Every Year is a Big Year

Laughing Kookaburra

Japanese Gardens, USQ, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

January 1, 2017

My mum passed away early on January 1st. It was strange new beginning for us.

In a dream, later that day the we went walking around the Japanese gardens and the above Kookaburra snapped up the lizard in front of our shins.

Early the following day, Don, Heath and Rod picked me up and we headed west through a shower of rain. There, we were thrilled to see a Painted Honeyeater, and a couple of rare butterflies. A step farther and we found a number of dragonflies by a creek in which a Red-bellied Black Snake was taking a swim, as well as a variety of other birds. We finished the morning nearer to Toowoomba with a Black Falcon and a lost kitten.

A few days later, I caught up with Mick and we went for a stroll around Prince Henry Drive. The highlights were; Regent Bowerbirds, mostly female, with a single young male in their company and the always delightful Variegated Fairy-wrens…of which I again just photographed the females. (I always just seem to photograph females). Mick and I finished our walk with a pair of Brown Goshawks playing over the escarpment.

The next big thing was an evening gathering at Michael Hare’s place where we heard the distant calls of Sooty Owls. Michael, Mick, Rod, Judy, Brendon and I all enjoyed pizza and drinks on a barmy Queensland evening in the bush. It was a steamy evening with flashes of lightening. We also heard a Boobook and I photographed a Tawny Frogmouth and a nice big Brushtail Possum. We also enjoyed a giant centipede, the eyes of Wolf Spiders shining back at us, several snakes and frogs.

My last outing in Australia was to Gracie and Peter’s place to view Superb Fairy-wrens with tea and home-made cake.

Although times have been sad I have been surrounded by wonderful and enthusiastic people and we shared the joys of life all around us.

After getting used to the Australian summer I arrived back in Niigata and have been skating around in ice and snow. I called Mr Honma and he told me he got his best ever flight shot of a Steller’s Sea-eagle just last week. We will go out looking for eagles soon.

If I surround myself with all these people wherever I go, there is no reason that every year isn’t a big year.

Please excuse my poor efforts to label my pictures. I’m hoping Rod will set me straight with the dragonflies and butterflies as he has done with the snakes. Please know that many of the insects, reptiles and amphibians (maybe birds and just about about everything else) on this site have kindly been identified by Rod Hobson.

Everybody I ever mention on this blog a also contributors.

I guess I should change the name of this blog to everybodymentionedinthisblogstoopfiles.