More Sydney

In Sydney our hotel isn’t too far from the Royal Botanic Gardens so we end up walking past it a few times during our visit. We finally take the time to book a garden tour. I do love being introduced to new types of plants. The climate in Sydney seems to be similar to Florida so it makes sense that I see some of the same sorts of plants I have seen back home. The garden has some fun and different ones as well that are native to Australia only.

When you have just given up collection in the bookstore #forevercatlady

Hard to see but this tree is full of parrots.

Manly Beach

Another day we take the ferry out to Manly Beach. We must be taking the slower ferry because we see the fast ferry pass us by.

The ferry drops us off and we walk through a district with shopping and restaurants to get to the beach.

We view Manly beach but walk on to another beach

We end up at another beach called Shelly Beach. The sand is basically broken shells and they are beautiful. The water is very cold but I love it. I walk out cautiously so I don’t slip on the shelf of rocks.

We don’t stay long since we aren’t much for sunbathing and the water is a little too cold for my family. We walk back towards the ferry and see a fun lizard on the way.

Before hopping on our ferry back we stop at Betty’s Burgers for a yummy burger and some fries.

The next day we take an Aboriginal walking tour. For some reason I put down my camera during the tour but the guide, an aboriginal guide, takes us on a tour of the area near the Rocks and informs us of history and customs of his people. He shows medicinal uses of local plants. We learn about totems, a natural object, plant or animal that is inherited by members of a clan or family as their spiritual emblem. They are tasked with protecting that totem. We are told about how it is a rite of passage for a boy to carve a canoe out of a tree. It is a great tour.

Our last day is spent lazily. We could have left town for the day to view the mountains but the brushfires have made those activities dangerous at this time. We wander around some of Sydney. I check out some street markets.

I leave Australia tomorrow for some time in New Zealand. My aunt will be joining me for a couple days of exploring. We are both excited about visiting what we think will be a beautiful country.

I say goodbye to my cousins hoping to see them soon when they make a trip to the USA next summer. Note: They are not able to visit USA this year (2020) due to covid outbreak. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait longer to see them in person again.

Birds of Baldwin

Birds

Photo Challenge: Day 9 – Grackle

I think this is a female boat tail grackle. Taken with my wildlife lens. Original photo was very warm so I cooled it down a bit.

Nature Watch

Todays post contains mostly pictures from either the yard or trips have I had recently. The pictures focus on bugs, birds and nature in general. Enjoy!

This Yellow Jacket has been buzzing around the bamboo that we now have laying around the yard. I don’t care if he wants to come over to visit, but he better not try to move in.

The Bumblebees love the butterfly garden we created in the front. The bees visit daily to sip on the lovely nectar.

During my visit to my friend’s house in San Diego, I was able to snap some photos of a humingbird. They were dark and blurry but I was able to salvage some to the point where you can make out the bird. This makes me happy because I keep missing the ones that come by my bottlebrush tree.

Honeybees and their other bee friends love the bottlebrush tree in the backyard. They feast on this tree from sun up to sun down every day. When we moved in, I wanted to pull the tree out because I wasn’t a huge fan of them. Now it gets to stay!!!
Finally a butterfly pic from the butterfly garden. This is a Gulf Fritillary Butterfly.

A dragonfly we witnessed while visited the LaBrea tar pits in Los Angelos at the end of July.

A beach bird and some beach crabs my friend pointed out to me while on a nature walk in San Diego at the beginning of August.

LaBrea Tar Pits

During our visit to the LaBrea Tar pits in LA last July, I was able to see some gardening techniques they had on display.
They set up a step like structure where excess water could flow down to lower planters. They have vegetables and herbs planted in here.

Melons were grown on a trellis that also served as a shaded walkway.

Some large bamboo stalks.