Come on, we’re going for a walk
One thing I love to do on a Monday morning is to take a stroll with Restless Jo. I’m pretty sure I’ve been around the world and back several times on her blog. So I thought it was about time I joined in and took you on a walk of my own. Now this isn’t Spain or Monsaraz, it’s just my little corner of the world in Australia’s far north.
Make sure you wear some light and comfortable clothing and don’t forget your hat (or a towel will do)
Here are some facts before we start:
Climate: Tropical
Average yearly temperature: 27C (80F)
Average yearly rainfall: 1992mm (78in)
Main produce: Sugar cane
Main tourist attraction: Great Barrier Reef
Best house: The RUC (I just had to add that in) 😀
This walk is a nature walk through the Cairns Dome. Even though we have most of these creatures around the farm (apart from the crocodile – yay) I chose the Dome because, unlike the animals that fly and run around the farm, these ones stay still for easy shots.
The Tawny Frogmouth is my favourite. It’s a bird but often mistaken for an owl. Wikipedia tells me that the Frogmouth birds have been around for about 56 million years.
The Papuan Frogmouth is also a bird (don’t call it an owl or it may frown at you). They are bigger than the Tawny Frogmouth
Kookaburra – his head is a bit blurry because I think he was laughing at my towel hat
So there you have it. I hope you didn’t trip over or get sunburned or bitten by anything (I don’t have insurance).
******************
To everyone who helped with my book trailers last week I’m sending big hugs! I’ve done a few more and have put links next to my book pictures on the right of this page. Please feel free to check them out (and let me know if they’re enticing or just plain boring).
Have a great week!
wonderful nature walk – thanks – and no bites or injuries – lol 🙂
LikeLike
I’m glad you came out unscathed! lol 😀
LikeLike
Now that’s a walk! Great pictures Dianne! And nope, no injuries. 🙂
LikeLike
Excellent, Jackie! 😀
LikeLike
Of course there are pretty lizards! Just ask the lizards. (Otherwise they wouldn’t bother to make new lizards.) And yes, that is one.
LikeLike
LOL! We used to have a family of goannas in the roof and the babies were the prettiest I’ve ever seen! 😉
LikeLike
Ahh, such good looking critters Dianne! Thanks for the peek. Average is 80F, wow very nice!
LikeLike
Thanks for coming along today, John. I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself in this balmy paradise! 😀
LikeLike
Nice photos. 🙂 Thanks for inviting us along on your walk.
LikeLike
Thanks for joining me, Theo. Glad you enjoyed yourself 😀
LikeLike
Thanks for warning me about the sun… we haven’t seen it much here lately. Lovely photos…. so different from Ohio!
What a lovely corner of the world!
LikeLike
It’s a beautiful corner of the world – I’m so glad you liked it (and brought along a hat) 😉
LikeLike
I love the wildlife. I can’t believe those owls aren’t really owls! And lizards are awesome; we have some pretty interesting ones around here, too!
LikeLike
I’m so glad you came along, Ruth 😀 Lizards can be really ugly or really beautiful – luckily I saw the beautiful ones 😉
LikeLike
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? And lizards are beautiful, especially to other lizards! 🙂
LikeLike
Well, competing against one of Jo’s walks is tough, but you did great, Dianne. Jo will be so proud. I walk with her every Monday as well, she’s awesome!
Loved your walk, great pictures! The Tawny Frogmouth must be a member of the owl family…I would think.
I hope you’ll continue these walks. 🙂
LikeLike
Jo’s walks are amazing and when I saw my walk before I posted it I wondered if I was really up to the task! LOL 😀 I’m so glad you liked it 😉
LikeLike
The bird that looks like an owl but shouldn’t be called an owl has quite the camouflage thing down. Great pics!
LikeLike
I wonder if it makes friends with owls under the pretense of being an owl and then flies home to all it’s birdie friends. So glad you liked the pics. Thank you for joining me on this lovely stroll! 😀
LikeLike
Most of the birds look very very angry.
That looks like a very lush, fun place to go for a stroll!
LikeLike
It was a lovely stroll, Guap. There were a few angry birds who wanted to whip the hat off my head, but I kept them at bay 😉
LikeLike
Oh, thanks for taking us on a walk today! Enjoyed seeing some of your neighbors!
LikeLike
Thanks for coming along, Nancy! It was great to see you here in my neck of the woods 😉
LikeLike
Do you see all these animals right around your house? That is so cool. I love the little birds that look like owls. The Frogmouths. Amazing, Dianne.
LikeLike
I’ve seen most of these around my house, Amy (not the crocodile – I think I’d faint) 😉 The frogmouths look like they belong in a Disney cartoon. I’m so glad you enjoyed your walk with me today 😀
LikeLike
You live in such a magical place! I enjoyed it very much.
LikeLike
I’m so glad. You’re welcome here any time! 😀
LikeLike
Thank you! I enjoyed seeing your native critters. Uh, how come the frogmouth isn’t an owl?
LikeLike
I always thought the frogmouth was an owl until I put the pics up here and then googled it. Apparently it is a bird and I really don’t know why – I was shocked. Thanks for coming along today, it’s always lovely to see you 😀
LikeLike
Amazing and beautiful nature!
LikeLike
YAY – I love amazing and beautiful !:D
LikeLike
aww those animals are so cute. I want a duck like that!
LikeLike
I just loved the duck – it waddled everywhere behind me. I wanted to take it home SO CUTE! 😀
LikeLike
Gorgeous walk! I especially like the Tawny Frogmouth, too… I would have mistakenly thought it was an owl! I couldn’t help but notice the yearly rain – 78 inches- wow! Out of curiosity, I looked up rainfall where I live and it’s just over 20 inches a year. I think I’d probably grow mold if I lived in your part of Australia 🙂
LikeLike
LOL – I have a daily fight with mold. My cure is to spray vinegar on everything, for some reason it keeps the mold away and I mix it with tea tree or anything else I have that smells nice to mask the odor of the vinegar 😀
That little Tawny Frogmouth was so cute I wanted to put him in my handbag and take him home 😀
LikeLike
Excellent walk. I love birds and fish and lizards… hmmm crocodiles.
I couldn’t wear a towel anywhere near as stylishly as you, so I’ll stick with a hat 🙂
The Nth Qld rainfall is phenonemal… you can buy small pump bottles of Cottage Oil Compay clove oil (I get it from Foodworks at Macksville), which has great anti-mould properties when sprayed on a cloth and wiped over timber. It smells lovely too. The company has a website – clove oil apparently can be used to kill cane toads as well – bonus 😉
LikeLike
That sounds great, I’ll have a look for it and try it because the mould drives me crazy! Thanks so much for the tip (at the moment I use vinegar and it stinks) 😀
I’m really glad you came on this walk with me today 😉
LikeLike
I also use white vinegar to clean but add soluable lavender oil plus sometimes eucalptus oil – smells much better 🙂
LikeLike
Just panicking now because tropical cyclone Ita looks like it’s building to be a cat 4. YIKES! It might be time for me to visit my daughter in Melbourne for a week or so…
LikeLike
Of course, it’s Easter next week. We were only yesterday discussing the likelihood of floods while we are at Taylors Arm for 10 days.
It’s a good excuse, er, opportunity for you to have a break.
LikeLike
Absolutely! 😀
LikeLike
Hope all is well and you & yours are safe up North, Melbourne or elsewhere. Take care.
LikeLike
I didn’t go to Melbourne. I had my finger on the ‘purchase ticket’ button and then changed my mind. I guess we have to face our darkest fears at some stage in our lives. It hasn’t hit yet, but when it does I hope I’m ready… 😦
LikeLike
Thanks Dianne, that was a great way to start my day – and I didn’t even have to get out of my pyjamas:-) I think my faves among your new friends are the frogmouth BIRDS and the king parrot, with the pretty lizard sneaking in there too. Makes me want to visit our local wildlife park again, haven’t been for ages, to see wolves, polar bears, tigers, reindeer, red panda and more…nature truly is sooooooo creative, check out all those colours, shapes, textures, sizes….well, she has had 56 million years (?!?!) to perfect that bird! Hugs, H xxxx
LikeLike
I’m so glad we could take this lovely stroll together today and I thought you looked wonderful in your pyjamas, Harula – we’re all about comfort here 😀
Nature is truly creative and I love your choice of favourites 😀
Sending big hugs right back xxxx
LikeLike
If you think I’m coming for a walk with you with a towel on your head, you are so misguided! Oh, go on then- seeing as it’s you and I like you 🙂
Can’t beat a smile or two as we amble along, Dianne, and you always supply those. Thank you so much for your lovely informative walk. Those Frogmouth fellas look as cranky as I feel sometimes 🙂 Don’t you dare pinch my… toast!!! (I don’t know what they eat- frogs presumably?)
So happy you could find the time to show me a snippet of Cairns. What a wonderful world 🙂
LikeLike
That was a fascinating walk Dianne, thanks for keeping the pace slow enough for even me to keep up. Oh, and the bulge under my jacket, erm don’t worry, it’s just a spare hat. I’ve no idea why you think it’s wriggling, it’s just the way I walk. Bye now !
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
LikeLike
Don’t you just love the tawny frogmouths. They always look so wise but just a little removed from the world.
LikeLike
I swear I could have patted it – it wasn’t the least bit frightened of me. I took about ten photos of it until I was lying next to it. A truly ‘cool calm and collected’ bird 😀
LikeLike
Do you do the wording for the trailer, the 11th question? It’s brilliant Di ..haunting, enticing and not boring! The duck, the duck I love the duck! (Too much?) and the black cockatoo and cook-a. How much fun we could have being towel-heads walking round the tropics ahhh sigh 🙂 xxx
LikeLike
Yes – I do the wording, I’m really glad you liked the Eleventh Question. I love philosophy and it’s quite a philosophical book masked in a darn good story (I’m shy) 😀
Next time you come up this way I’ll grab an extra towel and show you the sights 😉 xxx
LikeLike
Oh how much fun that would be. Yay to the wording well done you 🙂 I love your shyness 🙂 xx
LikeLike
Great post! And lovely pics 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you! 😀
LikeLike
Thanks for the nature tour. Love the owl-looking frogs. I’m afraid a nature walk in my corner of Wisconsin wouldn’t be half as much fun. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for joining me today, Barb 😉
LikeLike
Awww … I love that king parrot. 🙂 He’s so cute … and looks like such a good listener! Love him!
LikeLike
He was a very interested listener, Amb! LOL 😀
LikeLike
Thank you for a colorful and exciting walk!!!!
LikeLike
Thank you so much for coming along with me! 😀
LikeLike
I’m a ‘bird lady’ (love cats, but birds more so) so thank you for the great pics of all these wonderful birds on your side of the world 🙂 LOVE that tawny frogmouth 😀
LikeLike
Isn’t it just the cutest thing! It wasn’t frightened of me at all and I’m sure I could have just picked it up and carried it home 😀
LikeLike
Nature walks with Dianne Gray…this was so much fun! If that cockatoo walked into a bar, I’d totally buy him a beer.
LikeLike
LOL! and I’m pretty sure he’d drink it, Britt! 😀
It’s lovely to see you here. I hope everything is going well for you in the new digs 😀
LikeLike
Beautiful walk post! These are cool captures! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you so much, Amy! It’s great to see you here 😀
LikeLike
Beautiful Dianne..I love the little treasures you found on your walk! And I cracked up at your cockatoo joke, or his, so funny!
LikeLike
I’m so glad you came along today, Bonnie! Cockatoos always have that ‘I’m a little bit on the tipsy side’ look about them! 😀
LikeLike
Best walk I’ve had in months, maybe, years…like your taste in lizards…though I’m likely partial to the King Parrot and the Kookaburra – and the RUC. xo
LikeLike
Thanks so much for joining me on the walk, Billy Ray. Wonderful to see you here (and the RUC survived the storm we had on the weekend!) 😀
LikeLike
That is gorgeous. It brings to mind a book I read–The Path–where the author described everything he passed on his way to work. It was so fascinating.
LikeLike
That sounds really interesting, Jacqui! So glad you could come along with me today 😀
LikeLike
Diane….I can’t begin to tell you how much Inion & I enjoyed your post as well as everyone else in my family we shared it with! Inion’s right! Reading your post while looking at the beautiful pictures made us both feel like we we’re ten again, and at our first trip to the zoo!! Such spectacular creatures & we’re still reeling about the frogmouth! There’s no way that thing isn’t related to the owl! Perhaps it’s ghost-double! lol. Great post our friend & we’re sharing the beautiful pics right now!! 😉
LikeLike
I’m so glad you came with me! It was such a beautiful place and I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it so much! 😀
LikeLike
Loved this walk with you…
LikeLike
I’m so glad you could make it, Rob. I really hope you’re feeling better 😉
LikeLike
Beautiful creatures. And your trailers were awesome. I really love the Soul Child one. It fits so perfectly.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for coming along today Char AND looking at the trailers! YAY – I’m so glad you liked them (the Soul’s Child one is my personal favourite!) 😀
LikeLike
I love it, Dianne. You caught me, though: my very first thought upon seeing the Tawny Frogmouth: “Oh, what a cute little owl!” (oops!) I loved the King Parrot as well. Parrots always look like they’re smiling to me because of the shape of their beaks. 😀
LikeLike
I’ve always thought the Tawny Frogmouth was an owl until I went to put this picture up – I checked Wikipedia to make sure I was right and I was wrong, it’s a bird! I was shocked 😀
The parrots are beautiful and I got pictures of a few different ones but they didn’t come out very well 😉
I’m so glad you came on this walk – lovely to see you here 😀
LikeLike
Was lovely coming for a walk with you Dianne and seeing all the unique Aussie creatures.
LikeLike
I’m sure you’ve been here before. Last year when you were in Cairns (I think) – it was a wonderful walk and thank you for coming along 😉
LikeLike
Yes we have been there before and it was lovely to be reacquainted with it through your post Dianne
LikeLike
I love all your creatures! It’s so funny how they seem to stop and pose for you. Whether you’re at the RUC or not, it’s definitely the best house. Thanks for taking me along on that fairytale land stroll!
LikeLike
Thank you so much, Sheila! It’s lovely to see you here and I’m so glad you enjoyed the walk 😀
LikeLike
Survived the walk – I think the lizard is beautiful, but I don’t want one in the house, thank you.
LikeLike
So glad you survived unscathed, Piper 😀 It was great to have you along for this walk (yikes – I’d be a bit scared if I found one of those lizards in my house) 😉
LikeLike
I really enjoyed the tour of your resident wildlife, Jo. I remember how very chic you look in your towel hat, so won’t even try to compete. Yes, that cockatoo does look like one of those really bad comedians. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for coming with me, Sylvia. I’m glad you like my towel hat (LOL) it certainly comes in handy sometimes 😉
LikeLike
Dianne, I’m sure no-one could carry off that towel hat the way you can. 😀
LikeLike
Your trailers are good and very enticing, Dianne, especially the one for Soul’s Child. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you so much, for taking a look at the trailer’s Sylvia. I’m thrilled you like them! 😀
LikeLike
I would NEVER get close enough to an crocodile to take a picture. But that is so cool! I love the owl. 🙂
LikeLike
Never trust a crocodile, Daphne 😉
LikeLike
They’re dangerous AND liars!? *crushed*
LikeLike
Thanks for the lovely walk, Diane! Although I’m perfectly happy to stay away from that crocodile and spend more time with the birds. We’re finally getting some spring weather here, so maybe it’s time to grab my camera and take some photos this weekend for a post. 🙂
LikeLike
That sounds great, JM. I’m so glad Spring is finally coming through in your neck of the woods. I’d love to see the pics 😀
LikeLike
I am always ‘in’ for a good nature walk. Especially now after this horrendous winter. Although, unlike JM, I kinda want to snuggle up to Mr. Croc. 🙂 He’s really cute.
LikeLike
That was a lot of fun. I hope you do it again some time. 56 million years is pretty impressive. We should learn to listen to these birds! When we were in Australia a few years back we had a little tour in the Raintree forest. We left from Cairns, and drove a bit to get to our walking area. is that anywhere close to your corner of the world?
LikeLike
Yes, it certainly is Allen. We’re surrounded by those forests. I’d say you may have headed north from Cairns and we’re just slightly south. It’s a beautiful area 😉
LikeLike
What a fun walk! Thanks.
LikeLike
Thanks so much for joining in, Peter! Great to see you here 😀
LikeLike
WOAH! Those Frogmouths sure look like owls! I enjoyed walking with you, Dianne – how amazing that the creatures co-operate with your photography 🙂
LikeLike
I’m so glad you came along, Marianne! The creatures were very cooperative indeed 😀
LikeLike
Loved the walk Dianne, and the pictures, but especially the ones of the two “birds” Papuan and Tawny Frogmouths. The variety of animals in Australia is one of the reasons I wish I could visit. What a wonderful place, but I think a little scary with all the large snakes and insects that grow there!
I guess I’m done exercising for the day, I can get busy writing now.
LikeLike
I’m so glad you liked then walk (and the exercise is very good for us!) lol 😀
The large snakes and insects are a little overrated here. I’m in the tropics so we seem to have most of them, but further south they don’t get them and are constantly surprised when I post pictures of them. Australia is so big that you can choose just about any climate from snow to tropics to visit. I really hope you make it over here one day 😀
LikeLike
What beautiful animals! I’ve been catching up on blogs after a little time away and always look forward to your posts – you always surprise me, but the Tawny Frogmouth! I’ve never heard of him before! I must now google him and find out everything, what an amazing bird. Do you see them often?
LikeLike
I only see them occasionally, but they are absolutely amazing birds and very laid back and casual – they don’t really fear people. I’m really glad you enjoyed the walk and welcome back! 😀
LikeLike
That’s lovely that they aren’t too scared of people- that way you can really enjoy their presence!
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure I could have just picked that one up and carried it home without a peep 😉
LikeLike
The pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Thanks for coming along with me! 😀
LikeLike
Love, love frogmouths 💜 and thoroughly enjoyed the walk 🙂
LikeLike
I’m so glad you came along – I’ve missed you 😉
LikeLike
Ha ha! I literally just posted on another friend’s blog that everyone is walking except me and I feel bad. Now you’ve gone and taken me on one. Thank you!
Beautiful photos and I’m pretty sure that ‘balmy’ climate did wanders for my skin!
LikeLike
I’m so glad I could take you on this walk. And yes – your skin is glowing! 😀
LikeLike
I continue to want to visit you, Dianne. These little guys are so pretty to look at. I’m amazed by the birds. The little Kookaburra is my favorite. I’ve always wanted to see one of them up close.
LikeLike
I couldn’t get a clear shot of the kookaburra, but this was was the best of the lot (it kept moving) 😉 I also got several shots of a koala. but when I checked my photos later they were all blurred 😦
The creatures around here are just beautiful and you’d love them! 😀
LikeLike
I really want to visit before I kick the bucket. I hope we can get the $$ to travel before I’m in a nursing home. 😛
LikeLike
Definitely! You’ll love it here 😀
LikeLike
Cool post.
LikeLike
Thank you 😉
LikeLike
That was fun. I visited the Dome in about 2003 or 4. Had a lovely time.
LikeLike
It’s a lovely place to catch up with a lot of creatures you don’t normally see roaming around 😉
LikeLike
Yes! You don’t want to see too many crocs wandering around.
LikeLike
Hi’ I’ve just come across your page there are some lovely pictures, I’m in the Uk and loved our visit to Australia, the picture of the King Parrot is a Crimson wing Parrot not a KING I keep quite a few Australian Parakeets at home in my aviary, I look forward to returning to Austraila one day
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the correction David. I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog 🙂
LikeLike