Keriting Dog

Keriting Dog

Keriting means curly in Bahasa Indonesia. Not meaning a curly dog however. I'm referring to it's curly fur. the sideway blue strap on it gives a sense of constrain and a pull of the dog from any of it's freedom.

The Stare of A Beak

The Stare of A Beak



This bird has definitely got some long beak. I framed it on the 1/3 line to create a negative space on the right of the image. This angle shows a much fiercer look of the bird compared to the previous photo. What do you think?



Beaks can vary significantly in size and shape from species to species. The beak is composed of an upper jaw called the maxilla, and a lower jaw called the mandible. The jaw is made of bone, typically hollow or porous to conserve weight for flying. The outside surface of the beak is covered by a thin horny sheath of keratin called the rhamphotheca. Between the hard outer layer and the bone is a vascular layer containing blood vessels and nerve endings. The rhamphotheca also includes the knob which is found above the beak of some swans, such as the Mute Swan, and some domesticated Chinese geese (pictured).

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Incubating The Invisible Egg

Incubating The Invisible Egg



This animal, bird or whatsoever had "volunteered" for to be our model. It stayed so still and calm while dozens of cameras are pointed at it. I love the sharpness of the shot and the yellow rim in the eye.

Half Close Eyes

Half Close Eyes



The sleepy kangaroo supporting its heavy eyelid. I had shot this picture a few times in landscape mode the first few times and had ran back to get more shots of this guy in portrait. Find that its claw, ears, nose and head is appropriately framed.



A collision with a vehicle is capable of killing a kangaroo. Kangaroos blinded by headlights or startled by engine noise have been known to leap in front of cars. Since kangaroos in mid-bound can reach speeds of around 50 km/h (31 mph) and are relatively heavy, the force of impact can be severe. Small vehicles may be destroyed, while larger vehicles may suffer engine damage. The risk of harm to vehicle occupants is greatly increased if the windscreen is the point of impact. As a result, "kangaroo crossing" signs are commonplace in Australia.

Vehicles that frequent isolated roads, where roadside assistance may be scarce, are often fitted with "roo bars" to minimise damage caused by collision. Bonnet-mounted devices, designed to scare wildlife off the road with ultrasound and other methods, have been devised and marketed.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

The Star Post

The Star Post



This kangaroo doing the star post for the camera. It's whole body and tail can be so nicely framed in the camera. What a joy to all photographers. After processing the photo, I find that its head looks like a skull. I mean it looks bony and seems fleshless.



Europeans have long regarded Kangaroos as strange animals. Early explorers described them as creatures that had heads like deer (without antlers), stood upright like men, and hopped like frogs. Combined with the two-headed appearance of a mother kangaroo, this led many back home to dismiss them as travellers' tales for quite some time.[citation needed]

Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like all marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Peaceful Nap

Peaceful Nap



Night = Afternoon = Sleep. What other things are there to do the kangaroo to do? Firstly, yes that is a kangaroo, not a wallaby. It had chosen a nice shady spot under the measly branches, acting as a roof.



A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning 'large foot'). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo of the Macropus genus. The family also includes many smaller species which include the wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons and the Quokka, some 63 living species in all.[1] Kangaroos are endemic to the continent of Australia, while the smaller macropods are found in Australia and New Guinea.

The kangaroo is an Australian icon: it is featured on the Australian coat of arms,[3] on some of its currency,[4] and is used by many Australian organisations, including Qantas.[5]

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Wallaby Wannabes

Wallaby Wannabes



Wallaby yet again. From this picture, you can see the colours and shades of its fur. Does anyone mistake this as a kangaroo? I often do. The name wallaby always reminds me of wannabes. They both sound so alike!



Wallabies are widely distributed across Australia, particularly in more remote, heavily timbered, or rugged areas, less so on the great semi-arid plains that are better suited to the larger, leaner, and more fleet-footed kangaroos. They are widespread in New Zealand, where they are often hunted. There are also a few populations of wallabies in the British Isles all having escaped from zoos, the largest of which can be found on the Isle of Man where there are around 80 wallabies and are breeding.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Food Shed

Food Shed



This wallaby was standing by its food shed. The way it stands and looking at the other direction makes it look really kind. My guess who it was looking at is my friend, Matthew. He was also shooting around the area with flash and this may have captured its attention.



A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod (Family Macropodidae). It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.

Very small forest-dwelling wallabies are known as pademelons (genus Thylogale) and dorcopsises (genera Dorcopsis and Dorcopsulus). The name wallaby comes from the Eora Aboriginal tribe who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area. Young wallabies are known as "joeys", like many other marsupials.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Yawning Cockatoo

Yawning Cockatoo



This cockatoo seems to be yawning away. Yawn... The composition of the picture is not as best as it should be. The large metal bar at the top is unstrategically placed as to say.

Where's My Food

Where's My Food



This guy is peeering through the hollow tree trunk to look for any food. Other than the edible meat, there was a snake there! A fake rubber snake placed prior the performance started though. The bird had perched there quite still to allow me to get quite a sharp picture of its feathers.

Glove of Leather

Glove of Leather



Nobody will want to handle these birds without a glove, especially a strong leather one. All the trainer are of course wearing it to protect them from the bird's sharp claws. The shutter speed are rather slow to capture the wings movinng but sharp enough to keep the head still sharp.

Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey



This bird is not eagle! It is some bird which is larger than an eagle but I cannot remember the name. It almost crashed into one of my friend who had stand up to take a picture of it when it decided to fly pass at his height level. A search in wiki suggest me that this is a kite. Anyone knows what it's called?



Raptor names
Eagles are large birds with long, broad wings and massive legs. Booted eagles have feathered legs and build large stick nests.
Kites have long wings and weak legs. They spend much of their time soaring. They will take live prey but mostly feed on carrion.

Bald Eagle at Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park, North Devon, England
Falcons are small to medium sized birds of prey with long pointed wings. Unlike most other raptors, they belong to the Falconidae rather than the Accipitridae. Many are particularly swift flyers. Instead of building their own nests, falcons appropriate old nests of other birds but sometimes they lay their eggs on cliff ledges or in tree hollows.
Owls are variable-sized nocturnal hunting birds. They fly soundlessly and have very acute senses of hearing and sight.
Harriers are large, slender hawk-like birds with long tails and long thin legs. Most hunt by gliding and circling low over grasslands and marshes on their long broad wings.
Hawks are medium-sized birds of prey that usually belong to the genus Accipiter (but see below). They are mainly woodland birds that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch. They usually have long tails.
Buzzards are raptors with a robust body and broad wings, or, alternatively, any bird of the genus Buteo (also commonly known as Hawks in North America).
Vultures are carrion-eating raptors, found in both the Old and New World. They usually have heads which are bare of feathers.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Back To Refuel

Back To Refuel



This is the same eagle as the previous post. The eagle will soar around the sky back then back to its trainer. This reminds me when I was small when I would cycle around the house and go back to my mum to "refuel" with food.

Eagle

Eagle



This graceful bird soaring through the air like an ice skater doing the olympic stunts. This shot has been through many dodge and burn to bring out true colours and the shine on its underwing.  As you may see from the picture, the eagle has its leather strap still on its leg, it's a tamed one. Shooting wildlife and sports is one of the hardest subject to shoot if you do not have the proper equipment. Fei and I who were using the long telephoto but rather slow focusing lens were feeling furious as most of the shots are all blurred.



Eagles are differentiated from other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vultures.

Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which cause minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Staring Cat

Staring Cat

Ther is no cat in the widlife sanctury. This cat was snapped in the hedgend maze and I shall assume that it was owned by the owner. The cat was initally eating the grass. Yes, all of us are confused by that. The cat was really fat anyway, luckily it was not green.

A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It is intelligent and can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn to manipulate simple mechanisms. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including mewing ("meow" or "miaow"), purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting.[5] Cats are popular pets and are also bred and shown as registered pedigree pets. This hobby is known as the cat fancy.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Laughing Bird

Laughing Bird

This little bird is called the laughing bird due to the laughing sound it makes. I had focused this birdie through the metal fence and this creates an interesting bokeh pattern at the back.

Sleeping Dingo

Sleeping Dingo

Sleepy, restless dingo lying comfortably on the ground. The leaves helps to make the scene a little less hostile and more friendly as if it was about to tease the animal. The interesting bokeh pattern at the back was caused by me focusing through a metal fence.

Aboriginal people across the continent adopted the dingo as a companion animal, using it to assist with hunting and for warmth on cold nights. (The terms "two-dog night" and "three-dog night" are believed to come from Aboriginal idiom, describing the overnight temperature.)
When European settlers first arrived in Australia, dingoes were tolerated, even welcomed at times. That changed rapidly when sheep became an important part of the European economy. Dingoes were trapped, shot on sight, and poisoned—often regardless of whether they were truly wild or belonged to Aboriginal people. In the 1880s, construction of the great Dingo Fence began. The Dingo Fence was designed to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It would eventually stretch 8500 kilometres; from near Toowoomba through thousands of miles of arid country to the Great Australian Bight and would be (at that time) the longest man-made structure in the world. It was only partly successful: dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states to this day, and although the fence helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this was counterbalanced by increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Pose For Me

Pose For Me

This dingo had climbed out from its cave, climbedto a higher ground and pose for me. Guess that I'm quite attractive to the dingo. Just that the look from it does not reassure me. According to the guide, dingos are like wolf + dog. They howl like wolf and looks more like a dog.

The dingo (plural dingoes or dingos) or warrigal, Canis lupus dingo, is a type of wild dog, probably descended from the Indian Wolf (Canis Indica). It is commonly described as an Australian wild dog, but is not restricted to Australia, nor did it originate there. Modern dingoes are found throughout Southeast Asia, mostly in small pockets of remaining natural forest, and in mainland Australia, particularly in the north. They have features in common with both wolves and modern dogs, and are regarded as more or less unchanged descendants of an early ancestor of modern dogs. The name dingo comes from the language of the Eora Aboriginal people, who were the original inhabitants of the Sydney area.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Emu's Splash

Emu's Splash

This is an Emu. I was also quite luckily as to capture this guy raising its head from the water. If you click on the picture, you will notice the water splash from its beak to the pool. The picture will be better if I had framed the Emu more towards the right so that all the water droplets will be in frame. But hey, I do not know what it's going to do next.

The Emu subspecies that previously inhabited Tasmania became extinct following the European settlement of Australia in 1788; the distribution of the mainland subspecies has also been affected by human activities. Once common on the east coast, Emu are now uncommon; by contrast, the development of agriculture and the provision of water for stock in the interior of the continent have increased the range of the Emu in arid regions. Emus are farmed for their meat, oil and leather.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Sleepy Guy

Sleepy Guy

This guy is sleepy. I caught him yawning. See how cute he is? If I did not remember wrongly, they sleep 2/3 of their lifetime. We, human sleep for about 1/3 - 1/4 of our lifetime.

The koalas sleep for up to 19 hours. The koala lives on the East coast of Australia. They live and sleep in the eucalyptus trees. It's hot, light, and dry here.

The koala has big ears and a big nose. The mother has a pouch. The koala has very thick fur. The adult koala gets 25 to 30 inches long. The koala is very small when it's just born. After a month the cub is 1 cm. long. The koala weighs 15 to 30 pounds. One cub is born at a time.

(courtesy of koalaexpress.com)