A surreal moment - seeing the ridiculously colourful Scarlet-chested Parrot at Gluepot nine years ago.

For the love of parrots

April 10, 2020

This Easter I give thanks for parrots. Oh parrot-God, thankyou for furnishing Australia with an excess of loud, colourful, cheeky, playful birds. Life is beautiful, life is never boring, when we have parrots in our backyards.

A guide to finding glowing fungi in your backyard

March 28, 2020

Step 1: Work from home because coronavirus

Step 2: Go for a walk in the backyard to clear your computer brain

The view out my kitchen window this morning.

Welcome to 2020

January 5, 2020

So this is what it looks like. All the warnings from scientists about an increased likelihood of natural disasters, they are no longer abstract. They can no longer be dismissed, forgotten about. They have a face, they are real, they are here, and they are seemingly unstoppable.

Ophrys apifera, the bee orchid, is one of four species of Ophrys in Britain. — *Ophrys apifera*, the bee orchid, is one of four species of *Ophrys* in Britain.

An Aussie's guide to British orchids

June 22, 2019

I’m fond of the comparison between orchid diversity in Canberra and Britain. On Black Mountain, a 460 ha reserve right next to the centre of Canberra, we have more species of orchid (66 species) than in the whole of Britain (52 species). Perhaps the comparison is a little unfair…but regardless we are incredibly lucky in Australia to have over 1700 species of native orchid.

The rare 'idiot bird'

January 23, 2019

A few days ago, Chris Cook and I took the passenger ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima and back, hoping to see the three North Pacific albatross species: Short-tailed Albatross, Laysan Albatross and Black-footed Albatross.

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The view from the kitchen window this morning. Nature photography is a little different in 2020! #smoke #fires #climatechange #canberra

Those who’ve seen Rufous Bristlebirds know that they’re simply the best. Such characters.

I was recently asked to provide images of Red-kneed Dotterels for a sign at Jerrabomberra, and I had to go off digging in my old hard drives from way back in 2011. I’d forgotten that I’d spent a magical afternoon at Calperum Station with Red-kneed Dotterels coming almost within touching distance in beautiful sunset light. At the time I was out with @hoops.daniel helping him catch dragons near Renmark in South Australia for his PhD. . . #redkneeddotterel #southaustralia #australianbirds #ausgeo #canonaustralia #plover #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #bird_brilliance

The lowly greenhood is quite an incredible orchid. It grows in central northern Victoria and flowers in November-December at a time when most other orchids in the area have died off for the season. It grows on soil which is baked hard by the hot sun and seems an inhospitable place for a delicate little orchid to be growing. Plus, it is rare and just looks damn cool! . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #pterostylis #pterostylisdespectans #summer #orchids #ausgeo #canonaus #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2

The Campbell Albatross is the celebrity of seabird world. Well dressed, perfectly drawn eyeliner, audacious lipstick. Always ready for a night out on the ocean. #noeyelinerneeded #iwokeuplikethis #seabirdcelebrity #albatross #campbellalbatross #wildlifephotography #canonaustralia #annateenlyf

Sun. Orchid. Explosion! I remember this scene, 5 years ago I found this spotted sun orchid in beautiful Bush at Royal National Park. The last golden rays of the sun were hitting the back of the flower causing the most magnificent explosion of pinks and purples and yellows. . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #sunorchid #thelymitraixioides #sun #orchids #macro_secrets #canonaustralia

So happy for the #hoiho to win NZ Bird of the Year, the first seabird to win. I feel incredibly privileged to have seen these gorgeous penguins on Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctics. #yelloweyedpenguin #forestandbird #enderbyisland #birdoftheyear2019 #penguin #subantarctic #seabird

A little bit tongue-in-cheek 😛 I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how weird these plumed greenhoods are. The densely hairy labellum is probably involved in pollinator attraction somehow but exactly how is unclear. There is some suggestion dagger flies are involved in pollination (including a great set of photos by Rudie Kuiter) but evidence is still scarce. . . #australiannativeorchids #pterostylis #greenhood #ausgeo #orchid #australiannativeplants #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2