Wednesday, July 15, 2009

S L O W W A L K . . .

*



Bird Walk...
But Slowly...






I think I have turned a corner -
I have progressed
from a Hobble
to a Waddle



I drove out of my driveway
in order to go
to the river foreshore
for a

v e r y

s l o w

w a d d l e


and saw at my neighbour's drive
a White Faced Heron,
sometimes called a Blue Crane









who was having
a spot of bother
with a group
of noisy Miners
who must have nests
in the fig tree above


The Heron
has pulled his head in
as the Miner swoops,









So he then decides
to stroll down
to my nature strip
for some peace and quiet









I park my car
at the flowering Jasmin hedge...









stopping for a moment
to admire it's star blooms










and the starburst flowers
of the Christmas Bush,
Pohutakawa,
adjacent









fireworks in nature










I cross the road
to the river side
and hear a flock
of cheering white cockatoos
flying overhead...

ohhhh too late....









but I catch the
tail end
of three flapping pelicans
heading out towards the bar










in this fig tree
there is a commotion -

what can you see
right in the centre
of the image?









I have learned
a new bird today
She is a Fig Bird
grey green in colour
black head,
and pale grey underparts
streaked with dark brown

She loves native figs
and mulberries









I waddle slowly
and enjoy the skies










until I come across
the Ibis family
foraging









and then
the Brahminy kite
glides over
the cotton wool sky









to the far reach of the river
where he has his nest









walk slowly now,
across the slipway
where the leisure fishermen
and holiday makers
launch their boats









and we'll find another ibis
this time a Straw Necked Ibis
see the scratchy looking feathers
on his neck









and some ever hopeful
silver gulls









waiting for
a generous
fisherman's return









along with a pelican








and another








and yet another
with the best possible
vantage point









Time now
to turn our backs
to the sun









And just before we leave
we have time to chat
with Willy Wagtail
who seems today
to be
very congenial
and loquacious...



Happy singing days...







40 comments:

  1. A heron, an Ibis family, three pelicans, flowers galore. This is an explosion of natural and colourful beauty. Many thanks.

    Nice to read that your foot is healing.

    Greetings from London.

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  2. Hello Mr C

    yes I have even had some physio, done some exercises had a little SLOW walk again today and it doesn't feel too bad...

    Happy days

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  3. You are surrounded by so much diverse beauty of nature Delwyn...fig birds in fig trees even...I thought of you yesterday while hanging a few towels on my deck to dry in the breeze...without your river view of course...
    Take care and waddle on!

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  4. Hi Wanda

    We have made some wonderful connections in this bloggy world. I often catch myself thinking about blog friends and what they are up to, and also often relate stories to Beloved.

    Yesterday when you were telling me about the computer glitch you said you were in 'blog reader'. What does that mean?


    I also was thinking about you today when first thing this morning I went out to listen to all the bird call in the bush opposite and thought that while I may not have the beautiful acreage like you, I still have the birdsong...


    Happy days

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  5. It was lovely waddling with you today! I'm so glad to see you are getting about much easier again. Whenever you post about the birds in your part of the world, I am always impressed with the variety you see even on a short waddle. (I'm a little envious!)
    :0)

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  6. how wonderful to see the different flora & fauna in your part of the world! oh my the jasmine & that gorgeous christmas bush, beautiful! ps: a waddle sounds good progress x

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  7. hi delwyn, what an absolute treasure trove of big birds and then an added treat - birdsong! i had my kids listen to it, oh and the unmistakable sound of antipodean accents!!! a lovely waddle delwyn . . . thanks!!!! have a peaceful day. steven

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  8. Yes, he does have quite a range! You live in birdwatcher's heaven, surrounded by birds I've seen only in books. What a treat you've given me.

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  9. hi Delwyn~ What a plethora of waterfowl and glorious nature today! Best of all, you've graduated to waddling! That is good news! Jasmine, mackerel sky (as the English say), sheer poetry of the Brahminy kite gliding over cotton wool . . . and then there's the blue crane; sometimes ungainly and awkward with the head below the shoulders or standing on one leg, sometimes having a certain kind of grace and beauty. I admire them. Love, Margaret
    P.S. I got my five photos in under one post today! Thank you!

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  10. you are girl after my own heart....
    I'm such a bird lover and this was so much fun !

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  11. Blog Reader...it's my reading list on the dashboard page...it shows me the latest postings of all the blogs I follow...in sequence of the times posted...am coming here from there now...sometimes I just come by clicking on comment left or use my favorite list on my blog page...Google has a reader too, but I don't use that!

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  12. Hi Delwin, glad you are beginning to waddle around and getting out of the house. Thanks for the lovely pictures.

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  13. what a lovely selection of birds, I'm in a way most impressed by the photo of the pelicans who don't want to be photographed,

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  14. I love the photo of the bird on top of the pole. There was a famous monk who lived on top of a pole for decades, forget his name, he became a kind of oracle, and people would pass their questions up on a long rope.
    Perhaps fate through this photograph is pointing you in that direction Delwyn - 'The Delphinium Oracle of Noosa' - has a certain ring to it I must say. I could come and be your attendant - grease the pole to stop people climbing it, pass food up to you and spend all the donations of money. Hmmmm sounds like fun.

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  15. A lovely walk, Delwyn. We are so lucky with our bird life. We're yet to identify a new visitor to our courtyard and get a snap of it but it's flighty, won't stand still long enough.

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  16. Thanks for the tour. As I sit here reading & writing I can hear a happy little Carolina wren at the water beside my window. The chickadee & titmouse are on their perch. Yesterday the wren was splashing around in a very small pot beside the larger water bowl. The birds love this shady spot by the water & near to the feeders. Isn't nature lovely?
    Greetings from Texas. Lizzy :-)

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  17. Hello Lizzy

    Isn't it nice to be amused by the small things in life...and to look forward to their return...content to sit a while and watch

    Happy days

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  18. Hi Alaine

    I was excited to find the fig bird yesterday...come home and identify him...it made the walk that bit special...
    I was amazed at the bird life - and that is just a little slice...

    Happy days

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  19. Hi Alden attendant...

    I think maybe you are putting me on a pedestal!


    We'll have to wait til I get this boot off first...

    Happy days

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  20. Hi Juliet

    how is your summer going...

    I did have a very photogenic pelican visitor a couple of weeks back...did you see that post?

    I was surprised too, at the range of birds that day...

    Happy days

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  21. Hi Rosaria

    yes it is nice to have an hour out in the fresh air and to be moving again...Fortunately at home, I always have the beautiful river in my sights and the bush beyond....

    thanks for calling by

    Happy days

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  22. Wanda

    Yes I know what it is. I use that to read blogs that aren't in my blog list on the main page. It's easy but a nuisance to have to go through 2 processes to access it. Each time I think why hasn't Mr Blog got a one click access to the dashboard...
    It becomes rather cumbersome to list everyone on the front page...

    Happy days

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  23. Hello Beth

    I didn't know you were a bird girl too - great, now we can chirp some more...

    Happy days

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  24. Yes Margaret
    waddling is far preferable to hobbling...I try to use the calf muscle more as it is being very lazy in the boot.

    I didn't know the saying mackerel sky, does it mean clear blue or grey blue?

    You can do more than five! Once you have the first five uploaded and click done just repeat the process. As you can see I have up to 20 -25 in one post.

    Happy days

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  25. Hi Meri

    I can't wait for the new camera to arrive with it's 20x zoom...imagine what I can get up to with that...

    Did you identify me on the video?

    Happy days

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  26. Hello steven

    and a big thank you for noticing the voices...I was wondering who might mention my antipodean diction...

    I'm the one saying "I have..." and "he's got quite a range..."

    I have just found that the video setting on my old camera can take long movies...I thought they were only 30 sec duration, so I am trying it out...

    I can hear the whip bird on the river bank in the mornings...but then someone next door will laugh or call out ...and dang....start again...

    I also wonder just how many people bother to stop and take the time to watch or listen to a video... I would guess 30% what do you think?

    Happy days

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  27. Hi Ruthie

    Oh, you are not accustomed to my walks since we have met AB (after boot) ...

    if you have time and are interested I have many lovely walks through the national park, rainforest, wallum, mangroves, beach tracks... which give a good idea of the diverse flora and fauna of this area...

    Just meander back through the posts at your leisure...

    Nice to see you again Ruthie..

    Happy days

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  28. You know what Angela, so I am...

    It always amazes me when I sit down with the photos (it always feels like Christmas to me when I plug the camera in and sit down expectantly wondering just what I have captured today...), what a range of wildlife and flora we have here.

    Thanks for the kind messages you always send..along with your comments...

    Happy days

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  29. It's so good to see you out and about, slow or not. Loved the photos, especially the star jasmin flowers. So beautiful! Hugs and Blessings!

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  30. Hello Delwyn,
    Thanks for heads up on the loving slugs over at Friko's blog. I need to go outside for a slide as it is getting a bit warm in here! Mr. Slug liked it too. We are gathered 'round the computer for the great entertainment! Hope you come over to Slug's Rest again, it was great to see you there today.
    Love, Mrs. Slug

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  31. Delwyn, fancy you thinking I was putting you on a pedestal. If you do get yourself up a pole sometime I shall shake the pole very hard to bring you down to earth, I will shake it in a deeply caring way of course, I wouldn't want to hurt your ego at all. :-)

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  32. Hello Marion

    I love Jasmin but the one I have planted on the wall to replace the passionfruit that some critters loved to suck on, is not too happy - growing very slowly, maybe not sunny enough...

    Happy days

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  33. Hello again Babbler

    I'm glad you appreciated the slime sonata...and I will return - never fear...following the trail ...

    Happy days

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  34. Hello Alden

    now I thought the pole was your idea...don't worry my ego is like a balloon - I will bounce...

    Happy days

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  35. Waddling is perhaps good for slowing down and simply watching and listening. I would have to waddle pretty far to catch a glimpse of anything like the birds you have in your 'backyard'. Thanks for the video of the singing...and talking!

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  36. Hi Violet

    Did you pick me out?

    Aren't I so lucky to have all these birds as companions in waddling...

    Happy days

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  37. Oh yes - that accent (love it!).
    And you have the advantage of having so many LARGE birds. we have a wide variety, but they are all so small, and I am hopeless at spotting them.

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  38. Violet

    I am becoming so much more patient now that I am hobbled, so to speak...
    so I just wait - and low and behold I met the fig bird for the first time...Wonders will never cease!

    Happy days

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  39. Hello Delwyn,

    Yes I imagine it will be about minus 5 C here tonight with a max tomorrow of about 10 or more...

    I'm cosy right here though ...

    I hope your foot is still healing xxx.

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  40. Lovely skywatch and seawatch, plus video!

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