Monthly Archives: June 2011

Mollusc mortuaries

Posted on Thursday, 30 June 2011 by

This photo may not seem very spectacular, but there’s more information in it than you might suppose. If you are a bit of a beach detective (or intertidal itinerant), you can get an idea of what’s in or near the … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea | Tagged | 2 Comments

Memories of a dust storm

Posted on Monday, 27 June 2011 by

Rebecca recently posted about the tremendous dust storm that Broken Hill, western NSW, got in September 2009. While she was in the midst of it, we on the east coast 1500 kilometres (930 miles) away got a pretty impressive share … Continue reading →

Posted in Weather | 6 Comments

Carnivorous eggs

Posted on Saturday, 25 June 2011 by

Isn’t the English language wonderful in its ambiguity? It’s not the eggs that are carnivorous but the mollusc that laid these eggs. According to the good folks at the Queensland Museum, it’s a predatory marine snail and most likely to … Continue reading →

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Baby, it’s cold outside!

Posted on Tuesday, 21 June 2011 by

Here we are in the subtropical winter (daily about 20C/68F max, 7C/44F min), and this little one is newly out of the pouch and exploring the world in energetic bursts. But sometimes it’s more comfy inside …

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The wonderful wobbegong

Posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011 by

Here’s a wobbegong I saw at Woody Head recently. Queensland has five species, and we tend to get the same fish as them, due to similar subtropical water conditions. I’m not sure which one this is. Wobbegongs are mostly harmless … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A couple of Lord Howe marine creatures

Posted on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 by

Since Lord Howe Island is surrounded by tropical waters, there are the usual goodies – tropical fish in and around beautiful coral reefs. I saw several lion fish (swimming serenely perhaps because of their poisonous spines – don’t touch!), turtles, … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea, Travels | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Yes, it’s a nudibranch!

Posted on Thursday, 9 June 2011 by

I’m used to thinking of nudibranchs as small (except for Spanish dancers), brightly coloured, soft creatures. Here’s one that breaks the mould. One of our US visitors, Mike from Alaska, found this creature in a shallow pool on the rock … Continue reading →

Posted in Molluscs, The sea | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Poor bandicoot

Posted on Thursday, 9 June 2011 by

I’m sorry not to have a photo of a happy, healthy bandicoot to share, but they come out at night and run away quickly, so no luck there. However, while showing two US visitors around last weekend, we came across … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land | Tagged | 2 Comments

Lord Howe Island birds (part 1)

Posted on Thursday, 9 June 2011 by

Thanks to Peter and Linda for their photos. According to Simpson and Day’s Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Lord Howe and nearby Ball’s Pyramid lie “570 km off the eastern coast of New South Wales: latitude 31 degrees … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Travels | Tagged | 3 Comments

Lovely Lord Howe

Posted on Saturday, 4 June 2011 by

My friends Peter and Linda went to Lord Howe last year, and reminded me that I should get back there soon. They’ve kindly given me permission to use their photos. ‘Lovely’ doesn’t quite do it justice, but I would run … Continue reading →

Posted in Travels | Tagged | 5 Comments