Dubbo/Gilgandra, NSW

Still 'trapped' at the in-laws, but on a family outing today I was able to break away from one herd in pursuit of another.

1.



2.



3.



4.



Once a chorus of my name rose in the distance I had to stop stalking these roos, but saw another kookaburra (which I'm being told they aren't seen too often, but its the second time this trip for me). This one let me get to within 7yds before finally deciding I was close enough

5.



And then just as I was packing all my gear up in the car so the family could head home, I looked up...and begged for a couple more minutes to photograph this hungry parrot munching on berries.

6.

Tyler,

These are great!! #3 and 4 are my favorites - and they are all fun to see. Let's hope you can escape the herd more often.

James

The other side of the world has interesting wildlife, I spent a week on the Great Barrier Reef and another week on land about ten years ago.

I'm out of Dubbo now, and also just finished a few days up in Cairns scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, but here are some more wildlife shots I took on the last day around Dubbo. (Reef shot to be posted later)

1. Malle



2. Dingo



3. Willy Wagtail eating a dragonfly.



4. Koala



5. Galapagos Tortoise



6. And of course the native Merekat




Some of these I cheated and took at the zoo instead of in the bush, but my goal with zoo shots is to make it look like the animals are in the wild.

Hey Tyler,

May I ask which ones are zoo shots?

James

PS that tortise is a great head shot.

lol..um...all of them. The Willy Wagtail wasn't from an exhibit though, they're just one of the most common birds in Australia along with Cockatoos. The in-laws live across the street from it, right on the edge of town. Its pretty big (750 acres I believe).

"Some of these I cheated and took at the zoo instead of in the bush,"

LOL, I am sorry. I thought that some of them were taken out in the wild. They were all very good and I was just curious. :P

What is next? How long will you be out there for?

James

The first set was all wild, the second set was zoo. I just got back, but have 2000 shots to sort through, including about 500 alone just from my 4 dives in the reef. I'll try to get some more on, I was just putting up my favorites while in Australia.

Have you made it to Port Douglas? We went to Habitat there. Also have you been the sky ride outside Cairns into the Rain Forest? One of our favorite tours was the "wait awhile" tour, we went into the rain forest at night with lights. We saw tree kangaroos, geckos, possum and plenty of other insects and animals. Have you seen the duck billed platypus, we were able to several of them.

Grand shots in the bush, the Roos are certainly a treat. I see that Nolad mentioned the habitat in Port Douglas, a great place if you ever get the chance. Our trips were back in the '80's and '90's, so everything in on film.

Interesting to see Dubbo, my wife and I crafted Didgeridoos with a fellow from Duboo, Lewis Burns.

Which zoo were you at?

Thanks for posting, not only neat shots but brings back fond memories as well.

ps. I see you are just "down the road", let me know if you ever get up this way, maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle.