Three Skies

Three skies from the Molonglo High Plains this week.

Sun break

Core (light clouds)

Southern Cross (Light cloud)

Hunting meteors

Eta Aquarids are fragments from Halley's Comet that burn in the atmosphere.

Here an Eta Aquarid passes between Saturn (upper right), Mars (bottom) and the bright star Antares (upper right), overlaying the tail of Scorpius.

Sometimes things do not work out.

Image 1: Failure to tighten navigations screws = lots of unconvincing meteors.

Alpaca birth sequence

It is probably sensible to separate mothers in labor from other alpacas. Other alpacas may be curious, and males may become aggressive and unpredictable.

20 minutes: At the end of 20 minutes of visible labor, the tips of two front legs protruded.

Wild: Animals, Plants and Fungi

This is my photographic record of local animals and plants. 

Where I am aware of local (Yuin language group) First People names for some of these places, animals or birds, I have started to add them - eg Australian Brush Turkey (Djera). Within the language group (coastal/mountains South Eastern Australia), there were a number of dialects - but the names were reasonably similar.

Land Animals

• Animals - General
• Assimilis (Bush Rat)
• Blue Tongue Lizards (Gura'ranan)
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo
• Echidna
• Foxes
• Platypus
• Swamp Wallabies
• Snakes
• Wombat

Marine Animals and Fish

• Fur Seals
• Stingrays

Plants and Fungi

• Plants *,**
• Plant Communities *
• Remnant Vegetation Survey (1994) *,***
• Tree Identification Guide
• Scribbly Gums

Fungi

• Amanita phalloides: (Australian) Death Caps
• Amanita muscaria: (World) Hunting Dark Alfs
• Agaricus arvensis: The Horse Mushroom
• Agaricus campestris: The Meadow Mushroom
• Phlebopus Marginatus: Big Foot

            * These were originally prepared as one page leaflets for distribution by the local landcare group.

            ** This was the outcome of many discussions with other Landcare members
            *** This was the outcome of efforts of a couple of people, including Lynton Bond.   

Wild: Places

This is my record of wild places, photographic and reminiscences. Note that my collection of waterfalls, Cascades and Races is here.

(1) Molonglo High Plains
This is one of the oldest physical landscapes known and researched. The area is dominated by the Molonglo River and its tributaries. To the east is the mountain wilderness of the Talagada, the old volcano Palerang and the localities of Rossi and Forbes Creek. To the west, farmlands and the locality of Hoskinstown, including a number of ruins.

Overview: Locality *, Ancient History of the Area *

Weather: Molonglo Doctor, Flood events - Anti-cyclones

            * These were originally prepared as one page leaflets for distribution by the local landcare group.

East: Talaganda Forest

In the east, mountains, largely encompassed by the Talaganda Forest.

Mount Palerang
Mount Lawless
Yandyguinula Creek
Bombay Fire Trail

West: Farmlands

To the west, the High Plains are home to a range of strong large-scale and small- scale farming ventures.  It has seen a number of important landcare initiatives.  It is home to a number of scientific and defense establishments.

Cowbail
Foxlow Billabong
Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope
LandCare initiatives
Ruins: Near I, Near II, Further Away
Grasslands

Small Farming (last heading)

(2) South Eastern Australia

Bungendore

• Inns
• Annual Rural Show: 2015, 2016

The Deua

The Deua is a vast wilderness area in South Eastern Australia.  From its high Western escarpment, it drops away into deep valleys.  From the heights it resembles a vast sunken area, punctuated by mountain peaks and covered by ancient forests.  

• The Northern Reaches (inc Shoalhaven, The Big Hole, Marble Arch)
• The Southern Reaches - the Tuross Cascades

The Braidwood District

Between the coast and the Molonglo High Plains is the Braidwood District.  Once the local administrative capital of the area, until recently Braidwood had become a backwater.  Today it is poised on the edge of new growth - with impressive agriculture potential and rugged wilderness, forestry and park areas.  There are old mining towns and homesteads. 

• Gourock Range
• Majors Creek
• The desolation of Jinden

The Tinderrys

Rise out of the Michelago Valley - a haunt for bushrangers.

• Locale

(3) The Goulburn District

• Wombeyan Caves
• History - the Comte de Rossi

(4) Ulladulla and Milton District

• Overview - colonial justice

(5) Turpentine Range

• Jerrawangla National Park
• Tianjarra Falls

(6) Warrumbungles

• Warrumbungles

(7) Australian Capital Territory

• War Memorial: Practice War No More, Aircraft Hall
• Murrumbidgee River - at Corree
• Murrumbidgee River - at Uriarra

(8) Victoria

• Great Ocean Road (South Western Coast): Twelve Apostles, Otway Cape, AngleSea
• Gippsland (South Eastern Coast): Corrigans Beach, Mallacoota

Wild: Birds

This is my photographic record of birds. 

1 Birds of Prey (Diurnal)
Black-shouldered Kite; Brown Falcon; Brown Goshawk; Little Eagle, Nankeen Kestral (female); Nankeen Kestral (male); Peregrine Falcon; Spotted Harrier; White Breasted Sea Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle (Munyunga), Whistling Kite

2 Birds of Prey (Nocturnal)
Barking Owl, Tawny Frogmouth

3  Waterbirds
Australasian Grebe; Australian Shelduck; Australian Shoveler; Australian White Ibis; Australian Wood Duck (Yerrinbool); Black Swan; Darter; Dusky Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Great Cormorant; Great Egret; Grey Teal; Hardhead; Hoary-headed Grebe; Latham’s Snipe; Little Black Cormorant; Little Pied Cormorant;  Pacific Black Duck (Nowra); Pacific Heron; Pink-eared Duck; Plumed Egret; Purple Swamphen; Sacred Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; White‑faced Heron;  White‑necked Heron; Masked Lapwing; Pelicans, Silver Gull; Spoonbill

4 Parrots and Relatives: 
Crimson Rosella (Galindan); Eastern Rosella (Bundeluk); Galah; Gang‑gang Cockatoo; King Parrots (Gatandjan); Little Corella; Rainbow Lorikeet (Perka), Red-rumped Parrot; Sulphur‑crested Cockatoo; Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo; 

5 Kingfishers and other non-songbirds: 
Australian Owlet-nightjar; Brush Cuckoo; Common Koel; Common Bronzewing; Crested Pigeon; Dollarbird; Fan‑tailed Cuckoo; Horsfield's Bronze‑Cuckoo; Laughing Kookaburra; Pallid Cuckoo; Sacred Kingfisher; Shining Bronze‑cuckoo; Southern Boobook; Stubble Quail

6 Honeyeaters: 
Brown‑headed Honeyeater; Crescent Honeyeater; Eastern Spinebill;  Eastern Yellow Robin; Fairy Martin; Leaden Flycatcher; Magpie-lark; Noisy Friar Bird; New Holland Honeyeater; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; White-eared Honeyeater; Rufous Whistler; Rufous Fantail; Tree Martin; Satin Flycatcher; Scarlet Robin; White‑plumed Honeyeater; Yellow-faced Honeyeater

7 Flycatchers and similar species: 
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Fantail, GreyShrike-thrush; Magpie-lark; Welcome Swallow; Willie Wagtail

8 Thornbills, Finches and similar species: Buff‑rumped Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Diamond Firetail; Double‑barred Finch; European Goldfinch; Flame Robin; House Sparrow; Red‑browed Finch; Scarlet Robin; Spotted Pardalote; Striated Pardalote; Striated Thornbill; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Weebill; White-throated Gerygone; Yellow‑rumped Thornbill

9 Other, smaller birds:  
Australasian  Pipit; Australian Reed-warbler; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Brown Songlark; Common Myna; Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Dusky Woodswallow; Mistletoebird; Olive‑backed Oriole;  Rufous Songlark; Skylark; White-throated Treecreeper; White‑-winged Triller

10  Other, larger birds: 
Australian Brush Turkey (Djera), Australian Raven; Australian Magpie; Emu, Grey Butcherbird; Little Raven; PiedCurrawong; Satin Bowerbird, Superb Lyrebird, White-winged Chough

11 Exotic, out of area: 
Fairy Penguin


Collections:

• Diurnal Birds of Prey

This is a partial list of birds in my area. Where there is no link, I have no pictures.

Where I am aware of local (Yuin language group) First People names for some of these places, animals or birds, I have started to add them - eg Australian Brush Turkey (Djera). Within the language group (coastal/mountains South Eastern Australia), there were a number of dialects - but the names were reasonably similar.