Leap year along the wall

I have not been out and about as much as I would like for some time due to some lingering health issues around some inflammation that the medicos seem to be having difficulty tracking down. However, recently I decided I just needed to go for a walk along the Ballina north wall just to see how I went, and I took my camera along too.

As you will see below, some regulars were sighted along one of my favourite spots for birding, if not quite the variety sometimes spotted. It was good to get a decent walk in too 😉.

As a precaution to see how I fared on my first longer walk for a while I headed out to the end of the wall first up. On the way out I snaffled this crested tern in full glide, looking very sleek against the blue sky with some cotton wool cloud dusting the top of the frame.

Returning to the sea rescue tower you could hear the whistle of the osprey and looking up there was an adult and two young ones perched on the radio antennae arms. The adult was steadying itself from a gust of wind, and the young ones were just showing their steadiness and ruffled feathers in the wind. This augered well for some later action ...

It was good to have the camera out again and these early sightings provided a little extra spring in my step so I decided to head back along the wall to see how the legs held up. Along the way on the river side there were some willing participants posing for some individual and group photos, showing off a few different characteristics - the darter having a bit to say, and later enjoying a really good neck scratch; a pair of black cormorants showing off their bright crystal blue eyes and finely scalloped feathers as they variously swam and spent time on the boulders. I especially enjoying capturing the final one of this set where the black cormorants are almost symmetrical in their gaze from the same boulder.

This final sequence is a selection of three photos from many more taken of the same ospreys that spent a good deal of time on the lamp posts and diving into the bay as they were learning to hunt. The one shown here was the adult being successful and taking the prey back to the radio antennae arm and not sharing with the younger ones at all. It was quite the treat to see so many dives and attempts to fish their dinner - made the trek back to car a little easier with a few more stops!

Wet Wooli II

Later one afternoon there was a break in the weather. Not for long, but enough for a bit of a wander, We drove down to the river mouth and breakwall for a look. 

First observation was evidence of peaceful co-existence between this pied butcherbird and blue-faced honeyeater sharing perches in a casuarina.

While it was a break in the weather, that was just from the persistent rain. The wind remained stiff. We headed out the north wall, but since the tide was in it did not seem too prudent to wander right to the end ... I share this image to offer a sense of how "low in the water" the wall seemed to be 😞. One can "see" the bow of a ship ploughing through the waves without exercising too much imagination!

However, the buffeting wind did offer the following wonderful moments this pair of crested terns shared with us. They were having a good old gossip while doing their very best to maintain balance as they faced the tempest ... and for the very observant, the deposits on the boulder complete the tale ... how privileged to witness such an exchange 😁.

On the way back in, nestled in semi-shelter on the southern wall across the river mouth were the four sooty oystercatchers who were so photogenic & obliging during my previous visit to Wooli. Since the tide was in, no rocks were exposed and available for their feeding where I saw them on that visit. This was a sensible, semi-sheltered waiting station until a lower tide.

Just when you thought things could not get much better ... back to the car. Deb decided she wanted to wander down the path along the river for a bit. I sensed, rather than noticed, the casuarina overhanging the water was a good spot to check the clarity of the water on the high tide in the river. So I wandered over for a peek. Nearing the bank and the tree, this is what I "saw" when I was scanning around looking for a secure foothold ... 

and that "sense" led to this delightful discovery of a tawny frogmouth on a nest... you have to look carefully in the wider angled photo (above) to find the zoomed in position in the tree (below) - this was a REAL treat 😀. Such camouflage! So still ... but still a sneaky eye on the photographer lurking (respecting the space though!). Precarious  position overhanging the water. As you might imagine, these are a select two photos from quite a few taken! Enjoy!

So ... the break in the rain was holding, a spring in the step follwoing that discovery and the path long the river provided a few more gems before we headed back to the house as the sky darkened yet again. In this next trilogy, the splashes of colour presented by the blue-faced honeyeater and the whitecheeked honeyeater are spectacular against the silvery underside of the banksia leaves. It matters little if the banksia flowers are dead and dry or fresh ... the texture remains exquisite. The colours appear simultaneously subtle and striking. 

Nature's palette is really special. 

I cannot resist the larger size image for this trilogy.

Understated by comparison, but certainly not outdone, was this final sighting on our first walk of this visit. A black-faced cuckoo shrike blending in the casuarina leaves against the leaden sky. Subtle again comes to mind.

But wait ... there's more ... a brief sojourn on the back verandah back at the house brought a wandering brush turkey. Over the few days we saw several out the back. I note this because each one (and one pair) followed an identical path, circling the cut grass before heading up the sandy path almost to the top of the dune and then heading off north through the scrub disappearing into the bushes. For the doubting reader 😋, they were different individuals with the yellow collar being varying sizes on each turkey we witnessed.

To round out this afternoon, some different very small bird sounds ... one distinctly fairy wren (the gorgeous red-backed one below), the other not so obvious to me, but quite loud for such a small bird and thus easily tracked when it perched in such an exposed spot. Alas the perch the silvereye had chosen was rather backlit, but the distinctive silver ring of the eye is evident.

The weather might not be what we desired, but the birds have not minded and offered us a wonderful experience for just taking the day as it is and savouring what is near us!

A day at Sandon River (Apr 2021)

One sunny autumn day with some temporary and welcome relaxation in covid restrictons I ventured to Sandon River. A location I had heard of often but never visited. Down the freeway to Brooms Head and head down a dirt road a little further south. The tide was out, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and I got to witness and enjoy photographing some wonderful bird behavious. Life continues to be full of treats.

On the way I made a brief detour via the Broadwater beach lookout to see if there were any whales about - alas no. However, the first set of photos allows you to see some birds that were about. Enjoying the beautiful winters day.

The first photo of the set shows a noisy friarbird (check their "noisy" sound) in the process of scratching its head and bill. The second photo shows it telling anyone within several kilometres (😉) that whatever was in need of the scratch has been successfully relieved! The third photo of the set shows off the forked tail, sleek lines and shimmer of the spangled drongo (sound here). The orange eyes gleam against the sheen of the feathers in this favourable light.

Arriving at Sandon River, the first thing I notice is the ineffectiveness of the protective spikes for a navigation light from birds perching and pooping on the solar panels. I guess the positive was the galah facing the wrong way to inflict damage on the panels! But the galah does look very comfortable 😊.

Next were two new treats for me! Even if only in the distance on the low tide shoreline across the river, the distinctive long curved bill of a very shy eastern curlew is a give away.

The second new sighting for me, although again the photo is not too clear, the gorgeous and melodious rufous whistler was heard and then spotted in the branches and foliage of a casuarina. A very common bird, but one I had not yet encountered. This really was a day of treats!

The remaining photos in this post were taken right at the river entrance and beach side. Beautiful setting for capturing a range of behaviours by several different bird species. Generally playing nice together, but sometimes a little testy too!

Here is a crested tern just landed with a decent catch doing its best to avoid being harrassed to share the spoils - it prevailed to savour the catch on its own in the end 👍.

Lurking along the waters edge was a young white-faced heron eastern reef egret - dark morph (realised this much later by accident while reading a little used bird book) practising stealthy habits. While I did not witness any success, I find the way it blends extremely well from the weed clumps to the changing palette of the water really fascinating - masters of camouflage to admire.

This set shows off the fantastic natural environement the birds enjoy. The first two photos highlight the breaking waves across the sand and rocks as the crested terns and silver gulls rest, reposition and preen on the foreground rocks soaking up the sun and sheltering from the wind. The second photo highlights a younger crested tern preening its chest.

This set features a pied oystercatcher seaching the shallow pools. The first photo highlights the tip of the bright red bill submerged in the water feeling in the sand. The second photo a striking capture of the full palette the bird offers in repose between forages. The third photo was shared to illustrate an even broader co-existence than the ones earlier.

Co-existence

This next series features pairs of birds. It is included to show-off some behaviours of the terns as they enjoy frollicking, splashing and preening in the shallows (first, third and fourth photos), while the silver gulls are content (second photo) with a more sedate approach out of the water.

I decided to finish with another photo of a wading pied oystercatcher because I just really felt a good deal of satisfaction capturing so many good clear shots of these striking birds in action 😁

 

To South Ballina via Pimlico (August 2020)

Generally a productive journey for bird photos, but always for the scenery and serentiy of the south side of the Richmond River. Usually I would drive to Wardell through Alstonville and Meerschumvale, but this day I went via Pimlico, and Wardell. Lovely clear blue sky with the very occasional puff of cloud and rather unusually, very still with little wind.

This first photo was on fallow Pimlico fields and captures the grandeur of the large white-necked heron. Not quite showing off the subtle richness of the wing feathers as the light was not quite right, but happy to get close enough for the upright pose as they tend to be very skittish in the open.

The next two photos show the sacred kingfisher on a power line rather than a rock or tree branch. Also around Pimlico on the roadside offering a clear view of the river bank. The light this late morning shows a much richer and darker blue in the plummage than I generally see in the Shaws Bay birds and was almost thinking it might have been a forest kingfisher. The headbands of feathers are the giveaway. The iridesence and luminence of the plummage is really shown off in this light and stands out even against the blue sky background. Nice poses checking me out and then just back to scanning the river and bank - far more interesting😊.

This photo of a young nankeen kestrel I decided to include to show off that these are not big birds. Here the features of the arm of the power pole provide an excellent context to guage the size. A commanding position to "prey"!

The remainder of this post were taken along the South Ballina drive. A few excellent poses and settings for a laughing kookaburra and one of a pelican offering a sense of the stillness of the day and part of the panorama that the kookaburra was enjoying along the river. Our wonderful clear bluie skies are to be cherished ... they seldom offer anything other than a wondeful canvas!

The next three show a small part of a much larger flock of little corellas enjoying a riverside garden environment. The first photo shows an unusally co-operative and quiet group enjoying a bird bath. The second and thrid photo show a disrupter arriving (a much mroe common sight with these characters!) I love the way the vertical landing is captured, but even more the beautiful pastel yellow tinge of their underwings.

Here I have included a rare photo for me of a quail. I think it may be a brown quail but the glimpse is not all that clear and I am going more by the shape for the "quail". The rock the other side of the tree offers a sense of how easily they can camouflage in plain sight - thank goodness for movement!

The remaining photos of this post were taken at  various points at the south wall car park area right at the eastern end of the drive. A fantastic shot of a willy wagtail in full song; the next three taking short rests on a branch are as labelled, and further examples of beautiful bush song birds.

White-cheeked honeyeater

Little  wattlebird

Rainbow bee-eater

Finishing the set are some "water" birds, perhaps sea birds is an even finer description. Each is labelled and the first two taken during a brief clouding over that happened while I was walking out to the end of the wall and back. Nature offers some unexpected (to me) contrasts to be alert to.

Crested tern alone on the receding tide.

Australasian gannet hunting

Osprey searching