Nurragingy Reserve – 5 June 2018

This was my first visit to Nurragingy Reserve, a quite large park at Doonside. It is a remnant of Cumberland Plain Bushland with added lakes and ornamental gardens. It is a nice place to spend some time and certainly a good place to see and photograph birds.

Yellow Billed Spoonbill

I walked the short distance down Cross Street from Doonside Station to the Reserve. I then started at one of the lakes. 

As soon as I approached a lot of ducks – both native and introduced swam or flew towards me. Obviously many people feed them! As well as Pacific Black Ducks, there were Coots; Grebes, Moorhens and quite a few Ibis. One Cormorant was diving for food.

There were also quite a few Wood Ducks.

Wood Ducks

I spent some time there before moving on to the next pool. Workmen were in the process of draining it for some reason. But there were plenty of birds there, perhaps because the level was lower allowing them to fund food easier. I first watched a Great Egret and a White FacedHeron. Nearby where two Royal Spoonbills.

In the same pool, on the other side of a bridge, where some more Spoonbills. Some of them were new to me – Yellow Billed Spoonbills. Nice to see.

I then wandered away from the ornamental gardens towards some more bush like pools.

Their water level was low due to the lack of rain. In one of them I saw a huge fish jump out a couple of times. It looked like it could be a thick eel. But as soon as I had my camera ready it stopped.

In another pool nearby was another White Faced Heron and a Great Egret. There were also some Eastern Rosellas – but they flew off too quick to photograph. I watched the Great Egret lunge for food.

Here is some of the habitat –

I then set off along fire trail circuit walk to the north of the Reserve. Part of this followed along a fenced off creek, and here were quite a few birds including Bulbuls, Bell Miners and Fairy Wrens.

The circuit took me back to the main ornamental pools. I spent more time photographing the Egret and Heron who were still there, and still looking for food.

I later sat down for morning tea, and later met a local bird watcher and photographer, Rosemary. She was on a work break and was walking dog but had her camera ready. I joined her for a walk around the Reserve and I saw a few new places. We both tried to photograph the Bell Miners along the fire trail circuit with only limited success. They are easy to hear (being Bellbirds), but hard to spot. Here are some of my photos –

Here are some of the other birds we photographed –

At one time, I was attempting to photograph a Spoonbill in flight, but also got an Ibis that looks likes its flying is in synchronisation –

Rosemary then had to return to work. I then decided to do another circuit through the Reserve before heading home. Here are some more photos –

This was a great day out at a nice location. Its certainly a place I will visit again.