Whilst I’m a fairly novice bird watcher, Suki the cat had always a great interest in birds for her own reasons. With the exception of cooked specimens, I tended to ignore feathered animals before I moved to Australia in late 2005 to join Mrs. Schmitz in Sydney. This changed soon after we settled in the suburb of North Bondi where the sheer abundance of colourful and exotic species sparked my interest in avian topics. I started to write down bird inspired observations which I put on this little weekly blog about Australia, Sydney and the feathered and not feathered locals.
Come summer this is my favourite bird as far as my tastebuds are concerned. Mrs. Schmitz regularly masters this recipe to my delight and even gets the highest notes by Suki the amazing gourmet cat.
I took this shot of this tall and spectacular wading bird on our fascinating Daintree River tour in tropical North Queensland. Whilst everyone else on the boat was mesmerised by the sight of Albert, a six meter long Saltwater crocodile that was basking on a nearby sandbank, I was the only one to point the camera in a different direction due to my obsession with all feathered creatures.
I took the photo of this wading bird and close relative of the Pied Oystercatcher (BOTW#21) at one of the most stunning places in Australia, a continent not short of picturesque locations anyway. This large bay roughly 3 hours drive south of Sydney features crystal clear waters, the whitest beach in the world - according to the Guinness Book of Records - and an abundance of native plants, animals, birdlife and is a well known scuba diving destination.
