BLUEBIRD

This is a photo taken by Eileen of the Saturday Critters meme site. Her photo was marred by an obscuring twig in front of the bluebird's face. I've taken the liberty to cut the twig and restore our view to the critter's face with the help of Photoshop.

Happy Mother's Day, Eileen!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DUCK

The Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. It is usually called the grey duck in New Zealand, where it is also known by its Maori name, pārera.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

FAMILIAR...

Happy Halloween!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

LORIKEET

The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species.

Rainbow lorikeets have been introduced to Perth, Western Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hong Kong. Rainbow lorikeets are true parrots, within the Psittacoidea superfamily in the order Psittaciformes. They include two subspecies: Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus and Trichoglossus molucannus septentrionalis.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

DOG

Waiting for his master to catch up.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

WHY DID THE COOT...

Cross the road?
To be with his friends!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

GOOD DOG!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

DOGGIE

Looks rather startled, doesn't he? But that's OK, he's just interested and keeps an eye out for any suspicious activity...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

WASP

Yellowjacket or Yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these are black and yellow like the eastern yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons and the aerial yellowjacket Dolichovespula arenaria; some are black and white like the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata. Others may have the abdomen background colour red instead of black.

They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side-to-side flight pattern prior to landing. All females are capable of stinging. Yellowjackets are important predators of pest insects.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

REFLECTIONS

In the upper right is a coot, and to the left of that, two darebins (Australian swallows). The reflection is of the sun on a very overcast day, hence the silvery colour. The red-yellow hue in the water is due to the dusty red colour of the clouds caused by a very dusty atmosphere.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme.

FEAST

Caterpillars enjoying a meal of a fallen gum leaf. I don't know what type these are and would appreciate an ID, if you know it!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

LADYBIRD

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

IBIS 2X2

A pair of ibises reflected in the still waters of a pond in the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SUBURBAN GOAT

Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its local government areas are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges. At the 2011 Census, Emerald had a population of 5,813.

Emerald also includes Cardinia Reservoir, Melbourne's second largest reservoir. There are many farmlets in the area and it's not unusual to come across friendly, spoiled livestock, such as this goat, that we were tempted to call "Casper"...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

MOORHENS

The Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa) is a medium-sized, dark grey-black water bird with a white undertail. It has a red bill with a yellow tip and a red facial shield. Young birds are much duller and browner than adults, with a greenish bill and face shield. It is found from Indonesia through New Guinea to Australia. It is widespread in eastern and south-western Australia, ranging from Cooktown to eastern South Australia and in the southern corner of Western Australia.

Dusky Moorhens are found in wetlands, including swamps, rivers, and artificial waterways. They prefer open water and water margins with reeds, rushes and waterlilies, but may be found on grasses close to water such as parks, pastures and lawns. The Dusky Moorhen has been favoured by artificial water sources such as dams, ponds and lakes in parks and gardens and associated grassy areas. However, wetland drainage in other areas may have negative impacts.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

STROLL

The Parklands close to our house look very lush after Winter rains, but when it's fine, it's time to walk the dog...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SPOILT...

Because she's loved :-)

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

THREE BIRDS

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), also known as the masked plover and often called the spur-winged plover or just plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent, New Zealand and New Guinea.

The Noisy Miner Bird (Manorina melanocephala) is a common sight around Melbourne gardens and parks. Noisy Miners are nectar-eating birds native to eastern Australia. They enjoy nectar, fruit and also eat the occasional insect. Noisy Miner is a good name for them, because of the repetitive noisy chirping they make, especially when there are young miners around. They can also make a whole lot of noise when an intruder enters their territory. That intruder could be another type of bird, or a monitor lizard, a snake, a cat, or even a person.

The Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, and New Guinea and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests. A highly intelligent bird, they are well known in aviculture, although they can be demanding pets.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SYNECDOCHE

Synecdoche | sɪˈnɛkdəki | noun
A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in common English expressions that include "suits" (for "businessmen"), "boots" (for "soldiers") and why not, "feather" (for "bird")...
ORIGIN
Late Middle English: Via Latin from Greek synekdokhē, from syn- ‘together’ + ekdekhesthai ‘take up’.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

BACK SEAT DRIVER

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.