This was quite a wet day, but the rain seemed to be easing in the afternoon, so I caught a bus to Tempe with the intention of walking back via Tempe Wetlands and Reserve and then along the Cooks River. I did get caught in some rain later on, but I enjoyed my time outdoors.
Juvenile Striated Heron
I did not see or hear too many birds at Tempe Wetlands, and it was similar at Tempe Reserve, except when walking along Holbeach St, I spotted an Egret and a Darter. But, by the time I unpacked my camera, both had flown away. So my photos start at Fatima Island.
On the Island were a pair of Pelicans and lots of Silver Gulls.
Recently, at Gumbramorra Creek, I have seen a Striated Heron and there also have been reports of a Kingfisher in the area. But I saw neither. But I did see a Little Egret hunting –
Here it has caught small fish.
Down it goes.
Nearby a White-faced Heron was perched.
Meanwhile, the Egret had caught another small fish.
Here you can see Gumbramorra Creek flowing into the Cooks River. The river is very turbid. Too murky for a bird to hunt for fish. So what the Egret has done is move to a shallow section of moving water. Small fish are better than none.
In Gough Whitlam Park, the Ibis were busy searching for worms and other creatures brought to the surface by the rain.
More Ibis were at the Billabong, and I flushed out a Striated Heron. The water was a lot less murky in the Billabong and was a good place for it to hunt for fish.
It was probably one of the parents of the pair of nestlings that I would look for upstream.
Here is a Willie Wagtail –
In the mangroves I spotted this juvenile Magpie Lark.
Not far away was the nest it had probably been hatched in.
And a parent.
Under the Casuarinas was a few Pepper Pot Puffballs (Myriostoma australianum)
I soon spotted the pair of Tawny Frogmouths. They seemed to be doing well in the rain.
Further along twas a huge fairy ring of Chlorophyllum molybdites.
At the site of the Striated Heron nest, it took me a while to locate the juveniles. And then it was hard to get clear view of them.
It was nice to see both chicks doing well.
Soon after, it started raining, so I packed my camera way and walked home.