All Creatures Great and Small ...

Mini road trip this Saturday to a place where I could take photos. Gary had found a Wildlife Preserve and I was wanting to take photos, so off we went.

Stopped at a gas station and I sighed and said (as we passed a funky building) "That is at least the third time we have passed that building - would SO LOVE to take photos of it". Gary mentioned that it would be no problem to drop me off and come pick me up (me not noticing that it was not your usual one lane feeder road - but two lanes, so we could back track.

Isn't it just the most precious junk yard / car repair / tire dump pile that you have ever seen? (Oh, the fun I can have with this in Photoshop ...):



Made it to the David Fleay Wildlife Park and were greeted with the most spectacular spider web - complete with two ginormous spiders. If I were a betting girl? I'd say they were poisonous - based on statistics - I'd win ... (apparently everything in Australia can kill you ...):

Probably can't see the web in this photo (I tried to enhance it as much as I could - you would have to click on it to enlarge it to see it ...) but it is a beauty - HUGE! Three separate levels to it. Probably has indoor plumbing and wired for cable:

Then off to the inside of the Wildlife Park - where we encountered these Australian Water Dragons (I think that is what they are in Wiki - they look exactly the same):

They were everywhere! Sunning themselves - posing for photos! So accommodating:

And so darling! LOVE their wee little horns along their backs.

I hear if you get too close, instead of running away, they have a tendency to jump on your head ... I will keep you posted ...

These birds you have probably seen in other photos I have taken. They are like pigeons, but really big and a way bigger, curvier beak ... BEG for everything - and then it is a blast watching them try to eat it with that beak!

This is a Cassowary bird. An Australian endangered species. SO WEIRD.

It would look normal enough - if it didn't have a huge rock permanently stuck to its head:

Kind of emu'ish with a helmet:

This wallaby made us both cringe. It hopped over and Gary said 'It has a Joey' - which was clear by the kicking going on in the ginormous belly - but we realized - there was no top pouch - thus probably (we are not vets, nor wallaby experts by no means ...) pregnant. My estimation was she was having triplets and about a year over due . We were worried she was going to keel over and start giving birth at any minute:

And speaking of pregnant animals - isn't he just adorable?

Another cool looking bird that I have no name for:

Now, this little guy - you would THINK was an owl - but no - it is a 'Tawny Frogmouth' bird. It says that it is related to the owl family but more closely related to 'nightjars' and 'oilbirds' (WHO names these things?). I get just a wee hint of angry owl in this little guy - but apparently - 'grumpy tawny frogmouth bird' instead:

And I JUST HAD to include the side view to show the cute little no-hawk and beard: (except birds don't have noses thus maybe a bea-hawk?):

This would be a monitor lizard who seemed very annoyed we were photographing him. Apparently we were stealing his soul or something ...

And I think this croc is alive ... although we really got no visual confirmation of this - and there were birds cavorting all over his space - which I would think would be a big no no - don't croc's eat birds?

And last but not least ....

A LOVE STORY!!!

No name male bird was DESPERATE to win over the female. He danced, he strutted, cavorted, flew, flapped about:

And this was the look she gave him:

So he kept at it. Over and over - dancing, flapping, strutting - just generally making a fool of himself ...

but ... alas - she turned away and spurned him ... with a hint of embarassment etched in her eyes. Poor, poor little birdie (OK, not so little birdie ...)

Left the park - said good bye to the spiders and headed to the Gold Coast - a ritzy part of the beach south of Brisbane, had lunch and took in the sights. I'm sure I will blog about that at some point ...

Then back on home to play with photos ...

I know ... THIS IS LONG ...

But they were all so CUTE - I couldn't decide what animals would make the cut and which wouldn't - so pretty much threw in as much as I could, and the 'longest post ever' was born ...