Day 10 of lockdown. Options for exercise are rather limited. I have usually either cycled or walked down to the Cooks River and then continued either upstream or downstream. On this day, I walked downstream. At the river, I bumped into bushwalking friend Valerie, who also lives close to the Cooks River, so we decided to walk together and look for birds.
We had an interesting walk, getting exercise and also being able to observe some fascinating birds along the way down and back.
Near Wardell Road was a large gulp of Little Black Cormorants fishing in the river.
As we walked downstream we observed some Little Pied Cormorants.
Having seen some Sacred Kingfishers along the river on recent walks, we were on the lookout for them. We were lucky, we spotted one in a mangrove at Gough Whitlam Park.
We watched it for while before it flew off.
At the inlet/outlet stream for the billabong at Gough Whitlam Park, we saw two girls trying to rescue a fish. It seemed stuck at some rocks.
They moved the fish into the main stream and it swam into the river, but it didn’t look too healthy.
We decided to continue downstream on the true right bank for a bit at Waterworth Park – to the junction with Wolli Creek.
We stopped to look at an Australasian Darter.
We didn’t see any Kingfishers, so we crossed over to the Tempe side. At the small creek that joins the Cooks River at the station, we saw two Egrets and two Cormorants. Here is a Great Egret –
And a Little Egret was in the creekbed hunting.
Here is a Little Pied Cormorant –
The Great Egret flew across.
Meanwhile the Little Egret continued fishing.
Continuing on our walk, we saw a Pied Cormorant fishing in the river.
We crossed the Princes Highway and walked around Tempe Reserve. We saw a White-faced Heron and watched it for a while.
It caught a crab.
It walked to the sand and then swallowed it.
We then started to walk back. At one spot we saw some Noisy Miners squabbling over some food.
Near Fatima Island, either another or the same Pied Cormorant was fishing.
Then across the river, I spotted a Sacred Kingfisher on the rocks at Waterworth Park.
We walked to the Tempe Station carpark and then crossed the river and walked downstream to Waterworth Park. Would the Kingfisher still be there? It was, and it had crab.
It then flew across to the far side of Wolli Creek.
We thought that would be the end of our Kingfisher encounter, but no. Just as we were leaving, we spotted it again back on our side.
It moved to different spots along the river, but didn’t cross, so we could follow it.
It has caught another crab.
It flies off with its catch.
When we spot the Kingfisher shortly after it appears not to have the crab. It could not have eaten it in the time.
The Kingfisher then goes into a type of spasm.
Perhaps it is dislodging a bit of crab? It then flies off.
We next spit it in a small mangrove. It now has the crab. It must have dumped it, cleared its passages, then picked it up again.
It eats the crab and then flies to another rock.
It them flew across the river again, so we decide to continue our walk back upstream.
We stop to grab coffee and samosa from the kiosk at Gough Whitlam Park and have short break.
Walking back towards Wardell Road, we spot another Little Pied Cormorant.
And some Galahs eating grass seeds.
This had been some nice exercise and an interesting morning. It was great to also catch up with Valerie.