A Week of Looking Up

Summary

An individual documents their participation in the "Photo a Day" challenge by capturing photos of wildlife and nature while looking up, as inspired by Anne Bonfert's "Looking Up" challenge.

Abstract

The author of the website content has taken up a "Photo a Day" challenge, inspired by Kim Zuch's participation in Anne Bonfert's "Looking Up" challenge. For a week, the author focused on taking photographs while looking upwards, capturing a variety of bird species, tree details, and natural scenes. The images include Australian Wood Ducks in a tree hollow, a King Parrot seeking shelter from the rain, the leaves of a Broad-leaved Ironbark, a family of Laughing Kookaburras, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, a Bronzewing Pigeon nesting, and a view from a day bed after a day of ice skating ended with a fall. The author reflects on the beauty and surprises found in everyday surroundings by simply changing one's perspective and looking up.

Opinions

The author expresses a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world, noting the unique behavior of Australian Wood Ducks and the beauty of King Parrots and Broad-leaved Ironbark leaves.
There is a sense of tranquility conveyed in the description of the Broad-leaved Ironbark leaves and the relaxation found in observing them.
The author finds the "Looking Up" challenge both enjoyable and insightful, leading to the discovery of details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The author shows concern for the well-being of the Bronzewing Pigeon, highlighting the vulnerability of its nesting site.
The author's enthusiasm for photography and nature is evident throughout the post, as is the joy derived from participating in the challenge.

Photo a day challenge — Week 9: January 7th — January 13th

A few weeks ago, I read Kim Zuch’s response to Anne Bonfert’s “Looking Up” challenge. I loved the idea and I’ve been doing it ever since. This week I’ve managed to take a “Looking up” photo every day. Check out Anne Bonfert’s original piece here:

I looked up on the first day to see two Australian Wood Ducks checking out a hollow in our big dead tree. These ducks are true individuals, alone in their genus, they lay their eggs in trees and spend most of the rest of their lives in the grass. They only go to water to escape predators. Every time I see them in the trees they look a little strange — the wrong shape for a tree dwelling bird.

King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) sheltering from the rain. Photo by Author.

On the second day I was sitting on the back patio watching the rain when a flash of red and green flew past my face. It was a King Parrot. He then perched on a rafter above me to shelter from the rain.

Broad-leaved Ironbark leaves (Eucalyptus fibrosa subspecies. fibrosa), Photo by Author

One of the most relaxing experiences I have in my garden is staring up at the Broad-leaved Ironbark leaves. I love the different shades of green and the way the large leaves ripple in the breeze. If you zoom in, you can see that the leaves are full of bites and holes. Lots of insects love to eat them! This tree is truly part of the ecosystem.

Squabbling Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) family and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) landing above a tree hollow. Photo by Author.

It was hard to choose a photo from January 10th, but I just loved the way the light highlighted the yellow crest and wing feathers as this Sulphur-crested Cockatoo landed on a tree hollow and how could I leave out the squabbling Laughing Kookaburra family? The argument went on for quite a while, but most of it was out of the camera’s reach. I have no idea what the problem was!

Bronzewing Pigeon (Phaps chalcoptera) nesting. Photo by Author

This shot was taken after a series of alarm calls from the Noisy Miners. We started looking for snakes or owls, as that’s the normal reason for these small birds calling so urgently. Finally, we saw them massing around this Bronzewing Pigeon, who as is normal for Australian pigeons had chosen a ridiculous spot to nest in full view of potential predators.

A flimsy nest. Photo by Author

The next day, she was still there and I went and got a shot of the nest from below. It’s a flimsy construction, but not as flimsy as some that I have seen!

Looking up from the day bed on the patio. Photo by Author.

On the final day, we went ice skating and with about 30 minutes of our time to go, I had a nasty fall and smacked my head on the ice. I spent the rest of the day lying down with ice packs and grabbed this shot on my phone as I lay on the day bed outside. I love this view and look at it often when I have the time to lie down outside.

I really enjoyed “looking up” for photographs and saw some things that I might not have otherwise noticed. A great challenge!

Join us!

A Week of Looking Up

Photo a day challenge — Week 9: January 7th — January 13th

Looking Up

Lift your head towards the sky and tell me what you see