End of winter flies

It's the last month of winter and this pretty little fly was enjoying the arum lilly in our pound. 

Ringnecks

Ringnecks hopefully waiting for some crumbs in Mundaring

Birds at Mundaring Weir

 The birds in the Mundaring bush are very domesticated, they know that people have food so they are expecting to share. Especially at the cafe area at the Perth Hills Centre.

Wattlebird

We always have heaps of birds in our front yard because of the pond. Ravens, Rainbow lorikeets, Ringnecks, Willy Wagtails and the odd Kookaburra but also very often the Wattlebird. They are awaiting their turn to have a bath most of the time fighting and screaming at each other. Sometimes I have to chase away Egrets who are fishing the goldfish out of the pond.

This Wattlebird was screaming from the tree trying to chase away a flock of fighting lorikeets.

Tomato hopper?

There were several of those hoppers in my tomato plants nibbling on the leaves. I have never seen them before, so pretty with the striped legs.
I've looked it up and apparently it's the young giant grasshopper, still without wings. So I can expect a few more huge grass hoppers in my garden, hope they won't eat all my veggies...

Brown moth

Yesterday I was watering my rubharb and this beautiful brown moth flew out from under one of the big leaves. Catching her breath at the roof of the chicken pen. She was quite big, like as tall as my thump.

Magpie baby

Saturday afternoon I was walking home and right in front of my eyes a car drives over a young magpie who was just out with her folks for some flying lessons. Luckily she wasn't hit by the wheels but she tumbled a few times and laid for dead when the car passed. I run to the rescue and took up the paralysed bird, cramped and scared, and took it home, only a few meters.

She came to life after feeding her some worms out of the wormfarm and some mulberries from our tree. She is the most cutest thing, still needs to be fed but tries to fossick around a bit too. Twice a day we do flying lessons, she is getting better, but still has problems landing. She adopted me as her carer and I hope we'll get a bond and she stays in our garden. I love the sound of magpies. I read they are very territorial so that might work.

Monitor lizard

Quite high on Mount Hassell in the Stirling Ranges we found this monitor lizard sun bathing on a rock.

Butterfly closing up

The day before Christmas we were hiking in Porongorup National Park and came across lots of orange and brownish butterflies. I finally managed to get one sitting still, but it wouldn't open it's wings for us, a pity, as they were beautiful.

Speckled fly

Over the Christmas weekend we were hiking in the Stirling Ranges and on top of the Toolbrunup mountain were lots of flies and I made a few good shots of this beauty. It's only slightly bigger then a normal fly.

Green fly

This tiny green fly was very active but seems to enjoy me wanting to take a photo as it came back to the fig leaf every time. A beauty in green armor.

So different from the fat green flies I photographed a few years ago. Apperently this one is of the Dolichopodidae family or long legged flies.

Frog-like insect?

I was making a photo of my cherry tomatoes and didn't see this little insect until I checked the photos on the computer. Look how amazing this bug is with it's two feelers on the back and it's frog-like body. What is it??

Legless lizard

These little snake like reptiles are so pretty and at the same time funny with their tiny mini legs positioned along the body.

Huge grasshopper

Look at the amazing hindleg of this huge grasshopper wich was chased by Cooky, our cat. By the time I saw her chasing the poor creature it was already missing one of it's hindlegs. I quickly took the cat away to give it some rest but got a big scare when it hopped just passed my face, it was the size of my hand!

Moth

The cocoon changed colour and a tiny wrinkled moth came out of it. It was so cute and hairy like a little teddy bear with huge eyes.