Eastern Water Dragon

I had been going to the Parramatta Park for nearly a year when I first came across this lizard like animal in a patch of trees just by the side of the Parramatta River.  Over the period of the next few months we kept a lookout for these lizards in the same patch. We took some photographs and searched the Internet to identify this animal – an Eastern Water Dragon a semi-aquatic lizard found along the east coast of Australia, around creeks, rivers or lakes.

 

 

The eastern water dragon is a medium to large sized lizard and can grow up to 80cm up to the tip of its long tail. They have large heads with a row of spines beginning on the head and leading down along their back. It is a grey to brownish-grey colour above with patterns of black stripes along the dorsal ridge going down the tail. The dragon can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes before it needs rise to the surface to breathe and check the area for danger before emerging back onto land. So every time we took a walk it became a ritual to search of these dragons and count the numbers. We think there were 2 adults and 2 young ones seen individually basking in the sunshine. Water Dragons are usually active from September to June and become inactive during the cooler months. To survive the low winter temperatures Water Dragons will enter established burrows or scrape their own between boulders and logs in or near riverbanks and pack dirt to seal the opening. Once entombed they will slow their metabolism hibernate until spring.  When we did not see the dragons from the middle of April actually we realised that they hibernate.

In early spring we went to the Parramatta Lake for a walk around the woods to see the emerging flowers and were delighted with numerous Eastern Water Dragons out basking in the sun and looking for food. 

 

 

 

 

 

Later in summer the ones in the Parramatta Park were back in action. In fact we saw a small one in a burrow further up the river bank. This was a young one and so maybe it had struck out on its own as an adult, to set up its own burrow.

 

 

 

Noisy Miner

I am slow to learn the names of the birds that come to my garden. I have been calling the Common Myna, a Blackbird as it looks similar, is all I can say in my defence. The Magpie was kind of recognised though Australian Magpie is a lot larger bird than the ones I have seen in Europe. Also one must not confuse the Magpie from Magpie Lark which is also black and white - but more white than the Magpie I think.

Noisy Miner

 Australian Myna

 Australian Magpie

Magpie Lark

The large black birds I thought were Crows and it turns out they are Australian Ravens.  Well we have a pair of Myna birds nesting in the awning of the roof next door. Every year the pair has a couple of chicks but I see them only when they have fledged and come to drink water and odd food that I put out for the birds in the garden.

Australian Raven

The Noisy Miner is a bold, curious and as noisy a bird as its name suggests. It is identified by its mostly grey body and black crown and cheeks. The bill is yellow, as are the legs and the naked skin behind the eye. I have not yet fathomed the full range of its calls. This year for the first time I think there was a nest around my garden. I did not know about the nest till the chicks fledged.

One afternoon returning from the shops, just as I was taking things out of the boot there was this intense cheep cheep chirping and it was near. I had a good look around my front garden and found there was rustling of the leaves in the big bush in the front. On looking closely, there was a pair of chicks’ dark bodies and yellow beaks. I thought they were the Myna chicks and that this probably was their first outing. I kept an eye on them from inside the house. 

It is a wonder how they can keep up the non-stop chirping, did they even stop to breathe? I saw in the dusk light their parents coming in to feed them, but could not make out exactly if it was the Myna from next door or not. In the morning, I was waiting to wave my husband off to work and saw this gang of sulphur crested cockatoos trying to descend on the tree but were met with a noisy reception with the Noisy Miner birds attacking the cockatoos. That is something to watch as the cockatoos are much bigger and in my perception more aggressive of the two but they were driven away to wreak havoc on the banksia across the road. But here were not just the parents but other birds too trying to keep the chicks safe. Seems they have communal caring of the babies. 

Later, I could still hear this continuous chirping but it seemed the birds were not in the same bush. So where were they? I had to inspect all the bushes and trees trying to follow that chirping sound. Looking at every rustle and tremble of leaf and thinking it should be easy to spot the dark chicks among the green leaves. Not so at all! Aha there they were on a branch over the side fence. Still nonstop chirping! I guess it is their way of reminding the parents that they are waiting for food and of their current perch. I got them on the telephone cable and then realised there was a third chick which seems to be sitting separately on another branch. This lot moved around for about 10 days and grew to twice their size in this time. It was certainly a good nature’s show having Noisy Miner chicks fledging in you front garden.

Reflections on Diwali Day

Here is Diwali again and another year gone by

Time seems to just flash by

Even when winter felt long

The summer has just gone

Getting ready for the family to visit

Love and laughter to be gathered from this visit

Strange that Diwali and Christmas are warm

When winter used to be the norm

Diwali sweet the year replaced by pani puri

The tang of the pani and crunch of the puri

The best snack in warm sunny days

Memories of fun and friends are foremost always

The year has brought the bad with the good

Meeting old and new friends and losing one too

Experimenting with cakes

Chocolate and chilli is all it takes

Visiting new clean sandy and pristine beaches

Cocktails with mangoes, guavas and peaches

Suddenly its back to Diwali and time to reflect

In thankfulness to God we genuflect

For the joy, health and peace felt

May we be with the same pleasure dealt

In this coming year

Just as in the past year

This is spring, is it?

This is spring is it?

The grey skies where the dark clouds sit!

The temperature has dropped from 30 to 21

Raining cats and dogs without a peep from the sun

Out comes the fleece and socks

Why does it feel that nature mocks?

The climate seems to be changing

Not all want to believe in global warming

We need the rains or there will be water shortage

But in comes a deluge and washes away many a cottage

The lightening show lights up the skies

Forking of sliver trees across the skies

Seeming to tear the skies asunder

Then comes the drum roll of thunder

The celestial orchestra at its best

Accompanied by the waves, wind, trees and the rest

The dams get full and ready to over flow

All services scramble to save people from the rushing water flow

Houses with water swirling among the sofas and table

Carpets and books rendered unusable

People left without heat and light

As it keeps pouring without an end in sight

Cars floating fast down the road

Maybe it is time to use the boat down this road

The water fills up the reservoirs and soaks the ground

Making the gardens and plants happy with soggy ground

After 2 days the rain does abate

Out comes the sun and returns the weather to a warmer state

The ground begins to dry day by day

The grass and weeds spring to life as is the way

The dry spell may last long enough for grass to burn

Or the nature brings back rain for another turn

This is spring it is

Nature has one more month to ascertain it is