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“Pic of the Week”, March 4, 2017: Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island
One of the most interesting days we had on our visit to Kangaroo Island included a stop at Seal Bay, now a Conservation Park. The Bay is home to a colony of up to 1,000 Australian Sea Lions, one of the rarest types of sea lions. Less than 15,000 of them exist and this Bay is home to one of the largest colonies.
When we visited, there were no other people on the Bay, or for that matter, any of the beaches we stopped at on the island. It seemed a little odd at the time to be on a miles long stretch of beautiful sandy beach and not have any other people about. But we took advantage of the opportunity …
Mar 3, 2017
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“Pic of the Week”. December 5, 2015: Bobcats, Living Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
Bobcats are fairly common and I’ve seen them everywhere from Southern California to the Yukon; in fact, they’re the most abundant wildcat in North America, with a wide range. But they’re shy and rarely pose for photos, so I was glad to see them at the Living Desert Museum in Tucson.
They’re about a meter long and weigh up to 14 kg (30 lbs) — about twice the size of a big house-cat. Most bobcats are brown or brownish red with a short, black-tipped tail (from which the cat derives its name as the tail appears to be cut or “bobbed”).
They’re great hunters and usually eat small game like rabbits, birds and squirrels.
(Click on thumbnail to enlarge)
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Dec 3, 2015
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.All Trips / North America / Oregon / Pacific Northwest / Washington
The Amazing Columbia River Gorge!
One of the most scenic road trips anywhere in the world is on the Oregon side of the Gorge, on the Columbia River Highway (I-84), between Portland and the Dalles. Besides a smooth drive on the freeway, an excellent diversion here is to head up the old Historic Columbia River Highway, a narrow road that twists its way through the mountains and cliffs, past dozens of waterfalls, including the beautiful 620-foot (190 m) Multnomah Falls.
The Columbia River is one of North America’s longest, at 1200 miles (1930 km) long, starting in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Columbia River Gorge was carved by glacial floods (especially the Missoula Flood) thousands of years ago and is the only sea-level passage through the Cascade Mountain range. …
Tagged Cliffs, Columbia River, Columbia River Gorge, hiking, mountains, nature, waterfalls
.All Trips / Arizona / North America / Southwestern USA
The Desert: a Garden in Spring
I’ve been intrigued by deserts ever since I first visited one as a teenager. The first impression I remember having is of a lifeless, harsh and barren place. It’s certainly a hostile environment but I couldn’t have been more wrong about it being lifeless and barren. Deserts are teaming with life and have a flora and fauna that’s incredibly well adapted to their challenging environment. Temperature extremes, strong winds and little rainfall all necessitate hardy species. Examples such as the cactus, with its protective spines and thick skin, are illustrative.
I love visiting the desert in the spring almost as much as I hate visiting the desert in the summer. The reason for those who’ve lived in the American Southwest is …
“Pic of the Week”, January 3, 2014. The Echidnas of Southern Australia
Today’s highlighted photo features a baby short-beaked echidna known as a “Puggle”. It likely is the rarest photo of an animal I’ve ever taken in the wild (note: this is not a zoo photo). Puggles are carried in their mother’s pouches and it’s rare to know the mother is with child unless you’ve closely followed her (in this case by a group of field biologists on Kangaroo Island, using radiotelemetry).
Echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters, are egg-laying mammals (monotremes) found only in Australia and New Guinea. The female lays a small soft-shelled leathery egg which is deposited into her belly pouch. The young echidna hatches in about 10 days, the youngster sucking on milk from one of two milk patches (monotremes …
Jan 2, 2014
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