But then we'll get an animal visitation that reminds me all over again how much I love where I live.
So today I want to share just a few...
One of them is quite young, I think, and is occasionally a little wobbly on his feet. And when you've got back feet that size, I imagine they must be pretty challenging to manouver!With some warmer days and with spring in the air, he's been spending time out of the pouch. The
other day he was particularly full of himself and was bounding around in circles - leaping over his mother and around the others in the group. It looks like madcap fun but it must also be excellent exercise to improve his coordination.
As well as the 'roos we had a very bold echidna visit a while ago. They're usually rather shy creatures and tend to tuck their heads into a handy corner and present their spiny backs to us when we go near them. But this prickly fellow was quite unbothered by us following him around as he rooted around for tasty ants in the garden.
With spring in the air the birds are getting very active. Lots of the males get very taken with their reflections in the windows - this little blue wren spends hours trying to persuade his cheeky reflection to leave his territory!
And how about this crimson rosella perched on the wheelbarrow handle waiting for the bran mash for the chickens! Isn't he magnificent!
We live out of town and down several kilometres of dirt road. The potholes and corrugations, huge mud puddles when it's wet, then dust when it's dry, can be a bit of a nuisance. But it's so beautifully quiet and there's an abundance of native animals to enjoy and we feel very lucky to live here.
I know I've posted about our animal visitors before so I hope you'll indulge me and share some of the furred or feathered visitors around your home!
Sharon, what fantastic photos! I love the ones of the kangaroos. I never tire of seeing kangaroos, even though we too used to have them quite close. There's something wonderful about seeing a joey peeping out of its mother's pouch. He looks like a little speed demon on the hop.
ReplyDeleteThe bird and echidna pics are wonderful too. Well done, you! Recently we were in a limestone cave in Western Australia where remains had been found of a prehistoric echidna the size of a sheep. The idea makes me smile.
How do you get anything done with this lot around to distract you?
Thanks, Annie! I find our kangaroos endlessly fascinating (obviously! LOL) - they're such an interesting looking animal. Like an odd accumulation of parts - cute little faces, small arms, great big hide feet, that thick tail and of course the pouch. It amazes me how large the joeys get and yet they're still carried in the pouch.
DeleteWow, an echidna the size of a sheep! That would be a fearsome collection of spines!
Sharon, I love those photos! We don't get kangaroos here, we're too hilly, but we get wallabies who just love the hills. I must try to get a photo of them. And the brush turkeys who keep our compost area nicely turned over. Not to mention Larry the python who's living in our roof. He's glorious!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel! Larry the Python! Love it... though to be honest not so sure about having him living in the ceiling! Excellent rodent control though!
DeleteWe get the occasional wallaby here - they don't seem to have family groups the way the kangaroos do. And they're very shy - generally just see a tail disappearing into the undergrowth at the side of the road. Good luck with getting a pic of your wallaby-resident.
Mmm, very handy those brush turkeys - I think our compost would benefit from one or two!
Sharon
ReplyDeleteI so love those photos I love watching native animals in their natural habitat but we live in the suburbs and never get visitors like this although we o get lots of noisy lorikets and cockatoos and galahs and they make heaps of noise and the magpies are starting nest in one of the neigbours gum trees and they are always trying to find something to eat in the backyard especially after my grandchildren have been to visit.
Have Fun
Helen
Thanks, Helen! Your bird visitors sound great! I'm very fond of galahs - they're elegant with their pink and grey. Those lorikeets can be awfully noisy, can't they, and travel in such large groups the noise is amplified!
DeleteHow lovely to have the magpies nesting so close but I hope they aren't too territorial. They can make spending time in the backyard a bit of a challenge!
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen photos of your furred and feathered visitors before so am very glad you posted more. What a perfect place of the world to live -- forget the corrugated roads, you have the magic of these beautiful creatures. I have a fondness for the blue wren as one used to visit my parents' home just before they moved and tap on the window, as they do. Seeing your picture brings back all the memories. :-)
I'm so glad you enjoyed a viewing of our visitors, Bronwyn, thanks!
DeleteThose little blue wrens are gorgeous, aren't they! Such fine little legs - they hardly look strong enough to have that lively little body bopping around the place on them! And the chirpy cherry racket they make for the size of them!
I haven't had an opportunity to see pictures of your local creatures Sharon so I definitely am happy to see them. Unfortunately I can't share photos of any creatures in my neck of the woods as I can't have pets in the flat that I currently rent. Even if I could, I probably wouldn't have any pets at present as I'm just not home enough for it to be fair on animals. I definitely miss having pets around though.
ReplyDeleteLyn, thank you for popping in to see our visitors! Actually that's the great thing about these particular animals - they look after themselves so we don't have to worry about care if we're not around.
DeleteLike you, I miss having a pet which means having these animal visitors is extra precious.
Great pics Sharon! We have a lot of the feathered variety visit our acerage - galahs, cockatoos and corellas. As well as maggie's and plovers - who are VERY territorial as our dogs and kids have found over the years!! And late at night the eerie cry of the curlew comes out at us from the pitch black - creepy!
ReplyDeleteI've only ever seen one kangaroo back when we first moved into the area. A few foxes though and lots of hares. Mostly we see the scaled variety of things! Snakes and lizards.... :-/
Thanks, Amy! We get a few scaly visitors, too. I love the lizars - especially the blue-tongue! The snakes fascinate me too but I do like to keep my distance! Unlike Rachel's lovely roof-dwelling Larry, ours are all venomous!
DeleteGREAT photos, Sharon! Not being Australian, the idea of having all these things in a backyard is amazing to me. We live on half an acre and have lots of old established trees so get native birds like tuis and bellbirds all around. I love hearing them in the morning.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb! new Zealand's song bird duo are fabulous, aren't they! The tuis make an interesting range of sounds which I hadn't remembered until I heard one again on my trip over late last year.
DeleteWow, that echidna is a fascinating looking creature? How big are they, Sharon? Hedgehog size or porcupine size. Australia sure got the clean sweep on unusual animals, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteYvonne, the echidna is an odd bod, isn't he! They're about the size of a large tubby domestic cat with extremely short legs. So much bigger than a hedgehog.
DeleteYou're right about Australia's interesting collection of animals!
Oh, I love your pictures, Sharon. You always make me feel better about my habit of sitting and taking photos!!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Cath xo
High five, Catherine! You're a kindred spirit! And I spend a lot of time sneaking up on things, waiting and waiting for just the right pose, or waiting for the light to be right, climbing on top of things for the right angle! On my wish list is a digital SLR so there's no delay when I click the shutter! And there's a few other feature that'd I hanker for too...
DeleteSharon, those are lovely photos. The Australian wildlife is stunning. The birds are so colourful, adn I know they're noisy. All the best for the next 15 years.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! And thank you for the kind wishes for our next 15 years on the patch!
DeleteOh, yes, some of the Aussie birds are positively raucous! We get flocks of corellas sometimes and they really need to turn the volume waaaaay down!