I usually post photographs of sparkling water at this beach. However, due to unprecedented storms and run off the beach is suffering. I shot this photographs during a break in the wet weather last week. The water is full of toxic material from the inland areas and the beach is covered with material swept down too.

Spring brings a haze of purple from the jacarandas in New South Wales.

Yellow tail black cockatoo eating a banksia seed. The bird does not look as impressive when it does not have its yellow feathers on display but this shot give a sharp view of its profile.

This kestrel inhabits our local playing fields.
It is not in the least intimidated by rugby league players and is often spotted perched on top of the goal posts.
He has become a bit of a local celebrity!

I spotted this entertaining fellow whilst waiting for the ferry at Ettalong to go to Palm Beach

A magical morning at Killcare Beach this morning, sitting with friends and family enjoying good coffee and breakfast watching this bloke having a ball in the surf.

A tawny frogmouth is not an owl.
It is a nightjar.
I have been hearing them for a couple of nights.
Spotted this one at 1pm. It seemed to be wide awake and watching me.
It really blends in with its environment.

Quake has been a resident of our area for a while.
All our neighbours have been catching sight of him for some time.
He even resided in one of our gardens for some months. He has now moved across to the wetlands.
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to get this shot as he sunned himself on a log.
He has unusual colouring but we think he is An Eastern Water Dragon.

Our native wildlife has had an extremely difficult year.
These fruit bats have struggled and are endangered.
On a particularly hot weekend, the bats came out of the canopy and roosted much lower than normal.
This little one is panting, showing signs of stress.
Luckily our local Council has installed a sprinkler systems to assist these delightful, propagators.

On a particularly beautiful morning.
Sparkling water and a surfer gave me this opportunity.

This photograph is of our friend Susie.
She has MS and is confined to a wheelchair.
Ben, the dog, is not hers but that of an elderly neighbour.
Susie takes Ben out with her carers several times a week.
We try to meet up with her as often as we can.
Ben is very protective of Susie but he and our dog, Opal, have learned to be in each other's space.
Despite her disability, Susie is one of the most positive and lovely women I have ever met.
She is a writer, a poet and an activist.

The Hunter Valley Rose Display was on this month.
I took a friend who wanted to photograph the flowers.
Due to Covid 19 the area was free of tourists, a mixed blessing for would-be phtographers.

This is our elder son, Greg, in front of
Xanthorrhoea australis,
one of my favourite Australian native plants.
It was taken on a bushwalk yesterday, 2nd November.

Spotted dove and two chicks.
This is a long tailed pigeon introduced
into Australia in the 1800s.
Good eating!!
We are enjoying watching this little family battle life's trials and flourishing in a bush in our garden.

I noticed this lovely spider's web in the garden recently.

I recently went on a walk to
Little Beach.
It was my first bushwalk after surgery.
Once there I spotted this surfer waiting for the right moment to jump off the rocks.

This photograph was taken four years ago in
Sydney's Botanic Gardens.

I have never seen these swift and active birds before.
My attention was drawn to their chatter initially. They were not scared away by my approach. Despite the fact that this one blended into the bottlebrush so well, I was lucky to catch this shot of it looking straight at me.

Yet another photograph of a breaching male humpback whale from our trip in June.
Only the males breach and tail flap as they endeavour to impress the non-pregnant females.

Another shot from our whale watching.
This shows two whales and the headlands south of Terrigal, one whale's tail and the plume of another whale closer.

It is whale watching season.
The whales are heading up the eastern coast of Australia.
Yesterday Glenn and I went on a whale watching trip from Terrigal, NSW, about 1 and a half hours north of Sydney.
We were treated to a magnificent display.

Found this whilst trawling through old photographs.

Happy New Year Everyone.
We had a power cut yesterday afternoon in 40C heat.
Heard a squeaking noise from the wetlands.
I went out thinking it might be a baby bat in distress.
I spotted a bird in the camphor laurel tree but couldn't see it for the sun.
Took a shot anyway. Thankfully someone else had been using my trusty camera and had put it on Auto.
This is the result.

A friend's son is a jetpacking instructor.
We were invited to watch as this young lady made her first attempt Not easy.
I love her face as she finally got up in the air.

This is another photograph of the Peregrine Falcon.
This time I hope you can see that it is eating the entrails of the pidgeon.

Last weekend I finally got to visit Floriarde in Canberra.
I attended a photographic workshop.
This shot was taken early in the morning before the crowds arrived.

On a recent visit to our local park I heard a squeel.
Across the other side of the park I observed a large bird on top of the flood lights.
I could not see what it was as it was too far away. I advanced across the oval, shooting as I went.
It was windy, my hat got blown off, I had a fly trying to get into my mouth and I had left my monopod in the car.
This is one of the ensuing shots.
When I could finally look in the monitor I discovered it was a peregrine falcon eating a pidgeon.
I have never seen on before.
The fact that it is surviving in this urban environment is encouraging.

My friends' two daughters shot at Laura's birthday earlier this year.
I have known the girls for 25 years, even though Laura is only 24!! So I knew her before she was born.
Katherine is a world ice-hockey player whom we coached initally in inline hockey and got her into the sport. (we have to take credit where ever possible.)

Glenn and I managed to get away for a few days to
Katoomba.
It is a couple of hours west of the Sydney CBD.
This is the view of the escarpment from our hotel room.
If one looks carefully, one can see the
Megalong Valley
in the distance.

I took this shot a few years ago in
The Sydney Botanic Gardens.
The original image os of the eels swimming just below the water in the pond.
I manipulated the image and rotated it for interest and impact.

Another hand held, slow shutter speed
shot taken at
The Five Lands Festival.
total luck as I had no idea what I was going to get but I like this shot.

We are used to seeing the Sacred Ibis in this area.
This is a straw necked ibis which seems to be shyer.
It has taken me a few weeks to get close enough to get a decent photograph since a pair moved into the area of our local playing fields where I walk.
I love the iridescent wings.

Walking around the local oval where a flock of these corellas ofen graze, I decided to try my luck.
Luck was wih me, these mischevious birds refused to be intimitated by me. I was able to get very close.
These birds eat grass seeds, so spend a lot of time on the ground.

Another hand held shot from the opening ceremony
of
The Five Lands Festival.
I didn't know what i was doing but I liked the effect.

The Opening Night of Five Lands Celebrations
This wonderful lady was celebrating the traditional
owners of this land with fire eating and fire twirling. Brilliant on a chilly winter's evening.

Driving down to the beach we saw an ambulance.
Half an hour later we saw a man being stretchered off the beach with a suspected spinal injury.
The professionalism of the paramedics and volunteer lifesavers is to be applauded.
The gentleman is expected to make a recovery after treatment and rehab.
The surf club asked for copies of this shot for their presentation evenings.

The black swan is the symbol of
Western Australia.
We do not usually have them in this area but there
appear to be fifty at the pelican breeding reserve.
Please look at it in original size.

This cheeky kookaburra was lucky enugh to score a bit of steak from the staff at a kiosk near the beach.
I was lucky enough to catch this shot before he flew off and gobbled it down.
It is best viewed in it original size.

I cannot resist taking photographs of these beguiling creatures.
This shot was taken at midday.
I usually take my photographs at dusk which makes life a little difficult.
I am happy to say that the bats have now been with us for more than two years.
Unfortunately, 35,000 died in the heat in Far North Queensland last sping. 5,000 in one day alone.
This makes me treasure my photographs even more.

I took this shot of my eldest son, Greg,
some time ago. He is with both dogs.
The white one is now 18 years old whilst the other is five.

I discovered this katydid on some
of my succulents yesterday. These are
found on the eastern seaboard of Australia.
it was very slow moving and cooperative.

This photograph is a couple of years old.
I took my friend's daughter to our local art
gallery. Outside is a Japanese garden to honour
our sister city.
This is Serena feeding the ducks and the koi.

The yellow-footed rock-wallaby
i found in restricted areas of
South Australia, New South Wales,
and Queensland.
I took this photograph at The Australian Reptile Park recently.

The Waterfall Cafe is one of my
favourite places for a coffee or lunch.
This is part of the view from the balcony of the
restaurant.
Best viewed in original size

Took some relatives from the UK to
The Australian Reptile Park
to introduce them to our Ossie animals.
The koalas were very alert and active,
Luckily I had my camera with me and took full advantage

I took this a couple of years ago at my local beach, Ocean Beach.
It is unusual for me as it was taken on a dull, windy day.

Lucky shot!
I had noticed droppings around but had not seen
one of these flighty birds for months.
Glenn noticed him through the window and I managed
to sneak out of the front door and take this one shot.
I think he may have been eating our pet spiders as he is surrounded by cobwebs.
I have cropped it very close to eliminate the wall of the house as I barely got out of the front door before he was scared off.

Walking through the bush this morning,
I noticed the light highlighting this fern,
making it stand out from the shadows.
This image has not been edited.

I played around with this shot of
sea and sand when on a walk with
Sally and Hal a couple of years ago.

I took this photograph some time ago.
The frangipani has lost its leaves but gained a
dragonfly. This was taken in my garden.

Storm clouds building on a winter's day
give my usual beach walk a different mood.

Saw this couple leave their
footprints in the sand on an
evening walk.
I did a little post processing.

I noticed the shadows one of our frangipani
trees was making on the gate to our back garden.
I played around in post processing to produce this
image.

I observed a dust storm that had been
created by a man driving a remote control
car on the bmx track at our local recreation area.
He spoiled the atmosphere for everyone for some distance around. Shame!!
Provided a great image tho'.

On one of my beach walks,
I happened to spot this arrangement
of Neptune's pearls.
arranged in the shape of a fish.
I did not rearrange the seaweed in any way.

I took this photgraph with the intention of highlighting these heritage listed cottages in Brisbane Water National Park.
Annoyingly or fortuitiously this bright yellow speed boat turned up after a day of entertaining the children who were on holidays.

This is an older shot of our eldest son, Greg
with Opal enjoying a splash in the waves at our local beach.

Not sure what type of turtle this rascal is about to eat. I can see a flipper but the orange spots have me flummoxed.

As I waited for the ferry from
Ettalong to Palm Beach,
I spotted this pied cormorant
trying to rid itself of an itch.

During our lunch yesterday for my son's birthday this
lovely lizard posed for me for some time.
The cafe is in a nursery that is a beautiful rainforest and this fellow is a regular.
This is best viewed in original ize.

Taken from just outside our back fence,
this stunning sky was a delight to behold
last week.

This photograph was taken in the historic
Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
It was taken just before Christmas last year,
as you will see.
I love the muted colours despite the clarity and bright sunlight that was around the rest of the gardens.
Please note:
It is not a bat nor a flying fox ha ha, just for a change.

Two weeks ago, as the sunset, I spotted
some greay headded flying foxes in the
paperbark trees.
I pushed my camera to the limits to get this shot as
the light was fading and the bats were in the tops of the trees.

I took this shot some time ago at a Pelican Feeding.
I then edited it in an attempt to ephasise the birds' faces.

We had some high seas last week.
Thousands of bluebottles were stranded
on the beach.
I love the artistry of their placement on the sand.

In extremely rough weather,
a father was teaching his son
in the safety of a rock pool.
There is a lot of detail to be seen in the orginal.

I loved the plumage detail
as this bird as it dried its
feathers.

This is an old photograph I took at
The Entrance, NSW.
After the pelican feeding show,
these two wasted no time in leaving the scene.

Taken on our trip last year in
The Torres Strait.
The water was always sparkling.

Some of you may already know that we recently had a
colony of some 7800 grey headed flying foxes living in the wetlands on the opposite of our laneway. Yes, I do know exactlyhow many were there as I was a volunteer in the count run by our local council and State Land Council Sadly, most of them have moved on. A friend, who is a carer for orphaned flying foxes invited me to meet this lovely little girl. She has been named by the lady who originally spotted her hangng onto her mother who had been electrocued by overhead wiring. She hung on for over four hours before being rescued by The Electricity workers. I was lucky enough to be invited to meet her (but not touch or get too close) by the friend who is caring for her.

A common bird, often overlooked
showing off colours and topknot for me
at the beach.

It is said that Australia made its money on
"The Sheep's Back".
These sheep in Cowra look as if they are having a
happy life.
If you look at this in its original size, you will see some interesting detail.

Furnicular Station through
the eyes of the monastery.
Set in the rock of the national park
a wonder to behold.

Saw this in a museum in Portugal.
Just wonder if anyone recognises it?

These two blokes nearly came to grief on the same wave
at
McMaster's Beach.

We attended the
Indigenous Concert in Sydney
for
Australia Day.
This was one of the dancers from the south coast of NSW. His expertise and enthusiasm stood out.

On an overcast day I went for a walk
along the ridge at Mount Ettalong.
This is the view down to Pearl Beach.
I love the patterns the waves make on this
sheltered beach.
The lady walking along the beach adds "life" to the shot.
This suburb is expensive and attracts lots of celebrities from Sydney.

This swallow is so named because
it is usually the bird that welcomes
seafarers to the coast.
They are extremely fast and acrobatic as
they dip and dive.

This photograph was taken on
World Giraffe Day at Dubbo Zoo.
One can pay $7 extra to feed the giraffes.
I wish I had done it. They curled their beautiful blue
tongues around the carrots very carefully before gently removing them from the hand offering the food.

I have previously put up a fully grown
praying mantis.
This is a baby one walking along the
railing on our front balcony.

Nikon D600

This is the same willy wagtail as in the previous shot.
Still showing off and flying around loop de loop.
I forgot to mention that the indigenous people of the Central Desert, the Anangu people, believe that one should not gossip around a willy wagtail as they will carry the information to your enemies.

I was enthralled watching
this aerobatic willy wagtail
for over an hour on the banks of
The Macquarie River in Dubbo last
week.

This tiger had just
devoured a chicken neck
at
Dubbo Western Plains Zoo

I came across this incredibly rare find when walking along the beach. It is an extremely poisonous
Blue Sea Dragon, stranded in a small puddle at low tide.
This creature kills blue bottles and absorbs their poison.
I wanted to return it to the sea but luckily my son dissuaded me. I realised my good fortune when I returned home and researched my find.

My dog with reflection at the beach.
She is a rescue dog from Lightning Ridge,
far northern NSW, famous for its opal mines.
Naturally, her name is Opal.

Loved the shape of this blue bottle.
Had fun with the name.

I chased this bird after looking for
parrots. High above my head I took a pic
with fingers crossed.
Michael, this is the photograph I mentioned
in my comments to you.

This is what is left of the prisoner of war camp
set up in WWII.
It is an idyllic setting and many of the
prisoners were permitted to work outside the camp.

Backlit grass that looks lilac.
Just a throw away shot while out with
Mary.
I was very surprised when I got home
as saw the colours and textures.
They are appreciated better in the original size.

These birds sing beautifully
but are very aggressive.
There were a pair of them trying
to move into our area.
The native minas were defending their
territory very bravely.

Two bees making the most
of the pollen in gum tree
flowers that are in bloom at
the moment.

These extremely rare and
endangered Flying Foxes
are still in residence in
the wetlands across from out house.
I finally managed to get some photographs
on a sunny day.
The flying foxes usually sleep during the day,
so I was lucky to get this shot.

Took Mary to Somersby Falls
for a photo op.
Dan was happy to pose for us.

This is a sulphur crested cockatoo.
This one was being particularly noisy
and bossy. The others were ignoring him.
In the twenties the "Cockatoo" was the name
for the gang member who stood watch to warn of the
arrival of the police.
Cockies can also be the name used for a farmer in Australia.
These birds can live to 100 years old. Our cousin has one that imitates his telephone exactly even to the extent of the correct number of rings before the answering machine takes over. Very realistic.

Mary, Daniel, Marcia and I had been at
Somersby Falls
due to the massive rainfall
we are having at the moment.
As we turned to leave I spotted this colourful fellow as he tried to stay away from us.
Luckily managed to get a couple of frames before he scuttled away under his favourite rock.

The ladies from the local surf crew
were out for a training run when I took
this photograph.
Wish I had their youth and vigour!!

I usually only find blue dragonflies
in the garden but was delighted to
see this colourful insect yesterday.
Unfortunately, it continually came to rest
on a plant that died in the recent heatwave.

A young man taking a risk
to watch the rough seas at the
southern end of Umina Beach

During a recent period of wild weather
I managed to take this impressive wave on
one of my beach walk

Dear friend Hal enjoying a coffee
as well as listening to Mary's Musical Mob
at McMaster's Beach.
I hope you enjoyed the alliteration!!

Waiting for their turn to entertain.

Self explanatory....dogs
having a race through the surf.

We have been entertained by these
noisey visitors for the last few weeks.
Finally managed to catch one of them.
These are the red variety of flying fox.
Happy Valentine's Day.

I went to visit some of my ex pupils from far western NSW on a visit to the beach.
This young man gave me the perfect opportunity when he did a magnificent backflip.

Again from our holiday on
Horn Island, Torres Strait.
An evening shot amongst
the mangroves.
The juvenile is on the left.

This was one of the wonderful sunsets
we witnessed on our recent trip to
The Torres Strait.
The sun is setting behind
Thursday Island...pure magic.

On an evening drive, Daniel and I noticed lightning
on the other side of the broadwater.
As I was unprepared and inexperienced,
I was literally "shooting in the dark".
As I had my finger on the shutter,
a lady rode passed on a pushbike resulting in the ghostly stream behind Daniel.

In July, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending
The CIAF (Cairns Indigenous Art Fair).
This gentleman was a dancer in one of the groups.
He had great skills and charisma.

This is a tawny frogmouth.
Not an owl. One of the nightjars.
Friends spotted three of them in a nearby tree whilst we were having afternoon tea on the veranda.
I have heard them for some time but have never been able to find them. As you can see they are extremely well camouflaged.
We were surprised how alert they were considering it was daytime.

Rock fishing is the most dangerous sport in Australia.
Hard to believe but we lose many fishermen lives each year.
I sat and watched as this gentleman diced with death repeatedly.
However, he did provide me with an excellent photo opportunity.
Can you see the yacht on the horizon???
This photograph was taken at the northern end of Killcare Beach....ironic?

My dear friend, Mary,
looking gorgeous at McMasters Beach.

I know I have posted a photograph of
one of these birds before. However, this
shot was taken in the Royal Botanic Gardens in
Sydney. I had not realised that these were nectar
eating birds until I witnessed this.

Now imagine me on the same beach as the previous photograph.
The spray from the waves was unusually high for this sheltered end of the beach.
Probably best to view in original size.

I was sitting high on the
beach trying to capture the
big swell.
Inadvertently I snapped this
little girl as she ran alon

Again sitting on back veranda
managed to capture this
sulphur crested cockatoo
in flight.

This photograph wa taken at
Terrigal Haven
This is a popular spot for fishing, scuba diving,
picnics and outings.

I had one chance only at
capturing this butterfly
when it landed on the flower
while I was at the beach.
Not my usual beach shot folks.

I spotted this surfboard lying in the sand.
I did some post editing in photoshop to alter
the image for effect.

In the camelias in the back
garden.
Love these little fellas.

I was coerced into picking Glenn up after a long bushwalk.
I took my camera, just in case.
I had no sooner parked the car, gone to the boot
and taken out my camera when I saw this monster at the base of the tree.
It took its time climbing up to a fork in the tree as I happily clicked away.
He was at least 1.5m (4ft) long.
I think I caught him unawares as this road is no longer used since the freeway was built.
Be sure to look at in in original size for maximum detail.

A group of musicians was playing swing music at a beach where we often go for coffee.
The drummer saw my camera and asked me to take some shots for them.
This is one I took of Mary, an ex co-worker.
As we enjoyed the music two pods of hump back whales swam past.
Good to be alive on a day like this.

This is a grass eating parrot.
I watched it for some time but did not
manage to get a shot of its impressive
red tail feathers.
It was taken west of The Blue Mountains of NSW.
One can see that the ground is very dry and there are
numerous bare patches in the ground cover.

I met this gorgeous young lady at
my nice's wedding in the
Hunter Valley.
She was having a wonderful time making
her dress twirl.
I loved the way the light shone through it.

This is another shot taken
in
our back garden.

Whilst visiting the Cowra Region with a friend,
we saw this in the field where she had lived,
just 30 minutes outside Cowra.
I thought it look like an art installation but I was
assured it is a working piece of farm equipment.

I often sit on our back veranda and
watch the world go by.
I managed to get this shot of a
Meadow Argus Brown butterfly on my
lavender.
Please view it in original size.

Lagging behind I got this shot at
my favourite beach.

On our recent trip to Horn Island,
I was relaxing on the veranda of our cabin.
I heard tapping on the roof.
This is what I saw.

This shot was from the
lookout at Killcare.
We had intended to go to the beach
but the weather changed very quickly.
If you look at this in original size,
you will see the small white boats,
fleeing back to the safety of Pittwater.

On a sparkling spring day,
these young boys were making the most
of the waves.

This is Glenn, my better half.
We were walking the dogs late
in the afternoon at low tide when I took
this shot.

I always enjoy looking for
patterns on the waves.
I particularly love sunlight
reflected on the waves. If there
is life in the shot, so much the better.
Again, not a bird.
Here I captured the waves with a walkers in shot at various positions along the beach.

On one of my many walks at the beach,
I spotted this exuberant little girl.
She and her brother were playing in the
water, despite the wintery weather.
I did not want to intrude so I took this
from some distance. You can see her dress
is wet from her forays into the surf.
She is not a bird.

Is it a bird?
No it is not a bird.
It is my friend's dog in mid air.
She is a little pocket rocket
who loves the beach.

This wonderful creation was at The Cairns
Indigenous Art Festival.
It is described as "Ghost Net" due to
the fact that fishing nets that have been
cast adrift float ashore and are salvaged by
Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait
Islanders.

This kingfisher was
enjoying a morning swim
and then drying off
by flapping his wings.
This is another shot from Horn Island.

This little fellow has a long
beak so he can delve into flowers
to drink the nectar.
This image was taken on Horn Island, in the
Torres Strait off the coast of far
northern Queensland.

Torres Strait dancer shows his pleasure
after a successful performance in Cairns,
Queensland.
His dhuri,or head dress,is representative
of a shark with an open mouth.

I went to Cowra, south of Sydney,
last week with a friend.
We went out of town to where
she had grown up. On the way
back, I spotted this interesting
group of buildings (or what is left of them).

This heron had just swallowed
its lunch when I took this photograph.

On a much over due visit
to see
Hal and Sally, I spotted
this soldier crab just before
he burrowed into the sand.

Our older dog enjoying
his walk at one of our
local beaches.

On a recent day trip up the coast,
we seemed to bump into this father
and son making the most of the school
holidays to spend some time together.
Here they are checking out the waves at
Birdie Beach ih the Munmorrah State Recreation Park

As the name suggests, this pelican
only has one wing but he is
35 years old!!
What a survivor.
The demonstrators ensure he gets fish at
each feeding.

A local pelican rescue team runs a
feeding session daily to check on the health
of the pelicans and to ensure that none have
injuries from fish hooks or fishing line.
This pelican was lucky enough to catch one of
the fish..I was lucky enough to catch this
shot.

At low tide, reflections are wonderful.
This couple were oblivious to me.

This is one of our stunning native plants.
It provides nectar for birds, bees and
humans (when dipped in water).

Glenn spotted this little fella
on our visit to one of our local
nurseries to buy some plants.
I quickly got the camera out and caught this
before he sped off into the undergrowth.
Check it out in original size to see detail.

I loved the contrast of the
bright against the sand
in the evening light

I was sitting taking a break
on the sand dunes when I was
discovered by one of the dogs
who came rushing towards me.

A young child making the most
of the "Indian Summer" we are
experiencing at this time was
totally engrossed in play and
oblivious to anyone around.

This fish was part of an art installation
at Avoca Beach last winter.
I manipulated the image in order
to make the the metallic fish stand out from
the sea and the sand.

I often have coffee at this
kiosk at the surf lifesaving club.
Blessed to have this view and coffee.
Lion Island is in the photograph
Sydney's most northern headland behind.
This was taken whilst my coffee buddy was still
with us but she decided to use "alternative" medicine
and paid the ultimate price.

Daniel and I went for a short drive.
We wanted to make the most of the last of the evening light.
When Daniel walked out onto the rocks to look up
the estuary I took this shot with him in profile.
As a traditional owner of the land,
Daniel must have wondered what would have happened if there had not been such a
violent invasion by the white settlers.
Sydney is directly behind Daniel in the distance.

Spotting this wonderful
specimen of a
Giant Stick Insect
on my fly screen the other day.
I managed to get this shot of him before he
wandered off into the shrubbery.
I saw him (perhaps) about a year ago.
Nice to see he is still a member of our ec0-system.
He was about 25cms (10 inches) long.

Daniel is a wonderful
young indigenous man from
Brewarrina which is a remote
community over 700klms from Sydney.
I took this photograph on one of his
recent visits.

Out walking one evening, I could not resist this
pelican flying over my head.
Very common around here but popular.

This photograph was taken from
the air on a helicopter trip
around Uluru. If you look in
the distance you will see the distant
ranges.
I was truly lucky the light was spectacular.

These birds are ground dwellers.
The males assist with caring for the eggs.
They have a spur on their legs to assist
with defense.
The nests are usually found in open grasslands.
(Often school playgrounds).
It doesn't take long for people to learn to stay well away.

This is a dear friend.
She is always happy to pose
for a photograph.

These are carp in the
Japanese Gardens which are
attached to our Regional Art Gallery
in Gosford.
As you can see, the carp are very tame.

Loved the
repetition of the
lines of this
old wooden boat.

I met two delightful young men
and their dad with this young,
tame, green cheek conure.
I did not have my camera but managed
to get a couple of photographs with my iphone.
Thanks Daniel for letting me take these shots.
Thank you for teaching me about a bird I
knew nothing about.

Taken on an overcast day,
and frustrated that I hadn't
taken any photographs for a while,
I went out in the rain and found this scene.

My friend's dog, Squeak.
We often "dog" sit when
he goes on holidays.

Our usually pristine beaches
were heavily littered with
driftwood after an unusually
heavy storm in June.
Hopefullly, this makes for an interesting photograph.

This old timer is spending
the its retirement in the
front garden of a house only
a few streets from our house.

A friend's daughter
happily posed for
me last year.

When viewed from above,
the spinifex
forms a circle as the
centre dies and the grass
moves further out.

This was photograph taken on the beach
at low tide.
There were wonderful reflections of clouds
in the water left on the sand.

Poor old truck
spending its final days
in the shade of an
old gum tree.

I was surprised when I got so close to
this bird.
This is a native mina, not to be confused
with the Indian minas that scavenage,
made a mess and kill our native birds and their eggs.

This is the other side of the previous photograph.
It is vest viewed in original size.

A local attraction, this building
must be stronger than it looks.
Great Fish and Chips, tho'.
Photography for a dull, rainy day.

At the moment the jacarandas are in bloom
giving the land the most beautiful mauve
hue.

Just managed to catch this cheeky fellow after
he flew into the trees to eat this meaty treat.
This bird is known for its raucous laugh and colourful
folliage.

Reflections of a dancer on the beach on a rainy day.

An overcast rainy day.
This young lady was having fun.

I was trying to teach my friend, Marge how to take a
"selfie". This is the result.
Marge is in her mid nineties and still has the
most beautiful copperplate handwriting.
She also has a great sense of humour!

These iconic dams are lifesavers for
Australian Farmers, their crops and herds.
Fortunately, these had water!!

Noticed this fellow above my head
in the lane in front of our house.

Managed to capture this little fellow above me in the
lane at the front of the house.
First time I have seen one of these colourful males.

This heron took its time walking along the path near the sand dunes. I was have a much needed coffee under the surf club when I spotted it. I have been trying to get a photograph of one of these beautifiul birds for a while.

Initially, I did not see the spoon bill hiding in the reeds. It was a pleasant surprise.

Taken in suitu, this little beauty caught
my eye despite it being among lots of foot
prints and car tracks.
Lots of shells have been washed up on the beach
due to high tides lately.

Walking back along the beach with the dogs,
I couldn't resist this scene, the holiday makers returning to the camp site.

This shot is an homage to Lin Onus who is a famous aboriginal artist. His famous, work,
Fruit Bats,
hangs in the Art Gallery of NSW.
The photograph was not staged, and was taken in the
student's backyard whilst searching for inspiration.
At the time, I was working with aboriginal Fine Arts students for a local university.

This picturesque cottage is
situated in Hunter Valley, NSW.

Driving west to Dubbo I came across
this wonderfully colourful scene,
unusual for Australia
So happy to be in the right place
at a good time.

This beach is very sheltered and we seldom
have waves that are this big.
This was taken at Kiddies Corner
where I often go for a walk with the dogs.

Last summer, I watched this family
engaged in one of Australia's favourite
pass times, Beach cricket.
Low tide and late afternoon sun
add to the atmosphere.

Rainbow Lorikeets are very noisy and colourful birds
that take advantage of seasonal blossoms.
They suck nectar from Australian native plants.
This shot was taken in a friend's garden.

One of my resident superb fairy wrens
was being particularly co-operative recently.
I never tire of their constant flitting around the garden.
Their singing gladdens my heart.

After a walk along the beach with
a couple of friends, I snapped this
informal shot of Debra as she climbed up
a mound.

A brilliant winter's day,
perfect surf for those brave
enough to enter the water,
and the opportunity
gave me this photograph.

Lorikeets like to drink nectar from grevillea flowers.
Luckily, I found these two in a friend's garden while
having a cup of tea late on Sunday afternoon.

Popped in to see my friend after she came home
from a short trip up north.
I opted to sit outside and have a cuppa.
Luckily I had my camera to hand when the lorikeets came
a calling.

This dear friend of mine, Debra, took me to lunch at
Pearls at Pearl Beach for my birthday.
Along with another friend, we headed onto the beach
for a bit of fun with camera in hand.

Glenn and I drove a friend to
Newcastle Airport for a pre-dawn flight.
Hoping to get breakfast we drove to the coast
and were lucky enough to see this
brilliant sky reflected in the ocean.

Taken late in the day,the remnants of a child's
imagination and industry.

Luckily this little fellow was not at all shy.
Initially he was in the middle of a bush then moved to this spot
which was much more photo friendly.

This view is of Killcare Beach.
It looks up the Hawkesbury River and south to Sydney.
I don't know the people on the beach.
I hope this shot shows the majesty of
the headland.

This kookaburra was sitting in the melaleuca
for some time an allowed me to get lots of shots of him.
Indigenous Australians believe that when one hears a kookaburra laugh,
it is a warning that there are snakes around!!

Another shot of my "tame" blue wrens.
As I have said before, these birds sing to their eggs.
If the hatchlings do not know the song, the are kicked out of the nest.

These birds are notoriously shy.
I have been lucky enough to find a family that are not shy.
This young male permitted me to take a number of shots.
This was the last, he was in the process of flying off.

I took this shot at Avoca Beach.
The rock pool is in the foreground the winter sun is glistening on the surf.
High noon.

This is a mature Superb Fairy Wren.
These are Australian's favourite bird
I have been trying to get a good shot of one of these for years.
His family lives in our plumbago but usually flit away as soon as I go into the garden.
I had been trying for a couple of hours before getting this shot.
Thanks to Glenn who called me out.
I had to be patient but I am happy with this photograph.
Enjoy!

This whale is part of an art installation at Avoca Beach.
In winter The Five Lands Festival pays homage to indigenous culture.
The whale is an integral focus of this celebration.
The wales are migrating north at this time.

This pig is part of the Vivid installation
Around Sydney Harbour for 2015.
Illuminating experience!

Usually very popular with holiday makers
I found the beach almost deserted
except for these two fishermen and one brave surfer.

This is a shot of Reuben Doolah performing on Clarke Island for The Tribal Warrior.
The Tribal Warrior conducts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island tours of Sydney Harbour.
I am ashamed to say that I cannot remember which dance Reuben was doing when I shot this photograph. The shot had to be taken in full sun at midday but, thankfully, under the sun shade. Reuben had asked me to take a series of photographs while he was studying for his degree in Fine Arts.
Great opportunity.

Sorry folks but it is another shot taken on my beach walks.
Iphone handy, as usual.
Pleased with the result tho'

The sacred ibis are becoming numerous in the Sydney area. They are a menace as they scavenge from rubbish bins.
However, i do like seeing them in a more natural state.
Again, this was taken in the wetlands across from our house.

Taken on Clarke Island with Sydney homes in the background.
Centuries ago ingenious indigenous Australians cut grooves in the sandstone to trap fish when the tide receded.
Meanwhile, the white colonists were starving on either side of the harbour!!

This photograph is of my friend, Reuben Doolah, a famous indigenous performer.
Reuben Is of Torres Strait and Aboriginal origins.
He is painted in traditional ochre for a performance on Clarke Island in Sydney Harbour.
I had taken many photographs that day but had trouble as it was full sun and in the middle of the day. I recropped it after uploading the previous pic.

The flood that ad cut the town off was receding when I took this pic.
The students would alight here heir way to on the way to school daily.
You may be able to see the water mark upon the trees.

The day I took this photo there we a large number of baby frogs on the four gardenia plants just outside our front door.
The eastern dwarf tree frog or Eastern Sedge-frog, is a small and very common tree frog found on the eastern coast of Australia, from around Cairns, Queensland, to around Ulladulla, New South Wales

Decided to play around with this image of the wetlands because I loved the reflections.
Enjoy!

Lucky to have access to a protected wetlands. Just managed to get this before it flew off. Pure luck!! Again!!

My friend's daughter found my fascinator and popped it on her head.

This is our eldest son, Greg, who will be 34 on the 16th March, 2015. A source of great pleasure in our lives.

Glenn and I spent a glorious day on Broughton Island, a 90 minute boat ride from Port Stephens. After lunch on board the boat, we walked over the hill to this deserted beach. Just magic. After a swim Glenn lay down on the sand and I could not resist taking this photograph of him. For the non-Aussies, a "Beach Bum" is someone who is unemployed and spends his/her time at the beach.

On the left hand side of this photograph is an area that is classified as "preservation of flora and Fauna". The Jacarandas are not Australian but provide a wonderfully colourful palette in spring. The lilac carpet is always a delight.

This photograph was taken just outside Broken Hill. The state was in the grips of a one in 100 year drought at the time. This area is in a national park that preserves local flora and fauna, as well as exhibiting artist' works in the sculpture park.

These dolphins were trawling up and down the beach close to shore early one morning.

Fiddler Beetle

Fiddler Beetles are common around Sydney and are named for the fiddle (violin) shaped patterns on their backs.

On a dull evening, I saw this old piece of machinery that has obviously been in service to the local Life Saving Club. I had never seen it before. The oars for the surfboats drew my attention.

Greg loves his beanbag ... when he can get it first.
This is our rescue dog who enjoys her creature comforts.

I was celebrating a friend' engagement with camera on hand when I spotted the duck and reflections in the pond behind the happy couple.

On a recent indigenous tour of Uluru I fell behind the group and experienced the calm of this beautiful culturally significant region. One of the elders waited calmly while I composed this shot.

This shot was taken on a cold spring morning. I like the light filtering through the clouds and reflecting on the waves.

This is an older style wooden boat that is often tied up near a wharf that I pass on one of my favourite walks.

Dead blue bottles washed up on the beach just asking to be snapped.

I spotted this shell on one of my walks along the beach. I didn't even notice the ladybird until I put the photo on the computer screen. This made the walk worthwhile, considering the rain and wind.

A dear friend of of over 30 years permitted me to take this shot to test my then new camera.

This is my rescue dog. She and the other members of her litter were tied in a sack and left in the bush in the heat of summer at Lightning Ridge, hence her name.

Uluru is the an every changing canvas. It is a most magical space, especially when one learns the original inhabitants' beliefs about it. This was one of the many shots I took early in the morning. We got a bus when it was still dark out to the site and watched in silence and wonder at the constant evolution of the view as the sun came up.

I took this photograph at the foot of Uluru at several years ago. The colours have not been altered.

This shot was taken by my friend. I set it up. We were in an historic village on the River near Newcastle, NSW. It was about a year ago.
Hal, I have known you for 30 years now. We visited you about two years ago.
Thanks for all the kind comments.

We live close to a wetlands and this little fella appeared one day. Usually, we get hundreds of tiny green tree frogs at a time. This frog was all alone. I do not know what species he is. Still trying to find out.

This surfer was about to enter the water when I captures this shot of him as the sun was coming up.

Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for your warm welcome.
l took this seascape near to where we live,
North of Sydney