Brisbane and Southeast Queensland have experienced three massive storms in the past week. Each involved thunder, lightning, hail, and torrential rains. Two nights ago, we had a storm that dropped 250mm (that's 10 inches) of rain in less than 6 hours. There has been widespread flooding, major roads out, cars and trucks underwater, rescues, downed trees, mud, and lots and lots of water. Sadly, two people have died. One was swept away into a storm drain by what is essentially a flash flood. The other person was also swept away...she was in a car that was overtaken by fast running and rising flood waters; her car was carried away, as was she.
I've driven through some heavy rains here in Australia, and it can be fierce. These were some of the biggest tropical storms that I've experienced while I've been here. I respect the thunderstorms in Australia. I've been hiking a few times and heard thunder off in the distance. Every single time, I've high-tailed it back to the Landie or home. A couple of times I haven't made it back in time before the rain hit, and I can tell you, it was scarey. The lightning is much more intense than I remember ever experiencing in North America, and that's the biggest worry when exposed outside.
But, the more common worry, and the one that can really be more deadly, is flash flooding. It's been said that Australia is a drought broken by the occasional flood. So true. The land is usually so dry and so hard, and storms so intense, the water generally has no place to go except the low points in the land and the flood plains. I've been driving in or after the storms, and had to ford fast-running streams in places I've never seen water before. Most such places in the roadways are well-known, and the Aussies put depth markers in them. That way, if you've coming along to a pool of stagnant or running water where there used to be a road, you can estimate how deep the road bed is, and determine if you're vehicle can get across.
Of course, there's more to it than that. You actually have to get out of the vehicle and wade through the stuff, if you need to get across, to find out if there are any hidden logs or what not. Which is not something you'd usually do except in an emergency or when you really, really had to. The reason you have to check for logs is because it's a bear to be surprised by running into a tree trunk when you're traversing a running stream.
So, that's one of the reasons I have a Land Rover. The thing has very high clearance, excellent maneuverability, and it weighs close to 2 metric tons, dry. It can easily ford nearly a meter of water, and if I were to put on a snorkel, I could ford water almost up to the top of the engine if I had to. And then, I could wash out the interior with a hose :)
Anyway, I'm all safe and sound, and the house made it through with no problem. There was a bit of water running through the ground level for a little while, but I don't have anything valuable down there, nor electrical, for this very reason.
One of my friends took this picture of lightning. The most recent storm had a lot of cloud to cloud lightning, and not so much cloud to ground. And most of the lightning didn't touch down in nearby. But the previous storm was absolutely amazing...a lot of ground strikes, and several of them were within a kilometer or so...nearly immediate light to thunder, and really, really loud cracks.
Anyway, tropical storms are to be respected. That's for sure. I was very happy to experience this set while safe and sound in my house. Fortunately, no damage, we weren't without power for very long, and no major problems in my neighborhood. But this was the worst series of storms since the '70s, I'm told, when, among other things, the Brisbane River crested at 12 meters above flood level...that's 36 feet! I don't think we're bound for anything that dramatic, but we're still all keeping an eye on the weather forecast.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Gone Fishing
I went fishing yesterday on the Gold Coast. A friend told me about a place which he'd had some success. Since I had the weekend off, i.e. I wasn't on call, I decided to take a drive down and have a look. It turns out to be just up the road from a place I'd stayed last year. That was a pleasant surprise, since I found the roads familiar. I also found a faster, easier road from the motorway (we call them freeways) over to the Coast.
I don't much like the Gold Coast itself, which is to say, the main beach and the strip at Surfer's Paradise. Imagine high rises and clueless tourists from all over the world. That's the main beach. Yuck. There are three new high rises under construction now, which weren't there the last time I visited, which was about a year ago. The suburbs down there are ticky-tacky construction, and could be Suburb, Anywhere, the World. Same old architecture, same old street design, same old sidewalks, some old Courts, Lanes, and Avenues. Feh. Boring. I remember thinking "I came to Australia for this?" on my first serious visit.
It's enough to say, the Gold Coast is not my favorite place to be.
But, the idea of a reasonable place to fish away from the strip had its appeal, so I headed on down to The Spit and had a go. I didn't catch any fish, but I did get quite a few nibbles and three or four strikes. I didn't manage to pull anything in, but I can't complain. I did manage to get myself a bit of a sunburn, but that comes with the territory, I think. All the more reason to get better sunblock and keep it up. The worst burn, of course, was on the tops of my feet. Heh. Fortunately, I have some aloe vera plants in my garden, so I get the good stuff to treat the sunburn. Great stuff...always go with the juice of a live plant.
Anyway, the Spit is a pleasant enough place. I'm sure it's really nice on weekdays without folks like me who can only make it on weekends. Half the problem with the fishing was the amount of boating traffic running hither and yon. The tides were wrong, too, since it was beach fishing and I got there at high tide. Still, I can't complain about the fishing. It was a good reason to get away from the house, not very expensive, got me out of doors, and gave me something to do with myself.
I'm sure I'll get better as I get more practice and find some quieter spots. I did wander to one place that set this whole thing into motion: the boatramp at Thorneside. Now that I have tackle, I'll have to head back there and see what it's like. Seemed much quieter, more of a locals-only kind of place. Just what I need.
One thing I did forget, unfortunately, was the camp chair. Ah, well. Next time!
I don't much like the Gold Coast itself, which is to say, the main beach and the strip at Surfer's Paradise. Imagine high rises and clueless tourists from all over the world. That's the main beach. Yuck. There are three new high rises under construction now, which weren't there the last time I visited, which was about a year ago. The suburbs down there are ticky-tacky construction, and could be Suburb, Anywhere, the World. Same old architecture, same old street design, same old sidewalks, some old Courts, Lanes, and Avenues. Feh. Boring. I remember thinking "I came to Australia for this?" on my first serious visit.
It's enough to say, the Gold Coast is not my favorite place to be.
But, the idea of a reasonable place to fish away from the strip had its appeal, so I headed on down to The Spit and had a go. I didn't catch any fish, but I did get quite a few nibbles and three or four strikes. I didn't manage to pull anything in, but I can't complain. I did manage to get myself a bit of a sunburn, but that comes with the territory, I think. All the more reason to get better sunblock and keep it up. The worst burn, of course, was on the tops of my feet. Heh. Fortunately, I have some aloe vera plants in my garden, so I get the good stuff to treat the sunburn. Great stuff...always go with the juice of a live plant.
Anyway, the Spit is a pleasant enough place. I'm sure it's really nice on weekdays without folks like me who can only make it on weekends. Half the problem with the fishing was the amount of boating traffic running hither and yon. The tides were wrong, too, since it was beach fishing and I got there at high tide. Still, I can't complain about the fishing. It was a good reason to get away from the house, not very expensive, got me out of doors, and gave me something to do with myself.
I'm sure I'll get better as I get more practice and find some quieter spots. I did wander to one place that set this whole thing into motion: the boatramp at Thorneside. Now that I have tackle, I'll have to head back there and see what it's like. Seemed much quieter, more of a locals-only kind of place. Just what I need.
One thing I did forget, unfortunately, was the camp chair. Ah, well. Next time!
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Bush Stone-Curlew and chick
I found this photo on Flickr of the bush stone curlew. This is the pair of birds I've been watching nest in the leaf litter at the back of my work. They hatched a pair of chicks last weekend. I haven't been able to get nearly this close for a photo, so I borrowed someone else's.
These are nocturnal birds, and very drowsy at night. They have very long legs, presumably for wading. Their camouflage is excellent, and they are very hard to find in their usual habitat, which is under trees, at least during the daytime. They freeze when threatened, the better to blend in to the background. But, when you come too close, they will make themselves very big, open their wings, and hiss at the attacker. I've seen the pair I've been observing take on flocks of mina birds and even crows, so they aren't shy at all.
One thing that amazes me is that they nest on the ground. I don't really understand this, since I suspect there is a good threat of snakes a lizards. But, they do seem to be a bonded pair, so usually one was keeping lookout while the other sat on the eggs. I also saw them change places on the nest a few times, so they do seem to share parenting duties.
Now that the chicks have hatched, the adults are feeding the chicks. For the first few days, the chicks hunkered down under the adults, but now they are being refused.
Fascinating stuff, and I'm looking forward to the little ones fledging. Although I'll miss them when they're gone, it's been great to see the progress they've been making over the past month or so.
These are nocturnal birds, and very drowsy at night. They have very long legs, presumably for wading. Their camouflage is excellent, and they are very hard to find in their usual habitat, which is under trees, at least during the daytime. They freeze when threatened, the better to blend in to the background. But, when you come too close, they will make themselves very big, open their wings, and hiss at the attacker. I've seen the pair I've been observing take on flocks of mina birds and even crows, so they aren't shy at all.
One thing that amazes me is that they nest on the ground. I don't really understand this, since I suspect there is a good threat of snakes a lizards. But, they do seem to be a bonded pair, so usually one was keeping lookout while the other sat on the eggs. I also saw them change places on the nest a few times, so they do seem to share parenting duties.
Now that the chicks have hatched, the adults are feeding the chicks. For the first few days, the chicks hunkered down under the adults, but now they are being refused.
Fascinating stuff, and I'm looking forward to the little ones fledging. Although I'll miss them when they're gone, it's been great to see the progress they've been making over the past month or so.
Rare photo of a Possum
This morning, there was a huge racket around the house as I was having morning coffee and reading the news. A couple of crows were hanging around the side of the house, and there was the sound of claws on the corrugate steel roof. This happens from time to time, and I didn't think much of it, since the crows around here are regularly harassed by minas and magpies. The smaller birds do not like the crows, and sometimes flocks of the little ones will dive-bomb the crows to get them away from nests or little ones, or whatever.
I have a small family of possums who live in the trees around my house. I've got four mango trees, which provide great shade in the summertime. Well, after about a half hour of the crows clearly going after something or being attacked, not sure of which, I went outside to see the goings on. It turns out that one of the possums had been cornered by a pair of crows. At one point, the possum made a dash for the back side of the house, across the roof and into the stand of golden palms near my deck.
Possums are related to the o'possums of North America, since they are marsupials, tree-dwellers, and nocturnal. It's pretty rare to see them during the day time. I'm not sure what was going on, but I'm guessing this poor fella was caught out after sunrise, spotted by the crows, and chosen as a target for eating. Fortunately, it survived the attack. I helped a little by shooing off the crows when they were too near.
Terrified, this one has been hiding out literally inches from the railing on my back deck, well protected in the stand of golden palms. I've seen the possums at night, and I hear them all the time. They have a distinctive call, a little chirp they make to help each other locate themselves. They call each other all the time at night. Occasionally, late at night, I hear them scream; they're probably fighting or mating...it sounds vaguely like cats fighting or mating. I do see them climbing around on the tree at night, and a pair of them were hanging out on my deck railing late night one time when I went out.
The crows are still popping by from time to time to harass the little fella, so I've been heading out to shoo the crows away. I don't much like the crows...they are loud and obnoxious, and with all the food in area, they can go feed somewhere else.
I was fortunate enough to catch a few photos of this one after one such raid attempt by the crows. Very big eyes, forward facing large ears, a pouch, and a very long, strong, prehensile tail. I'm pretty sure this one has a couple of young, since I've seen a family of three once or twice, climbing along the trees or the electrical wires, and come face to face with them when I've gone downstairs to the garage. I especially like the toes...there seem to be four, with a very wide spacing between two pairs. Very efficient for grasping branches.
It's rare to see them during daylight, so I'm glad I had a chance to catch this photo. I hope it survives the crows.
I have a small family of possums who live in the trees around my house. I've got four mango trees, which provide great shade in the summertime. Well, after about a half hour of the crows clearly going after something or being attacked, not sure of which, I went outside to see the goings on. It turns out that one of the possums had been cornered by a pair of crows. At one point, the possum made a dash for the back side of the house, across the roof and into the stand of golden palms near my deck.
Possums are related to the o'possums of North America, since they are marsupials, tree-dwellers, and nocturnal. It's pretty rare to see them during the day time. I'm not sure what was going on, but I'm guessing this poor fella was caught out after sunrise, spotted by the crows, and chosen as a target for eating. Fortunately, it survived the attack. I helped a little by shooing off the crows when they were too near.
Terrified, this one has been hiding out literally inches from the railing on my back deck, well protected in the stand of golden palms. I've seen the possums at night, and I hear them all the time. They have a distinctive call, a little chirp they make to help each other locate themselves. They call each other all the time at night. Occasionally, late at night, I hear them scream; they're probably fighting or mating...it sounds vaguely like cats fighting or mating. I do see them climbing around on the tree at night, and a pair of them were hanging out on my deck railing late night one time when I went out.
The crows are still popping by from time to time to harass the little fella, so I've been heading out to shoo the crows away. I don't much like the crows...they are loud and obnoxious, and with all the food in area, they can go feed somewhere else.
I was fortunate enough to catch a few photos of this one after one such raid attempt by the crows. Very big eyes, forward facing large ears, a pouch, and a very long, strong, prehensile tail. I'm pretty sure this one has a couple of young, since I've seen a family of three once or twice, climbing along the trees or the electrical wires, and come face to face with them when I've gone downstairs to the garage. I especially like the toes...there seem to be four, with a very wide spacing between two pairs. Very efficient for grasping branches.
It's rare to see them during daylight, so I'm glad I had a chance to catch this photo. I hope it survives the crows.
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