Backyard Zoology · 8 November 2019
2019-11-08T18:24:27+11:00
https://www.facebook.com/backyardzoology/posts/pfbid02j1FZLMsanrkNrs9BbxSsdaJ5CEpTtXVF1drfbctXHVeYz7QQ8Lr9cxiLSjQ5gvUGl

So yesterday was a day of amazing returns - not only did Tony the Tawny turn up in our tree again, after being missing for weeks, but the husband returned from two weeks overseas. I was very happy to see Tony and very, VERY excited to see Matt. The bed is ridiculously squishy again with us all in there (including the dogs) but it's just lovely to have one of my very favourite humans back to chat and laugh with. And a photo buddy too! So I'm a super happy and content girl today. 

As tempting as it was, I didn't take any photos of Tony who seemed on high alert. I noticed he switched branches a few times during the day and kept a close eye on myself and the pups while hanging out the washing and then on something else out the front, his intense yellow-eyed stare honed in on something I couldn't spot. So I left him alone, just peeking out the window at him occasionally. 

I have so many photos from so many encounters that I haven't posted - I need to do a run of multiple posts I think - including photos from my little getaway. Honestly, the photos themselves are not particularly interesting but it was nice to see some new animals in the wild. I think I mentioned that I was super excited to see Cape Barren Geese. I worked with a couple at Taronga. Don't believe the total and utter lies written across the internet about these stunning birds - I don't care what anyone says, it's not spots on their feathers, it's totally love hearts and you can't convince me otherwise! 😉 When we pulled into Phillip Island I kind of expected there to be a fishy kind of smell thanks to all the penguins but instead the air was thick with that farmyard smell. I love that smell and it reminded me of very early mornings at the zoo, that kind of musky, earthy animal smell just hanging in the air almost like an invisible fog. 

Turns out, the Phillip Island farm smell was all due to the Geese which were EVERYWHERE!!! It was pretty exciting because we not only got to see the adults but there were also quite a few goslings of various ages around too. Apparently in the '50s these guys were pretty close to extinction so it was totally heartwarming to see them thriving. I've read that they have caused a bit of an issue with the farmers on the island as they take over their land and must admit, it was hard to get a pic of them when they weren't face down munching away but not gonna lie, between the smell and the abundance of love hearts, I was pretty much in heaven. 

Now keep in mind most of these photos were taken from within the bus, which is difficult at the best of times but made more so as the bus had to keep gently rolling along as cars kept coming up behind us. So not only were the animals moving but so were we and as a result so many of my photos are just blurs, while others are blurs with a rather crisp foreground of a fellow passenger 😂🙄 You know that lurch forward and back you do on trains and buses when they start and stop? The one that has you grasping for anything to hold onto and in the past has resulted in me grabbing, very, very firmly the shoulder of some poor random guy to stop myself from falling onto him. Yeah, well imagine doing that but holding a camera. I highly DON'T recommend it! 

Cape Barren Geese and Goslings
Phillip Island