Winton Wetlands special

So, the final post from our Tassie adventure is a "special" tribute to my brief visit to the Winton Wetlands.

While it was on our return journey, I figured there was enough from that single 2 hour visit to warrant a seperate post to celebrate the special nature of the wetland. I was impressed with the range of birds and other wildlife I saw from my very quick tour.

Here are my picks to share, and the only disappointment is my inability to identify the bird of prey I have in good clear pictures. Someone will help me at some point. Bottom line, if that is all I have to be disappointed about I am in a very privileged position 😁 - its been fun catching up; touring and now being settled back in home. Time to refresh my exploring of the local sights!

Pair of black swans upon still water.

Take-off by an eastern rosella (later I saw two flocks
of more than 50 birds each lift out of grass as I drove by)

The next two photos are sulphur crested cockatoos. Second one most intereting as it is perched at the entrance to a nesting hole.

Yellow-billed spoonbills, one having a bit to say!

Little pied cormorant

Australian wooduck and egret on waters edge.

Three sulphur-crested cockatoos on the lookout.

Australian white & straw-necked ibis sharing some space

The next 3 photos show off two different birds of prey (I believe same species, but young - that is my excuse for not being able to name them 😏).

The next 3 photos show of two sets of little corellas playing and perching (seemingly precariously the way they carry-on) out on a limb!

My final offering is a white-necked heron. I was mazed how prolific these were in this location - we rarely see one at a location around here, so to see them so often on this two hour drive was a delight and a pleasure. Majestic movers!

A September day at Rocky Creek Dam

Always a great spot for a picnic and a walk, this afternoon was no exception. Not so much bird activity as other times, but still my review of photos allowed the selection of some wonderful portraits of 3 iconic Australian bush birds:

• Eastern rosella
• Sulphur-crested cockatoo
• Laughing kookaburra

The colour contrasts are a joy to behold. Given the diversity of colour, it is amazing the extent to which each manages camouflage - listening and watching for movement are your friends. A real treat to savour them in a pristine environment like this.

Enjoy.

Day 2 at The Croft

Quite the treat to be able to relax between the front and back deck and enjoy being so up close and personal with the birds. Without a sense that we need to be out and about "doing something" ... Deb happy to be lounging in the pool with the big floaty ring while I peer through the lens with each new sound or movement in the foliage ... as mentioned in the previous post, a variety of birds were enjoying the seeds of the Himalayan magnolias that were shading the back deck from the afternoon sun. The seed pods open to reveal the red seeds and they certainly signal feed time to the birds ... enjoy the offerings below ... 

Silvereye working through the seeds

Olive-backed oriole with seed

Silvereye with seed observing me

Varied triller with seed

Varied triller selecting next seed

Silvereye with its prize

Silvereye wondering what's next

Silvereye swallowing seed

Young olive-backed oriole checking the feast out

Eastern rosella cautiously grazing

Eastern rosella feeding

Not everything was in those himalayan magnolias! Here are some other settings ... first an even clearer view of the delicate and fragile structure of those dragonflys.

Next, contrasting a figbird (with the blackhead and red eye surround) with an olive-backed oriole (olive head and red eye).

Next two photos offer a new bird for me - the restless flycatcher. Once again, a blue tinge is evident in some lights to what otherwise seems a black and white bird. Aggressive little fellas these.

Finally for this second of three posts on our stay at The Croft is a set of the red-browed finch. These guys were taking advantage of a bird bath at the bottom of the timber frame on which they are perched. The crimson flowering shrub offers an exquisite background complementing their olive and red feature plummage.

Day I at The Croft

In the aftermath of the terrible recent flood event we decided to take a few days away at The Croft, just north of Murwillumbah. Covid continues to stifle desires to head further afield so some shorter more local stays are what we will aim for. This was the first of these. It is also a B&B we highly recommend to anyone wishing to enjoy a wonderfully peaceful setting with excellent facilities and gracious hosts. Our parting sense was that our stay was too short, so we definately left feeling like we had enjoyed our stay! Here is a taste of the setting from our verandah out over the pool ... 

At the rear of the accommodation there was a south facing balcony sheltered well by a stand of Himalayan magnolias. These and their seedpods you will see featured often in the posts of this visit - a variety of birds clearly enjoy the seeds that reminded us of pomegranate seeds without the fleshy covering 😊.

My first bird encounter was late in the afternoon of our arrival. A treat to be able to get quite close to a couple of young eastern rosellas ... one grazing in the dappled light under the trees for seeds and other delights; the other basking and being "lookout" in the foliage enjoying stronger sunlight. Even so young, their plummage is both striking and showing off such a range of colours. Further encounters lie ahead!

The other familiar chirping to be heard was this willy wagtail I caught alighting on a stake adjacent to some flourishing pineapples.

 

Next morning I wandered around the mown grounds just to see what I might find. What a treat I was afforded! This young spangled drongo was very keen to be seen and photographed ... as you see in the set (of five) below, the distinctive forked tail is evident, the brown circle around the eyeball which has not yet become a more mature red colour, the black plummage in certain light has a clear teal tinge on the wing feathers and the speckled breast. Even the "whiskers" are nice and clear in one of the photos. A real privilege when birds are this comfortable in our presence and eager to be observing our activity without alarm 😊. Enjoy!

At the top of the garden the raucous and distinctive calls of the sulphur-crested cockatoo and a pair of little corellas was heard. The next two photos show a cockatoo perched high up in the ubiquitous eucalypt with the yellow crown clearly on display, then a little while later the same bird taking flight from the pine next to the eucalypt - the pastel yellow tinges of the underwings in flight on full display.

On slightly lower perches in that same pine tree was a pair of little corellas and the second photo below catches the top bird taking flight, the wing position looking like it might be trying to swoop and collect up the lower bird and carry it away ... silly I know, but the wrap of the wings is very enveloping!

Now, in a lovely garden with loads of flowering plants the buzz of insects and fragrance of the flowers is a draw in the early morning. So while not strictly birds, literary license demands a wide interpretation for context because as well as seeds, the insects are also fodder for some birds ... and they also have wings 😏 so I have chosen a few to include below for your enjoyment. I am proud of being able to capture these insects in flight so clearly, and against their foliage they look really spectacular.

First a couple of busy bees hovering in selection of their next blossom.

Next a more complex composition featuring a magnolia flower ... my focus was on the bee's knees with the collected pollen but see how you go noticing any other creatures that happened to make an appearance ... sometimes you don't see what is there until you are reviewing the picture and realise how lucky you have been!! (Remember, if you click on a photo you will see a larger version of it).

This next one is pushing that license to an extreme, but it did look so magnificent in among the frangipani I just had to include this bird of paradise (flower) ... colour and light are wonderful companions ...

Keeping with the insect wings, the delicate and fragile features of the dragonfly having a brief rest from it's flightpath is shown here. The finery of nature in all her glory!

And even this fly seems to be conscious of COVID sanitation requirements ... here it is rubbing its front legs together while showing off quite the range of shiny colours while resting on the pool fence 😊.

Yes, yes, just a reminder as this post ends that there were other birds around too - here a fine bar-shouldered dove specimen sits atop a fence beside the chook pen after taking advantage of some grain on the ground beside the tank.