Our great southern migration

      As we were walking around Dederang (before the fires), we heard birds making a "ZZZ" sound. The sound was like a big bug zapper or a large bee. They looked like willie wagtails. I saw three gang up on a kookaburra- not typical wagtail behavior. Ebird helped figure it out. They were actually restless flycatchers. According to ebird, they make an "incomparable buzzing scissors-grinder sound". I did see them repeatedly gang up on other birds.  Flycatcher sound In Dederang, they were also fighting the installation of a lithium battery farm: There was already a power plant in place and this was to be replaced by two battery set ups. The locals were really worried about fires (fair!) and battery explosions. Since most everything would be downwind/downriver, they thought the health risk unacceptable.    The current power plant is already above regulated noise levels so they have to fix that before batteries could be installed. I recorded the sound but it isn...

  This was from our truck window as we drove along the edge of the Longwood fire in Victoria, trying to head to the Melbourne area to get out of the fire zone. To catch you up (the US has had its share of trauma, too), much of Victoria burst into flames a few days ago. We were in Dederang in the Kiewa Valley. Very hot, very dry air made for a combustable environment. We had temperatures 43-45C (110-113F) and lots of wind. Any spark from a motor or branches rubbing can set off a fire and many brush and grass fires did start. The biggest ones were on either side of us. In the fire map below, we were at the blue binoculars. The wind was blowing eastward so really we weren't too worried about the fire to the right/east but the one to the left/west (Longwood) was huge and growing. And also headed eastward.  At that time, we were taking care of the dog, cat and two horses. There was a horse trailer but where would we take them? There was a dam on the property but no easy way to get ...

  Tis the season for babies! We found this yellow robin working on the nest. We know it was a nest because they brought over twigs and then sat and wriggled on it to get it shaped. I was going through the photos and was very puzzled on why we took pictures of an esoteric looking branch. Once I get to the ones with the bird on it, it made more sense! We have our own yellow robin nest at the farm. Early days, yet, when we left. In the instance below, I didn't realize we had babies in the tree hollow until I got back and magnified the shot. This means you have to use your imagination goggles to interpret the blob as a sulfur-crested cockatoo chick. Or maybe not. I am choosing to believe.  I am also choosing to believe this was a platypus head swimming down the river: The river does have platypus in it; not impossible to believe and it is the season! Less imagination is required for these little willie wagtails! When I first saw the nest, they were huddled up and not distinctly bi...

  Yes, Virginia, it is different here! But some things are the same and that is even stranger.  Above, Manly Beach was decorated for the season. They also put up Christmas trees: House decorations are a bit more sporadic. Light shows are not common; maybe because daylight lasts extra hours and it doesn't get dark as early?   Santa often wears a fur suit and heavy boots, but sometimes he is a surfer dude.  He does get accompanied by reindeer and snowmen. Often, I just saw the garlands and wreaths. This house was heavily decorated for Goolwa! Amazingly, the rest stops tended to be decorated. This one was beside the highway; not near any town. It even had a manger scene- baby Jesus was a bit dusty ... For Christmas dinner, we had sushi and shrimp, followed by both turkey and ham (with dressing and gravy, too). We pulled poppers, wore paper hats and drank virgin mojitos. Scott and I did no cooking or beverage making; we just got to sit and eat. Scott's parents also ...