Birds at Sydney Olympic Park – 6 November 2021

I decide to visit Sydney Olympic Park for a day of bird photography. I caught a train to North Strathfield then walked down to the Mason Park Wetlands. After a stop there, I entered Bicentennial Park and visited Lake Belvedere, then the Bennelong Ponds. Then through through the mangroves on the boardwalk and out to the Waterbird Refuge. Then over the road to Wentworth Common and a walk around the Brickpit before heading back to Concord West via the Waterbird Refuge again.

Spotless Crake

Mason Park Wetlands were quite dry. on the side track the only birds I could see where very distant Pied Stilts. Back on the main cycleway side near Powells Creek, I spotted a distant Black-fronted Dotterel.

There were quite a few Pied Stilts –

Approaching Lake Belvedere, I could hear the raucous call of a Channel-billed Cuckoo, and I looked up and saw two flying overhead. I was too slow for good photo.

On the island at Lake belvedere, there was a lot of nesting taking place. Here are some Australasian Darter chicks –

And here is a huge communal Australian White Ibis nest –

This Pied Cormorant is flying is with nesting material –

When I visit the Benenlong Ponds I usually don’t see that many unusual birds, although it does look good habitat for Rails and Crakes. Perhaps I need to visit early morning or late afternoon? I ddi see this Royal Spoonbill with breeding plumage –

Walking to the Waterbird Refuge I saw the usual Superb Fairy-wrens –

All of the smaller ponds seemed to be dry. On my previous visit there had been quite a few Black-fronted Dotterels foraging on the flats around them.

More Pied Stilts in the big pond.

There were quite a chicks.

I scanned the large pond with binoculars from the hide. The only unusual birds I spotted were these two (one obscured by a Silver Gull). I thought they may have been Latham’s Snipes, but thanks to Jenny Styles, she pointed out my error. They are Bar-tailed Godwits. They were a long way out and there was a lot of heat haze making photography difficult.

In one of the smaller ponds at Wentworth Common, I was fortunate to see a Spotless Crake. This was at a place where they have been seen by others and a place I have looked at a few times with no luck. Its at a  pond where I have often seen Buff-banded Rails. The Crake was very difficult to see – it was lurking in the reeds on the far side of the pond. The reeds were in shadow. I could not see the bird without binoculars and had to use them also to see where to point my camera. The photos have been heavily cropped and processed to try and bring out the birds from the shadows.

The Brickpit ring walk was fairly quiet. I then headed back to the Waterbird Refuge in Bicentennial Park via Wentworth Common. I looked in the other ponds for interesting birds but saw none. Back at the hide near the Waterbird Refuge, I used the shade as a spot to have my lunch. Then I slowly walked to Concord West Station.

Part of the way around the pond, all the Red-necked Avocets took off and flew around.

I thought it likely that a raptor may be flying overhead, but could not spot one, but I only had a limited field of view from the path.

Being a warm day, I headed home early.