Rondeau Ric

Varied Thrush Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Not a great photo but it was all I could get in the light conditions. The thrush is a pacific coast bird that must have had wander lust. For some good info on the thrush, and a good photo, go tohttp://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Varied_Thrush/id The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a great birding resource. Have a good weekend.

Sydney opera house Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Here is my obligatory photo of the opera house at Sydney. It is impressive but it was much smaller looking than I imagined it would be. We took the ferry around the harbour and I took the photo from the water side.

The cooper and the sparrow Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Life and death are a part of nature and if you have bird feeders you will get hawks. Yesterday a coopers hawk did a stealth approach, popped up over the hedge and created havoc giving it an opportunity to catch a tree sparrow. The photo was taken through the wildlife window at a severe angle.

Godlen Bower Bird Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Godlen Bower Bird We were very fortunate to see this elusive bird in Australia. Difficult to get a good photo in the understory. This is some info on the bird from www.birdwatching-australia.com/goldb.html GOLDEN BOWERBIRD Prionodura newtoniana 24 cm · The Golden Bowerbird is one of 12 bird species endemic to the Wet Tropics region. · It is restricted to upland rainforests, where it is numerous above 900 metres altitude. · Males in plumage, attained about 7 years of age, may occupy a traditional bower site. · The average period of ownership in a study of 46 bowers was 7 years. Some sites have been occupied by a succession of males for several decades. · The bower is usually about two metres tall and constructed around two trunks of saplings connected loosely by a fallen branch. The branch and the towers of sticks on each side are decorated with lichens and pale flowers or fruits. · An endemic to Australia, the Golden Bowerbird can be

Be kind, your turn is coming Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Patience is something you admire greatly in the person behind you but not in the person in front of you

A conversation with the bull Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur To get to the viewing hide (blind) at Miranda to see the shore birds, you have to walk through a pasture. In said pasture number of cattle graze. I assumed they were cattle until I was standing among them. That close up it became obvious that these cattle were actually bulls. they still had all their original equipment and attitude. We had our on little Mexican standoff. So I did what came naturally and shot the bull. Photo by Anne

Three rules for gift wrapping an elephant Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Rule one - you aren't going to surprise anyone. Rule two - it takes a LOT of wrapping paper Rule three - use solid colours, it's slimming.

takahe Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Takahe is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand. They were thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in the Murchison Mountains, on the south island. About 220 remain and 20 were relocated to Tiritiri Matangi where we saw them. This is Fred, he has become acclimatized to people and hangs around the picnic tables at the visitors centre. He can be dangerous as he will run up you to get at the food in your hand and the claws can do a fair amount of damage. The takahe is about 25 inches long (60-65 cm) and weighs about 6lbs (2.7kg).

Dial "M for Murder" or maybe "T" Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur I hope this doesn't mean what it seems to mean at first glance. Hopefully it is an insect exterminator. Or maybe a take off of the classic movie "Dial M for Murder"

Ride em cowboy! Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur If I remember correctly this is a wagtail. The bird, not the cow. I was hoping to get a shot of a cattle egret standing on a cow but it didn't happen. Does this make him a "cowbird"?

Catch 22 Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur The disabled access is at the top of the stairs. I am assuming everyone know the meaning of a catch 22 - a no win situation.

red legged pademelon Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur A small marsupial, you can see the "joey" in the pouch. Ne maybe on his way out, the pouch looks like it's dragging on the ground. We saw these on the Atherton table lands near Cairns Australia

You don't see this every day. Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Strange variation in languages. Need your ears pierced, go see a piercing doctor. Need a cooler, buy a chilly bin and so many more.

All right Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur A kea, the snow parrot of New Zealand posed so nicely I was compelled to take the portrait. Kea are indigenous to New Zealand and are omnivores and will eat most anything

Larry, Curly and Moe Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur of the Fjordland crested penguin clan. We saw three varieties of penguins in the wild on our vacation, the fjordland, little blue and the yellow eyed. For no good reason these three reminded me of the Three Stooges. There are about 2500 pairs of Fjordland crested penguins left. They stand approx 17" tall and wigh about 8 pounds.

Larry, Curly and Moe Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur of the Fjordland crested penguin clan. We saw three varieties of penguins in the wild on our vacation, the fjordland, little blue and the yellow eyed. For no good reason these three reminded me of the Three Stooges. There are about 2500 pairs of Fjordland crested penguins left. They stand approx 17" tall and wigh about 8 pounds.

Larry, Curly and Moe Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur of the Fjordland crested penguin clan. We saw three varieties of penguins in the wild on our vacation, the fjordland, little blue and the yellow eyed. For no good reason these three reminded me of the Three Stooges. There are about 2500 pairs of Fjordland crested penguins left. They stand approx 17" tall and wigh about 8 pounds.

Frosty? Frosty?!!!! Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Kiwis don't know frosty from Frosty the Snowman. How about us Canadians, freezing rain, snow, slush sometimes all at the same time? WE know frosty, slippery, slick, treacherous, skid and slide. They don't even know about window scrapers.