A HISSY CHRISSY TO ONE AND ALL

The  stress  of  preparing  for Christmas  while also  culling  Little Darwin's  disorderly  den    has  been  added  to  in  a  most  worrying   way .  While escorting  a  much travelled  artistic   dealer  in  artefacts , recently back from  Sri Lanka , off   the  premises ,  there  was  uproar as we walked down the  path   to  his car  . A Curlew , fluffed up , wings extended , shrieked at  us, causing us to leap about  like Kandy dancers .  Why ?  The answer : it had  laid an egg  right next to the driveway . Backing out  the  car  would almost touch its tail feathers .

In a bid to  protect the Curlew , the egg was  picked up , placed  about a metre away in a  manger  protected  from the sun . The   Curlew  and its  partner  glared  mournfully  at  the  relocated  goog , but  did  not  go  near  it . 

A Curlew-wise   neighbour informed me  the Curlews would not sit on  an egg that  had  been  moved. Feeling remorseful ,  the  large eyed Curlews  glaring reproachfully  at  me  , I   moved  the  egg  back  .  Soon  after ... there  were  two   eggs  .

Hissing is  directed  at  me  each time  I  go near  or  get out of  the car , open the hatchback ,  take  items  to  the  wheelie  bins ,even when I  feed  the  sitter .           

I  and my  eggs  will  not  be  moved .

KAMIKAZE KOOKABURRAS DIVE BOMB ISLAND DINNER PARTY

Aussie challenge to Chevy Chase  National Lampoon 

Gate-crashing Kookaburras  provided  unique  entertainment   at  a pleasant  festive season dinner . The cheeky birds , four in number ,  flew through the  house , inspected  Christmas trees  and  presents , dashed away at times   to feed a  demanding, raucous  baby  built  like  Billy Bunter . In an audacious  act ,  one    grabbed a  piece of tasty  chicken from the plate of the hostess   and gave  it  the MKR  snake  tenderiser  treatment of  bashing it  up against the  metal  railing .   

Checking  the  Xmas tree  for squirrels and serpents .

Intrigued  by the  wrapped  object (below)  on the  kitchen  table , an inquisitive  Kookaburra   flew down to inspect  the package  and discovered  it contained  a worn  book   ,  from the  Little Darwin  overflowing  pile ,  a reprint of  an early volume of 101 things for boys to make , including  imitation volcanoes, which had once been in the King Island  , Tasmania, school  library . The Kookaburra  was firmly told  to  get outside , where, unlike   the   Griswold  residence  in  National Lampoon's  classic  Christmas  Vacation  movie  , there is  a  nice  swimming  pool , in which the birds swim .   

THE BIG A IN PORT

Latest  Ghost  Fleet  news  from Shipping Reporter

The  very modern Beluga Ace  car carrier  stood out like a UFO  when it  tied up in  Townsville, but failed to attract the attention of the earthbound local  media . Of course, our  Shipping Reporter , the only one north  of  Port Lincoln ,    snapped the  Panamanian  flagged vessel, constructed  at the  Minaminippon Shipbuilding   yard  and   launched  last year, the first in a new  generation of  FLEXIE  carriers , with six  liftable  decks , 63,115 gross tonnage .  Roaming  about  the  nearby Duck Pond in the office coracle  , he  also  captured  another possible  visitor ( below)  from a far  flung  galaxy  in  a  strange  nautical  configuration  .  

CHRISTMAS IN BIRDSVILLE

Enjoying the Lotus  filled  lakes and  shaded  surrounding  banks in  large numbers  are  groups of   mixed   waterfowl  in Townsville's Anderson Botanic  Gardens.  Vallis  photographs.   

 

 

 

Where's Wally  the Magpie Goose ?

 

DEEP INSIDE A TROPICAL MAZE

From  a cigarette card in  the   Australian Scenic Series  comes  this  real photo, number  81,  of tourists in  a "wonderful remnant " of  the original scrubland  at Kuranda  .There was a  winding track from the nearby Barron River  through giant  palm trees , tree ferns , tea  served  in the surrounds.

CYCLONES , SHARKS AND TURTLES

More exclusive photographs  from the  Queen of the Jungle's  album

During her  time  in North Queensland , she has worked  with  prominent  activists  Arthur and Margaret  Thorsborne   and others  to  save    the   wildlife and  rainforests of  the   region  , the  Germanic  Queen has  been through several  cyclones , a  bushfire   and  the  recent  monsoonal  downpour   which  damaged  her  house .  

While on the  2011  Torres Strait  Pigeon count   mission  on North Brook Island    she  saw and photographed   signs of  the  havoc caused  by  Cyclone Yasi . Staying  in the  Cardwell  caravan   park , she  photographed  the  op shop , its  roof  torn  off.

 

A  new  op shop  was    started in   another building , operational today , from which  this  blogger  has   bought   items of  interest , later  pausing for a  vanilla slice  in a  nearby eatery .

 Journeying from Cardwell by launch to North Brook Island for the  pigeon count , the Queen  saw  Reef Herons  standing on  branches of  trees  stripped of foliage  by  the  cyclonic  winds . 

It came   as a  shock   to  find   large turtles   had been  swept  way  ashore by  pounding  waves , apparently stranded . Sharks  appeared to be "herding " turtles   into  the  shallows ,  preparing  for   a  kill . 

Her group  struggled to push some of the  heavy, cumbersome   creatures into the sea , one of them  above . When Cyclone Kathy,  with  winds up to  250kmh,  smashed into  the  tiny settlement of   Borroloola in the Northern Territory  in  March l984,  conservationists , with the help of helicopters ,  went to the rescue of  scores of  turtles and  dugong  stranded  by the  huge tides   and   surges  at  the  mouth of  the  McArthur  River.  

A SEASIDE ROMP WITH CORAL, CLAMSHELL AND PUMICE

Followed by  a tub of  low fat ice cream to wash away the salty taste .

Another  hallucination  by  Vallis .