We saw thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands, of birds as we cruised Yellow Water. There is an incredible concentration of birdlife at this wetland site, and I was nearly beside myself with delight (and frantic to write down everything we were seeing). It wasn’t just numbers of each species, though that was impressive, but [...]
Entries from February 2008
February 23, 2008
Goannas
If you saw the movie The Rescuers Down Under, then you may remember that the villan, Percival McLeach (voice of George C. Scott) had a pet lizard he called Joanna. This would make anyone familiar with the Australian lizards called goannas smile (as opposed to story elements, such as a young boy walking from Ayres [...]
February 19, 2008
Yellow Water Lagoon
Our second day in Kakadu National Park, we had an early-morning cruise on the beautiful Yellow Water Lagoon (sometimes also called Yellow Water Wetlands). The lagoon is named for the yellow water lilies that cover the surface of the water in the spring. We were a little early for the yellow flowers, but we were [...]
February 13, 2008
High as a Kite
In the family Accipitridae, which includes eagles, buzzards, and harriers, kites are the mid-sized models. There are numerous species of kites, divided among three subfamilies, which live in warm (temperate as well as tropical) regions worldwide. Like other daylight raptors, kites generally rely on speed to dine. That said, some kites eat nothing but snails, [...]
February 10, 2008
Frangipani
The Latin name of the flower pictured below is Plumeria. The common name is frangipani. However, in some places, the Latin name is more common than the so-called common name. For example, if you’re in Hawaii, it will be called plumeria. But if you’re in Australia, it’s frangipani. These are not the only places this [...]
February 6, 2008
Nourlangie Rock
If you saw the movie Crocodile Dundee, you might recognize the shot below. In the movie, it is where Mick Dundee and Sue spend their first night in the wilderness—or to be more precise, it’s where we see them preparing to face the day after they spend their first night in the wilderness. Needless to [...]
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