Day 12 of the lockdown. I decided to do another bike ride along the Cooks River and then to Barton Park and back. I packed my camera to record any birds I saw along the way.
I looked along the Cooks River for Kingfishers, and I did see one perched on rocks a little below Illawarra Road. But when I parked my bike and got my camera out, it had flown away. So I continued on my way.
At Fatima Island, I saw a few birds, a few Silver Gulls, a Pied Cormorant and a Australasian Darter.
on the far side of the river where a Little Egret and a White-faced Heron –
Then to Barton Park, where I first visited Landing Lights Wetland. At the sign end, I watched two White-faced Herons feeding –
Nearby, a Golden-headed Cisticola perched and started calling.
Back to the Herons.
Then high up and a fair way off, I spotted a raptor. I think it is a Brown Goshawk.
The raptor flew off, so I went back to the Herons.
And then I decided to move off. A little further in the wetlands, I heard and saw another Golden-headed Cisticola.
In the ponds were about five Pied Stilts.
One of the White-faced Herons was around.
A Pied Stilt flew past.
The raptor flew high again.
I went up to the top level at the sporting parks. Here is a Welcome Swallow –
And there was a lot of Red-browed Finches –
I was pleased to see a Brown Honeyeater feeding in the Lantana –
And one of the Superb Fairy-wrens was not afraid to get close –
Below, I could see a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike –
Back, lower down, near the creek outlet, I bumped into fellow bird photographer, Daniele. We compared notes on what we had seen.
I then went back to the wetlands. One of the White-faced Herons was still feeding –
Riding home, at Tempe Reserve, I spotted a Striated Heron hiding in the mangroves.
I then went to Waterworth Park, where I bumped into Louise and Martin. They were on the lookout for the Sacred Kingfisher. While we were talking we saw a Pied Cormorant with a fish –
Then Louise spotted a Sacred Kingfisher. When I approached, it flew off and perched on the far side of Wolli Ck.
We watched it for a while, but it was too far away foe good photography, and by this time I was getting hungry, so decided to head off, and cycled back up the Cooks River.
A little before Illawarra Road, I spotted the Sacred Kingfisher I had seen that morning. It was perched in a tree close to the path.
It went for a short flight, to another perch.
The Kingfisher then flew off. I was looking for it and spotted this Little Pied Cormorant –
I then spotted the Kingfisher. It was on another perch close to the path. I watched it for a while and it seemed pretty settled. I did not want to disturb it, so keep riding.
