Hunting for a Winter Spider Orchid

When I find out that an orchid I've never seen is flowering and I'm going to be nearby it's quite reasonable to say I'll be on the hunt to find them.

This orchid doesn't grow around where I live and as I was traveling to the City to see family it was a good excuse to find out as much as I could about where it was, and how to get there.

Collecting a lovely gourmet picnic lunch from Glen Forrest Gourmet I set off across the hill to Toodyay. Not too far, but I did forget to fill up with fuel before I left, so had to keep an eye on the gauge!

I had good directions from friends where to find these little treasures and was soon pulling off the road onto the track as instructed, I only had to walk about 50m and there they were on the side of the track just like I'd been told. So tiny and difficult to spot amongst the leaf litter, but there they were and I must say I did a little happy dance and was very careful where I put my feet as I didn't want to stand on any of them.

Winter Spider Orchid

"Caladenia drummondii"

 Taken on my Olympus TG5

@glen forrest gourmet @toodyay
#wanativeorchids #westaustralianbush #visitwesternaustralia #australianbushorchids #winterspiderorchid #wildflowers #adayinwa 

Maybe it is the "Best Sunrise Ever"?

The sunrise at this time of the year is truly amazing, and going through my photos I found a folder called - Best Sunrise Ever - it just happened to be 6th May 2017. Yes, two years ago today.

These photos are from RAW files saved to an external hard drive which I have edited in Cyberlink PhotoDirector with the horizon straightened where necessary.

Reflections and the range of colour are quite beautiful and maybe they are "the best sunrise ever".

Photos were taken with my Sony Nex6 Camera between 6.24am and 6.57am on 6th May 2017 from the south-western side of Princess Royal Harbour, Albany, Western Australia.

#sonynex6 #cyberlinkphotodirector 

The Colours of the Morning

As the days get shorter it's much easier to get up for a sunrise and a few days ago I got up just after 6am, I thought it would be in time for the best of the pre-dawn magic, I was nearly too late and as I looked out the window I saw the glorious bright colours fade to the softer shades  in these photographs. I need to do this more often as every day is different.

The edge of Princess Royal Harbour on the South Coast of Western Australia is quite wonderful to photograph at any time of day, but I love the early morning magic! The colour reflects on the water of the Harbour, and it's quite wonderful watching the changes, I hardly have time to adjust the settings on my camera as the sun gets closer to the horizon, then pops over to brighten the early morning sky.

Looking directly east I see the bright light of the pre-dawn reflecting off the clouds and looking north I see the soft hues of an autumn dawn magically reflecting soft pinks in the clouds and on the water.

 

Taken with my Sony Nex6 and edited in Cyberlink PhotoDirector8

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