Outside looking in.

A very hot and humid night just the weather for lots of bugs to be attracted by the lights from inside and this makes for perfect hunting conditions for tree frogs.
This Peron's Tree Frog Litoria peronii came splat on the window and was then content to survey the scene for any potential dinner.

Rail way

Our road frontage is the area where this rail has its way, as the habitat is what it favours, water, water plants and long grass into which it can quickly disappear.

The Buff-banded Rail Gallirallus philippensis is a medium sized rail around 12" and is the only species of rail that I have seen on our property. I often see them by the roadside but they are quick to run into the grass (I haven't seen one fly) and today I was lucky to catch sight of this one from my car and have the camera handy to get a couple of photos. Not restricted to Australia they are found in NZ and other Pacific and Indian ocean Islands.

Feeling the heat

The hottest day so far this summer, 39c at 10am and it was not just me that was feeling a tad too warm. I was doing a bit of light work in the pool garden when a shadow passed over me and materialised into a small bird or prey which landed in a tree not too far away.

grabbed the camera and set off to see if it was still in the same location.

After a bit of scouting around I found it as it moved from one tree to another and then happily perched in the shade out of the day's heat.

A bit of quiet walking brought me within photo range and time for a few shots. Light not great and distance a bit far but didn't want to spook it.

 I could see that it was either a Collared Sparrow Hawk or Brown Goshawk but it was only after I looked at the photo on the PC that the identification was Brown Goshawk Accipiter (Leucospiza) fasciatus. Both birds are very similar in appearance but the rounded tail as opposed to square says goshawk. Both birds are also widely distributed throughout Australia.

Graphic Flutterer

Late afternoon with the setting sun shining through the trees, just the right setting for a group of dragonflies to flutter back and forth over the grass. Finding a suitable stem they would alight for a short while, then dance off with their transparent wings displaying jewel like red splashes.

A bit of investigation identified them as Graphic (or banded) Flutterers Rhyothemis graphiptera

and the name seems very appropriate as they were superbly demonstrating with this afternoon's display.

Wren & flamingo

To get the blog off to a start on a very hot and humid first day of  the New Year took a late afternoon photo of a female wren, (fairly sure it is a Superb Blue Wren as the male was nearby, although not in a photographic mood). She was busy looking for insects on a flower spike of our Grevillea "Flamingo" and paused just long enough for the shot.