Some walks

This is almost another set of random photographs but does have a theme of walks we have done in the last few days.  The first lot are from the Betka loop

This is clearly a Billardiera but the purple colour doesn't fit B. scandens.  The other possibility, according to Flora of Victoria is B. mutabilis  - easily confused with the former - but the fruit didn't look glabrous.

 This is close to the dominant flowering plant in the area at the moment: Ozothamnus obcordatus.

This Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo had a purpose to its destruction of a Melaleuca armillaris sapling.  Just after I pressed the shutter it grabbed a large (finger length) grub and ate it.

 The next few photographs are patterns in the rock on the Western end of Betka Beach.

  A moon-set on 13 November.

 Our main walk on 13 November was along the Narrows, mainly to keep out of the wind.  There were many specimens of Linum marginale (Native flax).  For some reason I have always had trouble keeping this species in my memory!

There were several specimens of Notelaea venosa (Mock olive).  These, in a damp gullly, were the size of normal green olives.

 On the very dry bank of the channel the bushes were still flowering ...

 .. and the fruit were less than half the size.

 Exocarpos cupressiformis had set fruit but not yet turned red.

 I thought this to be Stellaria, but it didn't fit other characteristics of S, pungens.  That's because the local species is S. flaccida!

 Egret + calf = Cattle Egret.

The group had much amusement watching a bull in the paddock attempting to persuade the cows to let him do his duty, but they were not having anything to do with this.

Dendrophthoe vitellina was visible in a large gum in the middle of the paddock.  This seems to be the commonest mistletoe in the area.