SHORE THINGS

While out on the bay in our dinghy the other day we were passed, first by a New Zealand Fur Seal, and then, a few minutes later, by a small Australian Sea Lion. Thankfully there were enough fish in the bay for all of us to catch. It's not often that we see both species in the bay but it was a reminder that at  a few key points around the island they cohabit - including the rocky shores a few kilometres south of Cape Willoughby (see the pics below). Back in 1802 Matthew Flinders noted large numbers of seals pretty much everywhere he looked around Kangaroo Island. Decades of sealing changed all that. Yet who knows, with the rise in numbers In  of New Zealand Fur Seals and moves to protect the Australian Sea Lion, perhaps, one day, they will once again grace every cove and beach and bay. 

ROO WITH A VIEW

Most of the time our kangaroos just go about their business. But every now and then one of them forgets the usual buffers of personal space they like to observe. You'll look up and there they'll be, slurping a drink from the birdbath or munching grass right outside a bedroom window. Often they will just stand there returning your gaze. Like this bloke:

Crafty Hoverers

Many fine things share this bay. Goannas, possums and echidnas. Dolphins, whales and seals. Not to mention many dozens of kangaroos. But the things who are always with us are the birds and among the most ubiquitous aerialists are the Kestrels. One of the very few Australian raptors to hover in search of prey, they often occupy our airspace, singly or in pairs, perched on branches nearby or poised, wings aflutter, above the open grass. It's been a good year for Kestrels - lots of food and many sightings of juveniles.

SIGNS OF SPRING

Every day on Kangaroo Island there's a little more of the new season on show. The coastal mallee keeps on flowering and after such good rains the slopes above the bay are decked out with the bright gold of the prickly wattle in flower, plus drifts of creamy white clematis. It's a good time for the kangaroos too - plenty to eat and just enough sun to bask in during the day. 

PINK BAY EXPOSED

Tony and his trusty Bronica at work at Cape St Albans

Great to see Pink Bay as one of the locales to feature in Tony Barker's latest photographic exhibition STONE METAL WOOD. On show till 22 August at Norwood's Providore on Parade, Tony's show is part of this year's SALA Festival. His images explore a variety of surfaces up-close - iron fences, boulders, weathered jetty boards and the like. The two Pink Bay photos feature some of the distinctive granite forms above the water's edge - fine examples of Tony's abstract realism. Well worth a look and the Providore does great food as well.

WINTER COLOURS

Day by day the bush around us is changing. Being so close to the coast the winter's here are surprisingly mild and plant growth is anything but dormant. From now on the wildflowers are starting to burst, including sensational patches of Templetonia retusa - aka Cockie's Tongue - a feature of mallee scrub in SA and WA. 

Shark Nets & Sea Lions

From Pink Bay we look across to The Pages, home to the second largest colony of Australian Sea Lions in the world. Meanwhile down at Seal Bay around 150,000 people a year get to see the world's rarest seal at close quarters. It's the biggest nature attraction in the state.
Alas, however, this Sea-lions species is in decline with significant numbers of animals inadvertently caught in gill nets by shark fishing boats.
Sardi scientitists put it this way: "The report estimates that between 187-347 sea lion bycatch mortalities occur within SA and adjacent Commonwealth waters each year. “For female sea lions, mortality from fishery bycatch represents about a 35% increase from natural mortality levels” says A/Prof Goldsworthy.
The report identifies such bycatch mortality levels are unsustainable and, if modifications are not made to current fishing practices, further declines in sea lion abundance, colony extinctions and reductions in range are likely." More info here and last week's Stateline also had their take on the story.
Something to think about when you order flake (shark) from your fish and chip shop.
And on a brighter note if you want to see what a Sea-lion gets up to underwater have a look here.