A Welcoming Community
Technically, Luna is a Green dog, as we are a Green family and Luna goes to all marches and events as “Green dog.”
Nonetheless, we are putting on our party hats to celebrate the Democratic resurgence in the US.
Oh, and there’s a birthday in the family tomorrow, so there’ll be more celebrating on that account.
So, put on your glad rags (or show us your Halloween pics, hint, hint) and join us.
I’ve been vewy, vewy busy.
This Tasmania endemic Black Currawong (Strepera fulignosa) came very close to our house last week.
Currawongs have been hanging out around our house and may even have a nest on our property (someone has a large stick nest high in a eucalyptus tree, it’s either a Currawong or a Forrest Raven). Although they look similar to corvids (ravens and crows), Currawongs are actually cracticids which puts them in the sam family as Butcherbirds and Australian Magpies.
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Landscapes of Australia
Talk about tough choices! In the end I stuck close to home, with all but two images coming from Tasmania. In fact, two of the Tasmanian images were taken from right outside our house. |
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Critters of Australia
I think I’ve covered the majority of phylum. |
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Wildflowers of Australia
These flowers were photographed from far and wide, from the Indian Ocean to the Tasman Sea (including several from our humble backyard). |
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Birds of Australia
It was a bit tricky cutting the list down to ten, but here they are. |
I know it’s still Friday for most of you, but Saturday is half over on this side of the world so I’m taking the Antipodian liberty of getting this show started
I sometimes refer to Luna as “the Galumphing Galloot.”
In this photo, I think you can see why.
She is actually very agile for her size, sometimes amazingly so. But there’s just so much of her that you’d best be elsewhere when she’s charging along.
Very cute, but oh, so not cuddley.
This young Short-beaked Echidna was wandering (waddling, actually) through our back yard about a half hour ago.
Echidnas are one of the two remaining monotremes left in the world. The other is the Platypus.
Monotremes lay a leathery egg (like a reptile egg) from the same orifice through which they pass feces (hence monos single + trema, hole; which refers to the cloaca, a feature they share with birds).
And although they don’t have nipples, they secrete milk through specialized skin cells.
Monotremes’ main evolutionary “flaw” seems to be that they are none too bright, but like many a politician with a similar paucity of smarts, they’ve survived by finding specialized niches and giving anyone who tries to eat them a good poke (male Platypus actually have a poison spur).
A rare photo of Luna in motion (like most dogs, she does sleep/rest an awful lot).
Luna is the only Pyrenean I’ve had that likes to play fetch (or more accurately “keep away” until she decides the only way you’ll throw it again is if she lets you have it). She insists that we play it at least once each day
Since the weather has gotten warmer, Albert has given up his spot by the wood stove in the living room in favor of the “fortress of solitude” (i.e. the bathroom).
Here he is, esconced in the corner behind the loo.