A good guide to see whether bad weather is on its way is to check the habits of wildlife. Well if anything is to go by my Rainbow Lorikeets, then tomorrow I should wake up to yet another beautiful day in Paradise.
Here's a Lorikeet just chewing away on an Umbrella Tree in my backyard, oblivious to the Cyclone which will impact on North Queensland tomorrow.
I wonder where they go when the shit hits the fan?
That's a beauty, Jason. We're all waiting with fingers crossed to see what happens. Have many friends in Cairns who'll be affected and relatives in Townsville, also. Wish you luck. Maybe the birds will be gone by morning. We had birds hiding in our guttering and crouching under the eaves during cyclones when living in the tropics.
@tommynicolson@vaderkip@girlie@swilde@faelwen - thank you thank you thank you everyone for your kind words and wishes... Boy these Cyclones are so uncomfortable to watch... I'll keep an eye on the birdies though! Thanks.
It always makes me smile when I see the birds you Aussies find in your backyard.. I've only seen and fed rainbow lorikeets at the zoo and there he is munching on your tree.. What I remember of them, while they were crawling all over me, was that they are nosey little buggers.. His pose makes me think he's spying on the neighbors and keeping a sharp eye out for your cyclone.. Beautiful composition, Sir!
Jason, this is exquisite. I think the rainbow lorikeets are amazing. Their colours look like they are painted on -much like the little gouldian finches. This is beautifully framed and I like the angle from which you have photographed the bird. We are all waiting with baited breath to see what Yasi delivers. I have a brother in law, his wife and 3 little children in Cairns - so we are anxious as well. They are predicting winds of up to 250 kms per hour - the mind boggles. Fingers crossed that you are safe and sound when it's all over.
I just love having these guys around even though they may get a little bit excited when there are flowers about. They were noted by their absence yesterday but there were a few around this afternoon.
Jason how close are you to the action? Thankfully Anthony changed his mind at the last minute and heading a little further south of us at the other day but hmm I'm darn sure regardless of where Yasi hits I think we are all going to be effected in some one. :-( Stay safe.
wow, great close up. They can be very amusing if they eat the umbrella tree fowers towards the end of the season when they've started to ferment - nothing like slightly drunk lorikeets for a good laugh.
Let's hope and pray Yasi is not as destructive as predicted. Stay safe.
@buggus - Oleta, you are so right, these are very very noisy buggers! They disappear from our garden at the start of the wet season, and return when these plants start to flower. But the squarking and carolling is fantastic. It often sounds like I live in an aviary!
@debmayne@robynelizabeth - Thanks Deb and Robyn, they are a bunch of fun to shoot, and not too shy...
@murnane - I hope your family are okay in Cairns marg, the good news for them is that they are now on the Northern side, so less wind and rain... sorta...
@rach_who - rach, we are in Townsville, so 250kms from Ground zero it seems!
@frameit - Thank you Tracy, This is probably the first real crop of my 365.... there have been some other tiny crops, but this one was all about design and composition.
And, we are staying put. If the bugs, frogs and birds want to come inside for a day or so, then they're allowed!
@myla - blossom and fruit myla, you can see one or two of them have teeny tiny white skinny petals as the blooms open. These trees are a bad weed in some parts of Australia despite being indigenous to other parts!!!
Ahhhh as much as I love your amazing macros...I must say I think this may very well be my fave from you! Very Beautiful! (I am also jealous she posed, I can't shoot a bird clearly to save my soul)
Oh wow, Jason, this is just beautiful! And how accommodating to pose on a branch with even more color! I really do hope you weather the storm out. Be safe and report back when it's all over with.
@miranda - I can hear them outside at the moment, there is often a noisy gregarious group of them each day now that the flowers are out. I can also hear the rain too.
@aj1268 - Thank you Paula, if I have an internet connection, you will hear from me.
All of my camera gear is packed in my waterproof pack and ready to be right next to me at all times. This little laptop has a dry bag which it will spend the night in, if required. All my personal gear and possessions are together. It's a weird feeling.
Jason how close are you to the action? Thankfully Anthony changed his mind at the last minute and heading a little further south of us at the other day but hmm I'm darn sure regardless of where Yasi hits I think we are all going to be effected in some one. :-( Stay safe.
Let's hope and pray Yasi is not as destructive as predicted. Stay safe.
I also hope Yasi leaves us alone!
@debmayne @robynelizabeth - Thanks Deb and Robyn, they are a bunch of fun to shoot, and not too shy...
@murnane - I hope your family are okay in Cairns marg, the good news for them is that they are now on the Northern side, so less wind and rain... sorta...
@rach_who - rach, we are in Townsville, so 250kms from Ground zero it seems!
@littlec - I think I know your brother.
@bella_ss - Sheralee, a telephoto is fun, even the spider eating the grasshopper was taken with the same lens as this one!
@canberrabec - Thanks 'berrabec. I was thinking of taking a photo of these guys for about a week now... glad I waited till tonight! :)
So are you staying put or do you have to get out of there? Stay safe...
And, we are staying put. If the bugs, frogs and birds want to come inside for a day or so, then they're allowed!
@tnamari - Why thank you very much TinaC :)
@miranda - I can hear them outside at the moment, there is often a noisy gregarious group of them each day now that the flowers are out. I can also hear the rain too.
@clarissajohal @signfun @hillcrest @tesia @flamez @kaylaferguson - Thank you all, these guys are indeed a riot of colour, and noise :)
@aj1268 - Thank you Paula, if I have an internet connection, you will hear from me.
All of my camera gear is packed in my waterproof pack and ready to be right next to me at all times. This little laptop has a dry bag which it will spend the night in, if required. All my personal gear and possessions are together. It's a weird feeling.
@miranda - that's the plan Marinade... just trying to put it into execution now.