Day 65 of Lockdown. I decided to do another morning bike ride along the Cooks River Cycleway to Barton Park and back. And, as usual, I took my camera. It turned out to be a very good day for bird photography.
Here are some of the birds I saw.
First, an Olive-backed Oriole at Gough Whitlam Park.
On the island at the Billabong, I spotted two Striated Herons. I think they are soon going to start nesting.
I saw a single Sacred Kingfisher –
I then continued to Barton Park. At Landing Lights Wetland I photographed this Royal Spoonbill –
A Little Pied Cormorant was drying its wings –
Meanwhile, the Pied Stilts were busy –
The Spoonbill flew closer.
In the tress nearby, I saw this Yellow Thornbill –
And here is a Golden-headed Cisticola –
Then an Ibis flew onto the peninsula. This did not go down well with the Stilts. They must be nesting nearby.
They were certainly breeding.
Here is a Little Egret –
And the Little Pied Cormorant –
Here is one of pair of very noisy Masked Lapwings –
Back to the Pied Stilts –
Then a Grey Goshawk flew overhead.
The Pied Stilts didn’t react too much. They seemed preoccupied.
There was a lot of squabbling and fighting going on.
The fight would end with one bird dunking the other’s head under water.
it was time to leave the wetlands. Further along the creek, I spotted the Grey Goshawk perched in a dead tree.
Another bird photographer arrived. He too was looking for the Goshawk. In the distance we saw a hovering raptor looking for prey. It was a Nankeen Kestrel.
We then spotted the Goshawk perched on a pole on the far side of Spring Street Canal. We watched it as it took off and flew into the trees. I got ob my bike to see if I could locate it, but it seemed to have moved. I later spotted it perched in a tree close to the creek.
It then flew away.
Three Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos flew past –
As I cycled home, I stopped on the bridge over the Cooks River at the Princes Highway to photograph some Fairy Martins. It looked like they were nesting under one of the bridges.
