Beppu Rocks!

I visited Beppu in March 2010 to see Beppu Projects. It was an intense couple days after the week of intensity that was finishing up my residency at Tokyo Wonder Site. I was spat out of Tokyo, being the hopeless packer that I am and found myself in another warmer world. I am looking forward to returning to Beppu. 

The view out the window on the clear day I arrived- for the view in room check the Fuji blog. To summarise, excellent food, climbing mountains (one of the famous 200, not sure if it part of the famous 100), a feeling of what post-war Japan would have been like, old interesting onsen, the scariest onset experience ever- the mud onsen DONT GO THERE!, interesting art, very nice people, Plus the sound scape of many stray cats and a fascinating visit to the Monkey Mountain.

tidied

Ok! So I finally took at look at the new blogger and have revamped my blog.  It really lets you post large images, which makes all the ones I have been posting seem rather small. I guess I could go back and re size things but... I do rather have a more pressing task at the moment. The right hand column is still pretty messy. I'll get around to it, now that I am back to posting after the intensive writing period.

One thing with this new platform is that is seems to have a major glitch with the labels... I have edited so many times only to have them all disappear.

Ibis indicators

A story appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald a while back now that covered some research that has been done on the toxins found in ibis eggs. As ibis eat from rubbish dumps their eggs contain traces of all the toxins that are discarded in the domestic rubbish. 

Researchers from the University of NSW tested ibis eggs in 11 locations across eastern Australia and found that eggs in city-based nests carried seven to nine times as many artificial chemicals as those of country-dwelling birds. Traces of the synthetic pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, or DDT, were found in some eggs, indicating that the substance is still working its way through the food chain after being banned in Australia in 1987.

More than 20 years latter and the chemicals are still in the food chain. The SMH story has a good short video with Prof Richard Kingsford, an expert on Australian water birds, and the study's author Camila Ridoutt.

new neighbourhood friend

He is not always around but if I walk past his place around 5pm he is usually waiting out the front for his flatmates to come home and get dinner on. I have no idea what his name is but he recognises me and comes when I give my special cat whistle. His fur is now thick for winter. Somehow only today I notice he has a milk moustache and really long whiskers.

Flashed flowers #9

From a callistmon street tree near the station, I am not sure what kind it is. It has a paperbark-like trunk and a downward branch growth. West German vase.

The thesis progresses... one more chapter to get to first draft stage, but it's the hardest chapter... the one that I am not sure what its purpose is.

soccer cats

I've been busy writing the thesis so haven't had much time to write about the bird things I have been doing. So instead I will do a lazy post and re-post the videos of cats on soccer fields. Of course this in response to the Anfield cat who invaded the soccer field in the UK- doesn't too look panicked and gets picked up by one of the security guards.

Turns out he has a Twitter account (?) with 53,000 + followers. Most of the content are soccer jokes I can't follow.

Some other cat invasions
From a Barcelona game:

A longer version of the invasion from another station is here. The main picture is at 2:53 but before that you see it streak across the top left hand corner.

Ok do doing this post didn't take too long so I should stop feeling sorry for myself and post some more. 

House guest #2

Manny, the schnauzer is hanging out with us this week.

Remembering Miss Orlando

who went to ceiling cat a year ago. Dearly missed.

typical Cooks River scenes

New phone, new movie camera! and so now hopefully some better movies to upload. Typical scenes on the walking path by the Cooks River: A sunbathing skink.

And a White-faced Heron hunting in long grass. White balance not so good with this clip- also the phone camera doesn't seem to like the zoom. But I think it has a little lizard, which it swallows then it continues to hunt. Notice the way he shakes the grass with his feet in order to flush a frog or lizard.

House guests

Now that the weather is pleasantly warm we open the back window wall of the house in the evenings. This has meant an increase in the number of house guests.
The moth that camouflages with the kitchen tiles:

Our long term guest: the insect who loves the blinds in the lounge room and makes a strumming sound like a cricket in our ears while we watch TV:

One of the most beautiful moths I have ever seen. His camouflage of a new lillipilli or gum leaf was a bit of a waste in our kitchen:

And this house guest who arrived very late last night attracted to the lights in the living room and who couldn't find his way out. He flew around the room bumping his body in the ceiling making a dull thud. He sure is one big moth! He sound of his thumping work me up a few times last night so I was very keen to liberate him from the living room this morning. Not before getting some photos though!