Backyard wildlife or "army worms" at Casa da Ayre

Juvenile Australian magpie feasting on emerging moths & caterpillars at Casa da Ayre

I have noticed an outbreak of "army worm" caterpillars in our back lawn recently, and have been contemplating whether I should spray them. I decided against it, and I am very glad that I didn't.

I was enjoyed my breakfast this morning on our backyard verandah while watching this juvenile Australian magpie and it's siblings feast on the "army worm" caterpillars and newly-emergent moths still too cool to fly, for nearly an hour. It warmed my heart to watch them darting about and munching heartily.  Every so often they seemed to stop and warble quietly to each other with pure delight.  Life is good !

Hmmm, I'll definitely have to mow the lawn this weekend though.  Amazing how quickly it grows after a bit of rain at this time of year . . .

Grey Goshawk

What a superb bird of prey, a Grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)

I was travelling home from work a few weeks ago, when I noticed a Grey goshawk perched on powerlines at the Five-Islands Wetlands, Racecourse Road Teralba, NSW.  Of course, I didn't have my camera with me at the time.  Yesterday the Grey goshawk was back, and this time I did have my camera with me.  Unfortunately, the goshawk was quite shy, and I was not able to get very close to her.  It's a pretty dodgy photo, but there is no doubt of my identification.    

As you can see, this Grey goshawk's territory is a little pocket of swamp amidst a heavily disturbed environment.  
Image from Google Earth.

The Five-islands Wetlands is on the banks of Cockle Creek at the northern end of Lake Macquarie.  This is a very heavily polluted area due to the past operations of the Pasminco lead smelter. Despite the horrendous pollution and disturbance to the environment, there is a surprising amount of birdlife around the area.
   
The environment on the western side of the road is open swampy-woodland, dominated by adult Melaleuca spp, Casuarina spp, Pittosporum undulatum and many weeds.  The eastern side of the road is a mangrove community on the edge of Cockle Creek.  On the eastern bank of cockle creek is an industrial area and the densely-packed suburbs of Boolaroo and Argenton.        

A pleasant surprise

Frenetic energy - Honey bee foraging

I was approached by Australian Geographic magazine recently for permission to use this image in their newsletter.  Of course, I was thrilled to give my consent.  They asked for a bio and a story behind the image.

Story - Frenetic energy - Honey bee foraging.  

I was basking in the warmth of the sun, enjoying the perfect weather during my lunch break.  The air was still and heavy with the perfume of flowering Melaleucas.  A quiet droning filled my senses as European honeybees took advantage of the bounty.

This worker caught my eye; frenetically visiting each blossom in turn, hovering for a moment before hungrily plunging head-first into each bloom.  I was learning the controls of a new camera at the time and was pleased to capture this moment.                   

The article can be seen HERE