Remember last year, around this time, when this blog expressed frustration about the rarity of female Common Brown butterflies, and how difficult they were to photograph? Of course you do! Well, this year for some reason, we are faced with virtually the opposite situation. The gals are everywhere, but the male of the species is …
The other day Archie and I were going for walkies through Braidwood, taking in the essential Australianness of our our surroundings: the gum trees, the Kookaburras, the utes chugging by on the King's Highway. And then something popped into this scenario that caused a bit of a jolt -- a reminder of a different time, …
We've now traced the happy narratives of two bird families -- the Sacred Kingfishers and the Grey Wagtails. Now, sitting inside during another extended period of La Niña rain, I'm reminded of a less-happy story: that of the Reed Warblers. This takes us back to the heady days of spring, when trudging down the path …
When I said these little birds grow up fast, I had no idea just how much. On sneaking up to the nest last Monday morning, I noted immediately that it was empty. Not the kind of empty you'd see when the chicks were tiny (all of three weeks ago) and no parent was sitting on …
If there's one thing you get used to by the time you reach my ripe old age, it's being making errors. Being mistaken, getting the wrong end of the stick, failure to comprehend -- I've had a wealth of opportunities to do all these things. Let's avoid all the truisms about failure being the path …
You can't spend too much time away from a Willie Wagtail's brood because by God, they grow up fast. It's five days since we noted the joyful arrival of the chicks -- and scrawny, bald and unappealing little scraps they were, too. So we took a turn down to Commonwood this lunchtime to catch up …
'Tis the season to procreate, and once again the flora and fauna of Braidwood and surrounds is having at it with gusto. We've been fortunate to witness the courtship and subsequent shacking-up of a number of feathery species, and rather late in the day, it occurred to me that this would make interesting 'content' (to …
I'm sure I've mentioned previously that one of the great hazards to Australian cyclists is the swooping Magpie. The males do this to protect their nest when their eggs have been laid. In other words, in spring. In other other words, now. And if you look at that beak, you can see why being subject …
There’s an age-old question that has taxed the minds of history’s greatest thinkers: who would win in a fight between a bear and a gorilla? (Or endless variations thereof). Well, we had our own version last week at Corner Cottage – and it’s done nothing to satisfy that ancient question. I may have mentioned in …
It started in the spring this year: we’d had a long and rather turbulent winter, with the stressful move from Canberra to Braidwood where Corner Cottage was sitting empty and neglected. The garden was wild: a protracted drought and very little care had left it forlorn and weed-infested – but it fascinated me. Venturing down …
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