I once again made a morning trip to Rookwood Necropolis to photograph birds. Last year, around this time, I made a number of trips there to photograph a nesting pair of Brown Goshawks and then later, their chicks. It was a very interesting experience. This season, I have made two earlier trips to the Necropolis, and on the first, I spotted a single Brown Goshawk, and on the second, I could hear one calling, but not see it. This visit, I did not see or hear one. Nor did I see any possible newly built nests.
But there were some other nice birds there. Not long after I arrived at the bushy part of the Necropolis – near Serpentine Creek, I spotted a large grown bird flying amongst the trees. Was it a Brown Goshawk? No, it turned out to be a pair of Channel-billed Cuckoos. Surprisingly they were not making their raucous call. They seemed to be on the lookout for Currawong nests, and the local Currawongs and Magpies were swopping down at them.
On the past two visits, I had seen a Black-shouldered Kite flying in a more open part of the Necropolis. Would it appear again? Sure enough it appeared again. Perhaps it goes on a morning tour of its territory, to hunt and check things are OK?
It perched on top of a pine tree and surveyed all around.
Then a sudden dive.
I don’t think it caught anything.
It landed on another pine tree.
And then landed on another about 100 m away.
This time it flew further away.
It was almost time to leave, and I photographed this Laughing Kookaburra as I walked back to Lidcombe Station.
