Pukekos are also known as swamp hens so live by water, they can fly short distances but not their preferred method of moving as they are quite awkward fliers. I know this as I was out cycling one day and distubed one by the side of the road and it took off and flew, just about knocking me off the bike. Landed in the paddock on the other side of the road...lol

Howie, your birds look very similar to an Australian Dusky Moorhen, a fairly common water bird over here.

They're all coots. I love coots. Feisty little birds, verging on aquatic bullies - as long as the other bird is smaller, weaker, and easy to confuse.

Lovely bird pictures, bullies or not

Silly me went for a walk in the snow today. It wasn't too bad underfoot, but it was cold. Needless to say, there were no kiddies playing on this swing set!

I don't envy the cold but it's so pretty.

It's quite mild here at the moment, I even felt the warmth of the sun today; what little there was of it made the dead hydrangea flowers glow.



MotherGoose, yes, looked like snow to me too, that's why I took the photo, jealous of the snow photos in these threads.

The plant is cotoneaster (horizontalis, I think), very common around these parts, and the berries are not edible, Jake, unless you're a bird (in which case they are irresistible) . It's a friend's garden and before Christmas the garden was full of snowberries like snowballs, and these red berries, and looked very striking. By the time I went back with my camera this month, the snowberries were rotting brown and the cotoneaster berries had been fully harvested by hungry birds leaving just the odd one here and there. It wasn't the photo I'd been expecting to take.

More about Cotoneaster: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3307039/How-to-grow-Cotoneaster-horizontalis.html

Bet you're sorry you asked now.

We have Cotoneaster here too but I didn't recognise it from your picture. I'm not very good with plants and am not much of a gardener.

We could do with some cold right now, even though I don't like the cold. We've just had a heatwave, the fiercest one in 80 years. It reached 108 degrees F outside - thank goodness for airconditioning.

Your heatwave has reached across the country, MG. The official temp here is 47* today but the gague on our verandah has gone over fifty. Our normally pet free house has one very grateful dog laying under the airconditioner.

Some swans taking off.

lovely photo of the sunlight shining through what looks like a "paper" flower Chavs. And thanks for the id of your plant. We have cotoneasters here too, but the berries are never red - well, at least not the ones that will survive our winters lol. Instead, they are quite a dark purple. Had some along the front of our driveway which made a sort of "fence" (they're good for hedge material as they grow fast and thick) but after 8 years of drought they finally succumbed to blight and we dug them out (but yes, the birds liked them, but then so did a whole bunch of worm type pests who liked the leaves lol). Due to my laptop crash, I've lost all my pictures, but I promise to take some nanking pics this spring and show you how similar they look : )

LOL on coots Flopsy. The ones we have here aren't as colourful as Howie's, but they're particularly funny when they are swimming - "stretching" their short necks out with every paddle. Odd things. Perhaps that's why I like them ~

Lovely swan pic Copago. I've never seen so many in a group. Snow geese? Yup, thousands. Swans, sadly no.

I'd send you all some cold weather, but it hasn't been lower than minus 6 here for several days, so not sure that would help the ridiculous temps you've been having!!

Three more from the Otipua Creek area and then back to Wales. First up is the common coppertail butterfly.

I'm going to have to get out and get some bird photos. I'm feeling left out! Seriously though, great photos of all the birds.

Liz, even though I can't handle cold very well, I've always loved walking in it. All sounds seem muffled and it's so peaceful.

Chavs, lovely hydrangea photo!

Howie, I love getting butterfly photos. I remember once chasing one down for about a half hour trying to get off a decent shot.

This was originally a Presbyterian Church built in 1927. Currently, it is Heritage Hall, our local museum.

Susie giving in and posing for a photo whilst actually waiting for me to get her dinner for her.

She is a beautiful dog! I love sheperds.

The lake .. again.

Lovely. Should be called Lake Placid!

Those are all beautiful photographs. And I am not just saying that because Christina's lovely dog has hypnotised me with canine laser beams .



Ivy flower in front of yesterday's sunset sky.

Gorgeous photo Chavs.

Yes, she does have hypnotic eyes. If she wants something she just comes and stares at you until you get up to see what it is.

Ditto on the gorgeous photo, Chavs.

And Susie is just beautiful!

Well, here was a bit of excitement to get us away from lake photos
This grass fire was on the neighbour's place last night and started from an electrical storm. Took all night to get it out and we all watched a pretty good sunrise this morning on the way home ... which you'll see tomorrow

I don't think I have a fisheye function, I don't know if that needs an SLR and swap the lens but as it only has pdf style instructions it's been trying something when I need it till now and don't know if it has a wide angle beyond 28mm equivalent or so. I'll look it up now in case.

The first photos for 2013 are now here, I've been saving it up for a longer run than trying to find anything new locally, this is the A20 flyover in Bexley.

Jill, that is an amazing photo, well so are all the others so far this month.(and so diverse).

Something is not quite right about this photo but I cannot figure it out - row row row your boat, gently along the bank...

Jill, that must have been scary with the amount of fires around at the moment. Incredible photo though.

I agree -- not a good situation, of course, but a really fantastic photo!

Howie, it's a safety thing, innit. Looks so pretty there though.

Howie, a blue boat! That's an inside joke, but it seems every time we see a boat out of water or for sale, it's almost always blue.

Jill, I hope there wasn't too much property damage due to the fires.

This is the Mission San Xavier del Bac located outside of Tucson, Arizona, built in 1783.

That's a great building.

We ended up back there yesterday when it had flared up. While all fires are dangerous this was just a grass fire and not a lick on the kinds of fires we're seeing in Tasmania at the moment. This one burnt out a couple thousand acres of grass land .. except for a couple fences there was no other property damage. Here's the sunrise.

This is a pre-1964 sign in Bexley, but as at least four versions exist I don't think they were ever made to a national standard but are all the same now with a bike in the centre instead of the wording.

Mmm, that was nice, any more?

Wow, you did have a spectacular sunrise, Copago.

Here's an inside view of the San Xavier Mission in Tucson.

Victorian houses in Dudden Hill

ClaraSue, I am enjoying your pictures of Arizona. I have relatives who live in Paradise Valley and I visit there occasionally. We usually travel around the state but have not yet been to Tucson. Next on my list for sure!

Looks like it is time for an afternoon nap....

Back to Wales next.