Monday, August 25, 2014

Backyard Happenings

Time and patience are required for most things - but some definitely more than others. Back in the end of June I posted photos of the Gymea Lily that was flowering in my garden. This is a re-post of one of the photos from then.

A little more than a week ago the flower head started to open.

Between then and now we have had 3 days over the last week-end of high winds and a lot of rain - 123mm (nearly 5 inches) in all. The flowers that were opening definitely got a bit of a battering!

This morning I saw a Blue-faced Honeyeater checking the flowers for any nectar.


Do viruses cycle between the hemispheres? If so all you people in the northern hemisphere are facing quite a nasty time next winter! There are severe colds and flues going round out here right now and I managed to pick up the cold somewhere. Runny nose, chills and difficulty breathing -  all this kept me miserable and unable to do anything much outside for several weeks! The only interesting birds I managed to photograph were a couple of Galahs that came down onto the grass in the backyard. If this was nicely mowed then it would look like lawn - but then again there would be no dandelions for the Galahs to enjoy! The birds came down for a munch on the flowers and seed heads in a break between the rain storms. There are rain drops on the grass and the birds look a bit damp as well!

For more photos from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.

30 comments:

  1. oh, these are great photos! enjoyed them! so sorry you've been sick, though! keep those viruses and germs down below the equator, though! :)

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  2. What great photos. I was delighted to see a galah for the first time when I visited Aus a couple of years ago.

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  3. Love your beautiful, colorful captures for the day, Mick, as I always do!! I'm so sorry you've been ill!! No fun at all and I do hope you're feeling better now and that you have a great week! Thanks for sharing the beauty!!

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  4. Beautiful series! It would be wonderful if you linked up with I Heart Macro, I know many other people would enjoy seeing your lovely photos.

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  5. Lovely flower and beautiful birds around it.

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  6. Well worth the wait for that flower to bloom, it's gorgeous. The Honeyeater obviously thins so too! Sweet Galahs, one of my fave Australian birds. Great photos Mick! Colds and flues are more prevalent here in my part of Canada in the winter. I hope you are recuperating well.

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  7. A shame about that beautiful flower going the way it did. It was spectacular for a while. That honeyeater was a real bonus though with your brilliant pictures of it Mick.

    I hope you are wrong about that virus but perhaps not. The doctor's surgery tell me that our winter flu jab is developed from all the flu starins that have been going around the world in the previous six months or so.

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  8. Great photos we needed the rain although you had more of it than we did.

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  9. Wow! What a gorgeous flower and beautiful bird ~ Wonderful shots for OWT !

    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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  10. The flower is gorgeous! And I love your Blue-faced Honeyeater and the Galah. They are both beautiful birds.. My sister and her family has had it bad with some kind of bug.. She is still coughing two weeks later. I hope you feel better soon! Great shots, have a happy week.

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  11. spot on with the bird. what a beautiful flower

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  12. That flower really is gorgeous!

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  13. oh wow that flower is amazing, never quite seen anything like it

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  14. What a dramatic bloom both in colour and shape .... very unique! and your pretty little honeyeater adds it's touch of magic to the scene.

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  15. Wonderful captures Mick - what an extraordinary bird is that Blue-faced Honeyeater!

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  16. LOL, were you my mum's neighbour? She lived in Southport. and my dad scolded us for stealing her neighbour's macademia which was over the fence. I love the Gold Coast.

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  17. A great backyard and beautiflu birds.

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  18. The lily is spectacular and the honeyeater is a beautiful bird.

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  19. WoW! It bloomed beautifully! What an incredibly beautiful flower! Love the honeyeater, and the gullah! So sorry you haven't been feeling well. I bet this bloom gave you some cheer! :-)

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  20. Such a beautiful exotic looking lily, and beautiful birds in your excellent photos.

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  21. Lovely images, Mick! We have had a lot of rain here in Brisbane over the last 2 weeks.
    I'm sorry to hear you picked up that bug. I hope you are feeling much better. Michael picked up the nasty flu that is doing the rounds. He was really unwell for around 6 weeks. My son has it now... He's been very ill and in his last semester of Uni, it's not the best timing.

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  22. I hope that by this writing you are feeling much better and enjoying your days. Beautiful photo shares, gorgeous birds!

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  23. Amazing the colours that nature generates! Well captured!

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  24. Mick!!! Awesome plant/bird combo there! I love when our plants attract birds to our yard. Epic sightings. And no.....I don't want the flu to cycle over here:) Let the East Coast have it:)

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  25. In the end of next week I will go to Queensland on a birding trip. And then I really hope to see that beautiful Blue-faced Honeyeater.
    Thanks for sharing yoru backyard. And hope you get well soon.

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  26. Oh I do hope you are well by now. Such beauties in your backyard (birds and flowers -- I'd love to see either one of those birds in real. Meanwhile thank you for sharing. And again, feel better soon!!!

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  27. That flower is amazing, and the honeyeater enjoying it is a beauty.

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  28. Wow! I feel like I just took a trip to the tropics after seeing your beautiful photos :-) I was amazed by the flowers and then I saw that funky, cool looking honeyeater on them. I might have "oooohed" aloud ;-)

    So cool to see the area in which you live!

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