Weekend in Mudgee

Drysdalia rhodogaster

The eye is still improving very slowly but I'm still very much relying on others to get out and about and so I've just spent a top weekend with the Reid clan in Mudgee. The excitement started even before Emily and I left Sydney, however, with the news that Rescorla (the cat - who has been staying up in the Mountains since Easter) managed to catch herself a snake! Down here in the city she's always getting wee lizards and spiders but moving up to snakes demonstrates a significant escalation in bravery (and stupidity).

The poor thing was a bit worse for wear after Scorls had finished with it

Although venomous, the snake (Drysdalia rhodogaster - known variously as the Mustard-bellied Snake or Blue Mountains Crowned Snake) is not regarded as dangerous to humans or, it seems, cats. Lucky girl!

The Drip - Goulburn River NP

Over in Mudgee we got out into the bush a little but any birdwatching was very difficult with the bright sunlight. I had to wait for things to come to me and show themselves very obviously. Even then I was too slow with the camera so missed out on a beautiful Mistletoebird which perched next to me and also a terrific Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) which was swimming about in a river looking an awful lot like a beaver.

Crazy caterpillars

The only things moving slow enough to catch were a group of crazy caterpillars which travel about the place in a head-to-tail formation so as to appear like a much larger animal. Nice ruse!

You're really not fooling anyone though...