On Sunday I finally took you to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve with us. It is a big area and we saw only a tiny fraction, concentrating on the bird life in the Sanctuary (which is a wetlands ecosystem surrounded by bushland and protected by a predator proof fence) and an excursion to the Eucalpyt Forest. There is lots more to see, and we will have to go back. Which will of course be a trial and a torment to us both. Not. There are 21 different marked walking trails, ranging from an easy 15 minute stroll to an all day 8 hour bush walk. Many are wheel-chair accessible too.
Starting with The Sanctuary, and continuing to show both natural and man-made art works.
This fox can look but cannot get inside...
A slightly different view of the goanna which many of you liked.
The black-billed ibis seemed very happy - and ignored us completely.
We did see a platypus - but I was far too slow to take its photograph. It came up and briefly basked in the sun in the pond in the next photo.
Dozing magpie geese.
The Brolgas were camera shy. I took rather a lot of shots where I inadvertently beheaded them.
I really liked this carving of the pelican.
While we were in the Sanctuary we also saw a potoroo - which I have never seen before. Of course I failed to capture it with the camera.
Then we wandered a couple of hundred yards away to the Eucalypt Forest. It was our lucky day. We know that the Eucalypt Forest is home to several koalas, but they are usually hard to see. We have often not seen one. This time? We saw this pair not long after we entered the area. We then followed the trail (a kilometre or so in a loop). We saw no more koalas. When we returned to the starting point there wasn't a koala to be seen.
I am going to finish this long and photo-heavy post with kangaroos. We see them much closer to home a couple of times a week - and loved seeing them here as well.
Starting with The Sanctuary, and continuing to show both natural and man-made art works.
A slightly different view of the goanna which many of you liked.
The black-billed ibis seemed very happy - and ignored us completely.
We did see a platypus - but I was far too slow to take its photograph. It came up and briefly basked in the sun in the pond in the next photo.
Dozing magpie geese.
The Brolgas were camera shy. I took rather a lot of shots where I inadvertently beheaded them.
I really liked this carving of the pelican.
While we were in the Sanctuary we also saw a potoroo - which I have never seen before. Of course I failed to capture it with the camera.
Then we wandered a couple of hundred yards away to the Eucalypt Forest. It was our lucky day. We know that the Eucalypt Forest is home to several koalas, but they are usually hard to see. We have often not seen one. This time? We saw this pair not long after we entered the area. We then followed the trail (a kilometre or so in a loop). We saw no more koalas. When we returned to the starting point there wasn't a koala to be seen.
I am going to finish this long and photo-heavy post with kangaroos. We see them much closer to home a couple of times a week - and loved seeing them here as well.
Such a glorious place, EC. The art is great and the wildlife incredible to this North American. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMarie Smith: I am so grateful to the blogosphere - it has widened my world considerably.
Deleteyour place is wonderful my dream to see kangaroos in their natural environment
ReplyDeleteGosia k: I hope you can some day.
DeleteThank you once again for another trip to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve! I enjoyed this one, too. I love the art, the scenery, the wildlife and that gorgeous pelican carving! Who couldn't love the Koalas...so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved my visit~
Jan: I am so glad you enjoyed coming with us.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful place! Those koalas look so huggable but I guess that might be frowned upon!
ReplyDeleteMolly Bon: There are places where you can hug koalas - but not here. One of our erst-while politicians (who I will not name) described them as 'flea-ridden, piddling, stinking, scratching, rotten little things'. I hope they piddled on him copiously.
DeleteThe koalas are so cute......I really like all the carvings and statuary.
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused: I think the mixture of natural and man-made art is brilliant.
DeleteSo exotic there Child. If only it wasn't a twenty four hour flight - over lots of ocean - I'd love to visit. I'll just have to enjoy it through you.
ReplyDeletedonna baker: I don't fly well - and resent having to pay an arm and a leg for it as well. I will share my world, while you share yours. Deal?
DeleteYou are so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit these fabulous native NZ animals. We are fortunate that you share your pictures with us.
ReplyDeleteStarting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: Thank you. They are native to Oz rather than NZ, but we love them and are happy to share.
DeleteAnother wonderful visit though your eyes and lens, EC. Thank you. My favourites this time are the birds - such elegant ibis, and the pelican is excellent! I met an animal I'd never heard of before, the potoroo, and was shocked to be reminded that there are foxes in Australia. This quote from your Environment Agency: "They have played a major role in the decline of a number of species of native animals and they also prey on newborn lambs" Sound like our rabbits, weasels, stoats, etc. Thanks a lot, European settlers!
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky enough to see koalas a number of times, in zoos and in the wild, at Hanging Rock in Victoria. They certainly have the cuteness factor. Have a great Thursday :)
Alexia: Every state (except Tasmania) has foxes. We also have rabbits. Sigh. Isn't that pelican spectacular?
DeleteThank you fore photos of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The place seems really fascinating. Love those critters.
ReplyDeleteMartin Kloess: It is a lovely place and I am very happy to share. And even happier that others love it too.
DeleteFun to see all! I really enjoyed the pelican carving and the koala!
ReplyDeleteBill: I am glad. I have been really enjoying your very different photos.
DeleteHi Sue,
ReplyDeleteTidbinbilla looks like just the sort of place I'd love to visit and yep, take wonderful photos such as yours.
The koala reminds me of an old Qantas commercial.
Gary
klahanie: Dear Gary, I would love it if you COULD visit Tidbinbilla. So long as we could come too.
DeleteI love our native wildlife, but I'm used to seeing them, so what intrigues me more here is the man made sculptures and carvings, they're just so intricate and detailed. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteRiver: I am just so impressed with the way they combine the natural and the man-made.
DeleteThat's a really exotic place with cute koalas. Beautiful pictures also...
ReplyDeleteSHON: Thank you. It is quite close to home, and we should go more often.
DeleteThe carvings are wonderful...particularly the platypus.
ReplyDeleteI've only ever once seen a real, live and swimming, a platypus. That special sight happened one Sunday when I was visiting Eungella (Eungella National Park), which is about an hour west of Mackay. I was strolling on the banks of a still waterway and there it was! Such a pleasant surprise and a happy memory that lingers.
The koalas are beautiful. We have them here on this mountain, too. Lovely creatures they are.
Thanks, EC. :)
Lee: The carvings are spectacular aren't they? I have seen platypuses a few times in the wild - red letter days every time.
DeleteThe sculptures are really amusing. You did well with the koala photos. At a night sanctuary we had potoroos wandering around our feet. Magic! I rather like saying the name Tidbinbilla.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: Tidbinbilla rolls off the tongue nicely doesn't it? And how I would love to have potoroos wandering round our feet. This one scuttled into the undergrowth quickly.
DeleteYour close ups are really wonderful! Always an adventure looking through your lens. Have a great week.
ReplyDeletee: Thank you. It has been a busy week with some ups and downs. Revisiting Tidbinbilla helps. I hope your kitchen is very, very nearly finished.
DeleteSo much to see! I love the koala pictures, what an interesting critter. Thanks for taking me along! :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: It was a pleasure to have you along.
DeleteI ALWAYS enjoy your tours!!
ReplyDeletefishducky: I am so glad.
DeleteI have seen kangaroos in the wild many times and koalas a couple of times but it truly never gets old, does it?
ReplyDeleteThe rusty little fox is a nice touch
kylie: It never ever gets old. We see roos a couple of times each week and still enjoy them (except when they jump in front of the car).
DeleteThanks for taking me along on this venture. I love the birds and the animals in your world that I will never see except through your eyes and your camera. The Koalas look so sweet, but are they? I know they are wild and probably don't want humans around.
ReplyDeleteGlenda Council Beall: Koalas are fairly placid, but yes, I suspect they would prefer not to see humans.
DeleteAmazing pictures EC, I love seeing the animals you post because a lot are not any that we normally see here, and you photograph them so well.
ReplyDeleteJimmy: Thank you. I don't often see koalas either, and as I said to Kylie, welcome them each time I do.
DeleteI love that you came across koalas!! I'd love to see a Koala Bear in person!
ReplyDeletemail4rosey: They are really cute aren't they?
DeleteThank you for taking me along on your visit to the park through these wonderful photos. I like the sculpture and carvings and the koala bears are so adorable!
ReplyDeleteNancy Chan: Welcome and thank you. This is a wonderful nature reserve and I am happy to show it off. And yes, the koalas are special.
DeleteAs always, I love your photos. Moss (or lichen?) covered boulders, exotic wildlife, unique works of art. And koalas. One of them looks like he might have been trying to nap :) Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMore? she said hopefully ...
jenny_o: Probably a break from Tidbinbilla for a little while at least. And yes, koalas are noted for their sleeping...
DeleteHi EC - love the photos and thanks for sharing with us ... I'm dashing at the moment - but loved the kaola's, the sculptures: the pelican, the platypus ... just lovely to see when I'm sitting in thick mist on the south coast - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: Stay safe in your dashing. We had blissful (but cool) sunshine at Tidbinbilla, but have mist now.
DeleteAfter enjoying your Tidbinbilla posts I'm sure you're right about how much I'd enjoy visiting the area. How brilliant that you were treated to the sight of brolga, platypus and potoroo, the thought of that makes me smile
ReplyDeleteKim: Days later we are still smiling. And I want to go back and explore the lyre-bird gulley. Among other things.
DeleteWhat an adventure and filled with so many exotic animals. The photos capture it all very well, nice of you to share indeed.
ReplyDeleteBlogoratti: Thank you. I was indeed an adventure.
DeleteIs the fox carving trying to escape?
ReplyDeleteLove the Platypus. They don't do much. :) (Have you ever watched Phineas and Ferb?)
Sandi: The fox is trying to get into The Sanctuary to feast on the birds...
DeleteI have never seen Phinea and Ferb. I will have to ask Captain Google about them.
They have a pet platypus. He doesn't do much!
DeleteSandi: I have never even considered platypus as pets. The males have poison spurs too.
DeleteSights, in this country at least, which we will only ever see if we go to Australia. Nice images, which have been captured really well. It feels like we're actually there. A good place to go and visit.though. An entertaining blogpost which I've learnt a lot fromtrali. I can't go to Australia, but Australia can come to me.
ReplyDeleteTreey: Thank you. I am happy to bring my corner of Australia your way.
DeleteOh my gosh. This looks like something right off a bucket list. Wondrous.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fox in the first photo...too cute.
Sandra Cox: It really is a lovely place - and there will always be more for us to see. Lots more.
DeleteOh my goodness, I want a copy of each of those art works for my yard. AND I want a live Koala. Okay that probably won't work.
ReplyDeleteLove your posts!!!
T. Powell Coltrin: I would like rather a lot of the art works myself. And the birds and animals. And no, the live transfer would probably fail. Sigh.
DeleteThe pelican is gorgeous, so is the goanna, at every angle. your wildlife pics are amazing as usual, loved the ibis especially! Thank you for broadening my world.
ReplyDeleteNilanjana Bose: Thank you. I have been (and am) so grateful to you for expanding my world, so it is lovely to hear I have returned the favour.
DeleteI love koalas and kangaroos, but I have to say I ADORE that fox sculpture peeking through the fence! :)
ReplyDeleteRiver Fairchild: Isn't it a stunner? Other people looked at me as if I was crazy taking that photo, but they were wrong. Very wrong. (Possibly right about the craziness, but deprived not to be able to see the beauty of the fox.)
DeleteThat black billed ibis really captures my eye - I'm glad it did yours too. And wow, love the koala. It's nice to see one - in photos, at least.
ReplyDeleteKeep a smile, EC.
Rawknrobyn: My eyes were captured by so many things, and my jaw almost permanently dislocated.
DeleteI hope your week is full of smiles and chocolate.
The sanctuary is so marvellous. I love your photos of the sculptures so much and especially of the koala.
ReplyDeleteSHON: Thank you.
DeleteGorgeous photos, both living creatures and art.
ReplyDeleteOlga Godim: It is a gorgeous place. Which we need to revisit more often.
Deleteawwww
ReplyDeletecool cranes
Author R. Mac Wheeler: It is a cool place. And at this time of the year there are no bitey beasts about.
DeleteWhat a great place to stroll and look around at all the beauty.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Janie Junebug: It is. A place to stroll, to wander, to hike, or just sit and absorb.
DeleteHello! Now this is my kind of place, what crafty artwork, scattered about. The fox is really sweet, and the wooden one after not sure what it was called, (you always teach me new and interesting critters here!) Enjoy your evening.
ReplyDeleteKaren S.: Thank you. The wooden statue is of a goanna - and I have seen them close to that size too.
DeleteThank you so much for bringing us along! I love the juxtaposition of the natural world and the reflective artwork. Not sure if I will ever make it to Oz, but I sure am having fun seeing it through your eyes, EC!
ReplyDeleteMarty K.
Marty K: I think the juxtaposition of natural and made made art works is an act of genius, and I am more than happy to share it.
DeleteWhoever carved that pelican is pretty dang amazing! I love to look at Koala Bears because they just seem so huggable and adorable. Thanks so much EC! Hugs...
ReplyDeleteRO: I am so impressed at the pelican. And koalas are gorgeous critters. Much friendlier than drop bears...
DeleteYou take us on such wonderful and amazing trips. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: Thank you - the more the merrier.
DeleteThe koalas are so adorable!
ReplyDeleteThose outings are very different from mine. What an experience!
One of these days I will accept my cousins's invitation and go to Sydney!
Caterina: Aren't we lucky that the internet and the blogosphere make the world a much smaller place?
DeleteI love the Koala Bear, I could reach out and cuddle her/him. And I love the art there, beautiful EC.
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: Isn't it a lovely place? I thought you would like it too.
Deletea wonderful lot of birds there... I hope I get to visit one day
ReplyDeleteAnna: I was hoping to see the emus as well. Next time. And do hope you can get here some day. It is well worth the visit.
DeleteI would be over the moon to see all of this, and I am thankful for your virtual tour because your photos are amazing. Thank you EC :)
ReplyDeleteDenise inVA: Thank you. I was over the moon (again) myself.
DeleteHow thrilling for you to see the koalas and a platypus, even if the latter was too shy to allow a photo. (Seeing a platypus some day is on my so-called bucket list...)
ReplyDeleteI love that carving of the pelican, too. Reminds me of a cute old poem:
A peculiar bird is the pelican.
His mouth can hold more than his bellican.
He can hold in his beak
Enough for for the week,
Although damned if I know how the hellican.
Susan: My father recited that poem to us often (particularly when he thought our mouthfuls were too big at the table). I was quite surprised to later learn that it wasn't his own work.
DeleteI love pelicans, they remind me of the prehistoric birds. We stayed on the 10 floor of a hotel in Daytona Florida and would see the brown pelicans come in groups of 8 or more to scour the beaches for food. Hubs called them 'the boys'. . .but only once did we see them land on the water and look for fish below. Lovely of you to share your pix with us!
ReplyDeleteD.G. Hudson: I love pelicans too - and their dinosaur ancestory is very evident. I would love to see them in big groups.
DeleteKangaroos, koalas, and a potoroo! I am so jealous. Your pictures get to transport me to a place I have never been and might not ever get to (though you never know- I'd love to visit). So many interesting birds, animals, and sculptures. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
DMS ~Jess: Thank you. We were very happy with all that we saw, and I am glad to be able to share it.
DeleteHad to stop by to check out more Cute Koala Bears, EC. Happy Saturday! Hugs...
ReplyDeleteRO: Thank you. Sunday now - I hope your weekend is excellent.
DeleteLovely selection of sculptures Sue and I had never head of a potoroo so had to look that up (tks for link) great seeing the Kaolos.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Adamson: It was a treat seeing the koalas - and the potoroo and the platypus. The sculptures were a bonus.
DeleteThank for the tour. Wonderful photos love the birds and koalas.
ReplyDeleteRasma Raisters: Thank you - we loved them too.
DeleteThose Koalas are the cutters critters I've ever seen. I wish we had them here.
ReplyDeleteRick Watson: We rarely see koalas - but love it when we do.
DeleteThis is a super post. Just love the selection of photo's showing everything from art, wonderful carvings to scenery, to wildlife.
ReplyDeleteI especially like the Koalas and kangaroo.
All the best Jan
Lowcarb team member ~Jan: Thank you. We are so lucky to have a place with so much to offer close to us.
DeleteArt and nature. What's the difference, really? Such a wonderful place this preserve must be! I remember being a kid and thinking how funny the platypus looked! I still have a tiny stuffed koala from my childhood. I keep it on my jewelry box. Unbelievably, he's still in good nick!
ReplyDeleteBea: Nature is the best artist - but I really like the juxtaposition of her work with some man-made creations.
DeleteHow lovely that your koala is surviving still.
Some wonderfully distinct creatures in your land
ReplyDeleteAndrew Maclaren-Scott: And in yours. I would love to see badgers. And hedge-pigs.
DeleteI did some hunting. The carvings and metal sculptures were done by a parks worker there, Barry Armstead. Unfortunately they let him go. He now teaches sculpture somewhere, but I couldn't find out where.
ReplyDeleteSefton Dibbs: Welcome and thank you. I hope that where ever this talented artist has gone he is appreciated.
Delete