Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Visits after the rain

Massive rain of late has been a boon for amphibians.
Local swampland has been alive with the calls of many species, though one species is visiting in mass. The Emerald Spotted Tree-frog.
Attracted to insects drawn by the light from windows we have had as many as five at a time on one window, curiously studying me I photographed them.

I thought I would include this shot, as the way the legs are positioned make the creature look more alien than it already does, when I noticed something strange.
The frog has two mosquitoes on it and they seem to be feeding.
The shots are a little rough, though show the little mozzies seemingly feeding on an amphibian. Perhaps someone may say it happens all the time, though it was news to me.



Mozzies are an unwelcome visitor to many, it seems.
Here is another.
Looking cute and alert, this years baby Red Bellied Black Snake was checking if the rains had finished.
Driven from the spot where it lived in our yard by rising water, it found shelter in the shed.
It proceeded to the garden where I watched it catch some small skinks for lunch.
Many animals have had to relocate with the rains.
Meetings, both welcome and unwelcome, with we humans are at a high.
In Australia, as in any other place we are graced by the natural world, its a matter of learning how to coexist and share our space.
No, the Red Belly cant come inside.
The shed will have to do.


Friday, February 12, 2010

Cloud Formation in an Inversion

I was able to capture, in time lapse, this interesting atmospheric condition.
It seems that a layer of cooler air had trapped moist, warm, air beneath it.
This is called an "inversion".
This was all happening at the base of a small mountain range with the cooler breeze racing overhead.
As the warm air gained enough momentum upwards, shown by the clouds boiling beneath, it eventually broke through the layer above to disperse clouds in the breeze.
A most interesting phenomenon, and one I hope you enjoy viewing.


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Drought breaking rains for NSW

The storms across NSW last week were spectacular to say the least.
With Bermagui getting around 200mm in 24 hours, it wasn't the heaviest of the falls.
It was enough though to free blocked estuary systems to the ocean and flush them out.

The following video is of the storm on Fri morning 05.02.10 around 5am, with footage of a few kangaroos playing in the rain and the Cuttagee system breaking to the ocean later that day.




The baragoot system broke on its own that night, with Wallaga lake needing a large excavator to help it along the next day as water levels rose nearly 2 meters.
Local council took the initiative to see all lake and river systems in need got a digging out at the entry point to the ocean as massive rainfall fueled the flows in areas stagnant from drought.
This is how things looked across NSW at around 7am Friday 05.02.10 thanks to the BOM sat image.



Following the rain, with a little help, Wallaga Lake was on the run.



This was Baragoot,


..and Cuttagee.



All areas did well from the rain, allowing clearing of the stagnant waters and facilitating movement of marine creatures to and from the ocean and these estuary systems.
Hopefully the prawning will be better next year. :)