Friday, February 6

O noes, my head ...

... has exploded from all the cuteness. Look at all the Koala tongue action. Poor hot wee fellows. All the pics are from here, and there are MORE!You know I'd handle this heat, and Australia being the hottest place in the entire world, possibly the universe, IF I got a guaranteed wee koala come to sit in the shade of our garden. I'd look after him, promise!

12 comments:

cookiecrumb said...

I always wanted to ask: If you live in Australia, are there koalas in your back yard and kangaroos on the beach?
Because I live in California, and there are cowboys and horses just over the hill. But no bad guys in black hats. I think we have a sheriff, though, just in case.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Cookie, it’s all in the location. Where I grew up, Canberra (the bush capital), we didn’t get kangaroos in the actual street all that often (but it did happen now and again) but a 5 minute walk to the hill behind the house revealed a resident mob or two. A 15 minute bicycle ride to the paddock where I kept my pony meant I regularly saw roos, echidnas, foxes, rabbits, hares, blue-tongued lizards etc. But no koalas I’m afraid. I think they only approach civilization under duress, like the heat wave in Adelaide (all those photos were taken around the outskirts of Adelaide). Nowadays I live about 5km from the CBD and we only get possums, lizards, fruit bats and birds in the backyard. In the city itself I see a lot of possums around the Domain in the evening, and fruit bats. Those who live further out, near some bushland, farmland or a national park, get loads of native visitors. My mum, who lives smack bank in the middle of Royal National Park gets all sorts, including feral deer - to the point she’s had to put up deer-proof fencing, so they don’t eat her entire garden.
As for roos on the beach, yes indeed, though not Bondi or Manly as they are too crowded. You do get Little Penguins at Manly though, they sometimes swim with the surfers.

cookiecrumb said...

Penguins? Whoa, very confused, quite amused.
I realize it's geographic. In my neighborhood, we get white-tailed deer (and they'll eat your garden up; our backyard is fenced). We had a deer die on our front yard a few weeks ago, and had to pay to have it removed.
I've seen one dead hare; proof that we have them.
Oh! And wild turkeys that don't fly. Or maybe they do, because they're Taking Over.
I told you recently we have a sky full of raptors: falcons, hawks, huge ravens, and maybe nicer birds like gulls, scrub jays, and, and... (and this is very local, mind you).
We might have the occasional coyote. Possible but rare in my part of town. Bad. Oh! And mountain lions! Pumas, y'know. They'll climb right up your tree. Then the cops come and shoot them to death.
We also have skunks.
:D
PS: OMG, mobs of roos? I might be scared. And I have no idea what an echidna is. Google!

Ms Brown Mouse said...

I envy your raptors, we only see those when we drive between towns. Though there is a big raven/crow colony near one of the tram stops on my way to work. I watch the cruising the skies. Mr Brown spotted an owl in the tree out front one night, but it flew away before I got there. I love the idea of coyotes and mountain lions but I suspect they may snack on small family pets, which would make me worry all the time. I read somewhere that in South Africa, Leopards’ favourite snack is lap dog!
Echidnas are cute as buttons with their long wiffly noses and their bebes are called puggles!
No need to fear kangaroo mobs, they are usually just lying about in the shade.

Pink Granite said...

Hi DMM & CC -
Wow!
That was all very informative and interesting to read!

As for the photos, they are amazing! I always heard that Koala's were rather standoffish, slow moving and a bit cranky - despite being absolutely adorable!!!
I guess it's the heat and brushfires which are driving them into civilization - and waiting camera lenses.
;o)
- Lee

Ms Brown Mouse said...

But do tell us Lee, what wildlife to you have in your backyard?

cookiecrumb said...

Hi, Lee. Yeah, the world is a funny place.

Morgan: Echidnas! Hedgehogs with spines, who lay eggs that they deposit in their pouches, where the hatched puggle then suckles the pores at "milk patches," because there are no nipples. And then they eat bugs.
Oh, and the four-headed penis. TMI.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Cookie, yes, but they only ejaculate with two heads at a time! And they are pigeon-toed, their waddle is tres cute!

cookiecrumb said...

They are cute.

Hey, so horrified to hear about the fires and the heat. Cooler day coming up. Thanks for watering the spider.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

The news is pretty terrible - I can't imagine what it must be like down there.
Spiders may not be as cute as koalas, but I'll water them well.

Pink Granite said...

O.K.!
Here in Massachusetts we have:
turkeys
white tail deer
coyotes
bobcats
moose
bears
raccoons
opossums
rabbits
gray squirrels
red squirrels
bats
owls
field mice
voles
moles
woodchucks
pheasants
bald eagles
snakes
salamanders
frogs
toads
red tail hawks
turkey buzzards
and other birds - too many to list
and insects - way too many to list!

All of which we have either seen or seen evidence of on our land (tracks & scat) - except for the moose and the eagles.
;o)
- Lee

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Lee - Salamanders!! You have salamanders?? Those magical beasts?
Oh, and I love that you inspect poo on your walks :)