Nurragingy Reserve – 16 January 2023

I thought it was about time to visit Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside again. I arrived there about 10 am and then started wandering around. It seemed pretty quiet.

I first looked in the main ponds in the garden section. There were not that many waterbirds.

Walking down to the ponds in the bushland, I heard some Noisy Miners kicking up a stink.

Then I saw the reason. A Goanna was climbing up the tree.

The perimeter fire trail was very quiet. Perhaps due to a recent hazard reduction burn. Here is a Fan-tailed Cuckoo –

And a Yellow-faced Honeyeater –

Superb Fairy-wren – 

Brown Thornbill – 

Back at the main ponds, I photographed this Australasian Grebe –

And a Little Pied Cormorant –

I could hear a Sacred Kingfisher, and with the help of another visitor, Michael Taylor, who was there to look for cicadas, we eventually spotted it –

A pair of Eastern Rosellas were in a tree on the side of he long skinny pond.

I looked around these ponds carefully, but had no luck spotting any Azure Kingfishers.

Here is a Turtle –

And a few more photos of the Sacred Kingfisher –

And I was surprised to see this juvenile Dusky Moorhen sitting on a nest. I have seen juvenile Dusky Moorhens helping feed chicks (probably siblings), perhaps they also help sit on eggs?