Inspirational Quote of the week
Tag: Dragonflies
Noosa Botanical Gardens : Re-visited
Featured Image : Blue-face Honeyeater in Jacaranda.
Greetings from Pomona!
We have been sitting at the Pomona Showgrounds for almost a week now which is becoming probably our favourite place to hang out when visiting family down this way.
It’s just north of the Sunshine Coast, a bit of a drive when going visiting but it’s a great little town well away from the madness of the coast.
Catching up with everyone has been great and kept us quite busy, so we haven’t had much time to get out and about into nature.
This Graphic Flutterer (above and below) put on quite a show
Today was our last chance so we visited the Noosa Botanical Gardens which is only about 10 minutes drive from here. We visited here back in June when we were heading north but there wasn’t that much birdlife around.
Press Play to view Stephanie’s Video Snippets of the Gardens and wildlife
Adult Eastern Whipbird
Juvenile Whipbird
Whipbirds
Well today it was just teeming with birds 😁😁 We did a morning shift and then after a break and a snooze we went back this afternoon, just fantastic. We saw a few new birds and the big carpet python laying on the banks of a small pond was an added bonus. It looks like he must have eaten a large bird or maybe a bat as you could see something sticking out on his side….maybe the legs of something….
This Blue-faced Honeyeater was very photogenic with the Jacaranda Backdrop
Juvenile and Immature BF Honeyeaters (Below)
Australian Emerald in motion.
So we have had a great time in this area and would love to stay a bit longer but work is calling so we have to keep moving on closer to Stanthorpe.
Tomorrow we will head up the range to Toowoomba Showgrounds for the weekend and catch up with the last of our maintenance jobs. We are praying that the weather is nice to us as we really need to get a coat of polish on the van. A huge job that we have been putting off for a while. We are also hoping to visit Redwood Park again, our favourite birding place while in Toowoomba. So please enjoy the pics and video.
Cheers Steph and Anthony.
Lake Redbrook – A Birders Paradise
Featured Image – Parked up in the prime spot.
Well as you will see by the pics and video, the Wanderingeagles have plonked themselves in absolute bird heaven 😁😁
We are so glad on deciding to drive a little bit further south to Childers.
We have picked avocados in this area quite some years ago and always liked the surrounds here.
We stayed at a different caravan park then but we had heard of this amazing park/ retreat, with a big lake at its doorstep so we we’re pretty keen to have a look.
Lake Redbrook Holiday Retreat is incredible.
The owners have created this beautiful oasis in amongst the surrounding sugar cane and other farms so it seems that any bird in this area would surely want to visit here.
They allowed us to park our rig on the marquee site…..usually reserved for weddings etc, which is the prime spot only about 10 metres from the lakes edge.
So while we are enjoying our morning and afternoon cuppochinos we have this amazing birdlife show going on outside our dinette window.
It’s been great waking up to their sounds and we love the frogs chirping away as we go to sleep at night.
A pair of Cotton Pygmy Geese
This is definitely a place we are coming back to, and will be staying for longer.
We have never found a bird paradise like this where it’s all at our doorstep, fantastic.
The Owners, Gazza and Shazza made us feel so welcome, they have quite a menagerie going on here.
Miniature Horses, lots of different types of bird breeding, deer and more.
There is so much to look at.
Press Play to view Steph’s Snippets of this Birder’s Paradise
Plumed Egret
Great Egret
Australasian Grebe
The Majestic Black Swan
More Residents of the Lake
We did manage to pull ourselves away to visit one of our favourite beaches.
Woodgate Beach is around half an hours drive from here. We didn’t see many birds but it was low tide at the estuary and all the little soldier crabs were out and about en masse…..it was incredible to watch.
We have never seen this before, I took a small video of them. They kept us amused for quite some time.
Press Play to view Steph’s ‘Soldier Crab’ Snippets
We leave tomorrow and head down to the Sunshine Coast which will be very very busy, a big change from the beautiful serenity here.
Please enjoy Anthony’s amazing photos, and check out my videos,
Bye for now Steph and Anthony.
Farewell Tyto Wetlands & Ingham Region
Featured Image: Male Darter preparing for take-off
Hello again from Ingham!!
The last week has just flown by, we have been out and about most of those days as the weather has been good though it’s really starting to warm up now so I’m glad we are heading south.
Press Play to view Steph’s latest Video Snips
Our front legs for the van arrived mid week and Anthony didn’t have too much trouble fitting them though it appears there is some very small ( hopefully minor ) piece missing. He did give the legs a go and all seems ok though we have ordered this little missing piece and will be picking it up in Rockhampton on the way south.
As usual we have put off some much needed maintenance that we really have to do today as tomorrow we are off to Crystal Creek. From there all our trips will be very quick, only a couple of nights at stops along the way. Of course we will be in nature as much as possible, there is nowhere else we would rather be.
Please enjoy our last photos and video of this area, oh and guess who spotted that gorgeous Carpet Python way up in a tree….😊😊
Cheers Steph and Anthony.
Wildlife of Tyto Wetlands
Featured Image : 2 metre Salt Water Crocodile on the banks of a lagoon
A Whistling Kite watching our every move
Well things have been going really well in Ingham!!
Tyto Wetlands has been alive with birdlife every day, we have been doing a morning lap…..back to the pod for lunch, then out again late afternoon.
The afternoon light on the first lagoon is fantastic for photos, lots of birds are dipping in for a bath so you can just stand on the little bridge and watch all the action.
A very pretty Yellow Honeyeater in the late afternoon light
There has also been plenty of croc action too…
We always knew there was one saltwater crocodile in the lagoons….somewhere…..but had never sighted him …. until now.
There is the original big boy, at around 4 metres, that we have seen most days and also the smaller one in the first lagoon is around 2 metres .
He has been putting on a show, and never ventures too far from his slide on the bank, and he seems incredibly hungry.
Nearly every time we spot him he is eating something.
One day a big fish, then a huge Eel and yesterday we couldn’t work out what on earth he was eating then we realised it was a big fruit bat, and seemed to have a bit of trouble getting those rubbery wings down.
Press Play to view a bit of Croc action
Crocs of Tyto
This large Male Agile Wallaby didn’t seem to mind the Willie Wagtail hitching a ride.
Crimson Finches are in abundance at present, always hard to walk past without taking a pic.
As too are the gorgous Red-backed Fairywrens.
We haven’t seen any unusual birds but it’s great to see all the locals again. Lots of birds are nesting so it’s a very busy time.
The Wandering Whistling ducks are a nice site on the lagoons.
With the weather starting to heat up, it brings back a few Dragonflies.
Chalky Percher
Graphic Flutterer
Colorful Blue-tail Damselfly
This Plumed Egret settles down for the evening after a big feed (below)
Press Play to view Stephanie’s Video snippets of Tyto
This Pacific Baza (Crested Hawk) was a welcome sighting.
Yellow Oriole
Brown Goshawk
White-browed Robin
Golden-headed Cisticola
A few more Bird sightings
A Brown-backed Honeyeater on one of the many Lotus Flowers that adorn Tyto Wetlands
We are still waiting for our new front legs for the van to arrive….
They are coming from Victoria, which always seems to take forever.
Hopefully they come in the next few days.
We had already pre booked some parks ahead so have had to cancel everything for now. And also don’t want to rush back to work which is looming for the start of November.
They still haven’t had any rain in the Stanthorpe area so things are very grim there.
We still have plenty of places we want to check out on the way south so hopefully we can get on the road again soon.
Enjoy the pics and videos.
Bye for now Steph and Anthony.
