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Mount Field, a Tasmanian Treasure
Back in 1885, just 13 years after Yellowstone National Park in the USA became the world's first national park, and only six years after Royal National Park in Sydney became Australia's first and the...
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Some Acacia Curiosities; wattle they think of next?
Acacias are fundamental to Australian landscapes, though we sometimes forget here that they are equally characteristic of many African ones. Mulga Acacia aneura woodland, Chambers Pillar, central...
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Tierra del Fuego; the national park at the end of the world
Until recently, all I knew of Ushuaia, on Argentinian Tierra del Fuego, was that it claimed to be the world's southern-most city, and that it is the jump-off point for most of the Antarctic cruises....
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Considering Kangaroos
I hear so many stories of people coming to Australia and expecting to see kangaroos in the main streets that I suspect that some of them must be true. And here in Canberra it's pretty close to the way...
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Kakadu in the Wet
A nasty early cold snap has hit Canberra, and we're thinking wistfully of the tropics. It's also been a wet cold snap, so I'm thinking most specifically of rain in the tropics, and it's only a few...
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Have you seen a Casuarina?
This is the latest in an irregular series on some of my favourite trees, of which there is no shortage. The most recent instalment was here, from where you can follow back if you wish. Sound doesn't...
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Thinking Pinkly #3 - flowers
Unlike the pink situation with animals, I am almost overwhelmed with choice for pink flowers to share with you. I was going to prune severely and just offer one posting but further thought suggested...
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Ecuador's Drier Side
Ecuador's natural values are well-known and for very good reasons; tropical lowland rainforest, Andean cloud forests, alpine páramo above the tree line, and of course the ever magnetic and fabulous...
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City Wildlife Snapshots: Guayaquil
I'm away for May, accompanying a natural history tour to tropical Queensland.I don't have time to set up full postings for the time I'll be away, but in the hope of keeping you, my valued readers,...
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City Wildlife Snapshots: Buenos Aires
I'm away for May, accompanying a natural history tour to tropical Queensland.I don't have time to set up full postings for the time I'll be away, but in the hope of keeping you, my valued readers,...
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Farewell to 2014!
Continuing an old tradition (well OK, 12 months old...), I'm going to celebrate the last day of 2014 by selecting just one photo taken in each month of the year. I never make any claims of artistry or...
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City Wildlife Snapshots: Douala
I'm away for May, accompanying a natural history tour to tropical Queensland.I don't have time to set up full postings for the time I'll be away, but in the hope of keeping you, my valued readers,...
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City Wildlife Snapshots: Puerto Maldonado
I'm away for May, accompanying a natural history tour to tropical Queensland.I don't have time to set up full postings for the time I'll be away, but in the hope of keeping you, my valued readers,...
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City Wildlife Snapshots: Lima
I'm away for May, accompanying a natural history tour to tropical Queensland.I don't have time to set up full postings for the time I'll be away, but in the hope of keeping you, my valued readers,...
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Living Rainbows; animal iridescence
This is another in the sporadic series on colour in nature. You can find the most recent one here and trace it back therefrom. However for this particular installment you might also like to cast a...
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Humming with Iridescence
Last time I revelled (as I hope you did) in some birds that flaunt iridescent colours - colours that flash with light, and even change with the angle of viewing. I won't repeat the details of how it...
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Iridescence Without Feathers
This is the third and final in this series of iridescence in animals; the first two dealt with birds, but this time I want to look at other animals - mostly invertebrates but with a fish and a lizard...
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Malaysian Borneo; first impressions
I have just come back from a couple of very interesting (and enjoyable) weeks in northern Borneo, in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. It was an unexpected trip, in that I was asked to...
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When is a Robin not one?
Well, when it's an Australian robin for a start. Nostalgia has a lot to answer for when it comes to Anglo-Australian bird names. Our settler forebears weren't biologists, but they were observant enough...
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Unred Robins
I'm going to give way to a bit of hubris here, and assume that you've read my previous posting on Australia's red robins - in which case you'll be full bottle (as we say) on the background of the...
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