Swanning along…
I thought I should share some more river images with you today… I have been so distracted with Real Life and Calendars lately, I have been remiss in opening that window into my little world that is ‘proper blogging’! My bad…
I went down to the river to turn on our bore pump this morning (an almost daily activity, with my lawns gasping for water as the dry hot spell continues on out here).
I was only down there for around ten minutes (nine minutes more than it takes to flick the switch for the pump!) and here is some of what I saw…
I think these are seed pods on she-oaks?
Love the ruggedness of the tiny cones compared to the wispy needles that are its leaves…
Reflections of the she-oaks in the still water where the creek almost meets the river…
A little further around, looking out to the river proper, with the feeding ducks framed by gum leaves and trunk reflections…
A little single-file duck procession…
Looking down river to a patch of now-submerged and dead trees, which obviously is home to some good duck food!
And then, as I was about to leave, I spied two black swans!
Serenely gliding through the crowds of smaller feathered water fowl…
I wonder if size matters, on the river highway? Does might get right of way? Hmmm….
Certainly appears to…
I also wondered if the white feathers on the lead swan meant it was younger? Or just an aberration of markings? Checking out the Wikipedia link, I see swans are monogamous (just 6% ‘divorce’ rate) but around 1/4 are homosexual. Wikipedia really gets to the nuts and bolts of fact-finding, doesn’t it?
As I snuck along the water’s edge, I spotted a shag as well… And no I don’t mean to continue on obsessing over the mating habits of birds. That’s what these diving birds (proper name ‘Great Cormorant‘) are called out here. They hang their wings out to dry after diving for fish… hence the expression, drying off ‘like a shag on a rock’ (meaning ‘standing out’, or ‘exposed’).
See the three types of river bird life in this shot? Cool…
And to finish off, a couple of shots taken a couple of days ago, from almost exactly the same spot…
A fiery sunset (thanks to lurking smoke from ongoing burning regimes around the ridges)…
Over and out from my very hot and dry (but always beautiful) corner of the world.
🙂
BB
7 Comments
Fleur McDonald
I don’t know what day you took the sunset photos, but the sun down here, on Saturday, as it sunk below the horizon, was the biggest ball of fire I’ve seen for ages. Beautiful!
Fleur McDonald´s last blog post ..Steve Rossiter on The Life and Times of Chester Lewis
Nancy in Iowa
These are magnificent photos! And you got me on the “shag” – at least for a few seconds before I read your explanation about it being the name of a bird! Thought I was about to see some Aussie bird porn!!! Thanks for sharing these.
Anne
Wow great photos. Thanks for the shag giggle (yes I knew that was what they were but still …)I love the birdlife, so serene. Beautiful, firey sunset.
Anne´s last blog post ..Little Pig, Little Pig
Penny Hannah
Super photographs as always. Shags in this part of the world are smaller than cormorants and are just called Shags – same family though, I think.
JulieinOz
Always wondered what a ‘shag’ actually was…I thought it was something mossy or a plant that clung to the side of a rock!
Dont suppose you could add 2 of these to the calendar BB…? The one of the 2 swans among the ducks and tree trunks is gorgeous…but the sunset couple are totally breathtaking.
jeanie
I think we should start lobbying for a few postcatds.
jeanie´s last blog post ..Sucky September Story
roger
I would like to see Mr.Incrediable with his fishing results
Lets have him in action with something incrediable