A day in Casino (Jan 2021)

Covid has restricted most of us in so many unexpected ways. Those restrictions have seen 2021 be a far less productive period than I had anticipated as my retirement began in earnest. Far from complaining, I am indeed grateful that Covid remains largely absent from our region, and not affecting my loved ones (at least directly and excluding the impact of myriad lockdowns).

So most of my ventures have been very local - yard local. There have been occasional forays as you will see, but the year has been used to "catch up" my backlog of blog posts so I can begin "simply" adding a post for each experience moving forward.

I begin with a few shots from a venture to Casino wetlands in January. Some from the journey there, some at the wetlands and finally some on the return journey.

A dollarbird on a wire

An osprey tending the nest

A common myna

A pair of common mynas

And now for the period at the wetlands.

I was not stealthy enough approaching on the very dry and dusty gravel road to avoid disturbing a wading white-necked heron; fortunately I managed to snap this photo as it ascended in flight (fright?). Looking very majestic with the wing span, long legs trailing and the long white neck in "navigation" position.

Next, a couple of resting black swans taking a break from foraging and preening for a little while. They appear to have two bemused eurasian coots in the foreground wondering just what they are seeing 😕.

Here I managed to photgraph some kind of grass bird near the top of a strand of long grass. I confess to not being able to identify this one, but I really like the way the scene demonstrates how light and small the bird is clutching the stem near the long grass head.

The next two photos were taken at the car park back at the start of the road in the picnic area. A wee walk was required so my meanderings above and below were interrupted for a short while.

A pair of spotted turtle doves disappearing into the grass

A figbird in the gum tree - slim pickings!

The next two photos offer two very interesting perspectives of the same wetland. The first one, looking north, shows a wading black-necked stork (jabiru). What struck me reviewing this photo was the lack of evidence of a body of water (despite the telltale very verdant location of wading) and sadly, the evidence in the distance of the ever-encroaching built environment of suburbia. Long may it remain in the distance!

This second shot, looking south (ironically towards town) and in the opposite direction to the one above. Clearly there is a good body of water (what a difference the wider view afforded by our own wonderful lens (the eye) can make to perspective. Here the only hint of a built environment the photo offers is the fence at the edge of the water interupting the natural beauty of the scene. The synchronicity of the pair of black swans gliding across the water is quite stunning.

And finally, calling in to see the grandkids on the way home I caught this house sparrow making it's point very loudly for anyone who cared to listen. The final photo below is a brown honeyeater making the most of the nectar in purple flowers of a bush by the front gate.