Day 67 of Lockdown. On this day, I decided to walk rather than take my bike for an exercise trip on the Cooks River. I walked down to Cahill Park and back. As usual, I took a camera and recorded the birds I saw. It was fortunate that I did as I experience some good opportunities for bird photography.
I didn’t see too much as I started out. But it was a nice spring day – and it was good to be out.
At Wanstead Reserve, I spotted a Sacred Kingfisher, perched in the mangroves.
At Gough Whitlam Park, I checked out the island and the Billabong. I saw this Royal Spoonbill –
At Waterworth Park, I bumped into Michael from the Greenway Birdos. He had his lens pointed at a Sacred Kingfisher.
It soon flew off to another perch.
And it didn’t stay there long, flying off for the far side of Wolli Ck.
I talked to Michael for a few minutes, and we saw a few Little Black Cormorants arrive.
A Little Egret Flew past.
A Little Pied Cormorant caught a nice crab –
I then continued on my way downstream. I was hoping for another Kingfisher at Cahill Park, but was pleased when an Eastern Osprey arrived. It was hunting for fish.
It then dived.
I missed tracking it lower in its dive. But heard the impact it made as it hit the water.
It emerged, but with no fish.
It then flew up towards Tempe. I turned my camera to a Caspian Tern –
By this time, The Osprey had returned.
Another dive, closer this time.
Again, it missed the fish.
It circled around again.
It came past and then started to dive again.
But it pulled out of the dive.
It then headed off upstream.
The Caspian Tern was still around.
I walked back up to the bridge over the river next to the Princes Highway. From the bridge, I spotted the Osprey diving near Fatima Island.
Again, it must have missed the fish, as it flew past over the bridge.
It then flew down towards Cahill Park where I had been and circled a few times.
It came past again, this time being harassed by a Magpie.
It made one last pass.
It them headed towards Tempe. I don’t know if it went over Tempe Reserve, or up the Cooks River again. I didn’t see it again. The time I saw the Osprey were from 12:18 pm to 12:35 pm.
I then walked back to Tempe Reserve and walked around the foreshore path. I watched this Little Pied Cormorant with a fish –
I then walked around the ponds at Tempe Wetlands. I did not spot very many birds. Here is a nesting Dusky Moorhen –
As I was leaving the wetlands, I could hear alarm calls from some birds, and looked up and spotted a rather ragged looking Brown Goshawk.
It was then time to start walking home. I noticed some paddlers had stopped off at Fatima Island.
And at Gough Whitlam Park, I saw this school of fish.
This had been a most interesting walk. The highlight was watching the Osprey dive for fish. I have seen Ospreys in the Cooks River catchment before (at Barton Park), but I think this is the first one I have seen on the river itself. It is probably the same Osprey (a female), that I saw at Barton Park on 20 August 2021. And also the one that Michael had seen on Wolli Ck the day before that. Ben, from the Tempe Birdos had seen it regularly near Tempe Reserve about a month previously. It was very special to see it in action.