Wildlife – Page 13

Penguin Island

Yesterday we decided to take a run down to Rockingham and Penguin Island.

Penguin Island is part of the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park and, as the name suggests, is the home to a colony of Fairie Penguins as well as providing nesting sites for several species of gull and Pelicans.

The weather was beautiful and after a short drive and an even shorter ferry boat crossing we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours walking the island. Part of the Penguin Island experience is a short educational session at the Discovery Centre where a few penguins receive treats and are used to explain a little about these delightful creatures. I should point out the penguins in the discovery centre have been rescued and deemed unlikely to survive being returned to the wild.

So here are a few snaps which will I hope convey what a beautiful place this small island is.

Whiteman Park

Here I am, down in Western Australia. Perth to be exact and today has been our first full day. Yesterday, Sunday, was spent recovering from the journey.

We woke to a beautiful sunny, blue skies, day. We had decided to take a trip to Whiteman Park where we enjoyed a leisurely exploration of Caversham Wildlife Park and lunch in the on site Village Cafe.

Obviously I took photos and have posted a few here your pleasure. They are in no particular order.

View From The Conservatory

Passion Flower – A slightly different angle.

fruit — Himalayan Honeysuckle – The birds favourite.

View From The Conservatory

Was sitting in the garden last evening watching a host of moths working our Buddleia and thought I would try to capture some pictures. This proved to be harder than I expected. Every time I tried to take a shot they would fly away. I tried so often that I began to believe they knew what I was doing and yet they weren’t disturbed by my approach to where ever they were settled. Mind you they weren’t staying settled anywhere for more than a second or so, and their wings were constantly on the go, almost like humming birds.

As I experimented it became obvious that they were taking flight each time I used the focus function of the camera, each time I pressed the shutter release just enough to focus and meter. Then it hit me, the little so and so’s were being frightened by the infrared from my camera/flash set up. As a result the following pictures are the best I managed to get.

I’ll have another crack tonight if they come back. I’ll try manual focus and pre-metering.

View From The Conservatory – Some Flutterbys

bf2 — Peacock
Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Nymphalinae : Genus Inachis:

bf3 — Peacock
Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Nymphalinae : Genus Inachis:

Comma Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Nymphalinae : Genus Polygonia: Species c-album — Comma
Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Nymphalidae: Subfamily Nymphalinae : Genus Polygonia: Species c-album

Great White Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Pieridae: Subfamily Pierinae : Genus Pieris: Species brassicae: — Great White
Insecta: Lepidoptera : Family Pieridae: Subfamily Pierinae : Genus Pieris: Species brassicae:

View From The Conservatory

Couple of snaps of this seasons squirrels who, once again, have proven themselves adept at getting past any obstacles that I put in their path in my failed attempts to stop them from stealing the bird feed.

Marwell Snaps

These are just a few of my pix from our trip to Marwell. Many of the animals seemed to be staying inside as the weather was a little cool and dull. It was a good day out, as always. So take a look and enjoy….

Congo Buffalo - Marwell — Congo Buffalo – Marwell

Kookaburra - Marwell — Kookaburra – Marwell

Caitlin tries out the new Pedal Bin - Marwell — Caitlin tries out the new Pedal Bin – Marwell

Sergei with his new girlfriend. Aleksandr seems upset.

Snow Leopard - Marwell — Snow Leopard – Marwell

Meet Ralph

Ralph - Marwell Wildlife Park — Ralph – Marwell Wildlife Park

Ralph is a Humboldt Penguin. We missed the penguin feeding and talk so I don’t know how he gets to wear the rather cool surfing suit. He was pretty much the first animal we spotted on our visit to Marwell last week.

View From The Conservatory

So I was just heading out to the freezer in the utility room, thinking about what we should have for dinner tonight. I was a little cautious stepping out of the kitchen as always, because I like to peek and see what birds are in the garden. I stood watching a Dunnock for a minute or so as it darted around the bare branches of some shrubs. Then a movement from the other side of the garden caught my eye.

And this is what I saw…

Skanky Fox in my garden. Apart from the lack of fur he seems quite healthy and alert.

The amazing thing is he clambered up on top of our fence and plodded along the top in the same way as cats do. The feet on one side on the top of the fence and the other feet on the arris rail.

Fox1 — As I said, Alert. He was aware of every noise be it traffic or bird calls.

I had watched him for a while before I thought to go get my camera. These pictures are all captured through double glazing which is less than clean at the moment.

Fox2 — I don’t think he had a best side.

This is the second fox that we have had in the garden with skin/fur problems. Although the previous one looked like he had suffered a kind of de-gloving of the hind leg, perhaps as a result of conflict with a car. Maybe this one has had a similar encounter although I am tempted to contact the RSPCA and see if this is indicative of something that local dog owners might need to be aware of.