The Lizard of Oz~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

Meet the Australian Water Lizard. They like to climb trees and drop down on rivers and lakes to hunt. They can remain submerged for up to 90 minutes. Males can reach up to 3 feet in length.

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore….”

How adorable is this Noisy Miner chick?

Masked Lapwings are one of the reasons I so love birds.

Who else but a bird could have a face like this?

There is the Australian White Ibis,

the gregarious Australian Magpie,

always assertive Silver Gull,

and shy and lovely Australian Wood Duck.

We are on the move now, exploring new places, so please excuse me when I am less present than I wish I could be.

Cheers to you from magical Oz~

226 thoughts on “The Lizard of Oz~”

    1. We have been in OZ for two days in Sydney and all of these photos were taken during this period, so good perception on your end. Amazing how much wildlife is in Sydney. We head off tomorrow to explore further.

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    1. We have only been here two nights now and are still in Sydney. I hear the fires are still bad in certain places like Canberra. We are heading out to explore more tomorrow so I will learn and share more as I travel. Thank you for your concern.

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  21. Wonderful! An entertaining and wholly absorbing array today Cindy. You’ve become quite the birder 😀

    Whilst all bird types hold special appeal, I’m naturally drawn, like a moth to the Moon, to the White Ibis.

    Enjoy your travels down under.

    DN

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      1. Dewin Down Under! Great title for a poem lol 😀

        Would it were possible to escape these wintering shores for a holiday in the antipodes, I’d be there like a shot: camera in hand, pen at the ready, happily twitching in warming sunshine! But alas! ‘Tis another destination destined for the to-do list…and any immediate sense of contentment found bound within my enjoyment of your expressive photographs. Thank you for airing and sharing them here.

        Happy walkabout Cindy!

        DN

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          1. And I shall look forward to it Cindy 😀 No doubt we’ll catch up for coffee on the inter-island passenger ferry heading for Phillip Island. If you’re buying i’ll have a quad long shot grande in a venti cup half calf double cupped no sleeve salted caramel mocha latte with 2 pumps of vanilla substitute 2 pumps of white chocolate mocha for mocha and substitute 2 pumps of hazelnut for toffee nut half whole milk and half breve with no whipped cream extra hot extra foam extra caramel drizzle extra salt add a scoop of vanilla bean powder with light ice well stirred, thank you 😀

            Have a ball! Don’t forget your camera!

            DN

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      1. Yes, I heard on the news that Canberra was being threatened by fire. You must be able to see the orange of the fire in the sky. I’ve heard that it can be seen in New Zealand. Take care.
        Leslie xoxo

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    1. We are still in Sydney where all seems well and it is raining, but we toured the Governor’s Mansion yesterday and the Governor stopped to chat. She said the fires were worse up near Canberra due to a helicopter accidentally setting some brush on fire. I am sure by May things will be much improved.

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    1. Thank you Alexander, you and I share this love for our winged friends. It is raining today in Sydney which is welcome, but we toured the Governor’s Mansion yesterday and The Governor stopped to chat. She said the fires were worse up near Canberra due to a helicopter accidentally setting some brush on fire.

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      1. When on the trip you still spend a lot of time for answering to all the comments. Do you sleep at all? 🙂
        You really regret you do not live in Australia, don’t you? I’ve been to Australia (Sidney) in 1995 by their winter. The temperature was +25C. I doubt I would like to stay there by their summer. I love seasons but their seasons are absolutely different of what I love.
        Have a nice trip and stay safe.

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    1. We toured the Governor’s Mansion yesterday and The Governor stopped to chat. She said the fires were worse up near Canberra due to a helicopter accidentally setting some brush on fire. It is raining now in NSW around Sydney so this is great news for this area.

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  47. I had a couple of American students stay at my home here in Australia many years ago and the one thing they kept mentioning was that there were so many birds, they said the place was alive. Mind you, I do live in the country which is a little bit more wild than the cities.
    Enjoy your trip Cindy, may you have a beautiful stay 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋 🦘 🐬 🐳 🌺

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    1. This is our second trip down under and one of the major draws back were the birds! All the photos taken in this post were from just two days in Sydney. We are heading out tomorrow to see much more of beautiful Oz!

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    1. I would love to do this! Our plans have us heading towards Victoria, but they may change and if they do, I will contact you. Thank you for your hospitality Pauline, much appreciated & hope all is well with Jack <3

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  50. I don’t have to even ask where you are now, Cindy. I hope you are enjoying all our birdlife. Great shot of the Masked Lapwings. They are such an interesting bird with what appears to be an artificial mask on their heads.

    Hope you are able to visit all the places you’d planned, but I know you will be careful as our Bushfire season has a couple more months to go.

    Keep safe 🙂

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  51. So much beauty — and variety — in our world. I’ve often thought God must have such great fun creating all these colors and species! And Cindy, thank you for bringing them up close so we can all enjoy them.

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    1. You should have seen today. Day 3 Oz. I made personal friends with a kookaburra. He followed me all over the Botanical Gardens. He is hands down the cutest and calmest bird I have ever seen. This is only day 3 and I haven’t even left Sydney. Why don’t I live here. This is bird centrale.

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    1. We need an Australian to weigh in here as I am not an expert on Australian birds. I think these are all native Ozzie birds. They are all in my very heavy Australian Bird book that I am toting along with me, and I am glad I am because I am using it multiple times a day. I cannot believe the sightings today and it is only day 3 in Oz and I haven’t even left Sydney.

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      1. From what I understand the Miner bird above is a natural but there is an introduced Indian Myna bird that is very similar but is a dark brown where the above bird is grey. It is causing untold damage pushing out native birds from their habitats etc. All the rest are native. Wait till you get among the parrots Cindy. Or there are many Australian animals at Taronga Zoo across the harbour by ferry or drive over the ‘coathanger’ bridge to the north side to see it 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋 🦘 🐬 🐳 🌺

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        1. I am so eager to see all the parrots. I spent yesterday, almost all day, with a Kookaburra who followed me from place to place in the Botanical Gardens. I fell in love and now think kookaburras are the cutest bird I have ever seen with personalities to match. I really should live here. I would be so happy living among such amazing birds. <3

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  61. Love the lizard. Australia has such a variety of them. Birds are awesome in Australia too. Flocks of wild cockatoos, colorful lorikeets, and pink galahs just to name a few. My daughter who lives there says they call the ibis bin chickens so they must like getting into the garbage.

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  69. You capture such emotion with your lens…Every photo is an interaction that leaves me feeling great. As for that Water Lizard,,,he is one proud dude, and rightfully so.

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  76. I love the title of your post, but more than that, I love that Noisy Miner chick. I’d never seen (or heard of) them before, so I’ve just spent some happy moments on YouTube watching videos of them. I can see (hear) why they’re called Noisy Miners! But what cute birds. 🙂

    I used to follow your blog from an older one of mine (I forget which, I’ve had many) and now I’m back again. Off I go to click the Follow button.

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    1. And there are all these different kinds of magpies, including a dainty one, called a lark magpie, and a more raven looking one. I am surprised to see that all the corvids yield to the parrots, even when they outnumber them.

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  79. The Masked Lapwings are certainly beautiful and unusual-looking Cindy, but so are all the other birds here. The Wizard of Oz line is extra apt for that 🙂

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      1. You too, Cindy! All I thought it was Saturday ‘cause we had the youngest grandchild over last night, but the weekend is still to come, yay! Thanks, Cindy – still smiling every time I see Lizard of Oz 😊

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  81. I will probably never travel to Australia; so I am savoring these beautiful photographic glimpses via your eyes/lens/heart. Who knew that a lizard could stay underwater for that long! And the feathers + coloring on the birds you have photographed are awe-inspiring…

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    1. You are a kind friend. Thank you. I so many amazing creatures including an egg laying mammal called an echidna and huge fruit bats hanging on trees upside down. They are black with orange fur. And of course there are kangaroos in your backyard and parrots in your trees. I love Oz! Cheers to you my friend~

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