Thoughts & Walks

LHC post

The Large Hadron Collider is ready to go! Can't wait to see what happens. Meanwhile these guys are ignoring the whole thing.

Whales and others enjoy the water off Nobbys

Newcastle turtle

You never know what you will see in Newcastle Harbour! I am not sure what species of turtle this is - any help in identification would be appreciated.

Masked lapwing and her chick

Two sea eagles and a magpie

Two sea eagles visiting Strzlecki Lookout last Sunday, a magpie tried to see them off, perhaps protecting a nest, I suspect unsuccessfully.

Nobbys as the crow flies by

Magpie goose

One of several magpie geese resident at the Newcastle Wetlands.

Cormorant

Small cormorant spotted at Throsby Creek

Unexpectedly: The whales are winning! - Ocean Defenders - the weblog

Great news from Greenpeace Link: Unexpectedly: The whales are winning! - Ocean Defenders - the weblog. Walking out to Nobby's breakwater this morning, a crowd of us were treated to the sight of a pod of whales passing within 100m from where we stood. A glimpse of these amazing mammals is a privilege and we have them going past our beaches every year - once a rare sight. Thank you Greenpeace for helping to fight the whaling industry in the Southern Oceans!

Wollemi

It is very dry at the moment - not much rain in sight. You can see from this photo taken near Jerry's Plains in the Hunter Valley that the pastures are suffering also. In the background are the great cliffs bordering the Wollemi National Park. A large part of it is practically inpenetrable to humans thus making it a perfect refuge for rare plants and animals. We had no idea what could be living up there...that is until an experienced bush walker came across a grove of unusual trees in 1994. These trees were thought to have become extinct and until their discovery, there were only fossil records of it's existence. You can read more about the pine here.