Australia - Manic Street Preachers (Part 1)

Having featured New Zealand over the last few Sunday's it seems only polite to turn our attentions to their far more vast Big Brother to the West for the next few as little more than a pictorial. Same as the last, we ain't going to win any Ansel Adams Awards for Wildlife Imagery but hope to give you a taste of what this vast and magical country has to offer. Like N.Z. along with the U.S.A. and Canada (to name but a few) here the transport system is of the best, not costly which is the same for accommodation. Add to that the friendly and helpfulness of the people and no language barrier for Brits you could do a lot worse! Along with my then partner Sue we decided to dip the toe in the water by flying to Perth, in the first instance, then sticking to the west coast for a few days and certainly following up on the recommendation of a visit to

no more than a short taxi ride from the airport, this being the first of 4 trips across the following years starting in 2008.

Starting Low Key with
AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE

GALHA

LITTLE PIED CORMORANT

CHESTNUT TEAL

GREY BUTCHERBIRD

LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

MANED WOOD DUCK

PIED CURRAWONG

AUSTRALIAN ZEBRA FINCH
Part way through this visit we decided to spend a day and a 2 hours bus ride to the

NAMBUNG

NATIONAL PARK

to take in the magical

PINNACLE FOREST
simply a day trip not to be missed!
On the way back south

DUSKY MOORHEN
(not discimilar to our own)

AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE LARK

PACIFIC BLACK DUCK

NOISY MINER
and continuing our journey south across a number of days a sight for sore eyes.
Back in the late 60's, along with many others, we were the training team for the up and coming Australian Submariners who had just purchased a number of our old (boats) - the colloquial term for a Sub and - knew it would end in disaster particularly when

SURFACING
(a GRAND BUNCH we have to say)
Now hugging the coast there were thousands of the likes of

SILVER GULL
with plenty of available food, "oh no mum not

OCTOPUS
again".

WELCOME SWALLOW
that gets its name as a prelude to Summer and both

LITTLE CORELLA
and

SULPHUR CRESTED COCKATOO

RAINBOW LORIKEET

COMMON MINAH
(a widespread import from Asia)

The dense jungle of

FAIRYLAND
where we found

WILLIE WAGTAIL
and in the fast flowing and swollen river

MUSK DUCK

and after those first 10 days ending up at the Portland Bill like
CAPE LEEUIN

where both the Indian Ocean and Southern Oceans meet!

Red Sky in the Morning - You Know the Rest!

 As we cruise ever closer to summer interest across our patch deminishes but the day starting with a

BLAZE of GLORY
wasn't to be sniffed at while additionally both

CUCKOO

and

WHITETHROAT

have joined the dawn chorus in the garden while mingling with the few new Moths we have managed to secure as follows.

COMMON EMERALD

SHORT-CLOAKED MOTH

maybe even a nesting attempt?

BORDERED STRAW
an immigrant arriving from further afield.

From the Main Solar Panel Compound some still juvenile

LAPWINGs

are progressing slowly but surely

with crests growing

growing at apace while also within a couple examples of

FIELD POPPY

with surely what is a

CULTIVAR

maybe planted by 'man' or wind-blown as the

ROWAN BERRIES

ripen at the same speed as above.

So Far, So Good - Gil Scott-Heron

Not exactly a 'splash of colour' but at least the Moths keep tumbling in with First's for the Year amounting to

BROWN RUSTIC

COMMON LUTESTRING

most likely a true migrant

VESTAL
maybe even from as far away as the Sahara??

DOUBLE SQUARE-SPOT

and a

FOUR-DOTTED FOOTMAN
Following suit the rest of the day was by and large of the Insect variety and would have been completely had it not been for the most confiding

GREY HERON

which would have been the closest ever had it not been for the one we 'caught' at Radiple Lake back in the 70's, a rescue mission!
With there being no Waterfowl showing themselves at either pond we could only content ourself with

rapidly surface covering

WATER CROWSFOOT
However, there were a number of Insects including

AZURE DAMSELFLYs

having a bit of fun,

COMMA BUTTERFLY

COMMON DARTER

not at all mobile and

HORSETAIL
now clogging the margins.
Again no surprises from behind the Eco Recycling Works with

BROWN ARGUS
still on the wing followed by the 'find of the day' at

GIBBETS COPSE
(as the name suggests, once the final look at life for offenders from Winchester Prison)

LARGE SKIPPER
which we cannot recall ever recording across the whole family group?
and finally a stroke of luck as we re-possitioned the Moth Traps for the overnight event to find a

SUMMER CHAFFER

still creeping around within!

and maybe a timely moment to thank those who help us on our way Dave, John and Paul + our Steadfast Readership - Thanks One and All!