Day 70 of lockdown. Another exercise bike ride down the Cooks River. On another previous trip down the river (a walk), I had been looking out for Kingfishers, and I had seen an Osprey, this time my main aim was to see if I could spot the Osprey again. But as things turned out – no Osprey, but a lot of Kingfisher encounters.
I cycled down to the Cooks River, and made my way to Gough Whitlam Park. I looked out for Kingfishers but didn’t see any. On the island in the Billabong, I spotted two Striated Herons. One was perched and then second was on the nest.
I then cycled to Cahill Park, where I had observed the Osprey a few days earlier. I waited down the far end, past the Rowers Club, for a while. No Osprey, but I did hear some alarm calls from birds and looked up and spotted a Peregrine Falcon zoom past.
I moved closer to the bridge over the Cooks River near the Princes Highway. I was entertained bu a Willie Wagtail –
Heading back along the path, I spotted a Sacred Kingfisher perched over the water.
As I approached, it soon flew away from me.
And I saw it perched on some oysters.
Again, it didn’t stay there for long.
On the sand bar near the small creek there was a Pelican –
The Sacred Kingfisher came back –
It vanished into the mangroves, so I moved off. Here is a Little Pied Cormorant on the sand bar.
I then slowly cycled back to Tempe and around Tempe Reserve. Here is a Magpie Lark –
And I spotted a Striated Heron on the shore. As soon as I got my camera out, it took off and flew away. This is normal behaviour for them in contrast to the one I had seen the day before.
Back at Cahill Park, the Sacred Kingfisher was back.
It took off, grabbed a crab, and then flew to the far side of the river, to Tempe Reserve.
I then started cycling home for lunch. On the way, near Illawarra Road, I bumped into Michael from the Greenway Birdos. He had spotted a Sacred Kingfisher. We both watched it.
Was it going to take-off? No – just wing stretches.
More wing stretches.
We had watched it for a fair while, and it had not taken off in this time. I though it may be sitting there in order to cough up a pellet. Sure enough, it did.
And from previous observations, as soon sit does this, it often takes off and fill up again on more crabs. It sure did!
The crab was swallowed and there Kingfisher looked for more.
This was a nice way to finish my ride.