Australia

[lionking]

No surprise the northern suburbs are growing at a such a rapid state. Closer to the Emerald City……

[arthwollipot]

Australia’s rabbit invasion traced back to single importation of 24 animals in 1859, study finds

Quote:

Population then exploded in what researchers say was ‘the fastest colonisation rate for an introduced mammal ever recorded’


The Australia-wide rabbit invasion resulted from a single introduction of just 24 animals in 1859, new research has confirmed.

Using historical and genetic data, scientists have pinpointed the origins of what they call “the fastest colonisation rate for an introduced mammal ever recorded”.

New research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has confirmed what historians have long suspected: that the country’s bunny infestation originated from Barwon Park, the estate of Thomas Austin, near Geelong in Victoria.

The European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, was originally introduced to mainland Australia on the first fleet in 1788, when five domestic rabbits were brought to Sydney.

But despite at least 90 subsequent importations, populations only exploded in the latter half of the 19th century – rabbits then spread across the entire Australian continent within 50 years, at a rate of 100km a year.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Australia’s rabbit invasion traced back to single importation of 24 animals in 1859, study finds

Interesting detective work, but I was brought up to believe that Thomas Austin was the culprit beyond doubt.

[lionking]

Well there you go. From wiki.

Thomas Austin (1815 – 15 December 1871) was an English settler in Australia who is generally noted for the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859, even though rabbits had been brought previously to Australia by the First Fleet.

Rabbits came with the First Fleet but never bred. Amazing. Maybe they were all eaten before the fleet landed.

[arthwollipot]

Well, we've now got the genetic evidence to confirm it.

[lionking]

20th anniversary of the first Bali bombing coming soon.

I’ve been watching the four part series on Stan about the bombing. Very hard work and I’ve been watching it through tears. I’m into the third episode and it is brilliantly made. Some of the cast are recognisable, like Jason McCartney the AFL player who dragged a number of casualties out of the bar and let someone else take his place in the first evac flight. He came close to dying, but recovered and actually played a final AFL game.

They also showed a real news report when a bloated man was interviewed saying, in a matter of fact way, that he was burnt pretty bad. He died that night.

So if anyone can get access to this show, watch it. And have a thought for all 202 victims on October 12.

[Orphia Nay]

Originally Posted by lionking

20th anniversary of the first Bali bombing coming soon.

I’ve been watching the four part series on Stan about the bombing. Very hard work and I’ve been watching it through tears. I’m into the third episode and it is brilliantly made. Some of the cast are recognisable, like Jason McCartney the AFL player who dragged a number of casualties out of the bar and let someone else take his place in the first evac flight. He came close to dying, but recovered and actually played a final AFL game.

They also showed a real news report when a bloated man was interviewed saying, in a matter of fact way, that he was burnt pretty bad. He died that night.

So if anyone can get access to this show, watch it. And have a thought for all 202 victims on October 12.

A girl I knew died from burns sustained in the Bali bombing. I remember crying in a taxi when I'd just found out. It was traumatic for our whole town, she was well liked.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by Orphia Nay

A girl I knew died from burns sustained in the Bali bombing. I remember crying in a taxi when I'd just found out. It was traumatic for our whole town, she was well liked.

A lot of people have stories like this. I knew one person killed at Port Arthur, but thankfully not Bali.

[arthwollipot]

CSIRO expedition voyage to unexplored underwater mountains and sea floor around Australia's Indian Ocean Territories

I wanted to share this mostly for this quote:

Quote:

This mission will use a high-tech sonar system to survey the topography of the sea floor, as well as cameras and nets researchers hope will help them discover new species.

Ms Mackenzie said the team will be exploring depths of four and five kilometres and expect there to be some interesting creatures compared to those found closer to the surface.

"Down there you've got a lot of really blobby things, and a lot of really fangy things," she said.

[arthwollipot]

Guardian emus eat locusts, kill foxes on Portland raspberry farm — and make cuddly pets

Quote:

Craig Woods was once a fitter-and-turner, but eight years ago he gave it away for a life of hard yakka under the open sky, setting up a chemical-free raspberry farm where he and wife Melissa grow most of their own food and run on solar power and tank water.

He also brought home a brood of emu chicks.

After a lifelong fascination with Australia's native ratite, Mr Woods wanted to raise the emus as outdoor pets.

He had no idea that they would grow to become an integral part of the farm's ecology and beloved family members.

"Einstein [the emu] thinks I'm his dad, because I hand-raised him," Mr Woods says.

"Every morning, when I feed him, he's got to get a cuddle. He puts his head right over my shoulder and cuddles into me."

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

CSIRO expedition voyage to unexplored underwater mountains and sea floor around Australia's Indian Ocean Territories

I wanted to share this mostly for this quote:

Quote:

This mission will use a high-tech sonar system to survey the topography of the sea floor, as well as cameras and nets researchers hope will help them discover new species.

Ms Mackenzie said the team will be exploring depths of four and five kilometres and expect there to be some interesting creatures compared to those found closer to the surface.

"Down there you've got a lot of really blobby things, and a lot of really fangy things," she said.

They are certain to be blobbing and fanging. Very Australian.

[arthwollipot]

The biggest organ in the world!

Sydney's most famous landmark’s quirks and wonders revealed in ABC TV series Inside the Sydney Opera House

Quote:

If you close your eyes and think "Sydney", the white-tiled sails of the Sydney Opera House are probably among the first images that spring to mind.

They have become iconic not just of the nation's most populous city but, for many, are also synonymous with Australia itself.

The World Heritage-listed building has been the site of tens of thousands of events in its near-50-year history — upwards of 38,000 have been staged in the last two decades alone.

With close to 11 million visitors to the Sydney Opera House each year, odds are you've also ventured inside its famous sails.

However, the general public has rarely been invited behind the scenes — until now.

A new, three-part ABC TV series, Inside The Sydney Opera House, takes a look at how productions are staged and the inner workings of the building, from the recently completed multimillion-dollar refurbishment to its hidden, underwater workshop.

As the site of many milestones and public controversies in the nation's history, the opera house is a treasure trove of stories, but the series lifts the curtain on some of its lesser-known facts.

I might try to remember to check this out on iView. It's a fascinating building.

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by Norman Alexander

They are certain to be blobbing and fanging. Very Australian.

Don't forget venomous....

[arthwollipot]

Crocodile makes guest appearance in birdwatcher's photos on Darwin beach

Quote:

Did you ever look back at a photo and see something you weren't expecting?

Ulrike Kachel recently reviewed her birding photos at home and saw something within metres of her lens that could have killed her — a saltwater crocodile, estimated to be two metres long.

Well, it's Darwin, so she should have expected it, really.

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by catsmate

Don't forget venomous....

Actually, in local vernacular, to "fang" or "fang it" means not only to eat voraciously or be hungry, it can also mean to accelerate a car very quickly to speed, with much dangerous engine noise and smoking of tyres, etc. So if someone is "fanging it", it means they are driving very quickly and recklessly.

https://www.macquariedictionary.com....bane%20Region/

Anyway, end of derail.

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Crocodile makes guest appearance in birdwatcher's photos on Darwin beach

Well, it's Darwin, so she should have expected it, really.

I lived in Darwin when I was younger. Just had a look at that shot.

REALLY??! "Killer croc" "metres away!"

Uh, no.

That's a tiddler, probably only a metre or so long, and given the telephoto size of the birds in the foreground, it is probably 30 metres or more away across a body of water. It is, to all intents and purposes, harmless to the photographer.

THIS is an adult saltie, and yes, they are dangerous.

[arthwollipot]

‘We dubbed it Toadzilla’: giant cane toad believed to be the largest of its species found in Australia

Quote:

The animal weighed in at a possible new world record of 2.7kg and was discovered by park rangers on a walk in Queenland

There's photos. This thing is a monster.

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

‘We dubbed it Toadzilla’: giant cane toad believed to be the largest of its species found in Australia

There's photos. This thing is a monster.

Yep. Described as being as big as a football.

When I saw the pictures, I thought: "Dang! Looks like it ATE a football."

Meanwhile, idly watching 'Dashcam Australia' videos on youtube, I noted some nice footage of a kangaroo bounding down the road.

Someone should speak to that roo, we're trying to get away from that stereotype.

[arthwollipot]

New venomous species of snake commonly found in Central Australia discovered through genetic testing

Quote:

A new venomous species of snake has been discovered after being mistaken as a different species for decades, researchers say.

The desert whip snake, also known as Demansia Cyanochasma, has been distinguished from other species via genetics research by University of Adelaide geneticist James Nankivell alongside Perth researchers Brad Maryan and Brian Bush.

SA Museum honorary researcher Mark Hutchinson said this snake was often confused with other species due to similar physical characteristics.

"It's really a successful and widespread animal, it's just that it's taken this long to be able to work out it's actually a distinct species and not the same thing as you see on the west coast or the east coast," Dr Hutchinson said.

"It's taken the addition of the genetic profiling that (Mr Nankivell) was able to do."

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

‘We dubbed it Toadzilla’: giant cane toad believed to be the largest of its species found in Australia

There's photos. This thing is a monster.

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

[Orphia Nay]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Come To Australia - You Might Accidentally Get Killed

Not to mention at least 3 stories in the news in the past 2 weeks of dingoes attacking people.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by Orphia Nay

Not to mention at least 3 stories in the news in the past 2 weeks of dingoes attacking people.

One particular dingo on K'gari, apparently. The authorities have been debating whether to destroy it.

[Orphia Nay]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

One particular dingo on K'gari, apparently. The authorities have been debating whether to destroy it.

I heard yesterday one dingo on K'gari was euthanised.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by Orphia Nay

I heard yesterday one dingo on K'gari was euthanised.

Shame. But understandable, on a certain level.

[arthwollipot]

It begins.

[Orphia Nay]

And it's already been plover season for a couple of months.

[novaphile]

Yep!

I heard a magpie territorial two-tone warning call yesterday and copped a 'low pass'.

Funny thing is, the bird perched on a nearby fence and looked really embarrassed and didn't continue swooping. Makes me wonder if he recognised me and the doggo after the first run.

(It's very possible/likely that I'm anthropomorphising the bird, but I've lived here for twenty years, and get on really well with the magpies - i.e. I whistle tunes to them and they carroll and pipe along with gay abandon completely shaming my lame efforts)

Meanwhile, the noisy miners have been really aggro this year, bombing and clacking their beaks at me and Ivan. He's pretty stoic about it and just ignores them. (I've never had any physical contact from one of them and pretty much ignore them too).

Edited to add: You got a genuine 'laugh out loud' from me with that picture Arth...

[arthwollipot]

I love the magpies in Garema Place. They're well-acclimated to the presence of humans and just tootle around being cool all the time. I love magpies in general actually. It's just for a few weeks in the spring that some of them turn into complete ********.

[Norman Alexander]

We have a mated pair of maggies in the trees in our yard. They have learned our faces and do not swoop, and we have a comfortable relationship now. Instead, they like to wander our lush lawns (it's a wet climate here up the mountains) and grab spring-time insects and other yummy stuff.

Best time for them is when I mow the grass. They have become so "tame" that they now walk just behind me gobbling the exposed goodies as I go. They don't mind me or the sound of the mower. And when I stop moving, the pair of them stand there and look at me with an expression of "Well, get on with it, why don't you! We're hungry!"

[lionking]

Last year around this time we had a few magpies relentlessly attacking a kookaburra who was nesting nearby, and who we were feeding. They are the bullies of the bird world.

At my school crossing there are a few practicing their swoops. Not yet attacking as it’s probably not quite nesting time. But I’m thinking I will have to extend my Stop sign as far as I can and hold it up a bit higher.

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by lionking

Last year around this time we had a few magpies relentlessly attacking a kookaburra who was nesting nearby, and who we were feeding. They are the bullies of the bird world.

At my school crossing there are a few practicing their swoops. Not yet attacking as it’s probably not quite nesting time. But I’m thinking I will have to extend my Stop sign as far as I can and hold it up a bit higher.

Good thinking. I've often heard that magpies attack the highest point, whatever that may be. (Made the mistake of holding one hand up once and received a nipped finger for my trouble.)

For the non-Australians, here is a list of bird attacks in terms of severity:

1. New Hollands (angry noises, occasional fluttering in face)
2. Noisy Miners (loud staccato beak clacking, fast swoops)
3. Magpies* (terrifying swoops and calls, occasionally cuts and bruises delivered by beak and claw)
4. Emu (Holy crap! That bird just kicked me in the guts and I need new clothing... for several reasons)
5. Wedge-Tailed Eagle. (I was just attacked by an angry aeroplane! I have no idea how I survived)
6. Cassowary** (Oh ****. I'm dead)

* Magpies could be at the highest end of the list because of the frequency of attacks, and are truly terrifying when swooping. Youtube is full of videos about them, this one will do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGTcYfrEZU

** In Australia, Cassowaries are relatively rare, quite limited in their range, and typically only attack under specific circumstances, for example trying to get close to their chicks. Defence is quite easy, hold something between you and the bird, and back away. (Ideally something reasonably big, like a back-pack or leafy branch. They are heavier than Emus and their kicks are devastating.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by novaphile

Good thinking. I've often heard that magpies attack the highest point, whatever that may be. (Made the mistake of holding one hand up once and received a nipped finger for my trouble.)

For the non-Australians, here is a list of bird attacks in terms of severity:

1. New Hollands (angry noises, occasional fluttering in face)
2. Noisy Miners (loud staccato beak clacking, fast swoops)
3. Magpies* (terrifying swoops and calls, occasionally cuts and bruises delivered by beak and claw)
4. Emu (Holy crap! That bird just kicked me in the guts and I need new clothing... for several reasons)
5. Wedge-Tailed Eagle. (I was just attacked by an angry aeroplane! I have no idea how I survived)
6. Cassowary** (Oh ****. I'm dead)

* Magpies could be at the highest end of the list because of the frequency of attacks, and are truly terrifying when swooping. Youtube is full of videos about them, this one will do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGTcYfrEZU

** In Australia, Cassowaries are relatively rare, quite limited in their range, and typically only attack under specific circumstances, for example trying to get close to their chicks. Defence is quite easy, hold something between you and the bird, and back away. (Ideally something reasonably big, like a back-pack or leafy branch. They are heavier than Emus and their kicks are devastating.

Plovers are nasty buggers too:

https://nt.gov.au/environment/animal...ks%20can%20fly.

Quote:

Otherwise if you are swooped you can do any of the following:

avoid plovers during breeding season by taking a different route
travel in groups plovers tend to swoop individuals
wear a hat
hold or wave a stick or flag above your head
if you are riding a bike get off it and walk through the area
put up warning signs for others who may not be aware that there are swooping birds in the area.

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by lionking

Plovers are nasty buggers too:

https://nt.gov.au/environment/animal...ks%20can%20fly.

Oh yes!

I should have included them.

There's a breeding pair very near me, and they nest in the bushes near the bike path.

Now I think of it, EVERYONE should wear cycling helmets in spring time!

[arthwollipot]

I witnessed a bit of a war in Haig Park over the weekend. A small group of magpies - I think it was probably a family group, maybe three or four - were skirmishing with a larger group of what I think were white-winged choughs. The choughs were foraging on the ground, and they clustered together to hold off the magpies' aerial attacks. Eventually they managed to get under cover where they happily continued gorging on worms and bugs, safe from the peril from the air. The magpies moved on.

[arthwollipot]

In related news, we have our own official Big Thing, and it's right outside the door to my office building.

Giant magpie swoops in to join Australia's top 'big things' on collectible coins from Royal Australian Mint

Quote:

When Artist Yanni Pounartzis was designing his chip-loving magpie sculpture to command Canberra's CBD, he never expected it to be recognised as one of Australia's "big things".

Australia's love of giant outdoor sculptures has seen hundreds of big things pop up in regional towns and along highways across the nation since the 1960s.

And just 18 months after landing in the capital, Big Swoop has been recognised as one of the nation's top 10 big things in a new Royal Australian Mint coin series.

"I'm in disbelief. He [Big Swoop] won't go away, and he won't stop receiving attention," Pounartzis said.

"It was just an idea, a funny, ironic idea.

"When you release an idea to the community, then they decide what it becomes, so that's been really nice to see where he's ended up."

[arthwollipot]

Swooping magpies spark calls to protect eyes after Victorian cyclist injured

Quote:

Christiaan Nyssen knows he is lucky to still be able to see.

The Sunbury man sustained serious injury to one of his eyes when he was attacked by a magpie while cycling in Yarrawonga in November, 2021.

The attack happened on one of the few cycling trips when he had left his sunglasses at home.

"I have been attacked countless times and don't have a fear of the birds, but I always have glasses on," Mr Nyssen said.

"This bird turned around and went straight for the eye, did a backflip and hit me right in the eye again.

"A neighbour said I was the fifth person to be attacked."

[novaphile]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Swooping magpies spark calls to protect eyes after Victorian cyclist injured

Absolutely horrifying.

I never ride without eye protection, and I have it all, including two pairs of safety glasses (yellow lenses and clear lenses) in my top-of-rack bag. (I usually ride with my Rudi Projects on, those other two are just backups).

This is not because of magpies, but because I've been hit in the face by so many things including wheel weights, insects, random detritus kicked up by vehicles and many hapless birds that just happened to be crossing my path at the same time. Probably the saddest moment for me, was riding across a railway bridge and I was hit on my helmet by a rainbow lorrikeet. Damn near knocked me out and killed the poor bird. It was just one of a group flying across the bridge from the other side, and it failed to dodge. (I ducked, but not enough to count)

My heart goes out to Mr Nyssen.