Summary

Jane Frost documents her experiences and observations while catching up on her photo-a-day challenge, featuring the wildlife and flora in her new home in Australia, with a particular focus on the Cairns Birdwing Butterfly.

Abstract

Jane Frost's photo-a-day challenge for Week 33, from July 22nd to July 28th, captures the beauty and intrigue of Australian wildlife and plants. Highlights include the majestic Cairns Birdwing Butterfly, which Frost hopes will lay eggs on her vines, and various birds such as the Rufous Fantail and the Bush-stone Curlew. Frost also shares personal connections with her subjects, like her 10-year-old Maidenhair Fern and her first sighting of a Black Butcherbird in her new home. The challenge not only allows her to engage with nature but also serves as a therapeutic activity that contributes to her wellbeing.

Opinions

Jane Frost expresses a particular fondness for the Cairns Birdwing Butterfly, especially the female, which she finds underrated compared to the male.
She appreciates the challenge of photographing elusive birds like the Rufous Fantail and enjoys the playful antics of the Olive-backed Sunbirds.
Frost finds the Bush-stone Curlew's nocturnal cries spooky yet is fascinated by their cultural significance to local Indigenous People as symbols of family and protection.
The Black Butcherbird's gruesome hunting process and menacing eyes are noted, though she acknowledges their beauty when fully grown and their remarkable singing ability.
She values the opportunity to learn and improve her photography skills, expressing a desire to master spot editing in Lightroom to enhance her photos, such as brightening the eye of a Willie Wagtail.
Frost acknowledges the community aspect of the photo-a-day challenge, mentioning other contributors and the joy of sharing stories through photography.

Australia’s Largest Butterfly with Gold Dust on her Wings ©Jane Frost

Photo a Day Challenge

She arrived with gold dust on her wings

Photo a Day Challenge: Week 33 — July 22nd to July 28th

With this story, I will finally catch up on my photo-a-day challenge. I’ve been behind by at least a week for a little while because life has been busy!

This week’s feature photo just has to be the Cairns Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera euphorion). I’ve been buying host plants and watching them fly through the canopy without stopping ever since we moved here. The other day I saw black wings and thought it was a bird, but no it was her! She is Australia’s largest butterfly with a wingspan of 15cm or 6 inches and despite her more colourful mate getting most of the attention, she’s one of my new favourites.

She spent five minutes harvesting nectar from the garden and didn’t stop moving her huge wings at all. Thank goodness I had a zoom lens and the light was reasonable! It wasn’t until I got back to the computer that I realised that her upper wings weren’t just black and white. She has gold dust! As I played with the image, I was entranced by that gorgeous shimmer! I so hope that she chooses to lay eggs on my newly purchased vines!

The only photo I got this day was of my Maidenhair Fern, which is loving the humidity in our new home. I’ve had this plant for more than 10 years now after finding it on the “TLC (Tender Loving Care) rack” at a hardware store, which is where they put out-of-condition plants for discounted sale. It came back to life in a self-watering hanging pot, and I’ve managed to keep it going ever since.

On Saturday, the birds were everywhere. I say that, but they were everywhere except where I chose to go. As soon as I moved to the part of the garden where the activity was, they would disappear into the foliage. I swear they were teasing me. Regardless, I managed to get this shot of a Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons) which is a shy cousin of the gregarious Willie Wagtail that “owns” our birdbath. I had the camera set to rapid shot, and the next image after this one is just his tail. These guys are quick, and you can see how deep he was on the foliage based on the light. It was a sunny day!

This is the same elegant lady as the one in the feature shot. I love that she is sprinkled with yellow pollen that matches her body and wings. I sketched her earlier this week, and it was delightful getting to know the intricacies of her design. The male is black, green and yellow. He is also smaller, but he gets the king’s share of attention from photographers. I don’t think it’s really fair, but of course, I will capture the male if I can!

The Bush-stone Curlew (Burhinus grallarius) is such a strange creature. They are nocturnal insectivores, and we often see them moving into the garden at night. Run, run, freeze, run, run, freeze and so on. They are fairly shy but very loud. At night they fill the air with cries that almost sound like humans screaming. It’s a spooky sound if you don’t know what it is.

The local Indigenous People celebrate them as symbols of family and protection, which links to their flocking habits. They are rarely seen flying, and legend has it that if you see a Curlew fly, change is coming to your life.

My first Butcherbird sighting in my new home happened on this day. There was a raucous noise of birds, and as I searched for them, I found this guy hiding in the understorey. He’s a Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi), and he could be a she, but he’s definitely a juvenile. The name makes much more sense for the adults who are completely black and reportedly beautiful singers.

They have a formidable beak for hunting and devouring their prey which can be quite a gruesome process, as their name suggests. I always think their eyes look quite menacing… so black and empty.

On Wednesday, the cheeky Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis) were trying to peer in through the blinds. This guy kept going between the glass and the screen and perching for minutes at a time, calling loudly to his mates. I wonder what he was saying?

And it seems that no photo story from my new garden is complete without a shot of the Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) in “his” birdbath. I am still seeking that perfect shot as he bathes. I really want to learn how to spot edit in Lightroom. If I could just brighten his eye, this would be a better shot!

And now, I’m up to date! Phew! I do love the Photo a Day challenge. It keeps me out in the garden when I realise I haven’t got a shot for the day and that is great for my general wellbeing!

Dennett started the Photo a Day challenge in 2020. I started after reading wonderful stories from Kim Zuch. Other contributions include amazing stories from Anne Bonfert, Barb Dalton, Barbara Radisavljevic, Diana Lotti, Erika Burkhalter, Ellie Jacobson, K. Barrett, Shruthi Sundaram, Pene Hodge, Olive Wilson, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages and Ivy Shepherd has just joined in! I’m probably missing others… let me know!