I received the itinerary for my visit next February, to Craig and Suellen, old friends who moved from the mountain to Tasmania at the start of the year. I love Tasmania, but because it is never reliably warm, will only contemplate a trip in Summer. I visited Tasmania when the Alexanders rented a cottage at Paper Beach in the Tamar Valley downstream from Launceston. The last time was in 2007. Craig and Suellen have bought a river-side property nearer the Tamar’s mouth.
Yesterday a very helpful technician from Telstra installed my new NBN (National Broadband Network) modem and an NBN compatible handset in my living room and bedroom. Today, the NBN technician hooked me up to the network at the node, which is on a street corner 100 odd metres from my home. The broadband service for much of Australia is fibre to the node, thence copper wire to the premises. I had to send a couple of emails with photos attached this afternoon and the upload speed was much quicker than before.
I received my first bookshop order in three months. Canungra Books and Art came up trumps with an order for four books.
My book is due to appear on the ALS Library Supplier new book list next month, however ALS emailed an order for two books from libraries I had contacted by phone.
Morning walk, Driscoll Lane, again. This time I had my stills camera with me and was able to photograph another splendid tachinid fly, which was on the picket fence. It was brown, whereas the one on the power poll earlier this month was an iridescent green. I just had to return with my video camera, but the fly had flown away.
A Queensland-based library supplier, emailed an order for a library in the Northern Territory. Suppliers don’t mention libraries with their orders, but I worked out the library because the librarian told me she had ordered the book via that supplier. I listed 4 Northern Territory libraries.
This morning I photographed and filmed my 5th species of bag or case moth. It caught my eye, low on the picket fence in Driscoll Lane, when I was on my walk and once I saw it move, I photographed it. I returned with my video camera and filmed it making its way to the top of the fence. This evening Don Herbison-Evans replied to the email I sent him. Much to my relief, he was able to identify the species from the attached photo I included.
An email arrived from a lady at the Western Australia New Museum, requesting the use of four of my species videos for the museum’s platform. In my reply I granted permission on the understanding that the videos would be shown complete with opening and closing titles, in which I and my website are credited. PS On 28.11.20 I was told that the videos would be downloaded in full with my name in the attribution line.
What is it with Driscoll Lane and flying insects? On my walk this morning I noticed a new-to-me tussock moth caterpillar on a picket fence and cursed myself for not having my stills camera with me. I cursed myself even more when I saw a magnificent tachinid fly on a nearby power poll. I estimate that it took five minutes for me to get home and a couple of minutes more to retrieve my camera and drive back to the location. The fly was where I left it and, although it shifted its position because of my attention, it stayed put and allowed me to photograph it. This seems as remarkable as finding the Australian emerald dragonfly still in the hedge just beyond the power poll, when I returned with my video camera and filmed it from various angles, for a good half hour, six years ago. The tussock moth caterpillar was nowhere to be seen.
Jaap texted me this morning that he had a tawny frogmouth nest with an adult and two nestlings in a tree in his garden. I have seen adults and young over the years, but never a nest. I went to his place soon after lunch and set up my camera on his deck. It was a breezy day. There was little happening, but I filmed the nest, which was rather perfunctory and looked too small to accommodate the birds. I left my tripod, vowing to return in late afternoon when the nest was likely to be more animated. And so it proved. I filmed both nestlings, one of which looked in my direction with open eyes, yawning occasionally. The wind ruffled the birds’ feathers and blew the vegetation in front of, or entirely way from, the nest. After filming hardly anything for the year until the end of September, I have shot 50% more footage since then.