Blogs About Nature
Last weekend, I went to the property. I’d turned 31 and just really wanted to go up there and check out the fungi.
The area is looking a lot better. There is a lot more groundcover and moss. I’m seeing lots of signs of mammals visiting the area, but there isn’t that much birdlife.
The dam isn’t looking the best. Tuppy also came and had a blast.
Last week, I went for a quick walk along Eastern Beach. It was incredibly quick, as I got into town a bit early for an appointment. I stuck to the seaweed along the high tide mark. As a result, there is very little diversity but I thought it was still worth documenting.
I’ve observed two separate spider species in the garden recently. I haven’t yet tried to identify them; I was more focused on trying to get clear photos of them.
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Recently, we were in Lorne for the Sculpture Festival. We went for a quick walk along the beach before heading back. We didn’t find any rockpools, but found lots of interesting marine life washed up amongst the seaweed.
I haven’t sought identification for the following specimens, as I’m overwhelmed by the number of things I’m trying to get identified. It was a lot different to other places we’ve visited.
Seth, mum and I went down to Balyang to look for bugs. As soon as we got there we heard this unusual call. I can’t describe it but I hadn’t heard anything like it before. It was high up in the tree and the light was fading. Oh no! I recorded the calls just in case I needed them for later.
Seth and I circled the tree a couple more times. I was lucky enough to get the two shots I’ve shared below. Obviously, they have been edited.
At the time, three young collard sparrowhawks were still hanging around the area so I didn’t want to post about it. I do miss living in the area. It’s still fun to get these little surprises when I visit.
It can be hard to get a good look at the grasshoppers in the backyard. I have my little spots where I patiently wait for them but it can be really hard to get clear views. I tend to wait at the edge of a large cacti patch and hope one pops out.
I was so lucky in this case. This little guy landed on the cacti and had a bit of a stretch. This allowed me to get great close shots of the rear and hind legs. I’m hoping to learn more about their anatomy in the coming weeks/months. They are so fascinating.
One of the benefits of returning to Apollo Bay was being able to explore the rockpools at night again. I was determined to learn as much as I could. Thanks to the GoPro, my life seemed to revolve around tide times.
Alas, I’m a newbie and didn’t always get the information I needed for identification. Here is what we found:
I’m guessing the above is an abalone but it is really beyond my skill base. I’ve tried to find more information online but it all comes up with commercial information.
Update: I asked online, and was told it was “air-breathing sea-slugs, Onchidella nigricans.” Der! They were in the book, just curled differently. One of the problems of trying to self-teach myself so gosh much.
(Birds are easier. Entomology is equally as tricky, but don’t have to deal with underwater photography AND not knowing whether its safe to touch a species.)
Above is Ischnochiton australis, but one that is very encrusted. The person I asked – a marine researcher from the Field Nats – had never seen one that encrusted before, so I don’t feel bad for being a newbie as much. This week I’ve been playing catch up and have asked so many questions.
Apollo Bay Harbour had a lot of sand this visit, it really messed with the conditions. I don’t know if this had anything to do with it.
The below was identified as belonging to the genus Spratelloides but this is beyond my skillset.
The above is Sculptured Goby. Fishes of Australia describe it as:
Body slender, head depressed with several distinctive raised skin flaps giving a sculptured appearance; eyes close together; mouth small, jaws ending in front of eye.
Overall dark brown, with a reticulated pattern of pale spots surrounded by brown lines and several broad saddles or bands across top of body; a pale stripe from eye to rear of jaws.
I’ve narrowed this down to a hairy crab belonging to the pilumnus genus. Either bearded or common but I can’t get a close enough look at the carapace! I kinda do and am leaning towards the common one, pilumnus tomentosus. I just didn’t get a clear enough shot as I didn’t know what area to focus on. I made myself leave the crab book at home.
I took mum rockpooling one night to explore just how diverse it could be. Unfortunately, we left too early and got home before the cool stuff came out. We did catch this sunset:
Recently, I shared photos of the ladybird larvae that were thoroughly enjoying the cacti patch. I was fortunate enough to get up close photos of the ladybirds. One was doing something with its face while another was stretching its wings. The macro lens struggled in both situations but it was still something I was glad to witness.
