Tidbinbilla trip

[calissa]

(View from a lookout. Ah, summer.)

As per our tradition, Sahaquiel and I visited the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on New Year's Day. I didn't take very many photos this year because it was a very hot day (even though we went in the morning) and I didn't feel I had any fresh perspective to bring to it. However, the lizards were out in full force and I was able to snag a few pictures.



The fellow above was clearly loath to give up his spot. Every time I'd get too close, he'd move just enough to get me to back off before he returned to the sunshine. In contrast, the lizard below was a jumpy one that necessitated the use of zoom on my phone (hence the blurriness).







It's probably hard to tell, but the kangaroo is on an island in the photo. It was very hot and water levels in the wetland sanctuary were the lowest I've seen.

Deadlines are currently chewing up all my time, but I hope to get back out there soon.

Comments

[onewhitecrow]

[entertained] Wikipedia says Brownsnakes aren't generally brown...learning how to tell them apart from each other and random brown snakes seems quite the task; I wish you luck with it. Fungi are less likely to bite you, at least, though biting them might be equally unwise...

Och, I'm sure yours have even more, if there's an elder alive anywhere to remember it - Gulpilil said the magpies pushed the sky up to where it is now when creatures first crawled out of the ground, back in the Dreamtime, for instance. Before that, the sky was almost on the ground and everyone got bent (I had a book of these tales as a child). They would probably tell you about the weather/witches/weddings if you asked them, too, unless that's something else's job down there.

[calissa]

I do think familiarising myself with different species of snakes is going to be quite a challenge, since I have no intention of getting up close and personal. I guess I shall cross that bridge when I come to it.

You make a good point. I'm not sure of the local elders' attitudes to sharing such stories, though. And I live close to a border, so am not exactly sure which legends to be asking after.