Australian Birds Cross-Post from Writing Blog: The Aussie Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus)

In addition to the sulphur-crested cockatoos, we had a flock of galahs come to enjoy the fruit on the backyard trees. It makes a change from seeing them grazing on grass seeds.

Of course, not everyone had the hang of landing.

Those trees can be tricky to perch on, don't ya know?

Even when you manage to get set down, there's still the delicate balancing act.

Before the serious business of feeding and grooming can be undertaken.

Australian Spiders Cross-Post: Orange-Legged Swift Spider (Supunna picta, family Corinnidae)

So, this 1-inch/3-centimetre long spider was sitting on my kitchen wall - probably trying to get out of the rain. It's not deadly, with a bite that can cause mild local pain, redness and swelling. I've also seen it called a 'bug-mimicking swift spider', 'wasp-mimicking spider', and 'tribal mask spider'.

Australian Birds Cross-Post: Australian White Ibis: Threskiornis molucca

It's amazing what comes wandering up to the back fence. These guys were quite happily foraging for insects until I started taking photographs, and then they became rapidly shy.