Prickly Current Bush

It’s been a good year for growth. This Prickly Current Bush at Red Hill was full of fruit.

It was on a property that had a Rufous fantail nesting twice!

The vegetation at Red hill is very much like the Dandenongs but has some species missing. It’s like it has not been around long enough or close enough to get the full suite.

Guinea Fowl

I visited a property today, (can’t say where) and saw a loverly lady, (can’t say who) and she had Guinea Fowl.

This is the second time I’ve seen Guinea Fowl on the job. They are very robust and fun to watch.

Then there were Alpaca’s at another property. They are also strange but I guess the South Americans think Kangaroo’s are weird.

You can hear them saying, "who are you?"

Boat shed in Mt Eliza that stood out.

How good is this Boat Shed at Mt Eliza. The other sheds were bright colours with stencils and all kinds of facades.

I love the door It’s totally unloved, by itself and sad 😦

I bet there is a great story behind it.

Not the original hinge

Does this lock work?

Norm Mackinlay (left) Ben Cullen (right)

The Mornington Peninsula has a few environmental activists and practitioners. This photograph reminds me of the old story about the old bull and young bull.

By the way, Norm, (on the left) has “done over” a few people in his day, (for the environment) and maybe Ben has some to come. Nevertheless, the environmental movement on the Peninsula seems to have a succession plan in place.

Our pumpkins @ Nyora

Judy and I have a very limited history of growing vegies. So far Garlic is our major success story (see previous posting) and now we are trying Pumpkin.

Swamp paperbark thicket

There is something a bit spooky about a Swamp paperbark thicket. It would have been amazing to experience them around the Koo Wee Rup area before the European invasion. The attached photograph is only a very small thicket on the Mornington Peninsula.

It’s been awhile since I have made beer but now, having my own office, I can let it bubble away without it smelling out the house. It’s called a European Beer. I hope it will have a hieniken taste. mmmmmmm beeeer. The picture is pretty boring but it is alive and producing alcohol. mmmmmmm alcohol.

Boring photo of my new beer brew, mmmmmm

Unfortunately the Portsea Hooded Plover chick is gone. It was most likely eaten by a Kestral, (Falco cenchroides). It’s nice to think another native animal has benefited but I can’t help be anthropomorphic and think the parents must be pissed off after all that effort not to mention us.

I’m still at Portsea and the chick is getting bigger. How big? So big it could tolerate 400 Portsea Surf Life Saving Nippers. Mind you it took some organising but good old Charlie was there to help.  The chick is 15 days old but it has more problems to conquer.

Over the Christmas break, between Christmas day and New years, some of us are trying to keep a Hooded Plover chick alive. There are only 370 Hooded Plovers left in Victoria. To make visitors aware of the Plovers, I put together this sign. Some Japanese tourists took photographs of it, so I thought I would too.

Sign at Portsea Back Beach.