Thursday 1 October 2015

Goose, Goose, Goose ... Jacana


Early this afternoon when a motorbike was revving one side and the gardeners where mowing, whipper snipping and blowing the other I really wished I was in some other, peaceful place. I also wished they would shut up so I could hear what they were saying on Love Child which I was wasting time watching back to back episodes of. I never got to watch it on t.v, night shift and all that. Actually as nice as it is not having to maintain the gardens, meaning the grass, I still feel like my privacy or my space is being invaded. However it is not worth owning a mower for our tiny patch of grass and the maintenance comes with the rent.
Anyway, so back before the machinery noises I actually did head somewhere quiet. This morning I spent some time hanging out at Cattana Wetlands. It had been a while since I'd been there and even longer since I'd been there during the day rather than for sunset.


It was a nice morning for it too, prefect spring like weather with warm sun and a cool breeze. It really was the breeze that made it. It also made it had to take photos of leaves on trees, they kept moving for some reason.


I ummed and ahhed about going, which seems to be a running theme, but went in the end. I wasn't really feeling the urge to go somewhere but felt I probable should. You see I'd been to she shops yesterday and maybe, just maybe made some purchases I probably shouldn't have but I did need new good shoes as opposed to my not good shoes, which are thongs. So basically I'd been out recently and wasn't feeling housebound.


As per usual it ended up being worth it, the view over the big lake there was definitely worth it.

Metallic Starling
I was hoping for lots of bird life. Apparently that wasn't going to be the case, although heard a few I didn't have much lack seeing them.



I was also hoping for lots of flowers. That was another thing that didn't seem to be in abundance although there were lots of water lily flowers and some bright yellow hibiscus flowers.

native hibiscus



There might not have been flowers but what there was, were berries. So many different ones and I had no idea what any of them were. I figured taste testing wasn't a particularly good idea, obviously. I'll have to pick Mr Sparky's brain to see if he knows any of them. He is my resident bush tucker man.





So with a lack of feathered creatures to view I was getting quiet bored to be honest. I was hoping for something new to look at.
But then ... while crouching in the shade seeing what I could see and trying to be invisible I spotted some other winged creatures.



My enthusiasm lifted by about 300%.


And then when looking at the next lake I spotted some feathered creatures feeding among the lilies.



So many water lilies to find them among.



It turns out back at the big lake there were some spectators, hanging out in the middle of the lake.


There was also an awesome reflection of the mountains to be seen among the trees.



My enthusiasm for the reflections and details, probably got a little overboard.



But it was that relaxed observation that probably was the reason I saw more than I could see before. Either that or I was actually near the more popular part of the lake.


What was a game of hide and seek turned into a game of eye spy among the lilies.

eye spy a acana


I'd never really thought that water lilies would make good place to camouflage yourself but it turns out they are good for it, even when you have bright red on your head. 
I don't have bright red on my head by the way, according to recent ads on t.v I have now discovered I am actually a 'Bronde'.

Green Pygmy Goose
Even black, white and glossy green blend in well. Actually that isn't a surprise when I think about it.


I liked this little game of eye spy.


Plus I'd gotten to see what I'd wanted to see, another Jacana.

 
 But then I lost the Jacana and couldn't find it again.


But the little geese, I found a few of them.




And water lilies, still plenty of them.



So nice and quiet and relaxing, nothing like the sounds that greeted me around lunch time.


This next picture is just for the giggle ... you'll spot it I'm sure. 
Hint: it is something to do with the signs.


My Memory Art

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/wild-bird-wednesday-166-satin-bowerbirds.html

More Starlings here and Jacanas and more Jacanas and Cattana Wetlands here.

11 comments:

  1. Stunning photos as always. I do so love seeing your posts. The lilies on the lake as so very beautiful. Wonderful capture of the dragonfly. They are not the easiest to photograph - they just don't stay still long enough I have found.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad my posts are enjoyed. It is a nice spot although usually when I head there late afternoon there are plenty of mosquitoes. The dragonflies I was taking photos of were pretty good because they kept coming back to the same spots, making it a lot easier and they were sitting still for little sections of time once they landed. Things that move a lot are just so hard to get pictures of.

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  2. So many of your landscape images look like what I would see in the Adirondack Mountain here in New York State. Neat!

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  3. oh wow such a lovely place to visit, I liked the lillies in black and white :-)

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  4. so many nice images. The Jacana I did see in Queensland walking on the leaves. Sometimes hard to spot :)

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  5. beautiful photos...I don't think I have ever seen so many water lilies

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  6. I'm not sure I have ever seen that many water lilies. We are moving on Monday, our new house sits on a hill above a wetland. I'm anxious to see what birds I will have there...and maybe I'll need to play I spy to find them...

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  7. I discovered Cattana Wetlands a few months ago too, and like you I was surprised at how little bird life I saw. I thought there might be more activity at dawn or dusk? And I didn't walk around to the far side of the lakes. But it is a spectacular hidden gem in Cairns and I will go back again, perhaps with a picnic or BBQ. Your photos are fabulous!
    Carol in Cairns

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  8. The water lilies really sparkle. Great shots!

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  9. Love those shots down the shady paths - and the Jacana and lilies (?) shots are great.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  10. I love those pics of the water... beautiful!

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