More Pool....

With Jo having gone back after her four week stay (boohiss) am trying to catch up on blog posts as there are loads of pics to post, slight hiccup at moment in that Hamish is currently off school throwing up....
Anyway until I get sorted properly here is a short video of chaos in the pool filmed just after Jo left

http://youtu.be/CAmCr_9miVI

School Art Expo 2014

OK things are out of order as I have not processed or sorted all the pictures but this afternoon was the Anuual Art Expo at school. Unfortunately Tish is on a late - 7 out of 9 shifts in a row - so she could not come.

Camerons pictures

Hamish pictures

Xanthe art

she was one of the waiters handing out snacks hence no picture of her!

There were several combined Year 6/7 works as this is their last year in primary school, well last few weeks in fact as term ends in about eight weeks!

Return to Paronella

On Tuesday we went back to Paronella Park, about 100km south of Cairns. It was a stinking hot day but the ruins of the house are so photogenic we just had to take Jo down there - plus we still have 18 months to go on our free entrance ticket!!
The potential for great family pics is enormous....

Of course there have to be a few wildlife pics as well
Large-billed Gerygone

 Spectacled Flying Fox

After the park we went on to Etty Bay for lunch and the best chance for Jo to see Cassowary...

 

the beach was great, the lunch very nice, the fresh footprints were interesting but no Cassowary....

Platypus

On Monday afternoon we headed off onto the Tablelands to go lamping and to search for Platypus! Of course in true Funnell style we chose the first day that it has rained in weeks!
Luckily this had no impact on the Platypus as we saw two

I did manage to get some video as well which I will post when I have edited them.

In addition we also found a small group of Brolga displaying

Luckily the weather improved and we had a reasonable lamping season seeing three species of possum - Herbert River Ringtail, Long-tailed Pygmy (only about 10cm long) and Common Brushtail Possum, unfortunately I only managed to get a picture of the Common Brushtail

On Tuesday we went back to Paranella Park so plenty of family pictures to come....

Spooners

Xanthe was at a sleep over last night (and at 5.15pm is fast asleep!) and Hamish was at a birthday party this morning so Jo and I called in briefly to Cattana on the way to collect him.
Saw a nice little group of Royal Spoonbill feeding so thought it was the ideal opportunity to try out the video function of my new camera

http://youtu.be/BYW9E0HsP9Y

Pools and things

We have had quite a quiet week this week visitng some of the local sites - the next couple of weeks are going to be a tad more hectic!
Jo and Tish went for their spa day...

and most afternoons have been spent in the pool which has gained a few additions thanks to Auntie Jo

We took Jo up to Kuranda yesterday to wander around the markets and get a few pictures from the viewing platform half way up the Range - unfortunately it was very hazy so the pictures are not that good
Looking towards Cairns  / Yarrabah (the distant mountains)

 Panoramic shot of Yorkeys Knob

 The Knob at Yorkeys

We have as you would expect managed a bit of wildlife photography...
This Lace Monitor looked like it was going to walk right past us but turned off at the last minute!

Tour Part III

The final section of the gtour was the Atherton Tablelands and Georgetown area.
We stayed at KingfisherPark near Julattem inn the northern Tablelands and in Atherton when in the southern Tablelands. Here are a few of the better shots in no particular order other than alphabetic!
Australian Bustard

 Aus Grebe

 Black-faced Cuckooshrike

 Black Swan

 Blue-winged Kookaburra, we did see several Laughing Kooks as well but for some reason i didn't take any pictures of them!

 Brown Cuckoo- Dove

 Brown Falcon - through the cars windscreen

 Bush Thick-knee

 Chowchilla - an awful picture but the best I have managed so far of this endemic forest skulker

 Eastern Whipbird - another skulker that is almost in focus

 Freckled Duck - Australia's rarest duck that arrived in the Tablelands last March (only four previous records) numbers peaked at 28 and there are still atleast eight in the area

 Green Pygmy Goose

 Grey-headed Robin

 White-eyed Duck

 Lewins Honeyeater

 Little Pied Cormorant

 Little Shrike-thrush

 Macleays Honeyeater

 Noisy Pitta - low light made getting any decent pictures very difficult

 Pale-headed Rosella

 Papuan Frogmouth

 Pheasant Coucal

 Pied Monarch

 Pink-eared Duck

 Sarus Crane

 Scarlet Honeyeater

 Silvereye

 Squatter Pigeon - the Queensland equivalent of the Partridge Pigeon we saw in Kakadu

 Topknot

 Wandering Whistling Duck

 White-throated Honeyeater

 White-browed Robin on nest

 Yellow-breasted Boatbill

One of the highlights was a boat trip on the Daintree
Azure Kingfisher

 Great-billed Heron

 Wompoo on nest

In the southern Tablelands probably my favourite endemic is the Golden Bowerbird - but there were also many other goodies
male Golden Bowerbird

The bird of the trip though for me was this Australian Owlet Nightjar

From here we spent the last two days in Georgetown looking for dry country birds
Apostlebird

 Aus Magpie

 Banded Honeyeater

 Black-faced Woodswallow

 Brow Quail

 Budgies - always a treat to see this commonly kept cage bird in the wild

 Crested Pigeon

 Diamond Dove

 Double-barred Finch

 Masked Woodswallow

 Red-backed Fairywren
          female

         male

We did also some non birds the undoubted highlights being....
Lumholtzs Tree Kangaroo

and several large Salties on the Daintree