At Daisy Hill Coservation Park

In the conservation park in Daisy Hill we did some bush walking and tried to see a Koala in the wild. We weren't successful but they had some in an outdoor enclosure. Wildlife was plenty, though, and we spotted Wallabies, Parrots and other birds.

Torben 'hunting' animals at Daisy Hill. Pic: (c) J.Ruch

The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is one of the most common birds in the parks and backyards in the city. We also saw them at Daisy Hill.

A Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) mother with a baby in the pouch.

Somebody definetely wanted one of those Wallabies for herself..

A Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in the Daisy Hill Koala Center outdoor enclosure. Pretty active this one - for a Koala: Scratching itself while keeping the eyes shut.

Finally, youngster got out of the pouch.. Here we see it drinking..

Bananas

Just to show you that it is reality: Since the Queensland floods last summer the prize for a kilogram of Banana is ridiculously high. 13.98 $ is nothing uncommon at the moment. I haven't had a banana since more than 2 months.

Final impressions from Brissie

Our two weeks of holidays in Brisbane are over now. We had a really good time in and around Brisbane and with Harry (thank you so much, Harry!!!). Unfortunately, Sydney has really bad weather right now.. However, enjoy some nice impressions of Brisbane:

The skyline of Brisbane as seen from South Bank.

Sunset at Kurilpa Bridge

Australian job creation schemes

These signs are very common in Australia and for themselves they are no reason to get excited or to wonder.

Associated with these signs, however, are usually one or more people in bright orange safety dress holding signs that say ' STOP' or 'SLOW'. Those poor people seem to be replacements for the old fashioned stands on which signs are commonly attached in other parts of the world. A reason to wonder for me.. or maybe just a desperate job creation scheme?

Camping on Moreton Island (part 2)

Most of Moreton Island is National Park. Only one resort and a few villages are located on the island with altogether 45-50 people constantly living there. There is an old history of aboriginal culture on the island, too. And some aboriginal people are still living on the island as we got to know.

The north-eastern cape with the light house. A good spot for whale watching. The ca. 20 km long eastern beach seems inviting for surfers. It is crowded with sharks, though and people have died from shark attacks.

Our tour guide Helge.

A small crustacean on the beach: the soldier crab Mictryris platycheles (Thanks to Shane Ahyong for Identification!).

Native Grass Tree.

A flowering Banksia.

Scribbely Gum bark. In several eucalyptus tree species insect larvae living under the bark create beautiful artwork on the trunks and branches.

Our base camp at the Blue Lagoon. Here we had our meals, enjoyed a bonfire with the wonderful smell of the burning Australian bush and started our trips across the island.

The bush at Mt. Tempest, dominated by Native Grasstrees (Black Boys), Gum Trees (Eucalyptus) and Banksia.

Camping on Moreton Island (part 1)

18°C water temperature and clear blue water. Swimming and free diving with rays, box and many more fish was a nice experience - a little cold, though!

Two days on Moreton Island: A beautiful experience! With the 'MICAT' from Brisbane Port to the western beach. The second largest sand island in the world. No roads, only sand paths and beaches. Heath land and forests, ginormous dunes. Blue sea and red fresh-water lakes. Amazing wildlife. Whales, sharks, sea eagles and snakes..

Right after sunrise: A Coastal Carpet Python (Morelia spilota mcdowelii) of about 2 m length is looking for a shelter. In this picture, Jasmin has not yet realized that the snake is approaching her in order to grab a nice breakfast.

The Carpet Snake again. I risked my life to keep it away from Jasmin.

Dolphins (probably Bottlenose Dolphins) as seen from the coast. Plenty of Humpbacks were also around but not close enough to get a good shot with my small Nikon P7000.

Old wrecks off the beach. A nice place for snorkeling.

Tracks in the sand at the 'Blue Lagoon'. What was it? Maybe a small Wallaby?

Signs: A way of expression for humoristic Australian bureaucrats

The good sense of humor of Australian bureaucrats displayed in a loo door in South Bank, Brisbane (QLD). Pic: (c) J.Ruch

What does this sign tell us? 'Don't shoot the Wallabies in the face with a hand gun!'?

Your baby is not meeting your demands? Trade it here for another one - hopefully a better one! Pic: (c) J.Ruch

Possum emergency!

On our way to Harry's place Jasmin and I found a baby Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). It was lying on the grass between a super-market car park and a main road. It was shivering and calling his mother. Also, as can be seen on one of the pics, it was injured a bit on the left eye. Because the mother was nowhere to be seen and as the street and car park were pretty busy, we decided to take it with us.

The cute little thing was freezing in the wind chill. Its cuteness was stunning somehow..

Mother for an hour. The guy at the emergency hotline insisted we should give the possum to a woman, not to a man. She should put the possum on her bra to make it comfortable. Not only the warmth, also the heartbeat and maybe the smell help to calm the baby down. Jasmin was lucky to be the only women around. We all wanted to hold it!!!

Harry got hold of an emergency hotline for injured wildlife and we brought the possum to a carer. Poor little thing!

Moreton Bay Diving

Western beach of Moreton Island, Queensland.

No big sharks, relaxed and safe dives: Everything alright!

We had an awesome day diving in Moreton Bay off Moreton Island. We saw dolphins, various rays, wobbegong sharks, Groupers and green turtles besides many other things. Three dives in one day: 2 x drift at 'The Pines' + 'Curtain Artificial Reef'. Amazing!

Bush walking in Brisbane State Forest Park

Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta). A fantastically colored bird which is quite common in Brisbane Forest Park.

Australian Brush Turkey (Alectura lathami). Also very commong and sometimes anoying - especially if you try to have a snack. They'll come and try to get their share!

Harry and Jasmin.

Spotted Partdalote (Pardalotus punctatus). It is one of the smalles and for my feeling one of the most beautiful of Australia's birds. We watched them collecting bark and carrying it into their little holes in the ground which they tend to use for nesting.

G'day mates! We did some nice bush walking in Brisbane Forest Park and spotted great wild life: Hardhead Ducks, Kingfishers, Red-bellied Black Snake, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Bell Miners and many more. This park has a single round track of about 5 km length. A great place for a day trip of bird watching!!!

Arrived in Brissie

Brissie at night. Shot taken at Mt Coot-Tha look out.

Relaxing at the botanical gardens.

Hey there! We are on holiday! Last Monday we arrived in Brisbane where we are staying at Harry's place. We are really trying not to think too much of work and to relax as much as we can. Brissie's botanical gardens and South Bank Parkland are nice places for that purpose. Our plans for the next days: Diving, bush walking and camping on Moreton Island. Let's see how that goes..

Kitty toupee

A blog you should definitely check out: Kitty toupee!!! Truely entertaining, isn't it?!

Good bye Australian Museum!!!

Hey there! Tomorrow is my last day at the Australian Museum! It was a good time, I met a lot of wonderful people and got a lot of work done! Thanks everybody! Hopefully, see you soon!

The Research and Collection Building of the Australian Museum. In the 2nd floor was my office.

Torben, Buz and Sue (f.l.t.r.) in the SEM lab. Scanning Electron Microscopy is a powerful technique to get images of the smallest structures of any object, be it crystals or deep-sea isopods. Magnification of several thousand times is no problem. Unfortunately, my isopods are often very dirty and beautiful pictures are then not quite possible.

The old part of the Australian Museum. It is the first Museum in Sydney and located directly in the center of the city.

Lord Nelson

It was already last Friday after our small sailing cruise that we had a small gathering in an old brewery, called Lord Nelson. It is a pub and hotel as well. As Mariella had promised, it was the original pub experience. The beer was good. The names of the beers are better: Victory Bitter, Old Admiral and Nelson's Blood. Tomorrow, Gerald will come for a visit. Nelson: beware!

Diving with whales

Saturday was amazing! The boat ride alone was great, which took us through the heads out of Port Jackson and into the Tasman Sea. Some miles off Dee Why we were diving at a small reef with nice kelp beds, fields of sponges and ascidians, caves and crevices. We saw Port-Jackson Sharks, Wobbegong Sharks, Giant Cuttlefish, a ginormous Octopus and loads of other animals. But what was even better: In about 25 m depth, Jasmin could hear the songs of Humpback Whales migrating north where they will give birth to the next generation. After the second dive, a goup of four whales was approaching. As we were still in our suits, we tried to see them under water. Unfortunately, the visibility was less than the ~20 m distance in which the Humpbacks passed by. Still, it was the best experience ever!!!!
Further sightings of that day: Shy Albatross, Little Shearwater, div. Petrels and Gannets. What a day already. Coming home, Mariella, Lucille and Maja were already preparing some Barbie and Lucille got some nice wines out of her cellar. Puhh.. couldn't wish for more!

Sailing Port Jackson: 01st July, 2011

We took the Friday off because Rohan, a fish taxonomist at the Australian Museum, invited us to a cruise on his yacht! I simply couldn't resist! And though the day was rainy, it was great! To go off sailing is really a dream of mine and so I think that I was smiling all the day. Rohan taught me some basics about to handle the sails, about the rules of traffic in Port Jackson. Can't wait to go again!

Heute ist Geburtstag: June 30th, 2011

Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! Heute ist Geburtstag! On the occasion of my birthday, Jasmin and I went SCUBA diving in Chowder Bay Port Jackson.

Größere Kartenansicht

A dive shop is located right at the bay so a car isn't needed to transport the heavy gear. The bay has some nice wrecks and heavy chains that are overgrown with diverse flora and fauna and provide good orientation amidst the wide sand plain. When we went into the water, a Little Penguin rushed through the place, right behind my back. Jasmin was happy enough to see it but I didn't. We also saw sea horses, Anglerfish, small cuttlefish, beautiful nudibranchs and lots more. The bay is a nice place for relaxed diving and fauna observations. Orientation is easy and maximum dive depth is about 20 m. A cool place to go! We enjoyed it a lot!

Isopod group 2011 at full strength

Only some weeks before I have to leave again, Tae-yoon arrived to complete the AustMus Isopod Group 2011. Welcome Tae-yoon! He will work on fossil isopods from Korea, which is where he is from.

Isopod Crustacean Researchers at the Australian Museum: Tim Lee (Hons, Univ. Sydney; Oniscidea; Armadillidae); Torben Riehl (Ph.D. Hamburg University, Germany; Asellota, Macrostylidae), Buz Wilson (Scientist, Australian Museum; Isopoda, deep-sea biodiversity); Luana Lins (Ph.D. Univ. Sydney; Asellota, Desmosomatidae); Tae-yoon Park (Endeavour Scholar, Australian Museum; Trilobita & Sphaeromatidea, Archaeoniscidae).