More Fungi at Bola Creek – 23 June 2021

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Dave Noble

I was enticed, by finding nice fungi at Bola Creek the day before, to undertake a second excursion to Bola Ck for a longer and better look.

This time, I went by myself, walking down the Couranga Track from Waterfall Station. This also allowed me to examine a rock platform on the way fro Aboriginal engravings. I looked careful but could not see any signs – except perhaps some very faint sharping grooves. I went to another nearby rock outcrop, and found a circular shape that may have been engraved by Aboriginals. Continue reading →

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Fungi (and rain) at Bola Creek, then Whales and Birds at Wattamolla – 22 June 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Dave Noble

I joined Digi Dave for a pleasant day in Royal National Park. Our intention was to look for fungi at Bola Creek, and that was where we started, but after an hour or so, it starts raining, and the rain seemed to become steady, so we decided to head to Wattamolla where is necessary, we could shelter under overhangs if the rain persisted.

At Bola Creek, the fungi was very good. We soon found a lot of interesting waxcaps. Here are some – Continue reading →

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Fungi at Chatswood and Ospreys on the Lane Cove River – 21 June 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Dave Noble

This was a mixed day – the first part spent photographing fungi at Ferndale Park at Chatswood, and then at the nearby Blue Gum Reserve. Next I walked down to the Lane Cove River and headed downstream to photograph the nesting pair of Ospreys.

Ferndale Park

I found a very good selection of waxcaps out. Here are some – Continue reading →

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Fungi at Sassafras Gully – 19 June 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Dave Noble

This was the day that I was hoping to go to Bola Creek in Royal National Park for a fungal survey. I thought conditions for fungi should be quite good. But the day was cancelled due to a poor weather forecast. And looking at the rain radar during the day, this was  wise decision, as it seems to rain there most of the day. But studying weather forecasts, it looked like the rain would be confined close to the coast, so I decided to travel to Springwood and see it any fungi was out at Sassafras Gully.

Hygrocybe stevensoniae

This worked out well – no rain during my visit and plenty of fantastic fungi to see and photograph. Continue reading →

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Bundeena to Marley Walk – 18 June 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Dave Noble

I was time to go on a walk with Brian Everingham and others from the National Parks Association of NSW. Brian was leading walk from Bundeena along the coast track to Marley and back. As well as taking in the magnificent coast cliffs of Royal National Park, we would have the chance to see whales and birds.

It started out a pleasant sunny day, but later became a bit windy. I travelled by train to Cronulla and travelled to Bundeena on the ferry with Valerie and Sue. At Bundeena we met up with others on the walk and got a lift to the start of the track. Continue reading →

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Ridge Walking Near Bell – 17 June 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Dave Noble

Bob suggested a walk near Bell out to Wollangambe Crater and back via a circuit that would take in some interesting pagodas, that I had long wanted to visit. But it turned out to be a quite trying excursion. It was a very cold and windy day. I walked all the time in long pants and a fleece. The cold wind made it difficult to enjoy the views – as climbing high on a pagoda brought you into the full force of the icy blast as well as bringing you into danger of being blown off.

Nevertheless, it was nice to be outdoors, and the scenery was very pleasant. Continue reading →

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Fungi along Wolli Creek – 16 June 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Dave Noble

After seeing some amazing fungi at Chatswood the day before, I used the afternoon of this day to walk down Wolli Creek from Bexley North to Tempe looking for fungi. I found a reasonable amount out – certainly a lot more than what I had seen on my previous visit, a fungal survey with the Sydney Fungal Studies Group on 29 May. But it looks like I may have left my visit a bit late as some fo the fungi was a bit worse for wear.

Gliophorus chromolimoneus

I will start with waxcaps. In a spot, upstream, where I had seen good waxcaps before, I found a few this visit. Continue reading →

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More Fungi Near Chatswood – 15 June 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Dave Noble

Recent rain and cold weather meant it was a good time to look for waxcaps. I headed up to Chatswood and then walked down to Ferndale Park. The fungi was better then I had hoped for – a lot was out, and I spent more time there than I intended. I then walked to Blue Gum Reserve and found the fungi there very good as well. After that I walked down the track to the Lane Cove River and after a late lunch walked upstream along the river to check out another site.

The third site was not as good for waxcaps, but it was quite good for coral fungi. Continue reading →

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Gardens of Stone Walk 12 – 14 June 2021

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Dave Noble

I was fortunate to be able to join friends for three days of bushwalking in the Gardens of Stone. We walked on the Wolgan – Capertee Divide. Part of the walk is within the Gardens of Stone National Park and the rest of it is in the proposed extensions to the park. This is an amazing area to walk in – whether to do a long distance walk or a shorter walk.

The party was John and Chuin Nee and their two young sons Jasper and Sebastian, Keith and myself. We had fine weather on the walk, but the first two days were quite cold and windy. Continue reading →

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More Raptors at the Northern Beaches – 11 June 2021

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Dave Noble

I spent another interesting day photographing the raptors on the Northern Beaches. Like the previous trip, I visited a number of sites – ending up at Long Reef.

First at the sea cliffs, I was on the lookout for Peregrine Falcons. I didn’t see any at first, but I did see a distant raptor. From its hovering, I thought it was a Nankeen Kestrel. I walked along the coastal path to close to where I thought it was, but could not spot it. I did photograph a Crested Tern diving for a fish (unsuccessfully) – Continue reading →

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