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Hey, look, a mini Ikran hahaha ;)! How cute, friend, I love birds! In my house a have a bird I rescued a few years ago, he literally does not want to leave, we even let his little house's door open, but he just don't leave. We put some bird's food and every day there is a big "bird conference" on my yard :P.

yep, that was my first thought! I just need one big enough to ride :D - I'm so glad that you have your little tame rescue, that's lovely - such a sweet thing to do and sounds like he's found the perfect home :)
 
yep, that was my first thought! I just need one big enough to ride :D - I'm so glad that you have your little tame rescue, that's lovely - such a sweet thing to do and sounds like he's found the perfect home :)

Just with genetic engineering I guess hahah! But I strongly believe that humans should not mess with nature that way, I know genetic engineering can bring good things, but it's really, really dangerous too, so no cute ikrans for us :P!

When we have conditions to, rescuing an animal is just like rescuing a person, is the right thing to do! And I believe that treating animals with respect is a must if we want a better world! I have rescued dogs and cats too, I have never bought an animal to me, and will never do! It literally hurts me to see petshops and animal sales!
 
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I remember in Europe I saw a giant supermarket chain that literally sold puppies in store. I get that there's more f-ed up things humans do every day, but the weird normalisation and integration of selling living, feeling individuals alongside bread and orange juice was just disturbing in a way I was totally unprepared for. To make it more surreal, just outside the supermarket I found an abandoned kitten at the roadside... so people were walking arounnd buying lives as fast as they were abandoning them. I did manage to persuade her to let me pick her up and wrap her in my jacket though - got her back to where I was staying and she was good as gold :)
 
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I remember in Europe I saw a giant supermarket chain that literally sold puppies in store. I get that there's more f-ed up things humans do every day, but the weird normalisation and integration of selling living, feeling individuals alongside bread and orange juice was just disturbing in a way I was totally unprepared for.
I see you, friend, I literally hate animal selling too. Here where I live we have entire stores that sells animals, dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, fishes, turtles, it's a hell on Earth these places. It's really disturbing to see such innocent and docile creatures been sold just as orange juices, as you said. This is one of the many reasons I am becoming a vegetarian again (as far as I read it is not good to stop eating meat abruptly, but I would love to do so).
To make it more surreal, just outside the supermarket I found an abandoned kitten at the roadside... so people were walking arounnd buying lives as fast as they were abandoning them.
Yeah, this just don't make sense to me. People spend tons of money on a pet and when it gets old, for example, they abandon it. They post photos on social media with the pet, feed it, take care of it, but when the pet becomes a little bit more """inconvenient" to them, they abandon it, etc, etc... I have no respect for people that are capable of doing such an atrocity, I just wish they die with a lot of suffering and burn in the flames of hell.
I did manage to persuade her to let me pick her up and wrap her in my jacket though - got her back to where I was staying and she was good as gold :)
Oh, friend, this is so heartwarming to read! I am glad you did help the poor kitten! This shows us that you are an amazing and good person!
I wish I could rescue animals more often and have like a shelter that I could take care of them! At the same time I wish I could be a scientist that works on solutions for problems involving animals, like diseases... So many things and so little lifetime :cry:
 
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Yesterday, I bravely trod the ground near the city, going to North Point. For a place so close to the city, it is beautiful - a dry scrub landscape, but with some beautiful suprises like the "Hanging Swamp" - which is an absolute magnet for the birds in the area, and there were lots of bush turkeys (not related to the American turkey) roaming around and squabbling with the magpies (not related to the European magpie... we just like to confuse people) - as well as a wealth of insect life. Bandicoots also live here, but sadly being nocturnal I didn't spot any of them. The area used to be home to a qurantine station for Sydney harbour, and some of the structures and graves of the station still exist - a part has been restored and you can even stay overnight there if you want... I'm guessing that business model kinda went south with the arrival of Covid though... I mean, would you... really?

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The waters of the Hanging Swamp are completely still, and make a perfect mirror. The area was absolutely alive with birdlife.

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Even a seeming "scrubland" with nothing but sand for the soil is still amazingly rich in life, and pockets of richer soil capture the rain, creating havens for basket ferns and other beautiful plantlife.
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Looking accross to the city is.... sobering. This place at least, though, is safe from being buried under metal and concrete. Ironically, the National Parks & Wildlife people have been protecting the poor, loose sandy soils by placing metal grills along some of the more popular trails to stop people eroding the land - so sometimes humans do good things, and it is having a real benefit :)
 

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Yep - it's actuallly quite a drive for me, but it absolutely is lovely to see, and know that people stuck in the city can easily get away from it :) - It's also a lovely change in envrionment for me, from the forest and mountains to coastal scrub was a really interesting contrast - so different to my own neck of the woods, all big open skies, sea scapes and lots of smaller and more delicate life :)
 

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Yes! It's absolutely magical <3 - We get it around here sometimes, but I've never been able to photograph it properly. I was watching a documentary just this evening that mentioned researchers who are using it as a marker for oceanic currents around Tasmania. Really interesting work, and the effect of the algae itself is right out of Pandoran padadise :)
 

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On a roadtrip up the north coast, and today had the chance to stop off at the wonderfully appropiately named Three Brothers Mountains in mid-northNSW. These three mountains are each covered in beautiful rainforest. Two of the brothers (Middle and North) are now protected as national parks.

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Basket ferns grow high in the canopy. Their roots are aerial, capturing falling leaves and twigs which help them capture and retain moisture.

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Vines wrapping around the trunk of a tree create the most beautiful latticework.

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The stiff, waxy leaves of a cycad - an ancient genus similar to palms. Both thrive in the Three Brothers, but keep their own groves, which each dominates the understory.

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Frond of the Illawarra / Bangalow palm, which dominates the understory here. These palms love the damp, shady conditions of the forest and form little groves where they dominate.

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View from North Brother looking north. The settlement of Laurieton sits below the mountain, and used to operate as a base for logging the forests, before the national park was formed.
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The canopy is dense and is spectacular condition, keeping out invasive weeds and leaving the sensation of a truly untouched forest. Dedicated protection can heal even deep scars, given time and care.
 
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Orara Rainforest, NSW. Along with Dorrigo, I tend to think of this place as one of the "Cathedrals of Gaia". It is absolutely heavenly.
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Finally I have a few minutes to look at your amazing photos again <3
Keep it up, please! I am making a list of wonderful places in Australia I want to visit when I am there : D
(Edit: I cannot see the 4th image of your latest post.
 
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Finally I have a few minutes to look at your amazing photos again <3
Keep it up, please! I am making a list of wonderful places in Australia I want to visit when I am there : D
(Edit: I cannot see the 4th image of your latest post.
I will :) - Glad to have shared some inspiration and ideas for escaping our concrete boxes!
 

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This isn't a picture, but I guess it fits in this thread. It's a video I made of the arrival of spring to my place outside Fairbanks, Alaska:


That's really interesting... It's so strange to see how much a change the last few days makes... from winter wonderland to lush new growth in just a few days after so long is facinating to watch :)
 
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