To celebrate Bird Week (14 - 20 October 2024) I'm posting this photo of a red-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) feeding on the seeds of a casuarina tree.

The spectacular Australian yellow Waratah (Telopea Speciosissima) and many other native flowers are in bloom at the moment. Enjoy spring!

Wattle in early morning fog in the Blue Mountains.  Wattle is the national floral emblem of Australia as it displays the national colours, green and gold. 

Named after the first professional artist living in Australia. John Lewin was an English-born naturalist and illustrator in NSW in the early 1800s.

Hibiscus flowers produce a plentiful amount of nectar, a sweet, sugary liquid which is a food source for bees. ​

Irrawong Waterfall - I discovered this waterfall in the suburb of Warriewood on Sydney's Northern Beaches. It was a great location with a rainforest and lots of birds 
I used a slow shutter speed to get the blur effect. 

The 3rd of May is World Koala Day.  Koalas consume 400-700 grams of leaves a day.  There are approximately 600 different species of Eucalypt in Australia, Koalas can only eat 10% of them.

The Crimson Rosella is a super colourful bird with a personality to match. Their breeding season is September to January. They nest is tree hollows, located high in trees and have clutches of usually 5 chicks.

​The showy scarlet Flame Tree reminds me that Christmas is around the corner...

An amazing encounter with a pod of wild bottlenosed dolphins in Jervis Bay. The pod numbers about 100 dolphins.  These dolphins can live up to 40 years, some even longer.

​Summer is here. Remember to swim between the flags!

I spotted this Swamp Wallaby in Jervis Bay (south of Sydney).  It's a small (66 cm - 85 cm),  shy macropod marsupial that likes to hide in thick undergrowth.   I got this  shot when this "Swampie" heard me and looked straight at my camera.  

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are very noisy and this helps me locate them in trees more easily than other birds.  These cockatoos use their movable crests to communicate. This inquisitive cockatoo is looking at my camera and seems to be saying "what are you up to"?