What's in Your Garden?
Submitted: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 15:30
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Member - Stephen L (Clare SA)
Hi All
I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday, where ever you my be in this great Nation of ours. This site always has many great topics and what do you this of this new idea of
mine.
It does not matter where we live, in a town house in a Capital city, or out in the bush on a remote cattle station, we all have something different to show, and many times the subject can only be found in a specific region and that animal or bird may not be seen or found in other parts of the country. It will not need any extensive research, just a camera to record the moment, just like show and tell at Primary School. So here is the first of lets hope many more posts over the coming weeks and months that will get off of the ground.
We all know that many overseas visitors research this very
forum, so now we can all showcase to the world the many varied animals and birds that Australia has to offer.
On this Cold and wet Sunday, while looking outside, the small Weeping Crab Apple Tree in our front garden was visited by six Mallee Ringneck Parrots. They are very common here in
Clare, but may not been found where you live, so here are a few images that I have taken.
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So dust off your camera, go outside and take a few pictures of what is in your garden and share it here on the
forum over the coming weeks.
Cheers to All
Stephen
Reply By: Axle - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 16:23
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 16:23
Good idea mate!, I like the different species of bird and animal life in this country, .....Not sure how you will go with the you know who!!, unless it from a trip or camping .experience.
Cheers Axle.
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 16:29
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 16:29
Hi Axle
Yes indeed we have many varied and exclusive birds and animals here in Australia that can not be found in any other counties. Something new to the
forum from where I sit is always welcome by most, so lets see how this goes.
Do you have anything special in your garden Axle?
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: Member - John and Val - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:31
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:31
Good initiative Stephen and IMHO very much in line with what "Exploring Australia" is all about. There is so much out there to see and experience - the landscape, plants, animals, rocks and minerals,
places, people, history.
If there is any question as to whether its appropriate I would apply the "How What Where Why"
test.
This site does a great job addressing the HOW to "Explore Australia" ie what vehicle and camping rig do you need, how does it all work, problem solving etc. But for at least some of us a vehicle etc is "just" a means to an end allowing us to get to wherever it is we want to go.
That brings up the WHAT and WHERE of exploring. Again this site does a good job with
Places and Tracks and Doug's Sunday History post adds interest and detail. There is a lot of info in the
Blogs but can be time consuming to go through it all to find what you are looking for, assuming that you know about it in the first place.
But there is still a huge lot of What and Where things to see that are not covered. I have tried to do a bit with some of the plants and
wildflowers that people see. But what about the animals, rocks and minerals, landscape features and many more things as
well. There are plentyof people who have hobbies like birdwatching, prospecting etc but little mention of those pursuits on here.
As to the WHY - thats another question that Ill leave for another day.
So I reckon you are on the right track, good luck with it. Co-incidentally for the last couple of months I have been slowly going through our photos with a view to putting up some
blogs on the animals that we have seen on our travels. But its a slow job and may take a while to get it done.
Cheers,
Val.
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
Lifetime Member
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:57
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:57
Hi Val
You and I have very similar interests and ideas, and for me it is a great experience to visit an area away from
home and to see and experience things that we take for granted where we live. A very prime example is when travelling remote areas, I love to see and hear the howl of the
Dingo, while many pastoralists that live in these areas would shoot them on sight, or while over on
Kangaroo Island to see the hundreds of seals on
the beach and rocks that the locals down there take for granted. For us like the tens of thousands of tourists that visit the Island every year, they were a highlight that I do not have in "my garden".
In this new concept, people can share what they have in their own back yard and take for granted. I know years ago when we visited the Botanical Garden in
Canberra, I sighted many species of birds that are not found here in South Australia. We can all look and see in books how professional photographers have captured their images, but the candid image taken by the average person has more appeal to me, just my thoughts.
Lets see how it goes.
Regards
Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:32
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:32
Here is a photo taken in my garden a few years ago. These Superb Parrots are migratory and are regular visitors to the
Canberra area in spring and early summer. They come here to breed having overwintered in milder western areas.
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They were once very numerous here but numbers have declined dramatically as the land has been cleared. They use the same nesting hollow year after year so
clearing upsets their breeding routine. A lot of work has been done over the past 20 years or so to provide habitat and breeding boxes. I am pleased to say that I had a hand in some of that work.
They are very quiet when they are feeding so its easy to get right up close to them. In recent years numbers of them are easily seen in various carparks on the northern side of
Canberra where they feed on Casuarina cones.
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:12
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:12
Hi Val
Thanks for that great picture and a species that is not found over here in SA. That is what I would like to see, just as you have posted, something that is in your our area and not found Australia wide.
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: sweetwill - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:48
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 17:48
Stephen.
at the moment nothing but give me two months and i will show you what
Wollongong can turn on cheers bill.
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:00
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:00
Hi Bill
To be honest, we have only ever been through
Wollongong once and what you have over they I would like to see.
If it take two months, who cares and I would like to experience what you have "In Your Garden". Looking forward to what you post.
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: Member - Joe n Mel n kids (FNQ - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:49
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:49
sorry guys but it is my back yard ....
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So come on all you wanna be travellers, Australia is waiting for you to get away from your computer and go see YOUR back yard with your own eyes ...
Cheers all
Joe n Mel n kids
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:57
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 18:57
Hi Joe n Mel n kids
That is great and
well said by you and thanks for the images and taking the time to reply.
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: Member - Rob S (NSW) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:02
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:02
Hi Stephen
I like this thread, heaps of stuff happening in my back yard.
Heres somthing that caught my eye a few weeks ago,
Wasps or hornents preying on
Sydney funnleweb spiders around my yard.
Mind you i did not want to get to close they are bigger in real life lol.
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Rob
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:17
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:17
Hi Rob
Thanks for taking the time to reply and showing those good images.
You can keep your
Sydney Funnleweb Spiders..LOL
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: Member - Megan and Kevin D (AC - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:43
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 21:43
Hi Stephen
We were visited by this Echidna quite a few times over a few years until we built a new colourbond fence. We were disappointed when we realised that we wouldn't have the pleasure of its company again. We still get Shingle Backs though! Heaps of birds but nothing unusual although galahs did breed in one of our nesting boxes last season. Will post some pictures one day.
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:06
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:06
Hi Megan
Thanks for that great picture. That is the type of image that I would like others to join in with and show, exactly what they have in their garden. You were very lucky to have that cute little fellow in your yard, and a sight that not many others would be able to share.
One question that I would like to ask please, is the colour of your echidna. Is that the usual colour from over in the Eastern States, as it looks black, compared to the one over here in SA, with the ones on
Kangaroo Island even lighter again.
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Thanks for sharing your special visitor to your garden and a very special Australian native at that.
Cheers
Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:36
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:36
We had an echidna pass through just a week or so back. We see them most years and sometimes they hang around for a while. Ours near
Canberra are quite dark like Kevin and Megan's.
Cheers,
Val.
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
Lifetime Member
My Profile My Blog Send Message |
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:08
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:08
Hi Val
Thanks for that and it is good to hear that there must be a healthy
population in the
Canberra area. Once again this type of report could also give others the chance to see
population trends of various animals and birds in various areas. I keep bringing in
Kangaroo Island into the story, but there were big concerns on the Little
Penguin populations around
Penneshaw since there has been a greater number of New Zealand fur seals into the area.
Now on the news just this very morning, there are now major concerns at
Granite Island, just off of
Victor Harbor. Ten years ago they did a count on the Little
Penguin population and there were over 2000 on the Island, now for reasons that have the experts very concerned, there are less than 140 birds and it has now put them on the endangered category down there. There is now also a greater number of seals in the bay, and they are looking into the idea that the poor Little Penguins are at the top of the food chain for the seals, which is a Catch 22 situation.
It would be great to have someone that lives in the
Victor Harbor area give regular updates on the fate of the Little
Penguin in the area and also from other members around Australia that may have similar trends in Wildlife in the areas where they live.
Thanks for your update.
Cheers
Stephen
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Reply By: Member - Min (NSW) - Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:45
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 22:45
Hi Stephen,
You've got me fired up!
I live near
Canberra and today we visited the Cork Oak Forest there for the first time and wanted to share it on ExplorOz. You've provided the perfect opportunity.
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To partially quote the sign at
the entrance:
"Cork Oaks (Quercus suber) are the source of the world's cork used for wine bottling, insulation, flooring, shoes and many other purposes. The trees are native to the Mediterranean region with Spain and Portugal being the main producers of cork.
Most of these cork oaks were imported as acorns from Spain in 1917 by Walter Burley Griffin (designer of
Canberra). It was part of his vision for
Canberra to be a self sustaining city. The plantation ... is the largest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
... harvesting or 'stripping' was commenced in 1948. The cork was found to be high quality and commercially valuable. Since 1981 the plantation has been harvested by ACT Forests with the help of professional cork strippers from Portugal in 2001."
The black area on the trunks in the forest photo above shows where they have been stripped. This does not harm the tree. They can be stripped approximately every 10 years and can live for 500 years and grow to 20 metres tall and 1 metre in diameter. This forest is 8 hectares and contains 4,500 trees.
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Just another wonderful gem to be found in your National Capital.
Min
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - John L (WA) - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:15
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:15
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Bandicoots to most of Aust but here in SW of WA we call them Quenda's. Have a family live in our garden.
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:16
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:16
Hi Min
Just what the Doctor ordered. What is in your "Back Yard" cant not be found over here and it would be very interesting to visit the site and good to hear that it is doing
well.
Thanks for taking the time to share those great images.
Cheers
Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:21
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 08:21
Hi
John
Fantastic and again the type of thing that shows that you have a healthy
population over in the West. You would feel very privileged to have them in your garden and half you luck.
Thanks for taking the time to reply and share that great image.
Cheers
Stephen
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