Maurice Ashton photographed this ray jumping out of the water at Eraring Power Station's outlet canal.
"Those of us who visit the area often see it quite regularly - or hear the splash when it lands - but getting a photograph of it with a telephoto lens is nigh on impossible," Maurice said, who captured the image on Sunday.
Maurice said he "got lucky" to get a photo of the ray.
"I am a bird photographer and just happened to have the camera pointing in the right direction trying to photograph terns. Suddenly it jumped and I was fast enough to hold the shutter down," he said.
The creature is thought to be a spotted eagle ray. The long whip-like tail has venomous barbed stingers. You wouldn't want to be on the end of that!
In Hot Water
The Eraring plant is due to shut in 2025, which makes us wonder what will happen to the wildlife that congregates around the hot water canal.
Thermal maps of the outlet canal show the water temperature increases when the power station releases water into the lake.
A biodiverse system - including turtles and sharks - has been established around the canal since the plant was built about 40 years ago.
One has to wonder whether anyone will question if the area should get any protection. When the plant shuts and the hot-water releases stop, the ecosystem will be altered. It'll be climate change of a different kind.
Fantastic Fungi
Swansea's Sylvia Lee took this photo of a large mushroom on a bush trail at Caves Beach.
"It looked like a normal, standard sort of mushroom," Sylvia told Topics.
Still, better not to eat it. You don't want to end up in the emergency room or with Alice in wonderland.
Snail Mail
Ian King, of Warners Bay, tells Topics he received a campaign letter from Labor two days after the election.
The letter was dated April 27, the envelope showed it was posted on May 4 and it was received on May 23.
"Talk about snail mail," Ian said.
He added that the envelope had two $1 stamps, despite it being a standard $1.10 envelope.
"The old adage that Labor's economic credentials leave a lot to be desired certainly holds true in this case doesn't it?" Ian said.
Mind you, the Coalition didn't exactly leave office with the economy in great shape.
Saving A Bundle
Speaking of the economy, we couldn't help but notice that banks and other financial institutions haven't raised the interest on savings accounts in line with the official interest rate rise of 0.25 per cent.
Penny pinchers, hey.
