Nature stuff
Rainbow Lorikeet

Birds

Australia is an ancient continent with a unique collection of birds.

Masked Lapwings

Masked Lapwing

This is a bird well known for its gutsy behaviour. Whether it be for swooping, its raucous alarm call or unusual parenting habits, a family of these birds tends to make an impression. While their reputation is for being anything but timid, I’ve seen a wonderful gentle side to them  MORE…

The Australian Magpie

Magpie

The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a bird familiar to most Aussies. It has a mixed reputation. Some call it a nuisance for sometimes swooping at people at breeding time. Others welcome it into their gardens as a handsome and normally gentle bird. I fall firmly into the latter group  MORE…

Indian Mynas

The Indian Myna, Acridotheres tristis, (also known as the Common Myna, Common Mynah, Indian Mynah) has earned the reputation of being one of the worst feral animals in Australia. It’s likely that if you live in Sydney, Melbourne, north Queensland or Brisbane, you’re already familiar with them  MORE…

Noisy Miners

As people make more and more changes to the Australian environment some critters are disappearing. But others, like the Noisy Miner, Manorina melanocephala, seem to be doing very nicely  MORE…

Noisy Miner, Indian Myna

noisy miner and indian myna

A lot of people confuse the Noisy Miner with the Indian Myna. It’s easy to distinguish between the two. Here’s a bunch of photos to help  MORE…

Geese teeth

There’s an old expression that said something in short supply was ‘as rare as hens’ teeth’. That might sound profound on a chicken farm but how much does this really apply to birds? When I told some friends I’d seen geese with fine sets of teeth no one believed me, so in the interests of setting the record straight I offer the following undoctored photo  MORE…

Birds’ knees

One glance at a bird would convince most people that its knees bend the opposite way to ours. But do they really? And in fact, is it even correct to call those things knees?  MORE…

Black and white birds

This guide should help you identify some of those common black and white birds on Australia’s east coast. I’ll start with the biggest bird in this group and then work my way down to the smallest  MORE…

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

If you see some spectacular large white Australian birds making a call sounding like someone being strangled, then chances are you’re in the presence of some Sulphur-crested Cockatoos  MORE…

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos

Now we’re talking about one of my favourite birds. So what is it about Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos that makes them so special?  MORE…

Glossy Black Cockatoos

The Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) is a handsome bird that might not be around too much longer. As long as we keep clearing its habitat we push it closer to extinction. But as is so often the case, we can still do something about it  MORE…

Common water birds around Sydney

water birds

Sydney’s permanent large ponds, like the lakes in Centennnial Park, are great spots to see all sorts of water birds. Want to know what kind of birds they are? This guide is far from complete, but at least it can help you fit a name to the most likely culprits  MORE…

Rainbow Lorikeets

As humans clear forests and replace them with farms, roads, buildings and ornamental gardens, they’re creating niches that suit some animals more than others. One bird that’s doing very nicely out of this arrangement is the Rainbow Lorikeet  MORE…

Starlings

For most of the Australian population, when you talk about a starling you’re thinking of the Common Starling. But there’s another type, seen in the north-eastern tropics, which deserves a mention — the Metallic Starling  MORE…

Australian White Ibis

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Why not breed an Australian bird and release it in — wait for it — Australia. That can’t lead to any surprises, can it?  MORE…

Bird politics

I used to think human politics were complicated. Then I started learning about bird politics. Now, I should really say I’m talking about bird behaviour here because the word ‘politics’ has too many connotations of kissing babies in exchange for votes. And I’ve never seen a bird stoop that low. Yet birds have lives rich in complex interactions with other creatures  MORE…

Is the Tawny Frogmouth an owl?

Tawny Frogmouth

Nope. It’s similar, and related, but it’s not an owl. This article explains the differences  MORE…

Pacfic Black Ducks

This is a common duck throughout Australia. Chances are that if ducks are visiting a permanent Australian lake, pond or wetland then Pacific Blacks could be among them  MORE…

Black Swans

The black swan is related to geese and other water fowl and is the largest bird in that group. This handsome creature is the official bird emblem of Western Australia, although it’s common in the other states as well  MORE…

Are they crows or ravens in Sydney?

Most people in Sydney think they can identify a crow when they see one, so it might come as a surprise to find out more about these handsome black birds. If you’re in Sydney, that bird which looks like a crow is probably a raven  MORE…

Brush Turkeys

Brush Turkey

You’ve just got to admire Brush Turkeys. They’re big birds. They conveniently hang around on ground level where they’re easier to see, and they make an amazing nest  MORE…

Darters

I admire these critters. They swim well, fly well and know a thing or two about catching fish as well  MORE…

Australian Pelicans

It’s hard not to notice a pelican when it’s nearby, because these birds are big. I’m talking about a bird with a wingspan as big as 2.5 metres  MORE…

Jumping spider

Insects and spiders

These little guys tell a lot of big stories.

Jumper Ants and Bulldog Ants

It’s hard to forget an encounter with these ants. Especially if they sting you. They are big, bold, aggressive and fast  MORE…

Is this the world’s longest insect?

No 3D trickery, jokes or special effects here — this is for real. I found this remarkable critter, a mature female Titan Stick Insect (Acrophylla titan), in Dee Why (suburban Sydney, Australia) one summer night. These gentle and beautiful animals are leaf eaters. And, no they are NOT dangerous  MORE…

How many eyes do insects have?

Insects come in lots of shapes and sizes, and they have different numbers of eyes too  MORE…

How many eyes do spiders have?

Spider eyes

There have been a lot of movies with giant spiders in them. One of the things that makes them look so creepy is all those eyes they have. But is that just something from the imagination of Hollywood?  MORE…

Common Australian orb-weaving spiders

When people say they have a spider’s web in their garden and ask me to identify the owner, it almost always turns out to be one of these  MORE…

Golden Orb Weaver spiders

At first glance, it seems like someone was being clumsy when they named a silver spider the Golden Orb Weaver. But that bit about the gold wasn’t refering to the spider. It was refering to the orb  MORE…

The amazing net-casting spiders

These spiders are called net-casting spiders because of how they catch their prey. Once you see one in action you’ll probably be as much of a fan of them as I am. Australia’s most common net-casting spiders are called Deinopis (formerly Dinopis)  MORE…

How long do spiders live?

It might not be something we think about much, but spiders don’t live forever. Here’s a rough guide to how long they can survive  MORE…

Huntsman Spiders

Big, hairy and able to run quickly, these spiders are probably responsible for more shrieks and shudders among us humans than any other types of spider in Australia. Their habit of wandering indoors only increases the chances of that. Despite some Huntsman spiders being recorded as giving a painful bite, their fearsome reputation is unnecessary  MORE…

Fear of Huntsman Spiders

I was developing quite a fear of Huntsman spiders. That’s a really common fear. I figured it wasn’t good to be so afraid. So here’s what I did to fix my own fear of these critters. But first of all, some other stuff that might help  MORE…

Commensal spiders

I used to wonder what happened to the really little insects that get stuck in spider webs. I’m talking about the ones too small to satisfy or even be noticed by the spider. Well I found out for myself one day when I started noticing commensal spiders  MORE…

Jumping spiders

Jumping spider

If you’re not able to get out to see a bit nature then don’t worry. It’s most likely a bit of nature will wander in to see you. And chances are that bit of nature will include a jumping spider  MORE…

What is a spider?

Most people think they know the answer to this question, but when challenged they usually say more about what a spider is not. Like, it’s not an insect, or not what you want to find in your lunch. So here’s my attempt to say what a spider really is  MORE…

How I catch spiders

Most of you will already know about this method — it’s hardly rocket science. I’ve done it countless times, but I do NOT recommend it with dangerous types of spiders. Use a plastic container so it won’t shatter. Also, don’t try this if you have a phobia (irrational fear) of spiders  MORE…

Lantana

Plants

From the tallest flowering plants in the world, to one that’s especially invasive.

Some big Australian trees

It’s possible that the tallest trees that ever lived grew in Australia. Unfortunately historical records aren’t very good and so the claim can’t be confirmed, although Australia does still have the tallest hardwood trees in the world  MORE…

Will Australia’s giant trees return?

There’s a common belief that if you chop or burn down a giant tree then another one will grow back to replace it. But I don’t agree. There’s a bunch of reasons why Australia’s remaining giant trees could be our last  MORE…

A few unusual Australian trees

I’ve taken hundreds of photos of trees for the simple reason that I like them. Some of the more unusual or beautiful ones are on this page. I’ve also put a page of some really big Australian trees online  MORE…

Lantana

Lantana

In Australia, Lantana has been declared a Weed of National Significance. It’s poisonous to people and livestock. Its prickly branches form into dense thickets that overwhelm huge chunks of the Australian Bush. And it stinks, literally. So is the news about Lantana all bad?  MORE…

Puffer fish

Nature Words

These terms might have meanings a little different to what you thought.

Feral animals

Feral Pigeon

Most people think they know what a feral animal is. They talk about cats and foxes living in the Australian bush as feral animals. According to the true definition, wild cats living in the bush are likely to be feral, but not the foxes. So what’s the real story?  MORE…

What’s a bug?

People often use the word ‘bugs’ as a general term for insects. Some people even think of spiders as bugs. But in scientific literature the word bug has a very special meaning, and no, I’m not talking about secret electronic listening devices  MORE…

Venomous or poisonous?

I often hear about poisonous snakes. However, the dangerous snakes which I am likely to encounter are venomous. So is there a difference between the meanings of the words ‘poisonous’ and ‘venomous’?  MORE…

gecko

Other Stuff

I couldn’t figure out where to put these articles so I lumped them together here.

Swapping Cane Toads for tree frogs

cane toad merging into a tree frog

Sometimes nature can surprise us. My venture to rid our place of Cane Toads gave us the proverbial ‘gift that keeps on giving’! And in more ways than one  MORE…

Camouflaged critters

Camouflage is the use of shapes and colouring to blend in with surroundings. Nature does an impressive job at it  MORE…

Cute stuff

Okay, time out for a bit of fun. These critters sure look cute when they’re little. In a feeble attempt to make this page informative I’ll also include pics to show what they grow into  MORE…

Feeding wild animals Part 1

A lot of people enjoy feeding wild animals. It might be a visit to the park to feed the pigeons, or putting chopped bits of meat on your balcony for the kookaburras. So is feeding wild animals a good thing?  MORE…

Feeding wild animals — Part 2

A licensed wildlife carer sent me this information (thank you, Terri!) and now I’m publishing it here. Because I think it’s important  MORE…

Can kangaroos swim?

Kangaroo

When I asked a bunch of people at random, most people said they didn’t think kangaroos could swim. ‘Not with those little front legs,’ was the usual response. Well, it turns out that kangaroos can swim. And surprisingly well, too  MORE…

Fire and the Australian bush

There’s a common belief that fires are good for the Australian bush. And there’s a lot of truth in that too. But like many things, the more you look into it the more complicated it gets. The full story of fire in the Australian bush is too much for this website (or possibly for any website). However there’s enough room here for a few important points  MORE…

City critters

You don’t have to live in a tropical rainforest to find critters (although it helps). Some of the most amazing creatures I’ve come across have turned up in some of the most densely-populated and built-up areas in Sydney. There are plenty of rewards to be had for a little bit of looking around. This page shows a few of my recent favourites  MORE…

Back from the Brink

I’ve often heard it said that Australia had plenty of water, but that much of it was underground. I’ve got a different idea about that concept now, after reading Back from the Brink  MORE…

Lizard bite

People say animals are stupid. But after seeing a father proudly watching his kids teasing a wild goanna, I’m thinking it’s the humans that should be smarter. Goannas and other large lizards are capable of a really nasty bite and that dad was letting his kids take a big risk  MORE…

Asian House Geckos

gecko

At first glance these pinkish-brown lizards are seriously cute. But the closer you look, the muddier their story becomes  MORE…

What’s with this ‘Nature Stuff’ then?

When I was a kid I was lucky. I lived on the edge of Sydney Harbour in an area surprisingly unaffected by housing and other types of development. Wild orchids, native to that area, and other types of wildflowers bloomed between the gum trees  MORE…

The Latest Pics

An archive of pictures that used to be on my home page  MORE…

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