FJB – Page 20 – A Bellingen Diary

A venomous breakfast …

Published on November 28, 2014November 28, 2014 by FJBLeave a comment

There are at least four species of snakes in the general area of my garden. The Diamond Python, Coastal Carpet Python, and Common Tree Snake – all of which are non-venomous. Then there is the Red-bellied Black – which is not.

I see a Red-bellied Black from time to time sunning itself or wandering slowly through the garden, but as they are non-aggressive it doesn’t really bother me. Anyway, I always assumed they were just on their way to somewhere else. So a few mornings ago when I found a dead baby Red-bellied Black on the lawn I was a bit surprised.

One of the Kookaburras that frequents the garden will respond when I make Kookaburra-talk (not hysterical laughter you understand – just a coo-coo-coo sound!) So I called him down for a breakfast treat …

After throwing the baby snake around in the air a few times and trying to swallow it, the Kookaburra flew off with it into the trees. No doubt to bash it into manageable pieces.

Now, the question is, was it dropped by a night-time bird of prey, or is there a little clutch of Red-bellied Black eggs somewhere in the garden ??
I don’t think I will go looking…

At last … the elusive Catbird !

Published on November 13, 2014November 13, 2014 by FJB2 Comments

They’ve been taunting me with their cat-like calls from the tops of tall trees for weeks, but today was my lucky day! Forty minutes of sitting still with a cramp in my hip and mosquitos biting me through my clothes and I finally had a photo of a Green Catbird …

He seemed quite aware of my presence as he kept looking in my direction and cocking his head but providing I didn’t move, he seemed quite relaxed. Another photo for the Bird Gallery.

Meeting raptors …

Published on October 26, 2014November 10, 2014 by FJBLeave a comment

Words would be a bit superfluous here … so other than to explain that Kangaroo Island’s Raptor Domain is home to rescued, orphaned and injured birds of prey, I’ll pretty much let the photos tell the story.

I suspect that this is the closest I will ever come to a Wedge Tailed Eagle …

Jedda the Wedge Tailed Eagle

Boo the Boobook

The Stokes Bay Loo …

Published on October 25, 2014November 4, 2014 by FJBLeave a comment

I suspect that not many bloggers write posts on public conveniences … most of them being either unremarkable or indescribable (the loos not the bloggers). But the loo at Stokes Bay on the north coast of Kangaroo Island deserves a special mention.

At first glance, nothing unusual, just a conveniently placed beach loo.

But a surprise awaits inside. The walls being covered with a soft lime-wash in beach colours and beautiful relief sculptures …

A bit of research uncovers that the project was part of Eco-Action’s BirdLife Australia Beach-Nesting Bird Project funded through the Federal Government’s “Caring for our Country”. Two artists Gay De Mather and Lara Tilbrook spent a summer preparing the site and plastering and painting the walls.

The murals focus on the life of beach-nesting birds, Hooded and Red Capped Plover and Pied and Sooty Oyster Catchers, and the impacts that humans, dogs and predators have on them.

This is the first time that a public convenience has been the highlight of my sightseeing day. Unfortunately it probably means that I will be visiting them on a more regular basis, whether I need to or not!