Another desert tarantula Buddha Being, sunning out by our compost bin. This is the time of year when they’re out and about around here. They’re quite remarkable to watch. Here’s an interesting article.
Gulp! 
We have large spiders here in Australia but tarantulas are a whole other vibe with their hairy long legs! 
May they be happy, somewhere else!
Meanwhile, thinking of love over fear, today I saved 2 bees 
who had flown into the vihara, and safely got them out in spite of having a bad bee allergy. Apparently bees only live a month, so I’m glad these ones got a bit longer…
Oh, they’re gentle giants. Really! The type we have here are not poisonous, very sweet actually 
Glad you could save the bees. Sadly they are in decline here and I actually haven’t seen even one in the garden this year despite having some bee-friendly plants 
But we have a very cute badger digging quite the impressive underground den covering a few square meters. Have only actually seen him once when he popped his head out of one of the (many) entrances to his underground kingdom to check me out! I was too busy admiring him to think quickly enough to snap a photo. They’re very elusive, and not usually actually seen, so I felt honored.
This Bodhisattva is a Purrrfect Vegetarian, cat that Meditates and lives in a Buddhist Temple.
Well, I guess you never know what little Buddha Being might appear in your kitchen when you live in the desert. This afternoon I reached for a large container on a kitchen shelf and was startled to see a baby bull snake, about 2 feet long, curled up inside. How she got in the house, let alone inside the 10" deep container I have no idea. I didn’t take the time to snap a photo since I wanted to release her outside before she somehow managed to escape and my cat (who was sitting not far away) caught her. Maybe she was a baby of the very long bull snake we saw earlier this summer winding her way in and out of the flagstone wall and across the steps leading up to the kitchen door before disappearing under the deck.
Bird enjoying a fruit (syconium) from a Bodhi Tree. But what bird is it ? Has anyone here seen those birds in the wild (probably in Asia)?
Thanks. 
Beautiful. What kind of monkey is it, what species, please?
Thank you Ficus for identifying that fruit-eating bird. Photo of it enjoying the fig from a Bodhi Tree reminded me of the Sutta called Great Dreams, that I first heard in one of the Bhante Sujato’s courses.
Science has enabled us to develop a modern global view and so we can now apply both the Dhamma and scientific understanding to alleviate climate change and (premature) species extinction, and so benefit all beings.
Thank you also for identifying that monkey. Looking back at the photo I am with sadness reminded of the scientific experiments on this species and on many other.
“The rhesus macaque is well known to science. Due to its relatively easy upkeep in captivity, wide availability, and closeness to humans anatomically and physiologically, it has been used extensively in medical and biological research on human and animal health-related topics. It has given its name to the Rh factor,…”
“Rhesus macaques, like many macaques, carry the herpes B virus. This virus does not typically harm the monkey, but is very dangerous to humans in the rare event that it jumps species,…” (Wikipedia)
Here in Sydney we are just coming out of the 4 month lock-down. Considering the mutation rate of viruses, sale of wild animals at markets and use of animals in experiments, who knows when will be the next one.
The Invo’s photo of the monkey clutching a Buddhist robe reminds me that they too seek refuge from suffering and that as human beings we not only have many, but transient, privileges but an opportunity and responsibility to help alleviate suffering of all beings, rather than use other species just for human benefit.
I hope it is alright that I save that photo to my computer and use it not for any profit but that all beings be well and happy.
I came across this deeply touching video through “The Hunger Site for Greater Good”.
Just sharing a few photos from Sydney Centennial Parklands, this Spring:
Australian Wood Ducks - parents with 3 ducklings. They nest in trees so the babies have to ‘parachute’ down.
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo - investigating a tree hollow for nesting.
Black Swans - parents with cygnets, and adults resting and preening.
Recently I spent a few days on NSW north coast, at Byron Bay. Walking along the beaches I noticed there were extremely few mollusc shells, even in the marine park protected areas. The shells were also mainly of one bivalve species - Pipi.
The Arakwal National Park, Tallow Beach at low tide, though very peaceful place to walk and on beautiful sand, it was almost devoid of life - a few open shells of Pipis that Pied Oystercatchers most likely caught, and a few stranded jellyfish. Also only 2 pairs of Pied Oystercatchers and 1 Silver Gull along more than 1 km of the beach. That place is a protected area, there were very few people and no dogs are allowed.
So I found that disturbing and I wondered - are our marine invertebrates in significant decline across the oceans, just as our pollinators on the land? If so, not a good sign of oceanic health. On Sydney beaches sea shells have declined simply because many people collect shells and also the sand layer is degraded making it less suitable for marine invertebrates. But I did not expect that in marine parks!
Have you observed changes over the years on the beaches you have been to in the last 10 or more years?
More and more garbage 
( speaking mainly of lakeshore beaches)
Heard some strange noises at my window. This Buddha being is making sure the holes in my bug screen are big enough 
Yes, that is sad. Here on Sydney beaches, apart from the food containers, some people leave even doggy-poo in bags. When I looked closely at a few handfuls of sand to see what is in them, many colourful pieces were just bits of microplastics. Many people likely think it is just pretty shell fragments, as they may appear on first impression. And as they get smaller, who knows, they may even end up in our salty foods.