ICELAND POPPY

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Garden Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Tuesday Afternoon meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

AUSTRALIAN RAVEN

The Australian raven (Corvus coronoides) is a passerine bird in the genus Corvus native to much of southern and northeastern Australia. Measuring 46–53 centimetres in length, it has all-black plumage, beak and mouth, as well as strong grey-black legs and feet. The upperparts are glossy, with a purple, blue or green sheen, and its black feathers have grey bases. The Australian raven is distinguished from the Australian crow species by its throat hackles, which are prominent in adult birds.

Older adult individuals have white irises, younger adults have a white irises with an inner blue rim, while younger birds have dark brown irises until fifteen months of age, and hazel irises with an inner blue rim around each pupil until age two years and ten months.

The preferred habitat is open woodland and transitional zones. It has adapted well to urban environments and is a common city bird in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it eats a wide variety of plant and animal material, as well as food waste from urban areas.

The Australian raven is territorial, with pairs generally bonding for life. Breeding takes place between July and September, with almost no variation across its range. The nest is a bowl-shaped structure of sticks sited high in a tree, or occasionally in a man-made structure such as a windmill or building.

It seen here amongst the dropped fruit of the wild pear.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme.

WINTER SUN

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.

SATURDAY SILHOUETTES #3

Welcome to the Saturday Silhouettes meme. This is a weekly meme that looks at SILHOUETTES in photography.

SILHOUETTE |ˌsɪlʊˈɛt| noun The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.
ORIGIN - late 18th century: Named (although the reason remains uncertain) after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician.

Please join me by linking your photo in which a silhouette plays a prominent part in the composition of your image.

SPRINGLIKE SKIES

We have had a spate of mild days in the midst of Winter and it has been nice to walk in the sun. Our plants have been misled somewhat and we've seen early Spring blooms and also green tree buds unfurling their leaves. Here an ash is stretching up to the sky with buds opening up to release burgeoning new leaves. As the old adage says: "Ash before oak, in for a soak"...

And yes, Winter weather is back and snow has already started falling in Victoria's alps, as the state braces for its coldest spell in two years. A cold front pushing up from the Southern Ocean, combined with a low pressure system developing off Gippsland, is expected to bring rain, hail, freezing winds and more snow to the state from tomorrow!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

BANKSIA COCCINEA

Banksia coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet banksia, waratah banksia or Albany banksia, is an erect shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. Endemic to south west Western Australia, it occurs from Denmark to the Stokes National Park, and north to the Stirling Range, growing on white or grey sand in shrubland, heath or open woodland.

Reaching up to 8 m in height, it is a single-stemmed plant that has oblong leaves, which are 3–9 cm long and 2–7 cm wide. The prominent red and white flower spikes appear mainly in the spring. As they age they develop small follicles that store seeds until opened by fire. Though widely occurring, it is highly sensitive to dieback and large populations of plants have succumbed to the disease.

Collected and described by Robert Brown in the early 19th century, Banksia coccinea appears to be most closely related to Banksia speciosa and B. baxteri. Banksia coccinea plants are killed by bushfire, and regenerate from seed. The flowers attract nectar- and insect-feeding birds, particularly honeyeaters, and a variety of insects.

Widely considered one of the most attractive Banksia species, B. coccinea is a popular garden plant and one of the most important Banksia species for the cut flower industry; it is grown commercially in several countries including Australia, South Africa, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Israel. In cultivation, B. coccinea grows well in a sunny location on well-drained soil, but it cannot survive in areas with humid or wet summers.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ZAKYNTHOS, GREECE

Zakynthos or Zante, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, on the Western part of Greece. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It covers an area of 410 km2 and its coastline is roughly 123 km in length. The island is named after Zakynthos, the son of a legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin. Zakynthos has a population of 41,000 people (2011) and a thriving tourism industry.

The capital, which has the same name as the prefecture, is the town of Zakynthos. It lies on the eastern part of the northern coast. Apart from the official name, it is also called Chora (i.e. "the Town"). The port of Zakynthos has a ferry connecting to the port of Kyllini on the mainland. Another ferry connects the village of Agios Nikolaos to Argostoli on Kefalonia.

Bochali hill above the Zakynthos town contains a small venetian castle, and offers panoramic views onto the town. Strani's hill, located on the other side of Bochali, is the place where Dionysios Solomos, called "Our National Poet" by the Greeks, wrote Greece's national anthem.

Excuse the quality of some of these photos, but they are rather old and the deficiencies in early digital camera technology are apparent...

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,

and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

RED LEAVES

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footstep Digital Art Meme.

CRAFT SHOP

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

CAT PORTRAIT

This is a very friendly cat that lives in our neighbourhood and which loves having its photo taken...

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