Storms and More at Malabar Headland National Park – 7 September 2018

I took another opportunity to visit Malabar Headland National Park and had a most interesting day.

I caught a bus to Maroubra Beach, and not far along the trail to the National Park I spotted a Laughing Kookaburra flying into a thicket of trees with something in its beak. After my recent observation of a Kookaburra with a lizard at Centennial Park, I thought this one may one too. I went into the thicket and soon spotted the bird perched in a tree. It did have a lizard. I found out later from reptile expert Ken Griffith that is was an Oak Skink, a species that you don’t see too much.

I watched the Kookaburra as it swallowed the lizard – it took a while.

I then continued on my way. One of my goals was to photograph the birdlife of the area, but a lot of lizards seemed to be out –

One little Jacky Lizard was sitting on the side of the track. As I watched it, it ran out and grabbed a caterpillar.

And the wildflowers were not too bad.

And the rock formations are always interesting – it does not matter what scale you look at them.

I also stopped to photograph some of the New Holland Honeyeaters.

I then continued to where I had observed a pair of Peregrine Falcons on previous visits. One of the pair was visible. The other may have been sitting on eggs in their nest. No nest is visible but I suspect they have one (called a “scrape”) out of site under one of the overhangs. I was lucky to get some good sequences of the Falcon –

It flew to another perch. I moved closer to a better position. I then waited and was lucky as it took off (bit not towards me) –

And another take-off from its original perch –

By this time it had started raining, so I headed to a close overhang to sit it out. The rain did not last too long and I then walked out to Boora Point.

I then walked around the headland and I could see smoke burning in the golf course to the south. I looked through my telephoto lens and could see a fire. It looked like a lightning strike.

The stormy lighting was nice!

I then headed back to Magic Point.

I went back to see if the Peregrine Falcon had returned. It had and got some more photos.

But another storm was approaching. I went back to my shelter cave. This storm was more serious – a thunderstorm with heavy rain and hail. I was lucky my cave faced the opposite direction to the wind.

I sat out the storm in the cave. When it had abated it was to to think about heading home. It was a very wet track – all the sandy, non boardwalk, sections were long pools of water. A waterfall had formed on Boora Point. Spectacular!

The storm had moved out to sea – but was still quite amazing – with a long roll cloud.

But the next storm was even more powerful. Lucky it hit while I was sitting in the bus on the way home.