Kalyarr National Park – Thelangerin Section – 17 Sep 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

This was our first of two days in Kalyarr National Park. The park is made up from former sheep grazing properties that were purchased and incorporated into the park. It contains important plant communities as well as cultural and heritage sites. On this day we planned to visit the section that contains part of the Thelangerin Property.

We were also very fortunate in having a guide – Susan, an old friend of Valerie’s. Susan is a member of the McFarland family that owned the property since 1872 and she accompanied us the whole day. Continue reading →

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Flight over the Hay Plains – 16 September 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

Valerie grew up in the Hay area, and her father was one of the pioneers of aviation in the area. Her parents were sheep farmers on a large property called Norwood, on the Lachlan River, and she often used to see the area from the air in one of her father’s planes. Thus she knew, that an aerial view would be invaluable for the others on the trip to see and appreciate the landscape. This was certainly the case.

Our pilot, Phil, was part of Valerie’s extended family. This was not a commercial scenic flight, but rather a favour of Phil’s to Valerie, and we only had to pay his fuel costs. Continue reading →

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Around Hay and a visit to Maude 15 – 16 September 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

We had arrived at Hay and first went to our accomodation – a cabin Valerie had booked at the Hay Caravan Park. The park was a short walk to the Murrumbidgee River, and we made frequent visits to see the trees and look for birdlife.

Here are some of the birds we saw on our first afternoon in Hay – Continue reading →

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Narrandera Wetlands – 15 September 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

I was travelling west with Valerie and Deb to take part of a trip organised by Brian Everingham for the National Parks Association of NSW to visit some national parks near Hay. A particular  focus of the trip would be visiting Kalyarr National Park. We planned to meet Brian and his wife Faye in Hay the next day, so on the way down we had time top stop off at Narrandera to visit the wetlands. These are just north of the Murrumbidgee River, just off the road to the town.

We had a please walk at the wetlands. Normally, one would follow the path that circumnavigates the large wetland pond, but we found when about 3/4 around that one section was flooded, so we returned the same way, and later walked back along the second we had missed, but from the other side. Continue reading →

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Greenway Bird Survey – 14 September 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

I took part in the Greenway Bird Survey from Taverners Hill Light Rail Station to Hawthorne Light Rail Station.

Here are some of the birds we recorded – Continue reading →

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Malabar Headland – 13 September 2022

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dave Noble

After the Mudlarks Bird Survey, I travelled out to Malabar Headland and spent the rest of the day there. The Peregrine Falcons were active.

I arrived at the Peregrine Falcon nesting site around noon, after walking in from Malabar. I soon spotted the male perched on a boulder on a lower ledge. Continue reading →

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Mudlarks – Cooks River Bird Survey – 13 September 2022

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Dave Noble

I was able to join the Mudlarks for their early morning monthly bird survey along the Cooks River. This month the survey was the upstream loop.

During the survey we spotted a good range of birds, including many that were either nesting or already had chicks. Continue reading →

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Taronga Zoo – 12 September 2022

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Dave Noble

It is always nice to spend a day at Taronga Zoo. This visit was with Brian, Gary and Sue.

We met at the Ferry Wharf at Circular Quay and travelled by ferry and gondola to the top entrance. Brian was keen to see the Lion cubs, now year old. But we first visited the Spider Monkeys. Continue reading →

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Nerriga Weekend 10 – 11 September 2022

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Dave Noble

I was fortunate to join a large group of friends for a weekend spent on property at Nerriga. One of the friends was celebrating a birthday and the large property was great location for the event. It was situated on a bend of the Corang River.

I took some photos of the river and some of the birdlife. Continue reading →

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Birds at Barton Park – 9 September 2022

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Dave Noble

It was raining during the morning and seemed to be fining up in the afternoon, so I headed down to Barton Park with my camera. It turned out to be a relatively quiet and short session of bird photography – a storm was approaching, so I left earlier than I intended. But still it was nice to be outside.

Here are some photos – Continue reading →

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