Pink sea urchin

Pink sea urchin,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This one was so pretty and delicate, about the size of a golfball.

Burnoff at Arrawarra Headland

Burnoff at Arrawarra Headland 1,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

National Parks authorities, taking advantage of the late-Autumn weather, did a controlled bush burnoff at Arrawarra Headland.

Mr Bluey pays me a visit

Mr Bluey pays me a visit,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

The Blue-tongue lizard is the largest member of the skink family, and can live to 30 years.

Try as I might, I couldn't get this fella at my door to poke out his fantastic blue tongue when I clicked, except once when all I got was an out-of-focus shot. Yet he was poking it out a lot because of my interference with his daily sun-bathe. Will I ever learn how to use this Olympus camera???

Sweet red capsicums

Capsicums,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's nice to be able to go out the door and grab a sweet red capsicum to eat as a quick snack. Now, in May, they are fruiting often.

Egg Number One

Egg Number One,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Lizzie Gould has just laid her first egg. I'm sorry to show such a third-rate photo, but perhaps you'll excuse me as this is the first time I've ever had a bird lay an egg and I'm a bit clucky. It's also not easy to get an opportunity to get to the nesting box in the bathroom while they're not taking turns sitting. I hope I'll get chances for better shots soon.

I've expected this egg for at least a couple of weeks as Johnny has been collecting fibres and taking them to the nesting box, which for more than a year neither of them had showed any interest in. Then, about two three days ago, Lizzie's behaviour was very unusual. She was walking around as much as flying, and eating twice as often as usual. Sometimes she would walk right up to me at my desk, and one time she actually flew and landed at my left hand, which is very unlike these scaredy-cat little flying flowers.

Also, about five or six days ago, when I awoke, Lizzie was missing, and Johnny was upset and whistling for her. I found sitting quietly her in a box of junk in the corner of the shack, but there was no egg as far as I could see. She let me pick her up, take her into the other room and place her in the nesting box.

The egg, by the way, is miniscule -- probably only about 12mm long, and pure white. I had no idea what to expect. According to this expert a Gouldian hen lays a clutch of about five to seven eggs. Now I'll be watching for any more nice surprises during the coming week.


(If you also live with uncaged birds indoors, there's a flickr group called Uncaged! Birds in our homes just for you.)

Tagged: finches, bird, birds, gouldian, egg, nest, australia, pet, uncaged

Clouds from the surf

Clouds from the surf,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Something about this cloud took my fancy so I thought it was worth wading out to catch it. The water is still quite warm although we're more than halfway through Autumn.

Raj Mahal Emporium

Raj Mahal Emporium,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

Exterior view of the Raj Mahal Emporium at Woolgoolga.

Elephant's eye at Woopi

Elephant's eye,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

This is more than 1,000 paces from my home, in fact about 7,000 paces, but I had cabin fever and had to go to 'Woopi' for some groceries.

It's an elephant statue at the Raj Mahal Emporium on the Pacific Highway at Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia, which has a large Sikh community. The Indian-style emporium has been in disrepair for some years, giving the appearance of complete abandonment.

Fly to this location (Requires Google Earth) or see where I live at Sandy Beach on Google Maps

Sandy Beach on a Google map

Sandy Beach on a Google map.

Fingers crossed for Feedblitz

If you are an email subscriber to this blog, your subs from today will no longer come via Bloglet but via Feedblitz. I hope the transfer goes smoothly, and you are welcome to let me know if it does or doesn't.

If you don't get this blog in your email box each day, you are very welcome to join the happy throng by signing up in the sidebar on this page.

Update: I'm a dirty rat. I've said harsh things in the past about Bloglet, but this post at Feedblitz explains a lot of stuff I didn't know, so this is my public apology to Monsur who pioneered blog-to-email subs and did it altruistically, not as a money-making scheme. He has actually allowed Feedblitz to import all his free 'customers' (read his new post). Good luck to Monsur in all ways, and thanks. And anyone else who appreciates what he did can email him at bloglet at gmail dot com.

Tagged: internet, rss, email, internet+resources, blog, bloggers, blogging

Naked Aussie birds in my shower - video

I now have two Gouldian finch videos on this page -- the courtship dance of the cock bird (John Gould) for the hen (Lizzie), and a new one of the cock and hen enjoying my shower, which they do most mornings. I hope you enjoy these one-minute videos which were taken with my Olympus C-370.

There is now a flickr photo group called Uncaged! Birds in our homes for people who share their homes with uncaged birds indoors. Maybe you know some other nutter like me who would like to join, so please invite them.

Tagged: gouldian, finch, finches, birds, pets, australia, video

Look Ma, no brains!

Look Ma, no brains!,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

See Neanderthals drive over colonies of crabs and frighten sea-birds as though wildlife were the enemy!

Sandy Beach is a beach, not a road. A small proportion of the population spoils it for the rest of us, terrifies and destroys the wildlife and damages the environment. By law, vehicles are not permitted on Sandy Beach (except to launch a boat, which seems fair to me) but Coffs Harbour Council does almost nothing about the growing problem. See The Sandy Beach Wave -- a suggested method of dealing with the problem.

Visit the Sandy Beach Neanderthals slideshow - note the picture of the Neanderthal car and the baby's pram. Worth enlarging.

As it grows, this set will also document other Neanderthal behaviour that almost every Sandysider wants to eradicate, but we haven't quite worked out how (like leaving garbage on the beach).

The Gouldian finches are starting to nest

The Gouldian finches are starting to nest,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's May, and Winter is approaching. It seems rather late for this behaviour in a tropical bird, but perhaps living inside my cabin has altered their biorhythms. Johnny, the cock bird, seems to be the only one of the pair who has dared to enter the nesting box, which has been in the bathroom where they roost for the whole 15 months that he has lived here. Is Lizzie pregnant? Only time will tell. For a month or so, Johnny has been collecting threads and similar, but until today has not taken them into the nesting box.

Bird porn: Gouldian finches mating

Bird porn: Gouldian finches mating,
originally uploaded by wilsonsalmanac.

It's May, and Winter is approaching. It seems rather late for this behaviour in a tropical bird.