Monthly Archives: April 2011

Messing about in boats

Posted on Friday, 29 April 2011 by

Ratty, Moley and Badger (aka Joy, Cath and Andrew) went for a little kayak up Mangrove Creek, Chatsworth Island, last weekend. Some eastern grey kangaroos watched patiently as we assembled our folding Feathercraft K-Light kayaks. Mangrove Creek is an offshoot … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Travels | 1 Comment

The microbats are back!

Posted on Thursday, 28 April 2011 by

Every year about this time (early autumn), a bunch of microbats decide to roost during the day in the ‘armpits’ of a terracotta bat I have hanging on my back deck. I don’t want to disturb them more than necessary, … Continue reading →

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Moulting crabs

Posted on Monday, 25 April 2011 by

In a rock pool, you sometimes see what seems to be a dead crab but is really light and there’s nothing inside. If fact, the owner left behind its protective covering, which is what you see, and has gone elsewhere … Continue reading →

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Final gloomy day creatures

Posted on Saturday, 23 April 2011 by

Continuing from the previous two posts … Carnivorous shells abound, but some herbivores are big and tough enough to survive – for instance, turbans. The turban below (left, Turbo militaris) is about the same size as its nemesis (right, Australian … Continue reading →

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More gloomy day creatures

Posted on Friday, 22 April 2011 by

Continuing from the previous post … It must have been a hermit crabs’ convention, as there were dozens and dozens. Perhaps they were there en masse to trade shells (they swap into larger shells as they grow) or mate, or … Continue reading →

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A gloomy day, full of life

Posted on Monday, 18 April 2011 by

Perhaps the heavily overcast conditions on Saturday fooled the critters at Flat Rock into thinking that it was dusk and wake-up time, but I have rarely seen so much life in the rock pools in one session. For starters, we … Continue reading →

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Catfish skull

Posted on Saturday, 16 April 2011 by

Here’s a catfish skull I found on the beach at Flat Rock, Ballina – I’m not sure which species exactly as we have several, both marine and freshwater, in Australia. It’s 12.5 cm (5 inches) long and 4.5 cm (about … Continue reading →

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Getting quieter at night

Posted on Thursday, 14 April 2011 by

Now summer is over, the frogs have calmed down. They were really loud this year – so loud that my ears were buzzing some nights as I lay in bed (I have a small pond outside my bedroom window). The … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Art, Frogs | Tagged | 1 Comment

Pardalotes on the move

Posted on Monday, 11 April 2011 by

This morning Andrew spotted a striated pardalote (Pardalotus striatus) on the insect-screen of the door to the studio. It flitted away so fast there was no time for a photo, so I’ve used someone else’s. They are little birds, smaller … Continue reading →

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A few bugs in the system

Posted on Saturday, 9 April 2011 by

I enjoy seeing unusual bugs and beetles (one of the differences is that bugs have sucking mouthparts and beetles have chewing mouthparts). Here’s a beetle that landed on my manuscript this morning. It looks like a ladybird. What a striking … Continue reading →

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