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!