Photo by Mike's phone while we waited for Short and Sweet at Newtown Theatre in March.
Just downstream from the bridge over the Shoalhaven River at Nowra there is a tiny outcrop which at high tide almost disappears. Every time we come into Nowra I look at this rocky stage in the river and judge from the number of birds how high is the tide. We took this shot from the boat on a morning when it might have been too windy in open water. But we ploughed through so many jellyfish we gave up and returned via the pelicans where we found another boat with engine failure. We towed them up the tiny Bomaderry Creek and went home feeling we'd done well.
Three open-eyed and open-mouthed tawny frogmouths were highly visible (for tawny frogmouths anyway) on this hot summer day in our neighbour's willow tree. Their plumage can resemble rough bark when they freeze into position in a eucalypt, but against the light green willow leaves they were soon picked out. We found two of these great birds dead in our back yards last year but a new nesting pair (with giant toddler in tow) have apparently moved in.
We spotted this water dragon at Audley on the Port Hacking river - or rather he spotted us.
Bread is ignored but orange poppy seed cake is pursued. A rival hangs back and gets a few crumbs. Our new friend poses to give us all the marking necessary for id. 
Sorry mate - no more cake - besides it's probably illegal to share it with you. How about apple? That's his tongue in the middle there, not our finger.
I love the carefully bricked archways which are prominent in these ruins - windows and doorways built to last. The site is well sign-posted and worth a visit even if you don't like ruins but love a stroll in the bush. Excellent for twitchers also. Lyrebirds in easy view for the quiet walker. Newnes near Lithgow, NSW.
This kookaburra sat above our picnic table waiting for scraps when he spotted the real thing. He was the picture of concentration, bracing against his worm, his tail as support. He reeled in like a fisherman with a big game fish. He'd let the worm go back a bit then when the worm relaxed, he'd haul out the next few inches and snatch the worm closer to his middle. It took up to five minutes.
Nearly there! All of a sudden his last haul brought the worm out of the hole. He was a quarter way through eating when his mate flew in front of the camera and took more than half!
Hard to believe that this twisted forest marvel (near Mudgee) is the same species of angophora that grows in our garden at Sanctuary Point. At SP the specimens are much smaller and scrappy although the youngest of them lives up to its name and produces many flowers.
