Australia June 2010

[Autobot]

1 - Bunyeroo Gorge (Flinders Ranges)



2 - Black Cockatoo, Ambers Gully South Australia



3 - Sea mist Bicheno coastal track



4 - Southern Ben Lomond, Sphinx to Stacks Bluff



5 - Burgess Falls, Hazelbrook NSW



6 - Howitt from Magdala, Alpine NP, Vic



7 - Near Mt Wog Wog


(This post/poll automatically generated by the Photo Competition system)

[ILUVSWTAS]

Is Mt Wog Wog the correct name??

[tasadam]

Is Mt Wog Wog the correct name??

Seems so - http://www.hikeoz.com/report14
Surprising what Google can find.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Surprising in this age of political correctness

[WarrenH]

ILUVSWTAS, Wog Wog Mountain is now called Ethnic Ethnic Mountain ... by those in the know.

Just don't expect to find Ethnic Ethnic Mountain on the 1:25,000 Corang map. If you have a wash in Wog Wog Creek, you're nowadays, Ethnic Ethnic cleansing.

To the Contributors, your photographs this month are stunning, well seen and compositionally unassailable. All of the images could be entered in the best of 'End of Year's Photographs'. When I look at the images that are not scoring highly, if you don't mind me saying? ... it is a difficult month, this month, better luck next month.

The rare and endangered Yellow Tail Black Cockatoo image is a privilege to see ... I'm sorry that I didn't vote for you. There was only a poofteenth in it between your image and all the other images.

Warren.

PS, A poofteenth is only a 10 to the -6 of a difference, measured in angstroms. That is extremely close!

[ILUVSWTAS]

Thanks Warren. It was an interesrting one.
I also agree on your comments regarding the pictures. It was very hard to choose. Also loved seeing th Yellowtail, are they rare on the mainland? I guess living where I do and walking as often as I do I am quite used to seeing them!

[WarrenH]

ILUVSWTAS, In my neck of the bush, where the Southand Highlands of NSW runs into the Northern spurs of the Alps both they and the Red Tail Black Cockatoos are few and far between. It has been many years since I've seen a flock of more than 2 or 3, at the most.

Warren.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Wow that is sad.
We see groups of as many as 20 on rare occasions, usually 6 or 8 is the norm.

[stepbystep]

Sad indeed Warren, Im fortunate to get flocks of up to 40 birds regularly tear apart pine trees in my neighbors yard and I'm sure they aim the pine cones they drop, one literally missed me by a poofteenth

[iandsmith]

Loved the Wog Wog explanations, especially the creek one.
Have to agree, the standard is fairly high this time around. Making it harder to win all the time.
Cheers all

[Autobot]

Congratulations to the winner of the Australia June 2010 competition, with 15 votes:

• iandsmith - Bunyeroo Gorge (Flinders Ranges)

The key to all entries for this competition is below.

1 - Bunyeroo Gorge (Flinders Ranges)
by iandsmith.

2 - Black Cockatoo, Ambers Gully South Australia
by eggs.

3 - Sea mist Bicheno coastal track
by jcr_au.

4 - Southern Ben Lomond, Sphinx to Stacks Bluff
by ILUVSWTAS.

5 - Burgess Falls, Hazelbrook NSW
by johnw.

6 - Howitt from Magdala, Alpine NP, Vic
by north-north-west.

7 - Near Mt Wog Wog
by robl.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Awesome photos guys.
Ian and NNW, your shots both deserved to win. They were equally impressive I thought.

[eggs]

Have resisted commenting till now.

They were all good photos - the various colours at Bunyeroo were great.

The Black Cockatoos are a regular feature at a few of the Adelaide Hills parks we walk in.
I had been trying to get a reasonable shot of them for some time - but this was a huge bunch of them (>20) and I had my new (now defunct ) telephoto lens [55-300mm] to help get a view into the high branches.

[jcr_au]

Congratulations Ian on the win & NNW on a very honorable second. Both Great shots of fantastic locations

Eggs, is there a story behind the lens issue?

[eggs]

Dropped into a pool of water - See http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4370

[jcr_au]

Dropped into a pool of water - See http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4370

Ahh! I've read you're report now ....... (insert collection of appropriate 4 letter words). I think I'll get on to my insurance broker now

[eggs]

I appeciate the sympathy, but I don't use "appropriate 4 letter words" - unless you mean "that was a shame"
Too tell you the truth - I was too stunned to say much at all - but there are impotant lessons in every event and I need to take them on board.
Some lessons are hard to learn, and for me lack of a camera has been difficult - but important none-the-less.

[jcr_au]

I don't drink, smoke or hang around loose women, and rarely swear, but I think I would have been then.

In the last hour I've done a quick tote up of my camera gear, which comes to something over $6000, (which wasn't insured), and been on to my insurance company. For $200 pa it is now

[ILUVSWTAS]

I don't drink, smoke or hang around loose women, and rarely swear,

What a boring life you must have..

[eggs]

I take it your wife approved of that comment ??

I don't think you should rag someone for wanting to be decent. Far from being boring, there is a lot of fun in life outside of alcohol.
Indeed, I just love the comments you sometimes hear - "wasn't last night a real blast?" "Yes - it must have been 'cause I can't remember a thing that happened"

[jcr_au]

I wasn't ragging you, I honestly don't drink or smoke- I completely agree with you're comments there- and Ill let Jude speak for herself.

[ILUVSWTAS]

My wife? Haha yes she would approve...

Generally the Icon suggests your not being totally serious. Though I have noticed sometimes sarcasm can be lost on you Eggs.

No bagging or offence was intended.

[jcr_au]

I missed ILUVSWTAS's post in the middle.

You're allowed to make those comments, many have. I have been known to claim to be the only person to graduate with a degree in Engineering and be a tea teatotaler. (why does spell check think that should be spelled teetotaler - I used to enjoy an occasional game of golf)

Mind you both son's have made up for that I'm sure

[ILUVSWTAS]

Golf? I am a golfer! Have not had a handicap for 18months now, but used to play off 5.

[eggs]

Wow - bit of a mixup there.

Don't worry Mark - I noticed your smilie and it was with a partial grin that I responded. Just wanted to stand up for jcr.

And jcr - another tea totalling engineer - woohoo!

[jcr_au]

And jcr - another tea totalling engineer - woohoo!

Yes, well in respect to the Kids. Eldest Son did a double degree in Engineering & Science. Youngest son has transferred from Engineering to Science. Daughter has been know to indulge also and has dropped out of an Accounting degree and is tryingtoget into a .... Science Degree, maybe thats the link.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Glad everyone is on the same page.

[north-north-west]

Well, that was a shock.
Once I saw ian's shot I thought he'd walk away with it, I'm amazed I got so close. Thanks to everyone who voted for my photo (although I think you need your eyes checked, 'cause ian's is far better).

Oh, and on the Mt Wog Wog thing - if any of the PC brigade tried getting the name changed they'd run into an even bigger brigade who would stoutly resist, as it's an Aboriginal name. (Just to be serious for a moment. ?Don't worry, it's not likely to happen again any time soon. I hope.)

[north-north-west]

I don't drink, smoke or hang around loose women, and rarely swear, but I think I would have been then.

Well, I'm with you on the first two and sort of with the third ('cause I think I might qualify as a loose woman but I don't generally hang out with others), and - despite being known to indulge in some ripe verbiage at times - having been in a very similar position to eggs I tend to agree that shock usually mutes one's more colourful language at such times.

[iandsmith]

Thanks for the raps fellas, much appreciated at this end. I thought when I was taking the photo that it might end up winning somewhere, it was the different layers that did it for me. However, when I saw the competition this month I had second thoughts and, since I always vote for someone else, opted for the runner up but I had to look several times to get past the waterfall and other shots before making up my mind.
Heading up to the north coast of N.S.W. at the end of this month so hopefully I'll get something decent.
Reading about the lost lens and how one of you has gear worth $6,000. I think that's about the sum total of all the camera gear I've ever bought in my life!
However, I was out with a guy named Alwyn Simple (yes, he did have a tough time at school but survived) and his one lens (nikon telephoto something or other to 500) cost just under $12,000 and we won't mention his F3 nikon and its price, too much to cope with! He taught me a lot about bird photography and has some sensational stuff (as does his wife) on Flickr if you're interested. As a result of our meeting I bought a Sigma 50mm-500mm a few weeks ago and it's sensational, especially since it only cost me just under $1,300. Thought I'd pass that on for you guys.
Cheers, Ian