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

A stop-over in Taree (Nov)

A pelican, some wood ducks and a feral pigeon ... it has been a long time since I have been on a long drive. I was heading to Sydney to pick up our good friends visiting from the UK. It was my first drive to Sydney on the (almost) completed Pacific Motorway/Highway - and in comparison to the old variants, it was a fabulous "easy" drive.

I decided to break up the journey with a night in Taree and catch up with a friend from my rugby coaching days. We had a really nice dinner at the Sailing Club on the river bank and it wsa a treat to share that meal with two of his kids. How the circle of life rotates!

On arrival in Taree, I decided to head for a walk along the riverbank to stretch the legs and back after being in the car. Nice to reminisce as well about what has changed and what has remained largely the same over the years since growing up and later visiting family. 

Wooed by Wooli

This is a long post. It tries to reflect a level of excitement and joy that comes from exploring a new location at leisure, especially when it deigns to throw up so many good sightings! I hope you get some of that sense if you read the post. Of course, remember, click on a picture and you will be able to just flick through all the images on the post (and ignore the verbage 👍).

A colleague departed work several years ago. He and his partner bought the real estate agency in Wooli. Several times I have nearly made the journey to catch up, and to have a(nother) look at Wooli. I recall dropping in many years ago, but have very little memory of what we saw.

The time to visit had arrived. A Friday. Deb was having coffee with friends. It was another beautiful spring morning and we had just emerged from another snap lockdown by virtue of having visited Lismore briefly. Not to be put off any longer, I headed off bright and early (for me). 90 minutes later, I had driven to the river entrance, doing a quick scout of an old fashioned and still largely unspoiled coastal village. Not too many of these left. A servo/shop, estate agency, bowlo, cafe, marine rescue centre and water tower. And houses, a couple of caravan parks and campground.

My former colleague was not in the office (on Friday) though he was expected later in the day ... and they say university staff don't know how easy they have it! So, I decide to head off to explore Diggers Camp and Minnie Water just to the north, come back have some lunch and then go for a walk along the river to the entrance and back. 

Here is what wooed me about this area.

The drive out to both (Minnie Water and Diggers Camp) track through Yuragir National Park. First, down past Lake Hiawatha, the local drinking water source to Diggers Camp, provided evidence of one of the several creatures featuring on raodside signage to be aware of in this area - the goanna. More specifically in this instance a sand monitor (I am reasonably sure). Taken from inside the car!

On the way back from Diggers Camp I called into The Wilson's Headland picnic area. Unfortunately the walk was closed for renovations, but the rainbow bee-eaters and brown honeyeaters were having a great time! The first two photos in the set below show off the way the plummage colours of the bee-eater can have quite different tones depending on the bird, light and specific perching location. The final two in the set contrast nectar eating positions of the brown honeyeater among the prolific flowers they were feasting from.

After driving out to Minnie Water and back, I had a great coffee with a bacon and egg roll for lunch. I headed down to the river near the Caravan Park and water tower to set off on the pathway out to the river entrance and wall and back again. A wonderful day for my walk with the tide beginning to recede from its peak. I hope I had the stamina after the several kms put in at South Ballina as well - should be good for me!

First up, a new bird for me and I was lucky to even notice it just as I was wandering along the river mangroves before reaching the pathway. I photographed the bird on the left of the log - that was the one I noticed (not even seeing the others to the right!). It was not until I moved along a little further and looked back that I noticed the others and so included the second photo below.

I will label each photo in the next set. These are a selection of highlights from many taken along the walk out to the entrance. I was really soaking up the variety and the relative peace and quiet of the walk (despite many holiday makers enjoying the delights of the river). I really felt spoiled being able to get so many close photos.

Magpie

Rainbow bee-eater

Little wattlebird

Young little wattlebird

Noisy friarbird

White-breasted woodswallow

A brief comment is warranted for these next two images. I had heard the noisy squawking of young birds nearby. Without too much difficulty the sound was traced to this pair of young little wattlebirds - they look so cute in a couple of different poses and clearly their proximity was a comfort to eachother!

White-breasted woodswallow looking right ...

... looking left!

Then three huddled on a perch together.

Getting close to the entrance is an impressive new boat ramp and parking area. I share the following set of ubiquitous water birds. A silver gull floating effortlessly and gracefully on the beautiful crystal clear water of the river (further out was more teal, more dull now than the gorgeous turquoise of the incoming tide when I first arrived in the morning). Then a triology of pelican portraits sharing their unique characteristics and beauty - certainly all four do justice to basic black and white imagery (though the value of the background should not be under estimated).

You will by now have a very good sense of the variety I was referring to earlier in the post. If my recent visit to South Ballina was entrancing, imagine how I was feeling today 😁. 

Welcoming my arrival at the river entrance was a young brahmini kite keeping an eye on me from above. Some welcome this was, and it turned out to be just the "beginning" of the next phase of this walk!

There, searching the rocks on the receding tide was my next treat. I often see pied oystercatchers, but not so often the sooty oystercatcher. This day I was presented with two pairs feasting on their preferred diet (see photo 1 in the next sequence specifically). I have shared a few photos more than usual in this set because this was a rare treat for me and the photos were nice and clear in the light and so a challenge to choose 😀. Black is black but wow if looks great set off with the sharp orange/red eyes and bill and pink legs! Enjoy. 

 

Now, out the wall and even more satisfaction to be had! 

An osprey with prey underfoot atop the light on the south wall; a silver gull caught in flight and on a boulder both showing off different parts of the national park habitat in the backgrounds; and a noisy friarbird keen to pose and show-off its wonderfully quirky profiles and full frontal glares - the second one highlighting the bump on the bill and the hollow (hole through) in the bill!

And to get me through the walk back to the car the rainbow bee-eaters and magpies were still about (an adult magpie keeping an eye from above on the younger one practicing hunting on the grass) - fortunately no swooping!

Quite the visit. I did catch up with my colleague on the way out. We are heading back soon to spend a few days in one of his cottages - as you might imagine, I am very much looking forward to that! I took the road to Ullmarra on the way home, just to see how it got there ... a final treat for the day was this black-shouldered kite perched out in a paddock in the late afternoon sun.