Flora & Birds — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

August 2023

Green Pygmy Goose, Wurruma Swamp, June 2023

My true love in photography is landscape images. However of late I have not had much luck. I am not sure if it is the lack of new locations or creativity on my part but I am not getting the images I would hope for of late.

Fortunately for me I also like other genres of photography, the main ones being flora and birds. So today I thought I would post some of those images that have been collecting on my computer.

Green Pygmy Geese I have been having luck with recently after battling to get photos of for years.

I have no idea what this flower is called but I took the photo on a visit to Millstream Falls whilst my sister was visiting for my daughters wedding.

Early June this year and some of the crops had just been harvested out near Mt Garnet attracting hundreds of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos to a feast. I spotted them at sunset gathering on that freshly turned red Tablelands soil.

This photo is a good example of how long photos can sit on my computer before I even look at them. I took this one at the start of 2023 on a day where I failed to get photos to my liking at Souita Falls.

During June I tried to find some nice compositions on Ravenshoe Golf Course. I am yet to find one but I did discover that the course is home to a great number of bird species. One of them being the Noisy Friar Bird.

June 2023 and I am in the grass around Wurruma Swamp yet again. I never get tired of how beautiful the water lilies are.

2023 is the first year that I have seen Brolgas at Wurruma Swamp. They usually rest at other swamps in the area. These two did a lovely low fly by for me.

Still in the grass at Wurruma I found this vegetation really interesting…..so I took a photo. Why not?

The end of June saw me heading to Townsville for my daughters wedding. The day before the wedding I headed to Bushland Beach, a spot I often visit just north of Townsville to enjoy the birdlife there. On this morning there were a large number of Rainbow bee-eaters present.

As the tide headed out at Bushland Beach the root systems of the mangroves are revealed. I love the contrast between the green leaves and the red roots.

As the tide recedes at Bushland Beach it creates small pools of water along the beach that attract birds such as Egrets that like to hunt for prey trapped there. I think these Egrets in breeding plumage are vegetarians :)

I struggle with the various types of Egret but think these might be Intermediate Egrets.

During February I made a trip to the base of Millstream Falls and failed to get any shots that improved on previous ones. I spotted these flowers along the track in and thought they were beautiful.

Ellinjaa Falls carpark, Millaa Millaa, July 2023.

After my daughters wedding at the start of July my sister visited Cairns. I took her and her family for a day trip up the Tablelands. Chickens can be found in the carpark at Ellinjaa Falls.

Girramay National Park, Cardwell, February 2023

For the past couple of years Girramay National Park at Cardwell had become a favourite place of mine to stop and take a break on the way to or from Townsville. February this year saw me walking in the rain along the mangrove track.

Australian Hobby Falcon, Mt Garnet, June 2023.

On a much drier day in June 2023 I was out in the farmlands near Mt Garnet. The fields had just been harvested and the birds of prey were on the lookout for anything that had lost its hiding spot in the crop.

I never tire of the Swamp. I care not if I get photos anymore, I just love my time there and if I capture something unexpected it is a bonus.

Late 2022 I visited Wurruma Swamp often to check in on a family with 4 cygnets. Mid 2023 and another family had 5 cygnets in tow. I spent hours inching towards this family of Black Swans resting in the grass during the midday heat.

Wild River, Atherton Tablelands, July 2023.

There is a little known access to Wild River that I sometimes stop to have a break and walk the river during the drier parts of the year.

Immature Grey Fantail? Wild River, Atherton Tablelands, July 2023.

This bird is a very good example of my limitations regarding bird knowledge. I am guessing this is one of the many different species of Grey Fantail and perhaps an immature bird. If I am wrong let me know.

Back in the Swamp again in June 2023 and the water lilies mark the middle of the day as they fully open and the insects come to visit.

Comb Crested Jacana, Wurruma Swamp, June 2023.

The Comb Crested Jacana are always present at the Swamp. I remember the first time I ever saw these birds at Cattana Wetlands in Cairns. Their gangly feet as the walk on top of the water vegetation and aggressive nature towards each other keep me entertained.

I am often sitting in the grass around the swamps just waiting for something to happen. Even the grasses appeal to me in the light of the setting sun.

Australian Bustard Bird, Mt Garnet, June 2023.

The Australian Bustard Bird is now extinct from urban areas in Australian. There is a section of farmland near Mt Garnet that I often see them and hope one day to see a male doing his breeding ritual with the neck blown out. These birds to me are like a cross between a Bush Stone Curlew and an Emu.

So that is where I am at. I may have had my moment with landscape photography just as Forest Gump had his with running…..then he just stopped.

Who knows but for now I am enjoying the birds and flora…and most importantly my time in the bush.