A Wildlife Morning

I was a little ambitious initially, thinking I would be able to keep up the pace with a daily blog, so I apologise for being AWOL over the last couple of days.

 I have been continuing  with my research on Climate Change and next week I am hoping to conduct some recorded interviews on the subject.
Click on images for a larger view.

A moment of sunlight appeared through the clouds shortly after sunrise this morning.

Seems quiet around Lake Cathie for a school holiday Saturday, however the weather is quite overcast with the possible threat of storms. Australian Rules Grand Final Day may also be having an impact.

This female Eastern Grey stood on the bank while Joey climbed in the pouch ready to cross the shallow channel of the lake. Wildlife seems to appreciate the cloudy conditions and The Eastern Grey Kangaroos spend more time out in the open.

Well on her way to the other side it must be quite a ride for Joey. Another larger Joey, most likely born last year, was not far behind.

I heard a splash behind me and this Osprey had just made a catch.

Mum and the older Joey were very concerned by any human noises, and with the sound of gun shots last night, I can't blame them. Its a concern with the latest hunting laws, that weapons are being used so close to the village. An unconfirmed report of hunters in someones backyard is extremely worrying. Coincidentally there are deer in that yard most nights, and some appear to be missing.

A White Breasted Sea Eagle sits patiently in a familiar tree, intently watching the water below.

A Great Egret seems very happy with a new perch the tide has placed in the channel.

A Pelican appeared from the far side of the lake with a perfect landing.

A liitle sad seeing this old fella who just a few short years ago was in his prime and led the mob.

Time for the Pelican to leave and for me to head home after my second trip this morning. Im afraid that does look like fishing line attached to the wing of this beautiful bird.

As I came in the gate the younger of our two resident water dragons was out basking on the warm stonework.

I found the second older dragon in another area of the garden. They seem to be keeping their distance from each other.

A late addition The Scaly Breasted Lorikeet enjoying the bottlebrush in the courtyard.

 

My SLR Camera tip for today is take a chair and be patient with wildlife. Set up with a good view of habitat and watch for movement. Be ready, as it all happens very quickly!!

Fair Dinkum!!

Will Humans Survive the 21st Century

Are many of us still sceptical over Global Warming and are we being influenced by the Media Denialists and their Masters.

 

Over the last couple of days I have not written anything. I really needed to absorb the facts about what I had seen in our State Forests and also do some research on media influence towards climate change.

What I cannot comprehend is the current trend by the mining, petroleum and forestry industries to exploit resources at such a great rate that it conflicts with any efforts by any Government to slow down carbon emissions.

Forestry clear felling Swans Crossing

For my Media and Communications course I had selected Climate Change or Global Warming as a topic for a fifteen minute presentation on a news item. It is to be in the context of how the media presents us with the information or more importantly with the facts.

After nearly a week of research I just feel like putting the new strings on my guitar, I purchased three months ago, and forgetting I chose this topic. To be quite honest I feel depressed about my findings and needed to share a little of the research so far. Have I been so naive that I have ignored the real facts, or is it that I and many others are being fed untruths by certain influential sectors of mass media. What is the real motivation of the denialists? Power and money are most likely the answer but perhaps it runs deeper in the fact that we are already witnessing a collapse in the world economy.

 

What happened to the protest voices of the late sixties and seventies. Where is a new Bob Dylan or will Peter Garret come to his senses. Too often the younger generation complains about the problems my generation has caused, and yet they have been carefully manipulated, joining the ranks of consumerism through media advertising. It is daunting, frightening and somewhat unbelievable that the denialists are using this to manipulate the average person into thinking all will be OK and the Scientists have got it wrong.

I have read that I am in the age group that is amongst the highest in Climate Change skeptisism and denial, however to understand what has led to this statistic we should take a look at the Mass Media.

Sunrise taken May 2009 during North Coast Floods

It is not about what we are hearing in the Media it's about what we are not being told. When the  world's expert Climate Scientists began to tell Governments' and the Media their fears on Climate Change, another group shortly went into action to discredit those experts and create doubt. In the USA this group of lesser known scientists had been organised by corporations including the Fossil Fuel and Petroleum Industries who had and still have  the most to lose from evidence that unequivocally proves  man is contributing to global warming.

Please read the following two essays on the subject from "The Monthly".

http://www.themonthly.com.au/how-vested-interests-defeated-climate-science-dark-victory-robert-manne-5853

http://www.themonthly.com.au/blog-lord-monckton-and-future-australian-media-robert-manne-4575

Severe Storm on East Coast December 2008

I am just an average Australian that has relied on mainstream media for the news. I believed that the media supplied our news openly and honestly and why would there be hidden agendas. Unfortunately in Australia the denialist movement jumped quickly on the methods being used by the denialists in the US. One of the most prominent places this can be seen is in talk back radio, but also extends to newspaper and television coverage.

To understand the reasons for this denialism in Australia, we have to look at who has the most to lose and who owns the media. It is interesting to note that Alan Jones is the patron for the denialist Galileo Movement and along with his comrades Ray Hadley, John Singleton and Gina Rhinehart, they have undertaken to discredit the expert climate scientists. Why? In an interview with Australian Chief Climate Scientist Will Steffen, Alan Jones ruthlessly cross examines  Professor Steffen when it should have been Alan Jones under examination. Here is the link for your own analysis. http://podcasts.mrn.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/alanjones/20111020-aj2-willsteffen.mp3

 Floods Wauchope June 2011

In recent times the attention has focused on the global financial crisis and what can be seen as the world running out of resources. In Australia we are told how well we are surviving this crisis, as we hurriedly go about exploiting our natural resources with unsustainable practises and the profiteering of multinationals. This  was all too noticeable in our state forests last week with habitat loss and no doubt many breaches of regulations by the Forestry Industry.

I have only very briefly touched on the subject and I hope that any reader will further research this topic for themselves and draw their own conclusions.

I am afraid for my children and granchildren.

Fair Dinkum!!

 

 

Kendall and Swans Crossing

WARNING This article contains images that viewers SHOULD find disturbing.

 

Sunday morning and I decided to drive out to Kendall (just west of Kew NSW) to capture some early morning images.

It was a foggy Spring morning and my first stop was for a goods train at the Kendall level crossing.

After the train passed, I grabbed this shot of the railway bridge that crosses the Camden Haven River.

A little further out of town the fog was thick. I came across a paddock of dairy cows, most likely already milked and resting. I thought I would drive to Swans Crossing, a popular location for picnicking and camping.

Arriving at Swans Crossing the entrance had been closed by State Forests. Parking my vehicle, I noticed the site looked like it had been cleared for a major housing development. I had seen similar sites last week, but nothing on the scale of this current activity.

I decided to have a closer look, besides the walk would be good for my health I thought.

Some time later I arrived at the camping area adjacent to the main creek. My exhausted thoughts were that visitors are not going to appreciate the new look of their much loved, local recreational facility.

I walked a steep slope for a better view of the extent of clearing.

I returned to my vehicle and looked at the once pristine creek. I wondered how it would cope in heavy rainfall.

I drove to higher ground for another view of the recent clearing. I could not help but consider global warming and the potential catastrophe we are leaving behind for our grandchildren. My question was how does this type of clearing contribute to global warming and climate change. My neighbours on the coast, facing sea level rises and erosion, would certainly be questioning activities like this by our State Government. 

The clearing continued uphill, in the background was a previously harvested forest with an understory of Lantana. I have been told that the associated new ecology created by Lantana can create die back in Eucalyptus Forests, something to do with the Bell Minor Bird and Insects.

Looking back towards Swans Crossing the scale of clearing was becoming a little clearer. I cannot imagine what the reaction of regular visitors will be, I'm sure I had been told this area was also Koala Habitat. I had seen 3 eagles flying and calling over the site perhaps looking for their nests, who knows it is breeding season!

Over the last couple of years I have followed many of these forestry trails. This type of clearing is becoming a lot more obvious, with exotic weeds taking over previous forest land.

I lost sight of where I had come from but at another high vantage point I could see either the same clearing or possibly another.

A solitary tree on another cleared area frames the distant view from the previous image.

Another area of recently cleared forest on the way back out.

This gentleman waved me down, as he and his party including children, were looking for Swans Crossing. He had already been and seen the closed signs and thought he was in the wrong location. After driving all the way from the Central Coast, with friends following later in the day, he was going to turn around and head back to another location at Gloucester, about two hours south. He was not happy!

Anyhow I thought I would finish off the images with a three photo stitch panorama. It could have quite easily been 10 images to get the full scale of the impacted area. A Postcard from Swans Crossing.

My SLR Camera tip for today is - When considering the purchase of a tripod, look for a fluid head model for smooth panning, and essential for filming.

Fair Dinkum!!

Spangled Drongo Migration

It was late afternoon a couple of days ago when three prominent members of the flock of Spangled Drongos appeared on the balcony railing.

 

It was time to say goodbye as their winter migration to our part of the coast was over. They were preparing for the long flight back to North Queensland and New Guinea.
Click on images for a larger view. 

It had become a morning ritual to be greeted by these beautiful birds, sometimes up to fifteen.

They mainly feed on flying insects including dragonflies and cicadas. They return to this location annually, most likely to feed on bees from a hive in a Tuckeroo Tree across the road. The bees seemed to have been absent this year so they were treated to a little mince on occasion.

It was a wet winter and some sheltered on the balcony for long periods during the day.

From a distanced they look black, up close in the right light they have beautiful shades of blue.

They all seemed to have their own unique personalities and were quite aggressive towards each other at times.

A large Dracena growing in our courtyard provided a great perch for the Drongos'.

The courtyard wall was also a good vantage point to watch for passing insects.

Anyway they will be missed and hopefully we will be visited again next year.

Have a safe trip home!

My SLR camera tip for today is create environments in your gardens that will attract native birds and wildlife. A bird bath or water feature surrounded with the right plants should do the job.

Fair Dinkum!!

North Brother Mountain, Captain Cook and Bob Hope.

I would like to acknowledge the Biripi, the traditional owners of this land past and present.

What do Captain James Cook and Bob Hope have in common?

I couldn't get excited about photographing sunrise this morning, although amongst the thick cloud  there was a couple of minutes of a bright red ball on the horizon.
Click on images for a larger view.

Around 9am I drove around to the Little Bridge at Lake Cathie and noticed a a large group of assorted water birds including Pelicans chasing a school of fish up into a creek. I caught this Great Egret as he was returning to the main estuary.  

I decided to have a look at some local forest trails and came across these two signs on opposite sides of the road, only 5 metres apart. Hmmmm I thought, the result of the Shooter's Party holding the NSW State Government to ransom.

Thought I would then go onto Queen's Lake, but after a wrong turn somewhere, I ended back out on the Pacific Highway near Herons Creek. (Baz Luhrmann the "Australia" film director was raised in Heron's Creek and his father ran a petrol station and the Laurieton Movie Theatre.) Ok I thought an opportunity to head towards Laurieton and visit one of the best scenic views on the coast-

North Brother Mountain in the Dooragan National Park.

It was an overcast day with a few spits of rain, but the air was clean and I was able to take a few shots. When I asked the lady at the kiosk if she had seen any wildlife her reply was a Koala the day before, but on a windy day like today he would be sheltered away somewhere. This view is looking south over Watson Taylor Lake towards Taree and out of sight to the left is Crowdy Head to Foster.

Looking down towards Laurieton below, this location is often used by local hangliders for taking off.

When Captain James Cook sailed up the east coast of Australia he named the three brothers mountains, which although a great distance apart, are the remnants of the rim of one giant ancient volcano. Coincidentally, Aboriginal storytelling of the three mountains, was about three brothers. There is North Brother, Middle Brother and South Brother Mountains. The image above is a composite of The Endeavour Replica and Diamond Head near Laurieton. 

This is a three photo stitch encompassing the view north from the Lookout.

The car parking and facilities on top of North Brother Mountain designed by mid north coast Landscape Architect Rupert Milne-Home. 

The road down the mountain is around 5kms but not to steep. Regardless it is best to take it slow.

Burrawong cycads and Eucalyptus trees overlook Queen's Lake on the Western side.

Tree Ferns line the edges of the road at several points.

Looking back towards Laurieton and North Brother from Northaven. Laurieton's main claim to fame was during The Second World War, when a plane carrying a group of entertainers including Bob Hope, made a forced landing nearby after engine trouble.

Next stop was Grants Head at Bonny Hills. The beach here is affectionately known as "Sharkies" by local surfers, and for good reasons. From Bonny Hills its just a few more minutes back to Lake Cathie and another twenty minutes on to Port Macquarie.

 

My SLR Camera Tip for today is make sure your battery or batteries are charged before heading out. Guess who got caught today Ha!!

Fair Dinkum!!