Another rare treat this week! And making good use of the frog pond.

Stagonopleura bella

Beautiful Firetails are sometimes confused with the much more common Red-browed Finches. Both have the red rump and beak, but they are otherwise very different in appearance.

Stagonopleura bella

Beautiful Firetails favour heathy woodlands, particularly where there is heavy cover, including banks of ferns. They are also known to love bathing, and are rarely found far from water.

Stagonopleura bella

Males, like this one, are aggressively defending territories throughout the forest this week. 

Family: Nymphalidae

Heteronympha banksii

The males patrol from their 'lookout' perches, typically 2-3 metres above the ground. I rather delight in being attacked by a butterfly as I wander through his patch.

Family: Nymphalidae

Heteronympha banksii

Taking a break from feeding and 'pair-bonding'.

Calyptorhynchus lathami

The male displaying his brilliant tail feathers and glossy wings to his mate. These birds are believed to form long-lasting pair bonds and may live for 20 years or more

Calyptorhynchus lathami

A common sight throughout Summer. And 'grey' doesn't seem such a fair description.

Rhipidura albiscapa

Unlike many small ants, Spider Ants usually forage individually. 

Leptomyrmex sp.

I've yet to identify this rather large, winged insect. Is it a Spider Ant alate?

I've been spotting quite a few this week. They have suspiciously long legs and antennae, similar to Spider Ants (Leptomyrmex), but I'm not convinced. Further investigation required ...

The skinks, large and small, have been particularly active this week. 

Eulamprus heatwolei

Another species I've yet to fully identify. It's a work-in-progress. Stunning insect though. This is a female ... note the incredibly long ovipositor.

When I saw several of these tiny moths yesterday I assumed they were the same species I photographed in October ... Glyphipterix cometophora. Wrong! A comparison shows that the pattern is really quite different. Another one for the to-do list!

I'm predicting they'll be closely related though - perhaps another Glyphipterix species. They have the same 'sparkly bits' and show the same display behaviour ... rhythmically flaring their wings and extending their hind legs, as this one is doing.

Update: Glyphipterix gemmipunctella