Dear Reader: There is an Adelaide Rosella perched amongst the bare branches of a fruit tree in the garden of the old ‘Mine Manager’s House’. Adelaide Rosella I am taking a walk around the Kapunda Mine site situated on the southern edge of the mid north town of the same name. It is an easy, short walk. Despite the rather overcast conditions, I am hoping to get a few good shots of the site and local wildlife. Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike (credit Debbie Simmonds) Before my walk I spoke to several people at the Visitor Information Centre and the local hotel. They mentioned a mob of Western Grey K ..read more

Dear Reader: There is an avenue of trees shading the footpath. A small group of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are using both beaks and feet to feed on something growing or living on the branches and leaves. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos enjoying a winter feast I am in the small town of Mylor in the Adelaide Hills. It has a village atmosphere with a general store, small restaurant and craft shop and a football oval. Some lovely heritage homes adorn the main street and a small creek runs along the back of the oval. One of many heritage buildings in the area A quality range of goods on display at Ve ..read more

Dear Reader: On entering the forest of eucalypts, native pine and acacias we hear the bellowing grunts of a male Koala. Within a few minutes we find the perpetrator of this solo cacophony hanging upside down in a gum tree. An unusual Koala pose Looking more carefully, we notice a second, smaller animal; probably a female. The story becomes clear as the male rights himself then clambers across the gap towards his intended. Lady in waiting On my way We leave the Koalas to their mating rituals and move further along the narrow trail. The weather has been dry this autumn and the wildlife is ..read more

Dear Reader: There is a pair of White-plumed Honeyeaters perched on a branch about thirty metres away. I think one is an adult which has just fed its well fledged chick. The Pines Conservation Reserve is a five-minute drive from the historic township of Kapunda. It encompasses the old reservoir which once serviced the town and its mining community. Today the reservoir is dry after a long summer with little rain. From the park’s entrance where I spotted the honeyeaters, I follow a looped trail leading to the reservoir. There are Galahs and rosellas flying through the trees and scrub and I can ..read more

Dear Reader: The predatory bird circles high in the morning sky then swoops down low to within a hundred metres of me. A Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australia’s largest bird of prey. Wedge-tailed Eagle hunting I am heading for the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park, a twenty minute drive from Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley and around 90 kms from Adelaide. Kaiser Stuhl was a popular winery, now incorporated into Penfolds, that flourished in the region for over half a century. The name comes from a prominent hill in the Barossa. Indigenous people referred to the area as Patpoori which means little grass t ..read more

Dear Reader: David notices a pair of brightly coloured Mulga Ringneck parrots landing in a tree by the roadside. I pull the car over and power down the window to allow both of us to capture some images. Mallee Ringneck On this initial foray into the bushland around Frahns Farm, in the Monarto area, we are exploring the roads surrounding a fenced off region which is being revegetated. We have travelled north along Frahns Farm Road after leaving the old Princes Highway then headed west along Disher Hill Road before returning south to the highway along Wattle Road. At the crossroads of Theile ..read more

Dear Reader: The scenery on my drive between Meadows and Ashbourne varies between open pasture to Creekside scrubland with both kangaroos and cows enjoying the fertile landscape. Rural setting with old farmhouse ruin, stock and bush background My destinations are the town of Ashbourne and the nearby Bullock Hill Conservation Park. I have driven along several of the roads I am about to explore during the cooler months when the weather was not as conducive to photography and I promised myself a summer visit and a meal at the Green Man Hotel. Track into the park Green Man Hotel in Ashbourne ..read more

Dear Reader: I hear movement in the long grass. Fifty metres away a Western Grey Kangaroo twitches its ears and looks back at me before slowly hopping into the scrub. Western Grey Kangaroo I am exploring Meadows Creek from three roads that intersect the creek from Brookman Rd, which starts at the top of Willunga Hill and terminates at Meadows. The first is Adams Gully Road. Adams Gully Road ford Here, the creek’s bank is obscured by scrub and grass. I wade through the tangle of dry stalks and spot a Common Brown Butterfly amongst a mat of fallen grass. Common Brown butterfly Nearby, a le ..read more

Dear Reader: There’s a small mob of Western Grey Kangaroos feeding close to the path where I am starting my walk. Leaning against a tree, I steady the camera. The roos detect either sound or scent and bound away into the thicker scrub. Up Up and Away I am taking a walk around the South Para Reservoir near Williamstown about an hour’s drive from Adelaide’s CBD. The road winds through the Adelaide hills and encompasses a range of environments from rural to wilderness. Unfortunately, it is a bit of a grey day. Not brilliant for photography.   South Para Reservoir The track leads dow ..read more

Dear Reader: I swim under the jetty, dive and steady myself ready to photograph the jumble of complex animals and algae encrusting one of the jetty poles. Marine organism encrusting a jetty pole Port Victoria jetty As I swim to the next pole, I decide to concentrate my photography on the more discrete types of marine animals amongst the colourful clutter. On this pole the most obvious inhabitant is a white colonial sea squirt. Colonial sea squirt The next pole I investigate has a dominant growth of green algae ,called Cualerpa, radiating from its wooden base. I find a Golf Ball Sponge ne ..read more