A coastal walk

A walk I have wanted to take for quite some time. Seemed like the day. Lennox Headland to Skennars Haedland return. As well as the "coastal track" there is now also a more formal walk and bike path interwoven along the way. Absolutley gorgeous and certainly something to savour if you get the opportunity. This is a smaller section of the wonderful Ballina to Lennox coastal path. 

See for yourself 😀 ... this is taken from near Pat Morton lookout (Lennox Headland end) looking south across Boulder Beach to Skennar's Headland. Up there, I reckon, challenging most coastal scenic walking routes anywhere you like.

Of course, my main hope was to sight some birds! Some success ... 

I'm sure early in the morning or later in the afternoon there would be even more, but you go when you can go ... on the north side of the stairs heading to the lookout at Lennox Headland a couple of brush turkeys were busy building their nest. The first photo below shows one deep in shadow down a "hole" in the centre of the mound while the larger turkey (bigger yellow necklace) is building from the edge. The second photo is included to highlight just how large that yellow necklace was!

A little further down the path from where the first photo of the post was taken, the ground was alive with Richard's pipits (apparently now the more correct name is Australian pipit). This triology shares two contrasting profiles and one in full voice. They hop, and stop, and look about and hop off again and if you get too close, well they take to the wing for a short flight to safety.

Walking along the path among the boulders there were several rainbow bee-eaters soaring through their acrobatic flights and resting in between on the casuarina branches on the beach front. Quite the "playground" location here! This trilogy shares a single one at rest; the next two, a resting pair, but with the "top" one showing off its prey being devoured from the prior flight. Of course, their gorgeous shimmering plummage is on full display too!

Standing with prominence on a large piece of driftwood among the beach rocks beside the beach was this white-faced heron displaying some breeding plummage. The plummage offers a hint of maroon among the grey.

At the end of the beach, deep in a bush shelter, there was this female superb fairy wren letting TWO male suitors know who was in control 😁.

Just a little further along, among beachside banksia seed pods, was this Lewin's honeyeater just finished a good feather shake.

Over on Skennar's Headland there were loads of fairy wrens about. The first two photos below are red-backed fairy wrens - the male, mid-call, clearly reflecting the name; the female a little ruffled as it emerged from the grass for some fresh air and light. The final three of this set are Superb fairy wrens - a pair of females, a single female and a male displaying the striking blue hues.

 

On the return journey, another rainbow bee-eater was spotted, and a welcome swallow being cute on the post rail of one of the bridges across some swampy ground.

Finally, feasting among the purple thistle flowers were some honey bees laden with pollen.

Some spring encounters

One day I was taking a slow drive along Old Bangalow Rd (along Emigrant Creek) on my way home from Ballina. It is a detour I have written about before and one I take regularly ... just in case. This day I was rewarded twofold. The first two photos show a buff-banded rail I spotted in a roadside "supermarket". It was unusually co-operative and did not take off allowing me a good opportunity to get these photos.

Getting back in the car, I noticed a splash of colour against the bare paperbarks in the swamp on the opposite side of the road to above. Sure enough, perched high on a branch scanning the swampy puddles was a sacred kingfisher. A good illustration how easy it is to look but not always see 😁.

The remaining photos in this post were taken on a day we took my wife's dad for a drive to Ballina. We had some fish and chips beside Shaws Bay for lunch and curiosity got the better of this magpie lark (pee wee) as it sought any stray or dropped chips. Nice eyes (no chips)!

Our final stop was for a walk out the wall near the Marine Rescue tower. Some female superb fairy wrens were especially co-operative, some in outstanding settings showing off their delicate finery. I also managed to photograph a  blue/black butterfly while alighted on a bush, and a very confident young water dragon surveying it's environment.

Around the boat harbour

A small boat harbour in Ballina often provides a good range of birdlife to observe. Recent times have demonstrated this amply. The photos in this post were taken over several days across October and November.

I had been for a short walk and noticed these pied oystercatchers near the entrance to the harbour. I ducked over to the car to grab my camera and slowly moved to get close for some photos. I have found these birds quite shy and skittish, hence the slow approach. You will notice in the first photo the birds are quite relaxed ... head tucked along the back and a posture on one leg. The approach was working. I had snapped several photos and noticed a few nearby office workers doing some civic duty and scouring the area picking up rubbish - to be admired 👍. Two of them wandered right by me, oblivious to my careful approach and even more oblivious to the birds, very focussed on their own task - not to be admired 😕. I managed to get the second photo shared here just before the disturbed birds took flight ... and one of the well-meaning office workers who was now between me and the birds looked up, turned, and said to me "oh, did I disturb the birds?" I will leave it at that ... can't win em all!!

After wandering away still processing what I described above and holding in frustrations (the "can't win em all" was FAR from what I was thinking), it was fortunate to find another focus very quickly. There was a black cormorant perched on the roof of a houseboat moored in the harbour. The next two photos show off the range of "black" and patterns in the plummage as well as the distinctive ice-blue eyes. The second photo was just as it was about to alight (not what else you might imagine was happening with that squat pose 😋). The third photo of the set shows it on a mooring post after it did a few circles before landing again ... a curious gaze at the photographer STILL there 😊. Slightly different light and perspective showing the darker and non-patterned breast feathers. The final photo of the set shows one coasting along after surfacing between dives in the river. Always make it look so effortless!

On the far side of the harbour (east) to where I began, there are often welcome swallows swooping around seeking bugs for dinner between resting on the powerlines or near puddles on the ground in the carpark. This particular day I was fortunate to find a very favourable viewing spot down between two moored craft. I was able to photograph this one preening in the sunlight. The first two specifically show the preening "in action", the second two show the result and smart look the preening produced - no different to us really😊!

The final very special treat to share with you this post is a "find" in a bush near this same boat harbour. I had noticed a pair of willy wagtails being very active and in and out of this bush. An inspection located the nest 😁. Keeping a respectful distance, I share this shot of mum (or dad?) on the nest. One can only imagine the time and effort and skill required to make such a strong and delicate vessel to foster new life.

I checked the nest once a week over the next two weeks, and the next two shots (from different angles) show some very mature fledglings just about ready to leave that nest at the end of my second week of monitoring. No pesky litter collectors to disturb this moment 👌!

Wet Wooli IV - sunny at the end!

Rising on the final morning of this visit with a sense that the time had passed quickly and "wish it had been longer" are good signs that the break had been a good one. The sense of "back to it", whatever that holds is very different to waking up to "OK let the day begin and unfold as it turns out". Far less sense that things are there "to be done" ... but enough of that ... this is about birds.

How could we farewell our abode without another pose by a little wattlebird in the  banksia?

Also in the front garden I spied this grey shrike thrush battering some prey so it was tender enough to devour.

Last sighting at the house was while we were doing a final walk around making sure we had not forgotten anything. This buff-banded rail having a bit of a flap in the early morning dappled sunlight beside the sandy path leading over the dune to the beach - sunny and far less windy for the moment.

Like the little wattlebird, we could not head off without another visit to the river mouth to check on the tawny frogmouth ... perhaps it was the sun, but it had reversed its position on the nest but that little altered the superb camouflage!

I had to include this panorama because it has a whole different perspective in the wonderful clear mid-morning sunshine at low tide. The waterfall was still pumping out the cliff-face through its twin barrels.

A few beach birds were willing subjects as well. A lone pied oystercatcher reposing on the damp sand soaking up the sun from two different angles. In between is the ubiquitous blue-faced honeyeater perched high in a banksia enjoying the view across a clear sunny sky.

On the same stretch of sand exposed on the low tide, I was amused by the antics of this masked lapwing. The first photo just after it emerged from behind the boulder to the right of the shot ... seems to be in full prance mode of a runway model commanding "look at me, look at me" 😊. The second photo shows a more cautious side as it was working its way around me (actually quite something in nature as a human to be the creature standing still and watching!!).

Heading back to the car to leave, a few final Wooli sightings. Two below of a noisy friarbird, one distant and one mcuh more obliging close-up. There is a pied butcherbird perched on high looking resplendent cloaked in its tuxedo, among the dead branches and lush foliage of a banksia with the brilliant blue sky as background. While we were walking back in along the wall I had noticed what I thought (hoped?!) was an eastern curlew (with that wonderfully long curved bill) take flight up the beach and swing around and descend below the trees towards the river ... so it turned out; so a final Wooli treat to see this rare species grazing on the sand flats across the river.

We decided we would call in and grab a coffee at Minnie Water on the way. I had called in there on my previous visit and on such a morning I suggested the headland lookout would be a great spot to drink our coffee. We even caught sight of a few whales wallowing in quite close to shore. Nearby was a sign for a local Dune Care Group trail and we decided to head along for a bit to reach a viewing spot and look back along the beach southwards to Diggers Camp and Wooli (and getting good vision of North Solitary Islands too).

It was a beautifully maintained track and the nor'easter breeze through the trees kept the rising temperature down. The dappled sunlight was a treat as well after all the rain during our visit. Not far along the track we spied a sand goanna ... fotunately it did an about turn and headed back to the left of the photo into the bush (very quietly I might add). Then I spied a rainbow bee-eater, finally in the sunlight, doing justice to its lustrous sheen and radiant palette 😊.

We then passed a couple heading back to the car park who told us of a close encounter with some "black cockatoos" not too much further along the track. We proceeded for quite some way and almost gave up, but with our final foray forward we heard them in the trees close by. A small flock, we counted eight. They let us know of their awareness of our presence, but were patient enough for us to mange some good shots through the trees of pairs and a couple of singles. I was especailly pleased to have this opportunity because one morning I drove down in the rain to get a coffee and saw (this flock?) some in a banksia near the Bowling Club. I did not have my camera as it was raining. When we went for a walk that afternoon, they were still in the trees, and that was where I had ventured (unsuccessfully) when I took the photo in an earlier post of the plover parent and youngster. Tromping across the open park (even carefully) spooked the cockatoos and perhaps the alarm calls of the plover worked on them as well? So, to be able to get these shots of the magnificent yellow-tailed black cockatoos feeding among the banksia and casuarina was another of those unexpected but wonderful treats.

 

Finally back at the car park and two final reminders of the wonderful colours and settings we have at our fingertips when we notice our unique birdlife ... a rainbow bee-eater and white-cheeked honeyeater perched in different positons in different banksias. The bee-eater perched in a position to lookout for flying feasts, while the honeyeater is content to savour the nectar of the flowers in the gorgeous silver/green foliage.

Then we headed home ... 

 

Thanks for taking some time to share our journey to and sojourn in Wooli. I would commend a visit BUT selfishly want to refrain from any promotion in the hope of prolonging the isolation and unspoiled environment that for the moment persists - of course, that is a trite wish because merely writing it in a public blog like this provides the promotion, but I imagine you get the sentiment 😛.

We decided on our return to compose a coffee table photobook for our hosts and chose a hoto of the range of birds I have catalogued after these recent visits to Wooli - 35 in all (I only included 34 in the book because one remained unidentified until just recently). My enduring memory of this visit and these last several posts is definitately that birdlife abounds irrespective of the weather - it (the weather) simply provides a wide range of backgrounds and settings and environments facilitating an equally wide range of bird behaviours as they cope.

My privileged journey moves on ...