Day 22 of lockdown. I decided on walk down to the Cooks River and then up Wolli Creek. The original plan was then to walk back to home via Earlwood and Cup and Saucer Creek back to the Cooks River, but once on the walk, I decided to return the same way.
Along the way, I was on the lookout for birds and fungi. But the fungi I spotted was disappointing and I did not bother taking any photos. This is one of the reasons I came back the same way, as I walked a lot faster than I expected.
Not far along the walk, on her Cooks River, I stopped to photograph a Little Pied Cormorant that was fishing.
I have watched these birds many times, and know they canasta underwater up to about 30 seconds. This one was under for about 15 seconds on average for each dive. Then at one stage it would surface after about 6 seconds. It did this many times. Why the shorter dive times? It was only when looking at photos afterwards that I could see that it had caught small fish. Too small to see easily with the eye, especially since they were swallowed as soon as the bird surfaced.
Here is the bird with another small fish.
Further down the river, I looked for Kingfishers, but did not spot any, so I continued up Wolli Creek. Above Turrella Reserve, at the Flying Fox camp, I stopped briefly to photograph some of the Grey-headed Flying Foxes. I didn’t want tasty too long as there were a lot of people on the track.
A short way further upstream, the rock climbing area was very crowded with climbers. I think there were at least 40 or 50 climbers in this small area.
I continued on my way. Here is one of the many Greenhood Orchids (Pterostylis nutans) –
Further upstream, I spotted several Grey Fantails. Here is one –
At Illoura, the grassy clearing, not far from Bexley North, I stopped for s short lunch break. Here is a Willie Wagtail –
Then, I started walking back the same way I had come. Like the first part of the walk, the birds were pretty quiet. But I did mange to spot a Sacred Kingfisher a short way before Illawarra Road on the Cooks River.
I stopped and took some photos of it. I was after shots of it flying, but this was difficult with the very high tide and lots of branches in the way.
It did catch a nice crab –
it took the crab to a higher perch.
And the moved even higher.
A short while after, it caught a second crab, but flew off somewhere with it. Not finding it, I continued on my walk home. I thought these Kingfishers may only be out when the tide was low, as it wood then be easier for them to catch crabs.