July jaunts

Sometimes exploring "new" places that have always been there (just unexplored by you) and revisiting regular locations offer unexpected delights - always have that camera handy 😁.

Between Link Avenue and the Coast Road there is quite the expanse of bushland that you just always seem to "drive past" and not give a second thought to. Probably because there are no obvious entry places or designated parking bays. Lately I had been noticing it more, so yesterday was the day of my first relatively brief explore ... I shall be back for a more extensive wander around Allawah Bushland Reserve for sure (god willing, of course!).

Loads of birdsong on my wander, but I was not trudging too carefully as I was not sure where I was heading along various paths. However, a couple of photos below provide some indication that more patience and a less intrusive presence by yours truley would likely be very fruitful.

Bar-shouldered dove

Lewin's honeyeater

On the way home I decided to brave the wind and head over to the wall for a walk. Alas, just as I reached the wall at the Marine Rescue tower to begin, a rain squall arrived and that was that ... but not before the brahmini kite soared overhead into the teeth of the sou' easter.

A reminder ( I have not provided one for a while now) that clicking on a photo will open all the photos of the post in a larger view window and they often look much better in that view.

This morning, after a regular coffee gathering, I decided to brave the wind again and head over to the wall for a walk that eluded me yesterday. Same starting point, but the action this  morning was on the Shaws Bay side.

First time I have sighted an azure kingfisher at this location so this alone made the decision worth while! Even better it was a very co-operative poser and the rich palette it presents is very clear in the plumage. Easily my best shots of this delightful character in the kingfisher family 😁.

And just before heading back to the car park, along came this silver gull gliding quite low into the strong sou' easter. While its position is quite high in the frame, it is nice and clear and floats wonderfully above the cotton wool cloud bank on the horizon.

The road less travelled home (June)

We decided that our trip back from Sydney would take the road less travelled rather than simply follow the freeway as normal, or head back up the NE Highway (bit cold and potentially treacheous this time of year when not used to winter travel). While mostly about taking in the magnificent coastal scenery along our route, a few opportunities were taken to enjoy the birdlife.

This meant we followed the old Pacific Highway to Newcastle on our first day, ending up at Fern Bay, not far from Port Stephens and Fingal Bay. My wife wanted to explore those areas which her family had frequented for childhood holidays. The trip was very pleasant because there was very little traffic and a reduced speed limit most of the way, so it was easy to take in the scenery so often by-passed using the freeway.

After exploring that very picturesque but rapidly developing area, next day we headed to the other side of Port Stephens and stayed a night at Tea Gardens. The afternoon of our arrival we went for a short exploratory drive and came across quite the mix of water birds sharing the spoils of the shallows as the sun begun its evening descent. Pelicans, an egret, silvergulls, little black cormorants and a white-faced heron. Each seemed to get their share!

Next morning we headed off through Mungo Brush to Buladelah. Nice coastal rainforest and heathland then farmland. We intended to take the Lakes Way to Forster via Seal Rocks and Boomerang Beach, alas a bad car accident led traffic in both directions to be turned around. Still we made Forster for the night and enjoyed sunset and sunrise over the main beach and ocean pool from our seafront room.

Next day after a brief drive around we headed north to Black Head, by-passed Taree and then into Harrington and Crowdy Head. We took the dirt road through the Crowdy Bay National Park to Dunbogan, Laurieton and North Haven to stay the night - my turn to reminisce from our childhod holidays in that location. The stay was cool, and a visit up North Brother Mountain {Dooragan} lookout next morning a highlight.

We went for a walk out the Dunbogan sea wall on the cloudy and windy afternoon we arrived and were treated to the following three sightings.  First up a Brahmini kite hovering into the strong wind.

Next, this young darter was (it turned out!) straining on a boulder, and the second photo captures the "surprise" as it examines what it had just excreted - "did I really just do that?" And they say photos never lie!

The final treat for this little excursion was a pair of sooty oystercatchers flying in for a rest and brief explore on the boulders down near the water edge. That water offers a nice backdrop to the birds on the boulder and serves to highlight the striking red/orange of their beaks and eye ring. Like the "plain" white of the cockatoo in the previous post, the "plain" black is very dressed up with that red/orange and the pink of the legs.

From here we headed further north via Port Macquarie and a drive through Limeburners Creek National Park to Crescent Head and on to South West Rocks for our final night before heading home. Both final days were simply fantastic weather and we were treated along the way to many whale sightings at stunning coastal locations. Have to include these two shots for some substantiation of the claims - SW Rocks beach lookig to Trial Bay and a pod of whales heading north from the Smokey Cape Lighthouse.

Set out below are some photos from around various locations near SW Rocks - the birds in each are identified under the photos. This is a location we are returning to for a more extensive stay and explore in early August - here's hoping the weather is still as spectacular!

Pacific black duck

Pelicans (and chestnut teal butts)

Chestnut teals foraging

Chestnut teals resting on the bank

Young black-winged stilt foraging

Black-winged stilt pair in disagreement

Same pair foraging after resolution

The ubiquitous white ibis

Young pied butcherbird

Pair of crested pigeons seeking seed

Pied butcherbird in full voice

June days in Illawong

We travelled to Sydney in mid-June for two events. One was another lunch with some old school mates which happened to coincide with the annual Vivid festival. We stayed with Ros & John down in Illawong, so it was good to see many of the birds again that had been around and shared in posts from a visit late last year - they have such a lovely spot to enjoy every day!

These first three photos are late afternoon shots of a magpie lark, rainbow lorikeet and crimson rosella - the latter sadly not willing to turn on its perch for me! Nice to be able to see such variety in types and colours among the garden trees while enjoying the view from the front verandah!

Heading up the internal stairs a little later another afternoon this pair of laughing kookaburras were catching the finals rays of sunshine. The setting through the windows captures a really nice mix of the built and natural environment these urban birds are comfortable inhabiting. The close-up was taken through the balcony window just before the second one also took flight to the eucalypt branches beyond.

The afternoon light shows off the strong black breast and white tail and outer underwing feathers of the pied currawong as it perched on a sturdy branch of the jacaranda. The other outstanding feature is the sharp and clear yellow eye ring of the bird's right eye as it peers through the camera lens - one of those cherished moments of light and position for a privileged photographer 😁. I felt the same after the shot of the rainbow lorikeet shared above.

On our final morning I was afforded another privilege. I captured quite the series of relative close-ups of this sulphur-crested cockatoo. It was very content preening and posing for me after I positioned myself on the front upper verandah in the shade of the jacaranda. Quite the treat sharing such proximity. The filtered morning light offered a wonderful background for the "plain" plummage to shine - weird thought as I was eidting this post ... as I was reading the "plain" (white) plummage shining bit I had a flash back to first communion photos of us innocent young catholics all dreesed in white ... the things age do to you 😁! 

A road well travelled

A early winter wander at Broadwater, turned into a drive back along Tuckean Island Road and through Meerschaum Vale. My intention had been to take a walk along Hind Dune Trail in the Broadwater National Park where I had not ventured for some time. However, that end of the Park had been recently severly singed by a bush fire and the remnant smoke smell was quite off-putting. It was clear some time was needed for mother nature to apply her healing salves and I decided I would return after some more time has elapsed and new shoots and life have re-emerged.

I did manage to spot this couple of pied oystercatchers resting on the ocean shore looking out for each other as the waves gently ebbed across the sand. Then back at the car I had the good fortune to hear and sight a noisy friarbird perched nearby. It allowed me time to photograph mid-call and post-call before it fled further back into the cover of the heathland.

Driving back I decided to cruise along Tuckean Island Rd where I had not ventured for a while. Great cruise as no other car sighted so was able to drive nice and slow and allow my vision to wander with very little risk. Nice still day, so I might be fortunate. I was😉. First up, as I rounded a bend to pass through a young macadamia plantation, a black-shouldered kite was perusing its domain from the top of a dead tree. It was kind enough to take time out of its hunt to look directly down my lens (not once, but twice !!) as I moved vantage points for my photos. Lucky photographer!

Then, as I was about to get back in the car, I noticed a couple of magpies land in the tree over the road in another paddock. Between them, alas looking into the distance with its back to my position, was a young wedge-tailed eagle. It flew off just after this photo and my next photo (not included here as it was not that clear) caught an adult soaring in the background that it was heading towards. 

A drive worth taking, as it turned out!