Nurragingy Reserve Visit – 17 October 2021

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Dave Noble

It had been a long time since I had been able to visit  Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside. It was on the list of many places I wanted to visit one the lockdown ended. I arrived at the Reserve around 8:30 am and stayed till around 1 Pm. By that time it was starting to get very crowded with picnickers.

When I visit Nurragingy, it is always with the hope that I will see some Azure Kingfishers. This time I did see two of them and was able to photograph one, but they didn’t appear till I was about to leave. More on that to follow. Continue reading →

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Cooks River and Barton Park Birds – 16 October 2021

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Dave Noble

This was quite an unpleasant day – quite windy. I was home in the morning, but felt like getting out in the afternoon for something local. I convinced myself that the wind had eased a bit and set off on my bike for the Cooks River.

This turned out to be a mistake. It was really too windy to enjoy observing and photographing birds. I cycled along the river and out to Barton Park, but didn’t stay long before cycling home. Continue reading →

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Photographing the International Space Station – 15 October 2021

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Dave Noble

It had been a while since I had photographed the ISS, the International Space Station. It’s a challenging object to photograph, but having a long telephotos lens for bird photography makes it a worthwhile subject when conditions are right.

I use an app on my phone and a NASA website to see when the ISS is passing over. Most of the passes are not worth the effort. A good pass, the ISS needs to be close to its closest possible distance, and a good start is for when it passes almost right overhead. The pass this evening around 8:30 pm was supposed to be at a maximum angle of about 86° – so close to the best possible at 90°. The brightness was forecast to be a  magnitude of  -4.2. Again pretty good. Continue reading →

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Malabar Headland – 15 October 2021

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Dave Noble

Another day out on Malabar Headland to photograph the nesting Peregrine Falcons. I had been out only 4 days earlier, but this day had been quite wet and very cold. I was hoping for better conditions this time.

As it turned out, it was a bit wet again, and like the previous visit, I did sit out some showers by sheltering in the sandstone overhangs on the clifftops. But, unlike my last trip, the Peregrine Falcons were a lot more active. Just before I left, I witnessed an amazing display of flying by one of them. Continue reading →

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Ruined Castle Walk – 14 October 2021

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Dave Noble

With the relaxation of the lockdown, I was able to resume my weekly walks with Bob. We headed up the mountains for the first time in many months. The weather was bot great – misty and wet, so we diced to do a walk that would be nice in the rain – from the Golden Stairs on Narrow Neck along the track to the Ruined Castle and back.

A friend and fellow bushwalker, Phil Foster, had recently been to the Ruined Castle and had reported some stunning Waratahs in flower. That would be another reason to head out that way. Continue reading →

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Greenway Bird Survey – Taverners Hill to Hawthorne – 13 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dave Noble

With the end of the lockdown, the Greenway Bird Surveys have resumed with a larger group. But the weather on the morning was not the best, and we finished off early due to rain.

Here are some of the birds we saw. Continue reading →

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Birds at Sydney Olympic Park – 12 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dave Noble

After the Cooks River Bird Survey, I headed off with Valerie to Sydney Olympic Park. There was a fair bit of rain showing on the radar, and we thought that we could sit out any rain in the hide at the Waterbird Refuge in Bicentennial Park. This turned out too be what we did. The rain did not last too long however, and we had a good walk along the east side of the pond and spotted some nice birds. We also visited Wentworth Common.

Grey Plover

Valerie parked at the Archery Centre carpark, and we noticed most of the nearby nest boxes were occupied by pairs or Red-rumped Parrots. Continue reading →

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Mudlarks – Cooks River Bird Survey – 12 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dave Noble

I was pleased to be able to take part in the now resumed Bird Survey along the Cooks River with the Mudlarks. It was good to catch up with members of the group again. This month the survey was conducted in the downstream direction from the Lang Street Bridge to the footbridge to the gold course club house, and then back upstream on the other side of the river. We were also bale to look at the newly reopened Dibble Street Wetland.

The day was a bit wet and cold. We met at the Lang Street Bridge at 7 am – and the pool light made photography challenging. Continue reading →

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Malabar Headland – 11 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dave Noble

Freedom Day! After 106 days of lockdown with very restricted travel being permitted for exercise or recreation, I was keen to get out and see some “old friends” – the Peregrine Falcons that nest in Malabar Headland National Park. Even though the weather forecast was not good, I still headed out. I caught a bus to Kingsford, then another us to Malabar and walked out to near Boora Point, arriving before 8:30 am.

As soon as I arrived, I spotted a Peregrine Falcon. It was nice to know they were still around. I watched it to see if it would take-off. Continue reading →

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Cooks River Birds – 10 October 2021

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dave Noble

Day 106 of Lockdown. The last day of the full lockdown!! The weather forecast was not the best, so I decided on a short local walk, and then I could join Valerie, Deb and Peter for lunch near the Cooks River. A nice way to spend a day.

I walked down to the Cooks River and crossed the Lang Street Bridge and then slowly walked upstream keeping my eyes open for birds. Here are some I saw – Continue reading →

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