Bees & Bugs

Drone Fky

These photos taken with the Nikon D3000 this morning. I am still chasing the teddy bear bees around for that perfect shot. Got one good one this morning. I was side-tracked by a flash of red in the sun and found this drone fly who, unlike the frisky teddy bee and the blue-banded bees, consented to pose.  I seem to have a bit of shake this morning. I still haven’t got a tripod. I guess the best thing to do is to set up a tripod, focus on a particular flower, and wait. I’m feeling a little sun baked after spending a good while out there.

Yesterday, I vacuumed pretty much our whole house and cleaned little corners where I haven’t been for an age – like the top of my dressing table and behind the wood burner.  I did lots of laundry. I had hoped to get to work on my proofing in the afternoon but then constant sirens alerted us that a bush fire had started  barely 10kms away. Thankfully, the wind was against it speeding our way and the fire brigades quickly built a perimeter around it to keep it contained.  Even so, my head space was ruined.

I’m hoping to get the proofing finished over the next two days. March is ticking away and I will have this book behind me by months end!

droneflyDSC_3057

We are grandparents again with the arrival yesterday of our latest grand-daughter by C-section. From the photos on Facebook, she is gorgeous, as is her mother. Makes a difference when neither is knocked around by the usual trauma of childbirth. Mum and dad were a bit shocked at the suddenness of bub’s arrival since the op was unexpected.  This fine family has now reached their magic number of eight children.

Thanks for reading! I had only intended posting the photos and a few words.

All the best for the coming week. Have a good one. 🙂

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Birds, Other Stuff

On my walk this morning …

It began as usual, early. The dog and I walked as far as we could go to our right after leaving home  – not far. I decided to take a photo in all four directions from that spot.  The directions are approximate.  (Nokia Lumia 530 windows phone)

looking east, gums and poplars

Looking East

 

looking North, houses, elm, road

Looking North

 

looking South, trees, paddocks

Looking South

 

And, turning West, I decided it wasn’t such a good idea since you mostly get the back of the hay shed, but …

looking West, the back of a hayshed, house, elm, stockyards

Looking West

 

Now, I know you know that there is an owl in this walk – presuming you see the Featured Image at the beginning of the post.  Three-quarters along the service road is a large oak tree and the birds were pretty active else I would never have noticed the pair of owls.

A crow was cawing, magpies warbling and the pair of lorikeets were chitter chatting raucously in a nearby flowering gum tree. And there they were – a pair of owls! To say I was astonished would be an understatement.

 

pair of owls

Australia’s largest owl – the Powerful Owl

Lucky for me they were still there when I finished walking Vika. I grabbed the Nikon D3000 and returned. Glad I don’t have to show you the grainy phone  pictures I took.

If you are not squeamish, do follow this link to a page with the full photos.

The owl on the right is holding something quite dead. That was okay until I noticed giblets hanging. Yuk. Okay, but could that be head dangling!  Yukky yuk. So, your choice!

 

Birdlife Australia says …

… Its main item of prey is possums of various species… They roost by day, perched in the dense shade of a tree, often with the previous night’s prey held in its talons; this is when Powerful Owls are seen most often…

 

Well, there you go, then. Not a strange sight at all. I would never have noticed them if other birds were not so active nearby. 

Powerful Owl, with Prey

Have a good day.    🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

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