I wonder what is down that road?
Early June 2024
Sunrise at Windy Hill, Ravenshoe, June 2024.
I do not handle change very well and I have some big changes happening in my life this year. I find I clear my head when I am in the bush so with my wife’s blessing and a free work day I headed up to Ravenshoe for an overnight visit alone .
When I woke in the morning I headed to Windy Hill to wait for sunrise…….and it was well and truly fogged in.
Dew on the grass, a very cold morning for a FNQ boy :)
Not only was it foggy that morning but for this longtime Far North Queensland boy it was very cold and there was dew on everything.
With the sun rising and the fog clearing I decided to head out to Wurruma Swamp with the car heater on to see what was happening.
Great Egret, Wurruma Swamp, June 2024.
It was very quiet when I arrived at Wurruma but I know to be patient. A lone Great Egret joined me as I sat and relaxed.
The long neck of a Great Egret, Wurruma Swamp, June 2024.
There are quite a few different types of white egrets but the Great is identified by its overall size and the ratio (about 1:1) of neck length to body. Great Egrets usually have a yellow bill with black tip (except juveniles) but the bill turns black with a greenish gape in courtship flush. They have a flatter head than other white egrets and the gape goes past the eye.
Spider webs waiting for my face.
After an hour or so, some breakfast and a hot chocolate I decided to walk through the bush to another area of the swamp. There were spider webs everywhere waiting for me to face plant as I made my way through the vegetation.
Forest Kingfisher targeting its prey from above, Wurruma Swamp, June 2024.
The Black Swans I usually spend my time observing at Wurruma were all far over on the other side of the swamp. There was however a Forest Kingfisher that I found hunting for his breakfast.
A successful swoop.
The bird was quite close to me when it swooped down on it’s prey but flew a distance away to enjoy consuming it.
Killing it’s prey by slamming it into the branch.
Forest Kingfishers will smash their prey against a branch to kill it before eating. You can see above the spray from the insects body as it was slammed into the branch by the Kingfisher.
Serendipity Falls, June 2024.
A few years ago a friend of mine passed away from cancer. Jim was was one of those men that spoke slowly but thought quickly and deeply. On a visit to him in hospital not long before he passed he shared some words that have stuck with me since.
Jim was a truck driver and we enjoyed talking about the district we had both travelled so much. But Jim was sometimes keen to hear about a place I had visited and he had not. Once after I shared with him the tale of a location and some photos he said to me “I always wondered what was down that road as I drove past!”.
On my way home that day I drove straight past Serendipity Falls………then I heard Jim’s words in my head and turned around to see what the Falls looked like now that the rain had slowed a little. Change had indeed occurred at the falls and I got a different view from previous visits.
Time to embrace change and head down more roads not yet travelled before my life is gone. I expect to pass through this world but once.