The Wonderful World of Australia

Hello from Down Under

Hi there. Just joined and I'm looking forward to meeting new people and learning new things here. As the title suggests I live in Australia where we have many and varied animals not found else where on the planet. I have some chooks, ducks, a couple of cows and some sheep. They are on my parents property and as I live in the city I don't get to see them all that often but whenever I get the chance, I take a drive and spend some relaxing time with my folks, the animals, the vegies, etc etc.
Anyway, thanks for having me.

Welcome to WAA PIR
As Doogs said there are plenty of diiferent species from all over the World in different sections on the main home page. We did have a member from OZ, but she joined the Police Force, and does'nt have time to come on now unfortunatly.
I have some friends who've just moved out to OZ with work in June thier in Mosman in Sydney, not sure where you are.
Same question as Doogs what are Chooks
WS
(Whitestarling)

HI PIR

Must say thats an unusual name unless it's based on your job

Going to jump straight in and say Chooks are chickens, well thats what I always thought the Aussies called Chickens but I could be extremely wrong and wouldn't be the first time

It's great to have you here and it sounds as though your parents have a great place, do you get to visit them often or are you miles away?

Hopefully you will be able to post information and news about your native wildlife to help us learn little more. Whats your favourite animal PIR?

I hope you enjoy the forum and please feel free to jump in on any topic it will be great to have another persons views and input.

Have fun here and look forward to catching up more.

littlewid-x-

Thank you all for your warm welcome and littlewid is correct, 'chooks' are chickens. I live on the Gold Coast which is Aussies leading holiday destination. My parents have 5 acres an hour west of here in a district called the Lockier Valley. Also known as the 'salad bowl' for its rich soil and many 1000's of acres of vegetables. If you're interested, here is a link to some images of the Gold Coast.

Whoops, seems I can't place a link just yet. No worries, maybe next week :)

Hi again PIR
Well done Littlewid for getting Chickens. I've read a lot about the Gold Coast, but did'nt realise it's a major holiday destination, and what a great name the Salad Bowl very appropiate name with all that veg growing there. Is your avatar photo a photo of your Dog ?.
The reason you cant post links yet is a security measure against advertising by new members. Given the name you've registered under, it might be better if you changed it, if you dont mind, even if you change it to PIR

WS
Whitestarling The Admin Team

Me from Australia too. I think I have probably underappreciated our wildlife for a lot of years, being more into foreign animals, though this is perhaps also a natural inkling. When I actually bother to think about it, Australia does have such variety. From the kangaroo, to the koala; to the platypus to the echinda; plus emus, possums and so forth. I think we miss out on not having any big cats (no leopards , boo!), but where Australia really rules the roost is in our bird life. So okay, birds are perhaps not the most exciting creatures action wise, but with aging (me getting old but that's really a okay ) I think I appreciate them a little more, or at least their sounds. Many other areas of the world don't get the 'singing' that we do in the mornings. If you allow yourself to take this in, it can be very calming, like standing outside with the sun (or Mr Yellow as I like to call him hehe) on your back.

Hi gregrowlerson

A BIG WELCOME TO WAA

Glad you've joined us on the Forum. We are the same here in the UK, no big cats, or predators, but we all love our Birds, and you will see many photos of them from members who have taken pics of the Birds visiting our feeders, and else where. You will find some on this link to the Forum section where they are posted
https://wildaboutanimals.forumotion.net/t383p630-our-feeding-stations.
I have some friends who moved to Sidney last June, and they have sent me photos of some of the different Birds in their garden, the colours are fantastic. As you look round the forum you will see different sections covering all wildlife, inc some photos from members who have been on safari showing lots of Big Cats ect along with their experiences, and also some interesting video links to documentarys about the African wildlife. If you need any help finding anything just shout, and we will help you.
Love the avatar, look forward to hearing from you soon

WS
( Whitestarling )

Sure Whitestarling, happy to do that (change to PIR) just can't workout how to do it. The only reason I chose Pet Insurance Review is because yes, it is a keyword that reflects the nature of my site. But if it does not sit well with you then lets change it.

Thanks.
PIR

Thanks for understanding as I said the forum has to be careful with any advertising, its a requirement of the host site. I've been into admin, and changed your name to PIR now.
WS

I'm originally from Melbourne. Now I'm happy to have the sun on my back in sunny Queensland

whitestarling wrote:Hi gregrowlerson

A BIG WELCOME TO WAA

Glad you've joined us on the Forum. We are the same here in the UK, no big cats, or predators, but we all love our Birds, and you will see many photos of them from members who have taken pics of the Birds visiting our feeders, and else where. You will find some on this link to the Forum section where they are posted
https://wildaboutanimals.forumotion.net/t383p630-our-feeding-stations.
I have some friends who moved to Sidney last June, and they have sent me photos of some of the different Birds in their garden, the colours are fantastic. As you look round the forum you will see different sections covering all wildlife, inc some photos from members who have been on safari showing lots of Big Cats ect along with their experiences, and also some interesting video links to documentarys about the African wildlife. If you need any help finding anything just shout, and we will help you.
Love the avatar, look forward to hearing from you soon

WS
( Whitestarling )

Hi again PIR
Glad you were ok with the shortening of your name, mind you, you will find most of us end up with our names shortened along the way, seems to be a trait of WAA
Links by new members are allowed after 7 days, host site rules but I am looking forward to the link of the Goldcoast. I have never been to Australia but it is one place I would like to visit, maybe one day I will.
I agree with WS, the Salad Bowl sounds perfect for all the veggie growing, being a vegetarian it's probably a place I should visit if I ever do make it to Australia.
Glad I was right about Chooks obviously I watch too much Aussie tele programmes .

littlewid-x-

Hi Gregrowlerson or GR as I am sure you will end up being called.....the friendly trait of WAA

It's great to have you with us on the forum, so a huge welcome.

I think many of us do not appreciate our own wildlife and I am sure it's just because there is a fascination of what isn't native. I am a big cat lover too but I must admit I am a huge British Wildlife fan, especially of the Fox and Badger but I am a sucker for all wildlife and I love birds but I am not too good with identifying them, something I really need to improve, I will agree that bird song is just adorable and I am sure you do have birds that make just the most magical sounds.
We don't have a huge amount of information on Australian Wildlife on here so maybe thats something you and PIR could help us out with, general info and facts and any little storys that you come across that would be of interest, it would be lovely to glean more info about what is going on in Australia.
Looking forward to catching up more and please do join in on the threads that interest you and if you need any help with anything then please just ask, we are all happy to help.
Have fun
littlewid-x-

PIR, are you retired? I only ask because I remember that my grandparents moved from Victoria to Queensland for the more regular appearances of Mr Yellow after they retired.

I know about the UK having no big cats or predators from the TV show Outnumbered (anyone watch? I love it); they spoke of the weirdness of the victory of Trafalgar being depicted by lions (alongside Nelson), and why not use a badger, or I think Ben even mentioned 'chooks'! But I think that an interesting topic is 'Animal Slogans Of Nations'. It could even be an individual thread (if not already, I haven't looked too thoroughly as yet through the boards)? Because a lot of countries seem to adopt the lion as a symbol even though they don't have them (except for in zoos ). We can discuss why countries adopt certain creatures, what should they adopt, and so forth. I always think that the lion is overated. Lion this, lion that, blah blah blah! Why not the lovely leopard?!

I think that Australia has a nice choice and balance with the kangaroo and emu on the coat of arms.

I think that in general a lot of wildlife in England and Europe is not very well known (at least by novices like me). Like with Africa we all automatically think, elephants! Giraffes! Lions! Hippos! With North America it is the bear and the wolf. Australia is rather known for its distinctive creatures (did anyone say Koala?!), but the European landscape is well, probably known more for it's, uum, landscape...

A word of warning: I am big on side topics, so I can go off on a tangent at anytime

I'm afraid that I don't know much about the Australian wildlife, but from what I can glean, animals are generally quite loved in my country, and treated pretty well. There are still cases of animal cruelty, but these are relatively few and far between. Pets are in many families, and animal documentaries are rather popular.

Wow. I had no idea that you guys don't have the calamity that is dawn when all the birds are in song. As soon as dawn breaks we are greeted with many 1,000's of calls, each individual.

I have several friends a Carrawong, Magpie and parakeet that drop in for a feed during the day.

At dusk, where i live, we have several 10's of 1000's of parakeets voice their opinion and s**t on our cars. hahah. And what a noise they make. Interesting how they pair-up for life. There is a couple who come to my balcony every evening and are very dismissive of intruders on their turf.

Bye for now
Mike

I will excuse your geographical ignorance if you will excuse my animal one

I am not sure how far exactly in terms of kms that Melbourne is south of Queensland, but it's a long way. Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria and Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland. Both are on the east coast, with Melbourne right at the bottom and Brisbane about 3/5th's of the way up (Queensland is a big state, with 'Brissy' at its south end). It is perhaps a 2 day car trip to travel from one to the other.

Outnumbered is not an animal show (though one episode did see the family taking care of a cute and disobedient labrador), but it's a very unique comedy. British, with five in the family. Often the three children steal the show; particularly the youngest two Karen and Ben. It has meaningful moments such as touching on the difficulties with grandpa and his aging and forgetfulness, Jake's emergence into puberty and distancing of himself from his parents as a result, plus general coupling issues between Pete and Sue which are always believable. It is as humouress as any comedy gets too, so I really can't recommend it enough.

I can see myself getting into a lot of trouble on this forum with my 'lions are over rated' stance but at least I have learnt something already: I had NO idea that their numbers were quite low. But are the leopard numbers being higher than cheetah and lions combined more a reflection on them having more types of species? Like in Africa, are there more lions than leopards?

If the lions have a problem then I am blaming those lazy males who refuse to hunt and make the females do all the work

But I guess the real issue is humans. It always is right? We are expanding too much into their territories and restricting their liveable landscape?

I think that a strange thing about the Australian wildlife is that a lot of it is not as spotable as Africa's (well that makes sense, given the giraffes and leopards ). Platypus' and echindas generally hide away, and possums are nocturnal, though you do see them sometimes (unfortunately occasionally as road kill). Koalas are not exactly seen when just walking around either. I think that when we Aussies go to an Australian zoo, it is kinda like we are foreigners anyhoo!

Birds would be the most 'look at me' (or 'hear at me!' ) of our creatures

GR the reason Leopards are so numerous is that they behave the same as your Platypus' and Echindas. They hide away, and are really supurb at it, if a Leopard does'nt want to be seen or found then you'll never see it. They are also more adaptable at living in all sorts of different habitats than Lions, and can live successfuly very close to humans, even on the outskirts of Towns, and Citys. Lions as you guessed suffer from loss of habitat, due to encroachment, and also from conflict with local people protecting their livestock. They are also killed by Maasi Warriors proving their manhood in which they must kill a Lion with a spear.
WS

Thankyou for the info WS. Maybe I know a little about this stuff, but can certainly learn more. It is sad about the 'being a man' thing and killing a lion. A black mark on the human ego.

But I am glad to hear that leopards are likely to survive for as long as our sun shines

Coolangatta, where I live is about 1200 KM (700 miles) from Melbourne as the crow flies.

I will send you a link when I'm able.

Cheers

Mike

Doogs wrote:We're being invaded by Aussies

Seriously, great to have you both PIR and GR on the Foum and how amazing you both found us within a couple of days of each other ! Excuse my geography ignorance but how far apart are you - Melbourne to Queensland ?

I think I may have heard of the show Outnumbered but definitely haven't watched it.

I love leopards as well GR, they are beautiful, elegant, very difficult to spot animals ! I also love lions and don't think they are over rated ! Lions need to be kept in the public eye as their numbers are decreasing rapidly. Worldwide there are more leopards than lions and cheetahs combined that's a very worrying statistic.

Australia certainly does have a lovely choice and balance of wildlife, you are very lucky to have the likes of the Koala, Tasmanian Devil, Dingo, Wombat, Possum etc etc

Some info for you about Kangaroos. The red kangaroo is the largest... approx 7' tall. bounds at 40mph. Covers 25 feet (8 meters) in a single leap and to jump 6 feet (1.8 meters) high. They can easily kill a human. In fact recently here a sanctuary worker was gurotted by an old red. Quite unusual but not to be taken lightly. They lean back on their tail and kick with incredible force. Having said all that, it is very rare for any one to be hurt by a kangaroo. Female red kangaroos are smaller, lighter, and faster than males. They also boast a blue-hued coat, so many Australians call them "blue fliers." Kangaroos have a pouch on their belly that the young ( joey) stay till about 8 months old and are quite big by then.

A very belated welcome PIR and GR - I've problems with my Broadband so it's hit and miss at the moment whether I get on-line.

Good to meet you both and look forward to catching up properly next week.

Lai

Thanks for the Info on the Kangeroos PIR I knew they could kill a human with a kick, but I'd never hear of one gurotting a human before .I also did'nt know the Females had blueish coats, and did'nt realise the Joeys stayed in the pouch that long, thats some weight for the mother to carry around for that length of time.
I think we'll have to start an OZ section in Other Animals of the World, so I have moved this topic to that section, and Titled it The Wonderful World of Australia so you can post your news there. You will automaticly go to it when you click on the Topic here.
WS

A good move to place this thread in this section WS.

I am hoping that PIR has a doctorate in Australian Animals because I really don't know that much

But if there hasn't been previous 'aussie' activity on here than I happy for you and the forum that there is now. Us Aussies can bring to the table a different kinda humour sometimes, and anyhoo, greater cultural variety is a positive I say.

gregrowlerson wrote:A good move to place this thread in this section WS.

I am hoping that PIR has a doctorate in Australian Animals because I really don't know that much

But if there hasn't been previous 'aussie' activity on here than I happy for you and the forum that there is now. Us Aussies can bring to the table a different kinda humour sometimes, and anyhoo, greater cultural variety is a positive I say.

Aaahh switching the pressure to your fellow Aussie GR, smart move there, but watch he doesn't bat it back

Sounds as though we will be learning about the Aussie wildlife and also you too which can't be a bad thing, I always believe it's a good thing to learn about your native wildlife and not just wildlife from other countries.

An injection of Aussie humour will be just fine, you will find most of us on here love a joke and have good senses of humour and we are good micky takers as well, so bring it on, it will be like the Ashes

littlewid-x-