Nicholas Christiansen Photographer

Cairns Birdwing butterfly. Cairns birdwing butterfly © This not so little girl was flying around my yard minding her own business when she landed next to me. It's a Cairns birdwing butterfly the largest Australian Butterfly measuring 15cm (5.9inches) across the wingspan. It's scientific name is Ornithoptera euphorion and is found on the tropical east coast of Australia from Mackay to Cooktown. I was in Townsville when I shot this one.   Blue moon butterfly female. Female Blue moon butterfly © Blue moon butterfly male. Male Blue moon butterfly © These two were also in my garden at different times. The Blue Moon Butterfly is a species of dark butterflies that are found in 20 different subspecies in several countries. They get their name from the two bright blue circular patches on the male’s wings, resembling the full ‘blue moon’ in the dark sky. Their scientific name is Hypolimnas bolina and other common names are Great Eggfly, Common Eggfly...

Male Red kangaroo.© Here's a sleeping male Red kangaroo I found. The Red Kangaroo is an iconic Australian animal of the arid zone and is the largest living marsupial in the world, with a body length of up to 1.4m and tail up to 1m. Emu.© The Emu is Australia's tallest native bird, reaching between 1.6 m and 1.9 m when standing erect. Adult Emus are covered with shaggy grey-brown feathers except for the neck and head, which are largely naked and bluish-black. Echidna. © Echidna. © Echidnas , sometimes known as spiny anteaters, belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and the only surviving members of the order Monotremata. The diet of some species consists of ants and termites, but they are not closely related to the true anteaters of the Americas.   Photographs available for purchase at my store.

Saint Andrews Orb spider St Andrew's Cross Spider , Argiope keyserlingi. This spider is often found in the garden along the east coast of Australia. It's destinct web cross-shaped web decorations are where it gets it's name. Huntsman Spider. Australian Huntsman spiders belong to the Family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae). You will find these spiders in all parts of Australia. They don't spin webs as they actively seek out or hunt for their food/prey. This can be anything from bugs to small lizards or even mice. Redback spider Redback spider Redback Spiders are found throughout Australia and are common in disturbed and urban areas. Female Redback Spiders are black (occasionally brownish) with an obvious orange to red longitudinal stripe on the upper abdomen, with the red stripe sometimes being broken, and an "hourglass" shaped red/orange spot on the underside of the abdomen. Redback bites occur frequently, particularly over the ...

Female Olive backed Sunbird.   Whilst I was living in Townsville, Australia I came across this little bird in my yard. It's a female Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis plateni) or (Cinnyris jugularis plateni). A small honeyeater. It's feeding on a Flame of the woods flower. The Olive backed sunbird measures about 12cm (4.7inches). Female Olive backed Sunbird. This little lady came visiting nearly every morning for a month to get breakfast. Photographs available for purchase at my store.

Hi and welcome to my blog. I'm primary a Nature and wildlife photographer but I do dabble in other photography at times.