Sitting with birds & swimming with lizards
Egret at Wurruma Swamp out on the lily pads.
The weather has been not so good for photos of late but I still go out anyway. On a recent visit to Wurruma Swamp I was reminded how animals seem to relax around me and at times come very close. That certainly was the case with this Egret.
Flying closer to me.
I was siting waiting for sunset and the Egret seemed emboldened by my lack of movement. It took off from the lily pads out in the water and flew closer to me on the bank, all be it a bit sideways, but closer.
Walking straight towards me.
Once the Egret landed it started to hunt in the grass at the side of the swamp gradually moving closer to me. At times straight at me.
About 30 feet away from me.
I usually find Egrets quite skittish but this one was not worried by me at all. It was now very close to me on the track of dinner.
Catching a meal.
I did not get any amazing photos but I did have a very enjoyable time watching this bird hunt close up. I see this often with the Eastern Reef Egrets at Ellis Beach but not so much with the fresh water species.
Waterfall at the top of the hillside, Barron Gorge late May.
I have been sharing my photos of the seasonal waterfalls in Barron Gorge with my son who lives in Brisbane during our talks on the phone. He is back in Cairns for holidays so I took him up to this waterfall which is located right at the top of the Gorge.
The same Waterfall late June with my son.
The waterfalls have dried up a lot but this one is still flowing. The weather has returned to rainy so they might flow heavier again this year! You can see at the top of this photo the bottom of a cloud. We are indeed a long way up the hillside in the clouds.
At dinner the night before my son was discussing how he has befriended a possum in Brisbane and that animals seem to be very comfortable around him. That was certainly the case this day.
A lizard in the water taking a swim also.
He was not the only one taking a swim at the base of the waterfall. He spotted this lizard in the water and it just hung around whilst we were there.
Another Lizard watching on the rocks.
There was also another lizard on the rocks by the waterfall with me that seemed even less worried by our presence. It appears both myself and my son have a thing with animals. Unfortunately I do not think my son shares my enjoyment of climbing up rainforest hillsides :(