Holy Birds, Batman

We went back to the Royal Botanical Gardens this afternoon. A friend told us they had seen tons of Cockatoos and the ever-elusive eels in the pond at the gardens. So we had to go back. Our first visit was lame. We went in, saw the bats and pretty much left. This time we were on a quest-- to see cockatoos, eels and one other species of bird we had not yet seen. Well, we got all this and more. Actually, no eels to Coop's disappointment, but the rest- done!

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Let's start with plants- pretty trees and plants we saw.  That is all they were is pretty so we took some pictures of them.  The tall, whitish-barked tree (right) is an eucalyptus tree- the food of the koala.  Interestingly, they are the only living creature that can eat it. I thought that was an interesting tidbit! I love the Birds of Paradise (left).  They really do look like birds! Funny how that worked out.... :)

 

Of course we saw the bats again. When we were at the gardens the first time, the docents said, "Now, keep your mouth shut when you are looking up at the bats."  Coop thought that was great. So he walked around for a good 10 minutes today talking with his lips closed. Funny for about 2 minutes, after that, not so much.  The bats were still amazing, but not as "oh-my-goodness amazing" as before.

Okay, now the holy-moly cool things.  The birds!  I said before that I am not really a bird fan. I think that may be changing.  Not sure I will go back to the states and get bird feeder and bird book fan, but here, maybe.  I am seriously on a quest to find as many new and interesting birds as possible. Anyway, back to the gardens. At first it was just ibis, ibis, pigeon, duck, ibis, pigeon, duck- you get what I mean. Then we saw this cute little guy walking around. He had the largest feet and an orange and red bill.  I took a million pictures to be sure I had one that was in focus. When we got home I scoured the bird site and found out that it is a Dusky Moorhead.  It makes the coolest yet creepy sound I have ever heard from a bird. 

dusky moorhead

 Now I am getting excited! Then we see them. The Sulphur-Headed Cockatoos.  We saw two of these guys at the park the other day and were amazed.  We must have seen 30 or so of them today!  They are loud and gorgeous and everywhere!  I heard they were a bit of a pest here, but man, they are cool. Coop was mesmerized. People were feeding them and letting them crawl all over them!  Coop wanted to hold one, but I had to nix that- not sure what a cockatoo is really like and figured the last thing we needed was a trip to the ER.  Below are pics of Coop with the cockatoos at a safe distance....

On our way out of the park, we turned back and saw all these birds in a tree. I have no idea what they are. I have looked and looked on the web and cannot tell.  I have sent queries out to others to see if anyone knows. If not, I will go back and ask the people there.  I WILL find out! 

(If you know, please tell me!!)

little black cormorant

currawong

Just as we were following the last bend on our way out, I looked over and saw a kookaburra.  I turned to Coop and nearly said, "That's a frickin' kookaburra!" but stopped myself before it came out. There it was just hanging out in the tree.  No, it was not laughing.  Bummer, huh? Oh, and no, I do not know if that was "the old gum tree" or not.  

laughing kookaburra

So it was an eventful trip this time. We saw new birds, unknown birds and a frickin' kookaburra!  I am so glad we went back (thank you, Bridget!).  Happy birding to me!

Coop's New Accent

I think I mentioned before that Coop is beginning to speak like an Australian. It is not full-blown of course, but there are a few phrases he has picked up and he definitely has the intonation at times (not sure if that is the right word or not- anyone know?).  Anyway, instead of saying, "Can I try?" he now says, "Can I have a go."  He used the word "bit" the other day. I cannot remember the exact context, but it wasn't the American use of the word that is for sure.  When saying names of different places around here, he says them like a native. He also says, "to-MAH-to" instead of "to-MAY-to."  Lastly, there is a show here called, "Bananas in Pajamas."  I think they have it back home too. Anyway, when talking about the show, it is "bah-na-nas in pah-jam-as," but the fruit is still a banana like back home and so is pajamas. Funny, huh?

Coop's New Accent

I think I mentioned before that Coop is beginning to speak like an Australian. It is not full-blown of course, but there are a few phrases he has picked up and he definitely has the intonation at times (not sure if that is the right word or not- anyone know?).  Anyway, instead of saying, "Can I try?" he now says, "Can I have a go."  He used the word "bit" the other day. I cannot remember the exact context, but it wasn't the American use of the word that is for sure.  When saying names of different places around here, he says them like a native. He also says, "to-MAH-to" instead of "to-MAY-to."  Lastly, there is a show here called, "Bananas in Pajamas."  I think they have it back home too. Anyway, when talking about the show, it is "bah-na-nas in pah-jam-as," but the fruit is still a banana like back home and so is pajamas. Funny, huh?

The Newness of it All

I feel like I am running out of things to write about, but I guess the first few months here were jammed packed with "newness" and now things are slowing down. We are beginning to have some lazy days at home where we play, paint, play some more and head out to the park across the street at least once if not twice a day. The boys love to run around there, ride bikes and chase the birds.  They also seem to have a need to pick up other people's garbage- yuck.  Cigarette butts seem to be a favorite for Tuck... I have already shared photos of our bikes rides, stick collecting and bird watching (just updated if you are interested!). The only new photos from our park adventures are the boys snacking in the park and views of our current apartment building and the building we lived in when we first came to Sydney. These are probably the best views we have had yet.

Goldfish Crackers in the park- thanks Mom 

first home in Sydney

current home

Speaking of things that are new.... While we were at the grocery store the other day, we were browsing the meat section and I saw something "new." I just had to whip out my camera and snap a picture. People probably thought I was wacky, or, maybe they have seen it a hundred times. Who knows. Anyway, here is the photo.... Can you tell what it is????

It is kangaroo meat. I know that is what they eat here and that kangaroos are considered a nuisance here like deer at home, but eeewwww. Gross.  I could never, ever eat Kanga and Roo.

On a tastier note, Golden Kiwi from New Zealand.  Do they have these in the states? If not, they should order some up!  Delicious!  Not nearly as tart at the green kiwi. Mmmm, mmmm good.

Other than all this, nothing else is new.

More soon I am sure....

The Newness of it All

I feel like I am running out of things to write about, but I guess the first few months here were jammed packed with "newness" and now things are slowing down. We are beginning to have some lazy days at home where we play, paint, play some more and head out to the park across the street at least once if not twice a day. The boys love to run around there, ride bikes and chase the birds.  They also seem to have a need to pick up other people's garbage- yuck.  Cigarette butts seem to be a favorite for Tuck... I have already shared photos of our bikes rides, stick collecting and bird watching (just updated if you are interested!). The only new photos from our park adventures are the boys snacking in the park and views of our current apartment building and the building we lived in when we first came to Sydney. These are probably the best views we have had yet.

Goldfish Crackers in the park- thanks Mom 

first home in Sydney

current home

Speaking of things that are new.... While we were at the grocery store the other day, we were browsing the meat section and I saw something "new." I just had to whip out my camera and snap a picture. People probably thought I was wacky, or, maybe they have seen it a hundred times. Who knows. Anyway, here is the photo.... Can you tell what it is????

It is kangaroo meat. I know that is what they eat here and that kangaroos are considered a nuisance here like deer at home, but eeewwww. Gross.  I could never, ever eat Kanga and Roo.

On a tastier note, Golden Kiwi from New Zealand.  Do they have these in the states? If not, they should order some up!  Delicious!  Not nearly as tart at the green kiwi. Mmmm, mmmm good.

Other than all this, nothing else is new.

More soon I am sure....

Another Post of Randoms

Been a few days since last writing. Since then we have done a few things.... 

Maritime Museum

We walked to the Maritime Museum on Darling Harbour. It was another beautiful day and the walk was perfect. Even Coop who often complains about walking said, "This is a perfect day." and "Ah, this is the life."  Below are a few snapshots from our walk. 

The monorail

The Darling Harbour Monorail stop

The bridge we walked on to get to the museum

The Maritime Museum

I hadn't really planned to go to see this museum simply because the theme did not really appeal to me, but after a recommendation from another mom, we decided to go. Oh, and it is free.  :)

I love the signal flags. They are so colorful and I like that their simpleness conveys so much.  The flags on the left are hanging outside the museum. Those on the right are inside.

Just an interesting tidbit

Tuck saw this and said, "Wow!"

AU beer can boat...

The poles above on the left are called, "Tituni" and are grave poles made by one of the aboriginal groups in AU. I wish I had more time to read about the creation of these poles and their meaning, but it just wasn't possible with the boys. The poles on the left are actually coffins where the bones of the dead are kept.  Below are some representations of animals.  I am sure you can tell what they are!

 

After our Museum adventure, we grabbed some lunch and played at a local playground and ran around in nearby field.  The boys had a blast.

Just had to add this picture for fun. You have got to love the outfit!

Morning in Hyde Park

Doug arrived home from his month-long trip to Singapore on Sunday morning.  I took the boys to the park so he could sleep a bit. It was another beautiful day here. Coop decided to make a stick nest between the giant roots of a tree in the park.  He worked diligently for quite sometime and only stopped to yell at Tucker who was working just as hard taking the sticks out....

While in the park we heard a helicopter and looked up to see this. A helicopter was removing the letters from the Sydney Tower and replacing them with new letters.  It was quite a site and many people stopped to watch.  

Tucker Painting

Tucker had his first chance to paint since he painted the rug in our place in Bondi Junction. The smile on his face while he painted said it all. He was thrilled to be able to do what his big brother does.

Alarms

We had two fire alarms in our building this week.  A loud voice comes over the speaker IN OUR APARTMENT and says something like, "Emergency, Please evacuate."  over and over.  The first time it happened a hot water heater had exploded somewhere in the building. I had terrible flashbacks from all the fire alarms in the dorms in college.  Ugh.  I had a great time dressing the boys, gearing up the dogs and heading downstairs. Yes, we used the elevator- how the heck else was I going to get out? Don't worry- everyone else used the elevator too. Heck this is Australia where everyone is so laid back so of course we used the elevator! The second alarm of the week was at 5 am (mind you a mere 45 mn after I got Tucker back to bed from a crying fit). The alarm sounded and I went to get the boys who were both freaked as heck. Tucker was shaking and Cooper was in tears. Again I got everyone dressed and geared up the dogs and headed downstairs...in the elevator...with everyone else.  This time a sprinkler in someone's apartment went off while they were using the "kettle."  We were down in the lobby a good hour before we could go back upstairs.  One good thing that came out of these alarms is that we got to finally meet our neighbors!