A Carwoola(ish) miscellany

This is pretty much just a set of images of things that I have found interesting over the last few days. Although they are sorted by file name - which was assigned more or less randomly - they have come out close to  thematically.

THe kangaroo population in the area has grown dramatically over the past few years.  If we get as dry a Summer as forecast there are going to be some very hungry ones around, as they have eaten much of the grass - and everything else - already.  Further every female seems to have a passenger about the size of this indolent joey.
Our Frogmouth chicks are developing well.  Here they are enjoying the evening sunshine with one showing how the roof of its mouth is coloured to stimulate a feeding reflex.
The female Frogmouth is usually somewhere nearby but can be difficult to spot.
The 'ish' bit of the subject gets this snap from close to Hoskinstown into the ambit.  The Banded Lapwings now have at least one chick but I couldn't spot it.
The lump in the grass in the foreground is a horse apple rather than a squatting chick!

Avian fecundity is also happening in the top of  our block.  The three chicks in this nest are just about ready to fledge.
 This Common Starling was taken as it showed the glossy purple sheen so well.  It made it close to the colouring of some of the East African Starlings.
Cuckoos are common in Carwoola in Summer, although the mix of species varies from year to year.  This year the commonest have been Fan-tailed Cuckoos: here is one calling over the house.
We have arrived at the flowering season for the Thysanotus (or fringe lily) genus.  They are normally easy to identify because of the fringes to their petals.  In this example the fringes had folded in which made it a bit difficult.
I am not sure whether this was due to senescence or warmth/dryness causing the plant to shut down for the day.

Some of the Red Box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos) in the top paddock are flowering - at a height suitable for photographing.
The blackberries in that paddock are getting beyond a joke so I decided that action was needed.  Here is the result of an hour with a brushcutter.  Much more entertainment is available.
Back at the house we have been trying to discipline some Photinia bushes into a hedge.  I reckon we are getting there: and they look great with the new bronze growth.

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