I attended the Field Study with the Sydney Fungal Studies Group held at Mill Creek in Dharug National Park. Before the field study, the group had some discussion about whether it was worthwhile for it to go ahead given the very dry conditions recently. It did go ahead, and it was not as bad as we thought it may be, although a lot of the fungi we observed was in poor condition.
Cruentomycena viscidocruenta Continue reading
I had a few hours free in he afternoons I decided to walk along the Cooks River between Illawarra Road and Gough Whitlam Park to see what birds were out.
Here are some photos – Continue reading
I had never walked to Spion Kop, a hill overlooking Brisbane Water near Woy Woy. The name seemed unusual for an Australian location, and there are indeed other Spion Kops around, including one near Waterfall in Heathcote National Park. I think the original name comes from a “kop” – the dutch word for hill, so it is likely that this features were named about the time of the Boer War. Doug knows the area well and had visited it and assured Bob and myself that is well worth visiting, and is accessible by a track. Bob worked out a route from Kariong that took us past some Aboriginal engraving sites.
The first Aboriginal engraving site was close to the fire road we followed from Kariong. It was a clearly marked kangaroo – Continue reading
Valerie invite me to join her on day at Oatley Park. We had a very pleasant time wandering around looking for birds and other wildlife.
We started at the wetland ponds of Lime Kiln Bay. Continue reading
I had just enough time for a walk along the Cooks River with my camera. So I caught a bus along Illawarra Road and walked downstream along the River to Gough Whitlam Park and then back the same way.
Here are some of the birds I saw along the way. Continue reading
Sue joined me for another day at Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside. The highlight were some good but brief encounters with the local Azure Kingfishers.
We also bumped into Wayne, the local nature guru, who was wandering around with his camera and tripod.
Here are some of the birds we spotted – Continue reading
I headed up to Long Reef again as lately it has been a very good location to photograph raptors, in particular Ospreys. It was another very good day. The highlight was a skirmish between the Osprey and a Sea Eagle.
When I arrived, I could see a few Osprey perched on rocks out on the Headland and on trees and exposed roots. But there was one on a nearby rock with a fish. I moved closer. Another bird photographer, Celine was also there.
My paternal grandfather was an original Anzac, having landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 with the New Zealand Army. He was wounded and repatriated back to New Zealand, and later returned to serve on the Western Front. He was decorated with the Military Medal and bar. Both my uncles served in World War II. My father’s brother served as a navigator of a Halifax Bomber over Europe and my mother’s brother served in the defence of Australia at Darwin. My father also served, but not in active combat, as the war ended while he was training with the New Zealand Air Force, but he did serve in Japan as part of the allied occupation forces. I had watched the Sydney Anzac March on TV but never been to see it.
I joined Sue and later, Valerie, to watch the March go past Hyde Park. It was a very solemn procession, and a time for reflection. Continue reading
It was time to sit the Zoo. I joined Valerie and Sue for a very pleasant and relaxing day wandering around the Zoo, looking at the animals.
Here are some photos – Continue reading
Bob, Nipper and Doug were keen to visit an Aboriginal art cave on the western side of the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area that I had visited a a few times. So we headed out past Lithgow and were soon walking along a fire road in the Gardens of Stone.
The country was open woodland. Continue reading
