Cape Baily Walk – 7 August 2022

I met up with Wendy for a nice day of walking in Kamay Botany Bay National Park. We started from the road that goes out to Potter Point. From the end of the road, its short walk out to the coastal cliffs.

It was a nice fine and sunny day, but a bit windy. And the wind got stronger throughout our visit. Once we reached the cliffs, we started walking north towards Cape Baily. The views along the cliffs are constantly very good, and also the sandstone is fascinating in the variety of its eroded patterns. We were also on the lookout for whales and birds.

We visited the historic Cape Baily Lighthouse, then went back down to the cliffs to stop for a morning tea break. We ddi spot some very distant whales, and also a lot of these sae birds – Fluttering Shearwaters (thanks to Sam for the id) –

And then we spotted a Peregrine Falcon flying towards the south.

It dived down and we didn’t see it for a few minutes. It then appeared below us.

It climbed and circled round a few times.

It is always nice to see a Peregrine Falcon!

We then noticed a small bird on the cliffs. It was an Australasian Pipit. It was the first of several that we saw on our walk.

we also saw this formation – almost another “Eagle Rock” –

And we followed the track around Blue Hole Hap*.

This New Holland Honeyeater has a beak full of insects –

Here, Wendy is looking at Tabbagai Gap, which was once the site for a settlement of small stone houses (from the 1920’s to 1969).

In the photo below you can see a ruin.

We walked almost to Cape Solander before turning back. There is a lot of construction work going on there which we wanted to avoid.

The walk back was just as stunning.

This Australasian Raven has something. I am not sure what it is.

And at the same spot we had rested earlier and seen the Peregrine Falcon, we stopped again. This time for lunch. And we were rewarded by seeing the Peregrine Falcon again. Briefly this time as it wizzed past with some prey.