think rosella, since this is the one that was always around and admired during my life in the western part of Victoria. I vaguely remember we had one as a family pet when I was about four. But, since moving to here over twenty years ago, I doubt I’ve noticed more than a dozen.

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Western Rosella (From Wikimedia)

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Western Rosella (Platycercus eximius)

RIGHT:  “Platycercus icterotis1”. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons –

& LEFT: From Wikimedia John Gerrard Keulemans – Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Volume 20

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Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) Wikimedia

RIGHT: And then there is this one, which I didn’t know was a rosella until I looked it up recently for naming, here on my blog.  Lots of these birds around, every day. At the moment, several pairs are found on my morning walk down by the footbridge – eating acorns.

BELOW: The other day, I saw this new-to-me bird. I knew it was an Eastern Rosella as I’ve seen photos, but nothing prepared me for actually seeing one.

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Eastern Rosella – Photo taken by Ralph Green (Flickr)

Wow. That’s what I thought, too! I was gobsmacked. What an awesome bird, and it looked especially colourful in the misty rain.

I want to take photos like these, so I better start saving up for a proper camera.

Wikipedia says…

The eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius) is a rosella native to southeast of the Australian continent and to Tasmania.

It has been introduced to New Zealand where feral populations are found in the North Island (notably in the northern half of the island and in the Hutt Valley) and in the hills around Dunedin in the South Island …

The eastern rosella is 30 cm (12 in) long.

My walks are conducted with even more wide-eyed enthusiasm with these new birds about.  🙂

(Apologies if these photos and captions go askew in smaller screens.)

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Birds

On my fence.

And the show goes on.

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laying claim to seed

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me too

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come on … make way

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as the seed dwindles, and more birds arrive, tempers flare

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and a bit of jostling takes place

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this spot is mine, I said

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I make a movement, and they’re off, but not for long, one comes back

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some won’t bother coming back, but the regulars will, even though they obviously suspect I’m still there behind the flimsy net curtain

Nokia Lumia 530 windows phone, cropped, quality reduced. Images will enlarge if you click on them. On my PC, a second click gets them almost filling my screen. Hope you enjoyed seeing the cockatoos again, so soon.

Have a good day.  🙂

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