We have mostly focused on birds here in Australia, but the native plants are beautiful and many attract different birds such as Honeyeaters, Figbirds and Wattlebirds, as well as Lorikeets. We’ve seen far more than we have been able to photograph, such as raptors, including Whistling and Brahminy kites, Ospreys, Nankeen falcon; different parrots, such as Yellow-tailed black Cockatoo and Galah; as well as Fairy-wrens, Satin Bowerbird, Dollarbird (Australia’s only Roller), Catbirds, and some of the ‘double-named’ birds such as Magpie-lark and Cuckoo-dove.Several of these swoop into Jane’s garden for bugs and flowers; several others sit at the top of a tall tree in the garden. Few have been obliging enough to pose for a portrait.

Apart from birds we have seen quite a few butterflies flitting around, a couple of snakes, including a Carpet snake just at the side of the house, and another smaller one on the little tractor. We have also seen a few kangaroos, and a possum, which woke Katharine by thundering up and down the veranda roof one night.

Little Friarbird on yellow Grevillia

Rainbow Lorikeet

Laughing Kookaburra

Laughing Kookaburra on guard by the compost heap

Like gulls, these Australian White Ibis are great opportunistic foragers.

These Spurwinged Plovers are also very common.

Australian Pelican near the mouth of the Bellinger River at Urunga

Little Wattlebird on pink Grevillia

Grevillia and other native plants

A tiny moth – about 5mm long

Kangaroos in the salt marsh near Urunga

A water dragon

A sweet-scented flowering creeper

Red Grevillia

A native tree in blossom

Coral tree in blossom