With camera in hand and eyes on the lookout, a local resident has made a name for himself capturing images of coastal creatures that inhabit the region.
Kevin Hill, or Jimmy Scaboo as he is known on Facebook, spends most of his mornings and afternoons exploring the area and has come across some interesting animals along the way.
His latest find was a wide-eyed porcupine puffer fish perched on a log at The Basin, Bargara.
“A local called Wally showed me it yesterday evening; it's a porcupine puffer fish and was about a foot long,” Kevin said.
“It's the first time ever I've seen one up here but I have come across them overseas.”
According to National Geographic, there are more than 120 species of puffer fish in the world.
It's thought the spiky sea creature got its name due to its inability to swim quickly, making it susceptible to become food for larger ocean dwellers.
When threatened, a puffer fish will activate its defence mechanism to puff up into a round ball with spikes protruding from its body to ward off any predators.
Coastal creatures captured by Kevin
Spotted eagle rays at Mon Repos Beach. Picture: Kevin Hill
Kevin said the fish find was one of many he had come across on his daily walks, with his camera always ready to capture the next interesting creature on land or sea.
“I always carry my camera on daily walks and I have captured sea snakes, spotted tiger rays, whales, dolphins, sharks, birds of all types and then land creatures of all sizes,” he said.
“There is so much variety if you are observant, quick enough with the camera and have a good zoom lens.”
Kevin said now other locals were on the lookout for interesting finds, giving him the “heads up” when they spotted a unique coastal creature.
“Just the other day it was native bees building a hive in a tree at Kellys Beach,” he said.
“Each day I walk through the Barolin Nature Reserve then along the coast from Mon Repos to Kellys and home through the golf course.
“There is so much happening in those different environments. Our area has a brilliant climate for the outdoors, not too over-populated, mostly friendly people and really varied wildlife.”
- Other news: Spotted eagle rays frolic at Mon Repos
