CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

In addition to the cute, we have the not so cute, and while I don't mind these guys outside, I have a problem with many of them being inside. This doesn't necessarily mean they get squished, but most get an assist in finding the great outdoors again. ...Unless, of course, you are a white tail - and a big one at that. This little lady was sitting above the kitchen door. She was just over an inch long. I've been told these are spider hunters, which may explain why she was working her way through a web. These guys and gals, however, almost always get a lift outside... usually in a plastic container. ... usually after they've finished stuffing their faces.

I sometimes get out in the garden and photograph the creatures I find. Here are few of the visitors I photographed in February this year: Butterflies went nuts over one of the bushes flowering in our back yard but this was the only one that would settle long enough for me to catch.

I still have to get the knack of taking photographs in low light. This s the only semi-decent shot of a little white moth I saw at dusk one evening in late November.

It's coming up to Spring in Canberra, and the cherry trees are out in bloom. There will be cherry blossom festivals - one in Cowra and the Nara candlelight festival in Canberra itself. Worth going to, if you're in the area. I can't make the Cowra festival, but I have hopes for this year's Nara. In the meantime, we're having a lot of visitors to the garden that love the nectar to be found in the cherry blossom. This is a red wattlebird. The one's in our area are very shy so I was pleased this one decided the nectar was more important than worrying about me. At first all I could see was movement, and then I realised I had a visitor. He was cautious, at first, and stopped feeding to take a good look at the pest with the camera, but soon, the cherry blossoms caught his eye, again, and he went back to feeding, before flying away to investigate the blossoms on another tree. You can find out more about wattlebirds at the follow...

I seem to have a love for these little guys. They sometimes come and perch in my backyard, but they usually don't stay very long, once the camera appears. This one was enjoying the sun on a cold winter's day, and then he noticed the camera, checked it out twice - yup, still there. After moving to a safer distance, he was joined by a friend, and continued to watch the camera, with a careful eye. You can find out more about the magpie lark at the following sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magpie-lark ; http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Grallina-cyanoleuca ; http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/magpie-lark ; http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Magpie-lark ; and http://www.climatewatch.org.au/species/birds/magpie-lark .

These guys are pretty paranoid and very noisy when disturbed, making a kind of 'kak-kak-kak' sound. As you can see, they're very watchful. These ones don't like having their pictures taken and moved rapidly away from the camera. You can find out more information about spur-wing plovers at the following sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spur-winged_Lapwing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_Lapwing http://www.mdavid.com.au/birds/maskedlapwings.shtml http://australianmuseum.net.au/Masked-Lapwing/

This little lady came to visit. She and her friends pop by on occasion, but they always flee before I can get them all on camera. This is a superb fairy wren. You can find more information on the superb fairy wren at: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Malurus-cyaneus

In addition to the sulphur-crested cockatoos, we had a flock of galahs come to enjoy the fruit on the backyard trees. It makes a change from seeing them grazing on grass seeds. Of course, not everyone had the hang of landing. Those trees can be tricky to perch on, don't ya know? Even when you manage to get set down, there's still the delicate balancing act. Before the serious business of feeding and grooming can be undertaken.

It's amazing what comes wandering up to the back fence. These guys were quite happily foraging for insects until I started taking photographs, and then they became rapidly shy.

I went through a couple of months where the main birds that visited my backyard were crimson rosellas. This coincided with the trees fruiting, so I probably shouldn't be surprised. This pair hadn't yet exchanged their green 'baby' plumage for the more colourful red and blue of an adult, and probably wouldn't for another two years. I hope they stick around so I can see that. I had quite a hard time identifying them because of it. As you can see, the green is very handy for camouflaging them against the grass. The first shot caught them unawares and caused them a bit of concern,  but they decided food was more important. Definitely more important. They kept eating, but they kept a very good eye on the camera. I stayed just inside my back door, and they tolerated me photographing them. When they both bobbed down to collect more to eat, they became very hard to see. They took one more very assessing look, and then they decided they...

You've seen the juvenile. Now, take a look at these, and you'll understand why I had so much trouble trying to work out if it was the same bird or not. This is the adult. Apparently, it takes around two years for the juveniles to lose their greenish tinge and wear this red-and-blue coat. The ones around my house are shy and pretty uncooperative. If the tree hadn't had so much fruit on it, I doubt he would have stuck around, but he took a good look at the camera, and decided the search for food was more important. Some of those berries can be downright hard to reach, but well worth the effort.

Huntsman spiders are nocturnal... I think I forgot to mention that. Heaven knows where they go during the day, but they certainly come out at night. This one was hunting the insects drawn to the light escaping from our foyer. Of course, I was startled at first., but then I worked up the courage to wind the focus in. The spider was quite relaxed, which is more than I can say for myself. Still, one of the most interesting and beautiful creatures around. Non-venomous, generally non-aggressive, the huntsman has distinctive banding on its legs and is insectivorous. It is quite a common sight around Australian households, and doesn't always stay outside, but it can be caught using a clear plastic container and lid or thick cardboard, provided you don't put your hand on the base of the container when doing so. Its eyesight is very good, and it can jump over a metre. Huntsman spiders will usually try to escape from humans, rather than attack.

This little guy - yep, it's the male - came to visit in our tree. I've since seen him with a little harem of females, but never been able to get close enough to them for a photograph. Watch this blog. Eventually, I manage it. In the meantime, please enjoy the shots I *did* manage to get as he sang (or chirped merrily) in my backyard. He was pretty wary, and hard to get close to, and  He very stubbornly stayed behind a screen of leaves. Occasionally, he turned his back, giving me a clear view of his red rump. And his yellow tummy. Eventually, I managed to move around enough to get this hot. He watched every move, so I went back inside and left him in peace.