Archive for the 'Birds' Category

Photos of Pangarinda Arboretum, Wellington, South Australia part 11

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

My wife and I both enjoy seeing the various species of Eremophila plants in flower. Eremophilas – commonly called Emu Bushes – are found in many parts of Australia and especially in the drier inland regions. They are becoming a very popular garden plant too, mainly for their wonderful show of colourful flowers over many months. They also attract many of our nectivorous birds like honeyeaters.

This series of photographs was taken earlier this year at the Pangarinda Arboretum at Wellington, South Australia. This is just over an hour’s drive south east of Adelaide. I’ve featured this special collection of plants and flowers over recent days here on this site, so look back through recent posts for more beautiful flowers.

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Eremophila flowers, Pangarinda Arboretum, South Australia

Happy birthday to me

Yes indeed – it is my birthday today.

As a treat for my many readers, today we will have something a little different. Instead of an article about somewhere I’ve travelled to, I want to share some photos of my favourite places.

Enjoy.

If you’d like to leave a birthday message in the comments section, that would also be great.

Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria

Ama Dablam, Nepal

Circular Quay, Sydney Harbour

Giant Panda, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens

A visit to a native garden part 3

Australian native plants in an Adelaide Hills garden (Hardenbergia)

Over the last few days I have been sharing photos of flowers and plants in the garden of a friend. Today I feature the last of these photos, plus a bonus.

Our friends told us that a pair of Tawny Frogmouths had been resident in a tree just over the fence for some years. These birds had even raised several broods of young in recent times. It just happens to be one of my favourite birds too – and so easy to photograph!

Tawny Frogmouth

Australian native plants in an Adelaide Hills garden (Grevillea)

Murrumbidgee River, Balranald

Murrumbidgee River, Balranald

Sydney Trip June 2011

On the second day of our return visit we stopped briefly at Balranald for lunch. We visited the tourist information centre, then drove down to the picnic area on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. During and after lunch I did a little birding and captured a nice shot of the White-faced Heron shown below.

White-faced Heron, Balranald

Lameroo, South Australia

Lake Roberts, Lameroo, South Australia

Earlier this year my wife and I drove from our home in Murray Bridge in South Australia to Sydney in New South Wales. We were going there to play with our precious grandson – oh, and see our son and daughter in law. On our first day of travelling we left early and reached Lameroo in the Murray Mallee region of eastern South Australia.

We stopped at our favourite place on the edge of town at Lake Roberts. Here we had morning tea and a cuppa. The sunshine was lovely but the breeze was bitterly cold. I managed a few photos of the local birds before we headed east again. We had a great distance to cover before bed time.

Grain silos, Lameroo, South Australia

Lameroo is a small town in a prominent farming region. The main agricultural pursuits are wheat and barley crops with potatoes grown at nearby Parilla. Many farmers also run sheep and cattle on their farms.

After leaving Lameroo we continued driving for about an hour and half before finding a convenient roadside parking area where we stopped to have a picnic lunch. There was a interesting patch of scrub next to the car park, complete with a short walking trail featuring a good range of local native flora (see photo below). This was of particular interest to my wife but the bird life was keeping a low profile and rather quiet so I didn’t get a long list species seen in this location.

Roadside walking trail between Lameroo and Ouyen