I had not been to this birding site before. It is at Emu Plains, and lies between the Nepean River and the foot of the Blue Mountains. I walked there from Emu Plains Station – about a 20 minute walk. I found it a nice place to wander around and there were a range of birds to be seen.
Emu Green itself is a small park. Next to it is a lane that goes for about 1 km to the Nepean River. On one side is an open field that is part of a Prison Farm. At the end of the lane, on the left is a field used by the Penrith Electric Model Aircraft Club. While I was there, they were flying planes in the morning – and the places were remarkable quiet and didn’t seem to bother any nearby birds.
Along the Nepean River are tracks on different levels. This allows you to see the variety of birds in different habitats.
Walking down the lane, near a small creek, I spotted a Lewin’s Honeyeater.
Just past the club airfield, I came across a small flock of Brown Quail.
I then started walking in the upstream direction along the river trail. An Australian Darter was drying its wings –
There were a number of larger birds hiding in the trees. Here is a Satin Bowerbird –
This Grey Fantail was flitting around –
I then bumped into another bird photographer. He was a local and was able to give me a better idea of the layout of the area.
I followed the trail up to a high level. This provided a clear view into the prison farm fields. I could see a White-faced Heron flying past
I saw a large flock of small birds suddenly fly out of small tree and settle in the fields nearby. Too far away for photos however. I was not sure what the birds were but I thought they could have been finches.
Then a large flock of Starlings suddenly took off.
The Starlings seemed alarmed, and so were some other birds – Magpie Larks etc. So I looked around for a raptor. Sure enough – there was a Brown Goshawk in the air.
It then flew up the river, where it was joined by another raptor. I think they were both Brown Goshawks.
I then headed back to the lower area closer to the river. Here is a White-browed Scrubwren –
And a female Golden Whistler –
There were quite a few Red-browed Finches around.
And then I was distracted by the call of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. I soon spotted the bird –
Down on the sand near the river, I saw two small birds. I dint know what they were, so I moved closer. They were spooked and flew off into a nearby tree. They looked like a very tiny pigeon. Looking them up at home – they seem to be Peaceful Doves.
And here are some Superb Fairy-wrens –
And here is a distant raptor –
I then walked back to the Emu Green park to have lunch. Walking back out I saw a White-faced Heron in the creek –
Here is a Yellow Thornbill –
And another Lewin’s Honeyeater –
Back at the river, I followed the upstream trail. This time I was luckier with the small finches. They were in a different tree this time, and I was able to get some photos. There were two species. These are Zebra Finches –
And amongst them were a few Double-barred Finches –
And another Red-browed Finch –
I wandered around a bit more, but didn’t see anything different. I decided the start heading for home. But then I spotted a very distant Brown Falcon.
It flew off the wire and settled in a dead tree. I did a fair bit of walking to see if I could get closer. I couldn’t!
One last bird – a New Holland Honeyeater –
I will have to return to this area to see more of what it has to offer.