Farewell to 2025

It is my annual tradition here to close the year with a review of our year as represented by one or two photos from each month. As always seems to happen there is one month (always in winter!) where I discover that I found nothing that I wanted to record. In that case I presume to 'borrow' a photo from a busier month. I hope you don't disapprove of such a cavalier approach, but I'm afraid there's not a lot you do about it! 😊

Unlike in 2024 we did go overseas this year, and to the northern hemisphere, which we've rarely done. In fact it's the first time we've been to Europe together - specifically Ireland. We also finally managed a thrice-deferred trip to tropical Queensland in August. While birds feature fairly heavily here, as they're always likely to do, by adding an extra photo in several cases I've been able to achieve a better balance than I did last year.

And as ever I don't make any pretence to photographic excellence; I have no training and my pics are definitely records rather than art. This collection was chosen for their associations rather than any misguided belief in their excellence.

JANUARY

January's photos are usually taken at home, as we don't do much travelling in school holidays and in high summer. 

Juvenile Pacific Koel begging for food (not from us!) in the big paperbark in our
front yard. This was a bird that until a decade or so ago was a very rare visitor
to Canberra, but with warming it has come further south and each summer here
now rings with its maniacal calls. It is a parasitic cuckoo and its only known hosts
so far in Canberra are the abundant Red Wattlebirds which are apparently still entirely naive. 
Having this one spending a noisy day just outside our lounge room
window was very entertaining.

Delicate or Grass Skink (it goes by other names too) Lampropholis delicata
on a straw broom just outside the back door. When I left my previous abode many
years ago to move to Duffy, I briefly considered bringing some of my backyard
skinks with me - I had expected the old house to be demolished by its owners -
but didn't do so. Instead I discovered that we had our own population here,
which still gives me delight.

FEBRUARY 

Each year, as soon as the school holidays end in early February, we head down to Beowa NP on the far south coast of NSW for a few days in our camper trailer. 

We're big fans of cicadas, but so was this Noisy Friarbird, a large honeyeater, which 
snacked enthusiastically on their choir just above our camp while we sat in the
afternoon shade. 

We discovered this active Satin Bowerbird bower just metres from our camp,
in a direction we didn't usually walk. An excellent discovery!

 MARCH

In March we headed off to Ireland, pausing for five very enjoyable and unexpectedly 'natural' days in Singapore. On one memorable day we accompanied two delightful and very accomplished local naturalists on a tour of some of the nature reserves; both these photos were taken in the rainforests of Bukit Batok NP. (More on it and the other reserves here.)

White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus, which I had hoped to see and is 
now probably my favourite Singaporean bird. In the end a little boisterous garrulous 
gang of them found us, bouncing along the track and commenting loudly 
(and I'm pretty sure rudely) all the while.

Malayan Colugo Galeopterus variegatus with baby, roosting on a tree trunk by day.
I'd been fascinated by these since, as a boy,  I 'discovered' them in a book, so this was a thrill.
There are just two species in their entire Order, so no close relatives. The spotted
gliding membrane can be seen below the forelimb. 

APRIL

April was Ireland month! It comprised a delightful four week spring road trip in often surprisingly agreeable weather. Many of our best memories are of the coast, especially the wild Atlantic west. 

Atlantic Puffins by their breeding burrow on Great Saltee Island, County Wexford.
This was our first full day out of Dublin and an especially memorable one.

An example of the gloriously rugged coastlines of the west, this on Achill Island, County Mayo.

MAY

After getting home in early May, we didn't get out much for a while.

This photo was taken from our balcony, looking across to a big eucalypt in the 
adjacent park. It features a hybrid between Crimson and Eastern Rosellas (blue cheeks
of the Crimson, brighter red breast and yellow sides of the Eastern). This is rare
elsewhere but not too uncommon in Canberra, where the woodland plains abut the 
forested mountains and river valleys, bringing the two species into contact which
is a rather unusual situation. The hybrids are generally infertile.

JUNE 

We had a few wintry days in the Blue Mountains at a lovely bush-surrounded
Air BnB. One frosty morning this very elegant male Spotted Quailthrush pottered about
just outside, quite unconcerned by us. It's not an uncommon bird, but in my
experience is not at all easy to approach.

JULY 

This was the month where I managed not to take a single postable photo, so I've sneaked in a couple of pics from photo-replete months. But don't tell anyone! 

Sweetwater Lake, Rinyirru-Lakefield NP north of Cooktown, north Queensland.
We spent a few blissful days camped here in August. 

Robber Fly Family Asilidae, Beowa NP, south coast NSW (see February above).
I'm a fan of these big fierce flies; this one is, typically, quietly waiting for lunch
to fly by. Other flies, moths and butterflies, beetles and wasps are all welcome meals.

AUGUST

Golden-shouldered Parrot, Artemis Station, southern Cape York Peninsula. This is one
of Australia's rarest birds, with no more than 1100 birds left in the wild. This station is
a stronghold for them, assisting in habitat management and supporting research. They provide 
feeders enclosed in wire mesh that the diminutive parrots can get through, but their predators 
(especially butcherbirds) cannot. We spent  a night there after leaving Rinyirru (see July) 
and this was one of the most exciting aspects of the entire five-week trip. 
It was one of the few Australian parrots that I hadn't yet seen. 

Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor, Paluma NP north of Townsville. The previous night
we'd learnt that we needed to cut the trip short a week before the end. In the morning
as we packed this beauty appeared right in camp to cheer us up. It's not uncommon
in the east coast tropical and subtropical forests but I've never been able to
photograph one before. 

SEPTEMBER

Eastern Water Dragon Intellagama lesueurii Australian National Botanic Gardens. 
We spent much of September catching up on things, including a few walks in these 
wonderful gardens. These impressive big lizards are a feature of the gardens and the 
unusual colouring of this male caught our attention.

OCTOBER

Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris with chicks on Pebbly Beach, south coast NSW.
We camped here for three nights in Murramarang NP and were delighted by this little family
on the fairly busy beach. The species, which is mostly found on sandy beaches,
is listed as Endangered in NSW, mostly due to disturbance of its breeding habitat. 

 NOVEMBER

This was another quiet month for us, but we had a house guest for some of it.
One morning I pulled up the blind in my study to be astonished to see this little
chap (actually I later came to think it was a she) curled up but looking
uncomfortable on the balcony between the heat pump and the brick wall.
We assume she'd been dispossessed or perhaps was dispersing. We offered her
an old towel which she promptly rejected and over the next few weeks she'd 
stay for a day or two, then disappear for a little while. On one occasion
she was accompanied by a big youngster who gave her a very poor day's sleep.
Then, to our disappointment, she stopped coming altogether 
though we hope she's found somewhere more suitable. Housing in 
Canberra is very difficult at the moment!
[Stop Press. Today, the last day of the year, she's back for the first time in about a month!] 

DECEMBER

In December we usually spend a week at Currarong on the ocean side at the top of Jervis Bay on the south coast of NSW. It's always a good break with the sea, forest and heathland within easy walking distance. This time the little boat-launching jetty provided two 'first ever' pleasant surprises.

This year, for the first time ever, I saw small numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna pacifica
flying along the coast on the sheltered side of the little peninsula on which Currarong sits. I surmise
that they were sheltering from the storms at sea, though I wouldn't have thought they needed to.
Then on one of our regular visits to the jetty (there is usually something to see there) we were
astonished to see a loose flock of some 25 shearwaters bobbing in the water, and ducking their
heads to look for fish, right alongside. We watched them for quite some time, having never
seen them at close quarters in daylight before.

On another occasion we were excited and delighted to see a big Grey Nurse Shark
Carcharias taurus cruising in shallow water alongside the jetty. We watched while
it repeatedly swam a circuit following the edge of the beachside rock platform then 
out along the inshore reef and back again. This is a Critically Endangered species
in eastern Australia and it was the first one I'd ever seen.

So once again, this was my year, or at least a version of it. Thank you very sincerely for reading my offerings, and for your support by reading my posts, and through your comments and emails. As I've said before, whatever is coming we can be sure that nature is always there to inspire us and keep us in perspective, and I have every intention of continuing to share it with you through these posts. May your 2026 start peacefully and naturally. My best wishes to you, Ian.

 NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 22 JANUARY

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