Noisy Miner

The Noisy Miner bird is also known as the

Soldierbird and Micky. They are common around Brisbane, are curious, and not much afraid of humans. They have a nice little song although it is a bit complaining at times.

Kangaroo Point

It was such a nice day today. Cool and clouds at times. This picture shows the cliffs at Kangaroo Point from the balcony in the late afternoon.

Cloudy Day

Black and white photographs are considered "artsy" these days. I shot this one in color and converted it to B&W. I used a polarizer to increase contrast in the clouds and then bumped it up even more during the conversion. B&W can definitely change the mood of a picture - this one was pretty boring in color.

Story Bridge

Here is the Story Bridge at dusk just down from Eagle Street Pier. It has been cool, overcast, and rainy for the last few days. When the rain stopped, the sun came out, and this is what it looked like as it set.

The rain is sorely needed. I understand that the reservoir is only at 20% (it was at 17% before the rains).



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Torresian Crow

The crow is another common bird in Brisbane. I like the white eye on this one. Crows are smart birds and learn how to live with people easily.


The latin name for a crow or raven is corvus. I know this because of my books on birds but also because there is a small Southern constellation called corvus - I think that is where I first learned that corvus means crow. One of the things I need to do while I am here is get out in the middle of nowhere and look up at the stars.


This is one of the first pictures I took with my "new" Nikon AF 300mm f/4 lens that I bought used. This lens has a couple of features that are well demonstrated in this photo. First, it is a very sharp lens. Click on the picture to enlarge it and examine it a little closer. I reduced the size from the original to load faster but it is still nice and sharp. Second, look at the background - it is soft and out of focus in a very pleasant way. The technical term for this is "bokeh" and this lens has good bokeh. My lens is about 10 years old and still looks brand new. It cost about a 1/3 of what the latest version would cost too. Be thrifty...

Australian White Ibis

This ibis is pretty common in and around Brisbane. They get into the trash and grub around the parks and such. Ibis are striking, but not particularly handsome birds.

Time to Head South

This is one of the great sights of October. These geese were in a flock that was five to six times what you can see here I am guessing. Maybe 150 birds. Cody said they were blues when they flew over but on blowing up the picture, the chest looks light with black markings to me. The head seems too dark for a blue goose. I think they are the white-fronted goose, Chen caerulescens. I am ready to be corrected though.

Waterlily

Some day I would like to have my own pond. Waterlilies have to be among the most spectacular flowers and of course some fish would be nice. It is a lot of maintenance though. If nothing else, it would be nice to be near a park where you can see them.

Honey Bee

Here is a bee in the bottle brush in front of the house in Houston. I have decided that bees can be hard to photograph. They move a lot, the wind blows the flowers they are on, and they are kind of small. They are busy little critters...

Texas Renaissance Festival

Why is it at times we have trouble thinking of something interesting to do, something to photograph, something to write about? Can a rerun of a hospital drama or the latest reality show on television really be the most interesting thing available day after day? I know there are lots of interesting things if I can just get myself going...

Anyway, We have not been to the Renaissance Festival in quite a few years - at least 10. It is the same crazy place with food, drink, and people having fun in wild costumes. This is the best costume I caught on my camera. I think you would have to be pretty sure of yourself to wear this costume and pull it off.

If you have the figure and a sword to go with it, may I suggest Xena, Warrior Princess? I kept looking for her but never saw her. There were these two elfin fairies that were pretty good. I thought the best male costume was a centaur...

Head of a Pin

I bought a new camera lens for taking pictures of small animals and things outdoors. So far, I haven't been able to use it outside because it has been dark when I get home. But here is an example of what it can do.

The picture on the left is a snapshot of me holding a straight pin with a glass head. Click on it so you can see it up close. The picture on the right is a close-up of the head of the pin. Cool... Think of how great bug eyes are going to look with this lens....

Zipper Spider

I took this picture a while back but it is getting close to Halloween so I thought I'd post it. This fellow lives in Round Top, Texas and is pretty spooky if you are a small insect flying around.

Kingwood Butterfly

It is true that I have been taking a lot of wildlife pictures lately. My new camera is better suited to it and pictures of furry critters and things that fly are usually interesting. They are all around us, even in the city...

Back in Texas

Here is the little bluebird of happiness being patriotic on a barbed wire fence near Round Top, Texas.

Kookaburra

I like kookaburras. They are handsome, quick to adapt to people, and have lots of character. They can sound like excited monkeys. They remind me of my kids.

This picture was taken in the Glass House Mountains not too far north of Brisbane.

Silver Gull out for a Walk

I was trying to get a picture of the rainbow and this silver gull spotted me. I guess he thought I might have food. He kept walking closer and closer until I got this picture. On the left hand side, at the end of the rainbow, is the Cape Byron lighthouse.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

The lighthouse was built in 1901 and protects ships from the rocks below.

Cape Byron

Cape Byron is the most easterly point of the Australian mainland.

Surfer Dudes, Noosa Australia

Noosa is a beautiful place up the coast from Brisbane. Surfers like to walk the path in the National Forest up the headland. The waves curve and break cleanly for a long ride. The waves were small yesterday, but these guys were enjoying it...

Squirrel near Round Top, Texas

This squirrel was ticked off at me for taking his picture. He was alternately digging in the dirt and then rolling in it like a dog. When I snapped his picture he came to attention when he heard the shutter and gave me this dirty look which I was fortunate enough to capture. You know how it is, you are doing something you enjoy, and some yahoo won't leave you alone, and... Well, anyway, you know how it is.

San Jacinto Monument

I like this picture because it reminds me of Texas. A Lone Star and a lot of sky.

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Battleship Texas

The keel for the Battleship Texas was laid in 1911 and it was the last coal fired steam piston battleship built (later converted to oil). It has 14" guns, 2 in each of 5 turrents. It saw duty in WWI and WWII and is the only surviving dreadnaught of it's era.

Lou on a Red Couch

This is Lou sitting on a red couch.

Little Girl Feeding a Parrot

This picture was taken in the Lamington Rain Forest at the visitor's center. I was taking pictures of parrots in the trees after most of the tourists had left when this little girl came over to me and asked me if I wanted some bird feed. I told her no, I'm just taking pictures.

She then proceeded to feed this parrot that is almost as colorful as she is. I remember Megan used to look like this on occasion when we allowed her to dress herself...

Great Barrier Reef

This shows the kind of picture you can get with simple equipment underwater these days. It was taken with my point and shoot camera in a plastic camera pouch that cost about $15 while I was snorkeling. It has it's limitations but in shallow water it works just fine.

We were in the Whitsunday Island's on a day sail. Very beautiful and highly recommended...

Crimson Rosellas

Two Crimson Rosellas bathing in a pool in the Lamington National Forest.

Red-Necked Pademelon

The red-necked pademelon is a forest living wallaby about the size of a big rabbit. This one (and quite a few others) were at O'Reillys in the Lamington National Forest near Brisbane. The pademelon doesn't use his tail like most kangaroos and wallabys do - it's not a tripod. There are three types - one lives in PNG, another in Tasmania, and then these in the Queensland. They are pretty shy but fairly tame around O'Reillys and come out at dusk and dawn. I got quite a few pictures of them.

Pademelon Fight!

I don't know what these Pademelons were fighting about but they were going at it. It was getting pretty dark but there was some sunset light coming from behind the bushes. They were moving pretty fast and are a blur in the picture. When they heard the camera shutter they sat and looked at me with a "we weren't fighting" look. Pretty soon they went back to fighting...

Masks

This week I am writing about Papua New Guinea (PNG) crafts. I was there last week and visited an interesting native craft sales outlet. To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about them yet. Here is a web site if you want to do a little research: janesoceana. Keep following the links or do your own search - I suggest adding Sepik River to the search since many of the best carvings seem to come from there.

Crocodiles are big on these masks - note the tongues of the two upper ones. Sometimes you see crocodiles substituted for other body parts on statues. Obviously the masks and statues have spiritual and magical powers for the PNG people.

In addition to what I have posted here, it is also possible to buy small gold items made locally. Goldsmithing is a relatively new skill however since gold mining was introduced in the 20th century.

Prices on these things are pretty reasonable. I will be taking orders for Christmas soon...

Three Dudes

These three dudes are pretty impressive in person. The statue on the left is over 8 feet high. Statues of this type have a carved man behind the mask, usually seated. They usually have another mask fitted to the back of their head also. The masks decorated with all sorts of natural items and are carved basically from trees. Like I said, impressive...