Category: Creatures

Kangaroo island

We haven’t been posting here for a while, because my mother is visiting us right now. We enjoy time together instead of sitting at the computer.

When we came to Adelaide, we asked locals where to go, what to see. A lot of them recommended Kangaroo Island.

So here we are on the ferry to KI.

Some sort of Australian Scandinavia.

It was getting dark very fast, and those signs and dead kangaroos by the road didn’t encourage to hurry.

We decided to take a shortcut. Well… not sure did we save any time…

In the camp ground we were alone. Just kangaroos wandering around. And I haven’t seen so many stars in the sky before.

We visited a lake near by.

On Laurius’ birthday we went to the post office where they sold binoculars. So now we have them 🙂

What?

Red-capped plovers by the lake.

The famous Seal Bay.

For a half an hour we were observing the sea lions on the beach with a guide.

When it’s cold sea lions come to the dunes to hide from the wind. Sometimes they even come to the visitor center. Once one sea lion was blocking the entrance to the toilet. It was very inconvenient, the guide said.

On the left – a skeleton of the whale.

Lonely Planet suggested to have some fish burgers in this shop.

Someone stole the crab family. It’s terrible.

We walked some track that leads to the ocean. Really nice place.

But swimming here is really scary.

A chance to have some fun.

Next day we visited one of the famous places in KI. It seams like S. Dali created all this.

No, we are not crazy, it’s modern art.

New Zealand fur seals having fun.

Or sleeping.

Here the seals were lying in the shade.

We visited some little town that was totally empty. Just some lions in the playground.

The town.

Pelicans.

Gulls.

Blue-eyed cormorants.

While waiting for the ferry Laurius hunted this huge gull.

Warren Conservation Park

Once we realised, that whenever we are going somewhere, we usually go South or East from Adelaide, but rarely North. So we took a map and pointed to the first park up from Adelaide. It was Warren Conservation Park.

It’s spring – everything is green and bloom.

Cuckoo is looking for a nest to lay her eggs.

Disturbed lizard rushes to the bushes.

First wild echidna we ever met. But it was very shy and was hiding under the tree.

Pardalote is cheering us with the song.

And nearly idyllic Australian view.

Swamp on the Highway

Sometimes we find interesting places where we least expect that. This happened on our way via Port River Expressway. We saw a brown sign, that suppose to mark something interesting, so we decided to check that.

At the entrance to the Barker Inlet Wetlands we met this beauty, nothing special, but it’s a good start, we thought. However the territory was fenced and locked for restoration or something like that. All we could do just wander along the fence.

I was expecting that this will be something interesting, but it’s just a wild feral duck.

Great Egret was fishing on the shore.

No good.

You can’t walk along the fence a lot, so we went to one of our favorite places – St.Kilda. It was nearly a sunset.

A couple rabbits were grazing in the field…

… and some hens.

But they were really shy, as always.

The black swamp isn’t black

It was the same day when we found some cars on the road. We came to an old vinery. Old gentlemen parked their old Jaguars and went for some lunch and wine with their old ladies.

It was dry even after the rain season. Laurius and the wolf didn’t get wet feet. The wolf is possing with African (!) plants.

Mr. Eagle is looking for his prey.

Tree martin on a dead tree.

Welcome swallow. Hello swallow, nice to meet you swallow.

A swamp doesn’t look black.

Flowers and the vineyard.

Before the walk we had to register in a journal. Then they know how many tourists sank in the swamp or something. A lady here told us to beware of snakes. They enjoy first warm day after the winter, doesn’t matter that it’s windy.

Some historical railway bridge. We heard the train comming, so waited for it for about 10 minutes. Then realised that is was just the wind in pine trees.

Almost lithuanian view – a little forest. The only difference – a pine needles are very long.

Another wolf.

Some strange plants.

Picnic together with a bug.

Perfect calmness in a vinery with velvet chocolate cake, singing birds and sleeping lamas.

Willie wagtail is showing off. As always.

Our picnic place with a view of swamp.

Lama or alpaca. I’ll learn what’s the difference between them later.

After the lunch we left to the seaside.

Deep Creek bushwalking

At the entrance to Deep Creek conservation park we met Scarlet Robin.

And a lovely couple o Superb Fairy Wrens. Male is bright.

His wife – modest and shy. They were jumping like those tin birds – toys.

As they call walking in forest or at the river bushwalking too, this trail was a real bushwalking. At the beginning we were going surrounded by dense bushes, just a little bit too tall so we couldn’t see anything around.

The tack began to go down and we saw a wide landscape. We have seen photos of this trail before and it showed some kangaroos on the cliff edge. There was nothing like a cliff. Just a steep slippery stony surface under your feet. Those, who didn’t look under their feet got many bruises (of course it was Laurius).

Sadly, it was windy day, it means – no birds. We didn’t know where we were going. Just down. And the sea looked so far away, and we – so high on the hill.

Instead of kangaroo.

The end of the trail was very near, but we had to turn and run up, because sun was going down so fast. And it took an hour to get down.

Some flowers.

The last point where you can see something before getting in the bushes.

 

Finally we made it – we came to our car. After that it got dark in  minutes. A night butterfly hiding in the toilet.

On the way back we met  kangaroos and a rabbit on the road! A little bit extreme ridding in twilight on gravel roads.