Training Your Vision to See

DD

I ran across an amazing Sand Paper Fig Fiscus scobina on my walk yesterday.

Today I saw a another huge Sand Paper Fig shrub I had ridden past countless times. After you take the time to identify a tree you invariably start seeing it all over the place. You can eat the fruit when ripe and the leaves are rough enough to use as sandpaper.

I saw several Long-tailed Finches Poephila acuticauda amongst the tall grass. They are suppose to be quite common but I generally see the Double-Barred Finch variety Taeniopygia bichenovii more often than not.

A Paper Bark Tree Melaleuca dealbata growing near the Arafura Sea is in flower to the delight of the Rainbow and Varied Lorikeets.

DD

Lost My Favourite Lure

XX

Yesterday I caught plenty of fish.
A lure became an instant favourite but needed refurbishing with a new ring and treble hook. Both had been unceremoniously removed during a piscatorial attack.

This morning it was attacked and then last seen in the jaws of a flying Mackerel of decent size. That was an amazing lure, just minutes before it caught a small Giant Trevally
and then flew around my kayak courtesy of a Tern who mistook it for a fallen fish.
What a morning, a bit rough but no red tide which was hanging around the beach at low tide yesterday.

Out On The Savannah

EE

Everywhere the Gardenia megasperma are in bloom.


Their perfume is intoxicating and the white flowers
can easily be seen. I am amazed at just how many Gardenia plants
there are considering it seems I never knew they were there at all.

The Salt Marsh Mosquitoes Aedes vigilax,
are active in the Monsoon Vine Forest.
Anywhere there was shade they were present in numbers.
The tides are neap tides but spring tides are
just around the corner and
I guess the females need to give their young a
feed or two before the eggs are laid.

The Cocky Apple Planchonella careya is starting to fruit.
The flowers are very delicate and fall off easily.
You can eat the fruit,
but so far I have not been impressed with bush fruit.

In the open woodland, where I often walk,
there are several very stately species of Eucalyptus.
One very tall and majestic example is the
Eucalyptus polycarpa.

Earlier in the year the Maranthes corymbose flowered
and now the fruit is ripe.
The Torres Strait Pigeon Ducula bicolour
has been feeding on the seeds.
The seeds looked succulent,
but were in fact, very woody and dry.

The Masked Plover Vanellus miles
egg has hatched and as predicted
the parents got very aerobatic
trying to persuade me to stay away
from their hatchling.

Biting Off More Than I Could Chew

Early morning on Lee Point.

I had just settled into the kayak when my handline started unravelling on the kayak deck.

Australian barracuda Sphyraena novaehollandiae

When I brought up this fellow it wasn't hard to see it would make things a bit too cosy in the narrow confines I fish in. Since it was also decidedly green, I towed it to shore with handline and paddle in hand, while it thrashed around and made several attempts to escape. I managed to remove the popper and get it back into the water as quick as possible.

THE BUILD-UP HOTS UP

What a week!



We got our first night rain this week and as a result the green tree frogs were out attrating their mates and depositing eggs ANYWHERE THEY COULD.



March Flies are now on the go. I was attacked riding my mountain bike! What an attitude.

I have spent the last two weekends kayaking at Lee Point.
During the spring tides last week I saw three dolphins in the sandy bottom area feeding. According to Carol Palmer [http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/darwin-dolphins.html] these dolphins could be locals.

This weekend during the neap tides I saw them again and for sure it was an Australian snubfin because I saw its head. Before today I only saw its small dorsal fin. Two weeks ago I saw them near the shore in Shoal Bay moving towards Lee Point as the tide was starting to go out. They seem to prefer the sandy bottoms and I think they are after the mullet.

I also saw a couple of green sea turtles surface near my kayak. They looked very strange as they steretched out their necks. They looked a bit like little ETs.