Bushwalking

My sister lives near some excellent places for bushwalking, and when I stay with her we go out walking most days, sometimes surveying for birds. Here are some photos of the things we encountered.

The biggest fly I have ever seen! A female Robberfly (Asilidae) laying her eggs under the bark of a gum tree.

This place, a nature reserve which is used for a number of strands of scientific research, was completely burnt out 6 years ago. Only a tiny handful of the resident wildlife survived. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see that there is a sort of grey haze over the trees on the hills. These dead branches are the still visible aftermath of the fire.

A Tau Emerald dragonfly Hemicordulia tau, female, resting in a Wattle Acacia sp.

My sister, surveying for birds. Like many birdwatchers, my family contributes to the national Atlas scheme to record the distributions and status of bird species.

A flowering gum tree Eucalyptus sp, full of European Honey Bees Apis mellifera.

Smooth Drooping Mistletoe Amyema miquelii, growing in a gum tree Eucalyptus sp. Most Australian mistletoes have evolved to have leaves that look very much like their hosts. They are spread by a tiny bird called the Mistletoe Bird, and the flowers provide nectar for honeyeaters. Some species of butterfly caterpillars eat only a single species of mistletoe.

A pair of Eastern Grey Kangaroos Macropus giganteus. They are so numerous here that contraceptives are being used to lower the birth rate and control widespread overgrazing and starvation.

Ivy-leaved Violet Viola hederacea.

A pair of Emus Dromaius novaehollandiae.

A female Common Brown butterfly Heteronympha merope merope, totally camouflaged in the leaf litter.

Susan