I visited the Braeside Wetlands this morning to photographed birds in the wild. I was joined by fellow photographer Kathie Thomas.
Braeside Park Wetlands Circuit trail provides visitors with a number of wetlands viewing opportunities and to observe the many varied bird species that reside in the park. The trail travels through open Red Gum and Manna Gum bushland area to the north east of the wetlands, with more grassy vegetation along the south western edge. Source: Park Vic https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/wetland-circuit-trail
Sadly, there were few birds about this morning, however I was absolutely delighted to see a beautiful fox nearby. Here are two photos (among others) I had snapped of this wild creature:
There have been very few opportunities that I was able to photograph foxes in the wild. Here are two photos I had snapped in 2018:
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BIRDS AT BRAESIDE WETLANDS
Despite the seemingly lack of a huge amount of bird life around, we walked around the Wetlands circuit, approx 5 kms or so (I was informed that equates to over 10,000 steps today!), I did manage to snapped many photos of the bird life that was seen. Here are a couple photos of mine:
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Birds Sighted today:
Black Swan Gray Teal Chestnut Teal Blue-billed Duck Australasian Grebe Spotted Dove Common Bronzewing Crested Pigeon Tawny Frogmouth Dusky Moorhen Eurasian Coot Australasian Swamphen Silver Gull Little Pied Cormorant Australian Pelican Great Egret White-faced Heron Australian Ibis Eastern Rosella Rainbow Lorikeet Superb Fairywren Noisy Miner Brown Thornbill Gray Butcherbird Australian Magpie Gray Fantail Magpie-lark Little Raven Welcome Swallow Common Myna Eurasian Blackbird Red-browed Firetail
(Thank you, Kathie Thomas, for the bird list)
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MY PHOTOS PUBLISHED IN INDIA
A few years ago I travelled around India, particularly in Kolkata (Calcutta), and one of the many subjects that I challenged myself with was photographing popular singer, Christopher Lobo, at the many venues that he was performing at. I gave Christopher a whole lot of photos of mine for him to use in his publicity and media activities. I am delighted that he is using many of these photos to this day. Here is an example of such use:
Here is the original Photo of mine:
Keep on rockin, Christopher!!
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OLD CAMERAS – 005
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BIG ROSE
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FINALLY
I love all aspects about photography hence this Newsletter. I wish to share things that I enjoy about this medium. If you like what you have read, please subscribe to receive future Newsletters 🙂 Comments are also nice to receive.
The Possums left the lemons but ate the peel/rind at my home garden in Belgrave (Victoria, Australia).
For overseas readers to this Newsletter, Possums eat the leaves, flowers and fruits of a wide variety of native and exotic trees and shrubs. The Common Brushtail Possum may also eat grass, fungi, bird’s eggs and baby birds. Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is about the size of a cat. It has large pointed ears, grey fur and a bushy black tail. (https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au)
Here is a photo that I snapped last year (March 24) of a Ringtail Possum.
In respect to the ‘lemon’ photo (above), here are some of the comments I received on social media in the last couple of days:
Jenny K. > They ate the leaves on my lemon tree John Weeks, Author > Destructive little buggers! Great to photograph though. Wendy W. > Maybe hungry little buggers? Sure they weren’t doing it to be spiteful and they have been here long before any of us. John Weeks > Absolutely, Wendy! Andy P. > They do that here too, the question is, would you use the peeled lemons? John Weeks > Nope! There are plenty more lemons on the tree. Marina D. > Crumbs, they must be desperate if they’re eating lemon pith Lorena C. > Devils!! John Weeks > haha Bernadette S. > They are not silly…the pith and peel is where most vitamins and minerals including high antioxidants and immune boosters. Why do you think citrus peel is the main component of Hydroxychloroquine? Animals know so much more than we do about staying healthy through winter. John Weeks > I couldn’t agree more, Bernadette. Chris J. > Bernadette Saulenier that’s why I have lemon with my tequila. Chris J. > For health reasons Bernadette S. > Chris, good on you, stick to your story. Chris J. > lol Chris J. > Put flashing solar lights on your tree. They won’t touch it. Joan B. > Possums or Rats ? John Weeks > Nah.. it’s possums. I see them do it and let them carry on. Plenty more lemons for me to choose from. Joan B. > Comforting to know it’s possums , l think l read somewhere that rats do it too. Kate L. > That’s amazing haha! They did such a good job. I would think they had peeled them just for me so I can put them on some sugar pancakes ☺️ teamwork. Sally W. > I used to live in Ferny Creek. I had the best grapefruit tree…. the possums did the same with the peel! John Weeks > They sure got fine tastes, Sally. Colin P. > That was thoughtful of him John Weeks > That’s what I thought too, Colin. Tanya C. > The possums did this to our last lot of lemons. I must go & strip the latest lot of lemons from our tree before the possums get them again. I’ll squeeze the juice from them & freeze it. Bernadette S. > Maybe leave the peels out near the tree if you are not using them so they can enjoy them Tanya C. > Bernadette, good idea! John Weeks > You mean you are going to venture out in the freezing cold to pick the lemons. Brrrr! Tanya C. > John, not tonight but I will tomorrow. Not that it will be much warmer. Jules L. > Helpful! Brunella C. > They made it easier for you Barry C. > They don’t touch ours Rhonda S. > They have been eating the rind of our Lisbon lemons for the past 6 years. The tree is huge and I get some lemons but I’m really peeved with the critters. John Weeks > That can be annoying alright, Rhonda. Jane G. > I wonder if leaving a wildlife safe net bunched up around the base of the tree at a distance they would find hard to jump might deter them?? Animals don’t like climbing on insecure things. Just a wild thought John Weeks > Jane, a good thought indeed! Thanks.. Debra S. > Yep – few years back they started eating the bark on the tree as well Just about killed it !!! So watch that you don’t take all the lemons off or they may start on the bark ! John Weeks > Debra, Good advice. Thanks. Alessandra P. > Debra, might be rats. Did that to our lime tree Lois R. > 😲 Ohhh naughty things!! Pam S. > Little devils – new fruit too I suppose Caroline B. > Bizarre! Our possums eat the inside of the oranges and leave all the peel. Linda S. > Caught them hovering about my Meyer lemon the other night, little buggers. If you have a dog that lives inside (or a friend with one) empty the vacuum cleaner bag around what you want to protect from possums and rabbits. The incursions stop straight away. May be an image of big cat and nature Femke K. > Linda, they’re hungry. Poor babies just need food. Linda S. > Femke, they are fat as. There’s loads of Lilly Pilly berries becoming ripe plus 2 acres of remnant bush they are able to eat whatever they like. I just don’t like sharing my lemons lol Femke K. > Linda, winter is a difficult time for them. They may be fat now. Sara G. > The ringtails on our property do that too 😂 you need brushtails, they’ll eat the rest of it. Sonia M. > Did you a favour; saved you peeling them. Gilly M. > Yes. Mine are like this too! Stephen R. > Yes mine too Nikki W. > Ours get eaten too, but they never touch the grapefruit right next to it. Cheryl L. > They do that to my lemons too, lol. Femke K. > They seem to do it when bush food is a little hard to find Michelle M. > Happens a lot here too. Kathleen A. > They do that to us too but leave the skinless lemons hanging on the tree! Ilze G. > How considerate! Sandra A. > Freeze the insides (after washing them maybe?) John Weeks > Sandra, I got a lot of lemons on my tree to choose from, Sandra. Sandra A. > John, lucky. We have a Maya that doesn’t get enough sun! So not much fruit. Fortunately our resident possums are brushies! David F. > It will be rats, I have watched them eat the peel off my Myer lemons. Janine S. > It’s winter, they need the vitamins I guess. Sarah M. > At least your possums won’t get scurvy. That’s a plus. Gerran W. > That’s happened to mine too. John H. > The recipe called for the “zest of a lemon” ! Tony T. > Ohhh those cheeky possums Alessandra P. > Rats debarked our lime tree John Weeks > Alessandra, not good. Wendy D. > They love the peel Paula E. > Mine too – I think it’s possums – they leave mine on the tree minus the peel Su R. > A little ringtail has been working on my lemons … draped them in wormwood and that seems to have kept her away for the moment… Suzanne W. > Ours too, but yours must be hungry little fur balls Meg J. > How maddening discerning of them Catherine E. > Yep, “ours” have been doing the same for months. So annoying!! They actually leave the skinless lemons hanging on the tree! Can’t work out if that’s kind or not! 😋 Gillian D. > B* possums! Nola M. > Possums or rats? John Weeks > Possums, Nola. Rosie B. > Yeah we always had possums eating the Lemon rinds on our tree Sue C. > They do that to mine too. John B. > A good possum will do that. Pamela L. > I like to share John Weeks > Pamela, sure thing Bruni A. > They won’t get scurvy John 😊 Nikky R. > That would be the Ringtail possums! They love lemon rind ❤️ John Weeks > yep! Nikky R. > John Weeks I love possums
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MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
Currently I am going through a long and slow process of downsizing of what I have been collecting over the last 50 years, in particular, this week, my music cassette collection. Many of these cassettes can no longer be played so I had disposed them in the bin but before I did this I scanned the covers for memory sake.
One of things that I have been paying attention to is the photography that was applied to the cassette cover. So here are three examples of portraiture photography that was considered to highlight the music artists of these cassette albums. Sadly there was no credit for the photographers on the cassette cover.
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NEGATIVES TO DIGITAL PROJECT – Part 3
Sorting through thousands of negatives of photos that I had snapped in the period of 1970-1980s.
‘Crashing Wave’ – Victoria – 1970s
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OLD CAMERAS – 004
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DOG PHOTOGRAPHY
Here are recent photos that I had snapped of my friends’ dogs:
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FINALLY
I love all aspects about photography hence this Newsletter. I wish to share things that I enjoy about this medium. If you like what you have read, please subscribe to receive future Newsletters 🙂 Comments are also nice to receive.
I snapped this photo yesterday. These birds seem to be more present where I live (in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia) in this Autumn weather for some reason. I don’t mind. I love capturing these birds with my camera.
Here are a couple of photos I had snapped earlier this year …
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DIGITAL BOOKS
Currently I am in the process of producing various digital books showcasing aspects and themes of my photography.
For example:
After extensive journeying around Ireland on two occasions I recently began sorting through thousands of photos that I had snapped of that beautiful country, and have now produced three digital books in a pdf format.
Sorting through thousands of negatives of photos that I had snapped in the period of 1970-1980s.
Part 002
Near Mentone (Victoria), a path access which I regularly used to get down to the beach, usually on the weekend. My parents had a home unit five minutes walk to the beach. 14 April, 1980
MEERKAT
Who doesn’t like Meerkats?
The meerkat or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body length is around 24–35 cm, and the weight is typically between 0.62 and 0.97 kg. Wikipedia
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FINALLY
I love all aspects about photography hence this Newsletter. I wish to share things that I enjoy about this medium. If you like what you have read, please subscribe to receive future Newsletters 🙂 Comments are also nice to receive.