Backyard

First I want to say thank you for all the very nice and very encouraging comments on my last post. Thanks!
Sometimes life gets a bit difficult. I have recently had to admit that I cannot keep up with all the maintenance on my yard. Bushes turned into trees very quickly and other parts turned into jungle before I could get them into control. Fortunately I found someone that didn't mind coming in now and again and bringing a big saw and taking out the too luxurious growth. The place is looking much better and I can see what used to be there! Last time this fellow was taking out small growth under some trees down the back. "Please be careful around there," I said, "I think there might be some pineapple plants in there somewhere". Yes! And one had fruit on it! This is an amazing climate. Most things grow if you put them into the ground. Pineapples fresh from the farm gate are usually bought with the green bushy tops still on them. A while back I bought some like this and cut the tops off with a little attached flesh under them. These went into the ground and this is the result!

Another problem has been happening recently. A couple of Magpie Larks - Peewees to give them their common name - have decided the yard is theirs and I am just barely tolerated! The cat is not tolerated at all and she is driven away from her food dish! Then, I hear a pathetic little mew which means she needs me to come out and keep her safe. I watched the peewees the other day and they were swooping very low over her to move her on! My dog used to keep such pests well away from the house but I lost her just over a year ago and the birds quickly learnt! Here are the Peewees enjoying my yard - which needs mowing again! The male and female have different color patterns around the head and neck. This is the female...

and this is the male and he is the noisiest and the most aggressive.

For more scenery from around the world visit Our World Tuesday 

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday

Return to Blogging

As you can see it has been quite some time since I have posted anything on this blog. Unfortunately, the longer this went on the harder it became to put up another post. I kept thinking I had to find something really good rather than just the same old birds! Then, the other day a friend called and suggested I came round for coffee and we would sit out on her verandah and just see what birds were visible. This is the result.
The first birds to come in were a family of Magpies. They were very tame and obviously expected a hand-out if they stayed long enough!

The Spangled Drongo's were the next to show themselves but they stayed high in the trees.

A family of Pied Butcherbirds also came in . This is the adult

and the juvenile still has a slightly brown colored head.

I finished my "cuppa" and then my friends suggested we walk around to their back yard because a couple of Tawny Frogmouths could usually be found somewhere out there.  Their backyard is delightful and each time I am around there I take photos to try to capture the space and colours underneath the large gum trees. I have never been completely satisfied with the photos. I tried again this time and took this photo showing their outdoor eating area and the view down through the trees.

Then Sarah told me she had taken a couple of photos that morning when she had been helping Graham clean off the rubbish which had fallen on the roof during a storm the night before. How good is that! Great photos with a new view of the yard. Sarah's photo of the same place.

Sarah is an artist and this is a view of the corner of her studio.

Then we found the Tawny Frogmouths. They are never easy to see and the second one was especially well hidden. These were the stars of the show for me! They are active during the night so during the day they sit high up with their eyes closed but usually you can see that there is just a crack where they are obviously watching you.

For more photos taken around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday