Nurragingy Reserve – More Kingfishers – 27 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

I was keen to return to Nurragingy Reserve to try and get some better photos of the local Kingfishers. On this trip – I had no trouble finding them – but had less luck with the photos. It was easy to get photos of them perched on branches and rocks, but I was after photos of them in flight and in particular fishing. It turned out to be a very dull overcast day – and the light was far too poor to get action shots.

I think I saw four Azure Kingfishers – probably two parents and their two chicks. The chicks however only appeared very briefly and I was not able to get photos of them. But the adult birds were hunting a lot of time, perched looking for fish to prey on. Continue reading →

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Kangaroo Corner and Koombandah Canyons – 26 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

Enmoore had suggested a canyoning trip on Australia/Invasion Day. A few of us were interested in coming along and some canyons were suggested. Enmoore had suggested Koombanda Canyon near Bell, and I then suggested that we could visit the nearby Kangaroo Corner Canyon as well.

This turned out to be a good choice. It was forecast to be a very hot day – and both of these canyons have a short walk in and out.  In the party were Enmoore, Wendy, Grant and myself. Continue reading →

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Central Coast Wetlands – 25 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

Another day of bird photography at the Central Coast wetlands at the old Pioneer Dairy at Wyong.

As I walking into the wetlands, I spotted two Sea Eagles perched in a distant tree. Continue reading →

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Cooks River Birds – 24 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

I had not been  along the Cooks River checking out my local birdlife since the start of the month. A very hot day was forecast, but I wanted to get out and do something not too strenuous, and though a gentle walk along the Cooks River with my camera would fit the bill.

I started out from the new bridge at Lang Road and walked upstream on the north bank. Not far along, I spotted the outline of a Sacred Kingfisher perched on a mangrove. I carefully moved closer and unpacked my camera. Continue reading →

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Greenway Bird Survey – 23 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

It was good to be able to join the bird survey held by the Inner West Environment Group along the Greenway near Waratah Mills Light Rail Station.

Near the station, we spotted our first birds – a pair of roosting Tawny Frogmouths. Continue reading →

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Hat Hill Canyon – 21 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

Another great day spent canyoning in the Blue Mountains. I was with Bob and Nipper. We first visited hat Hill Canyon at Blackheath.

It was an easy short walk to the start of the canyon – the first of three constrictions. Continue reading →

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Birds at Emu Green – 20 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

It had been a while since I had been to Emu Green Reserve at Emu Plains. So I though I should make a visit to see what birds were around.

Compared to previous recent visits this one was relatively quiet. As usual I was on the lookout for Emu Wrens, but as I have often found – they were not to be seen. But there were some other nice  birds out. Continue reading →

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Royal Botanic Gardens Photo Trip – 19 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

John had organised a photographic trip to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. It turned out to be a very pleasant day out in a beautiful part of the city. The aim was to photograph the flowers, trees, birds and insects.

On our visit, it was a quite windy, which made it hard for insects such as butterflies to settle and able to be photographed. Continue reading →

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Palona Cave Walk – 18 January 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Dave Noble

This was another enjoyable day out in the bush at Royal National Park with friends – Valerie, Sue, Deb, Brian and Faye. It was hot weather so the walk was not energetic – we walked from the south end of lady Carrington Drive to the Palona Cave, then back down and up Lady Carrington Drive a short way to Palona Creek picnic area for lunch, and then back to the start.

The Palona Cave is a sandstone overhang that features some interesting limestone formations. These have formed from calcite that has precipitated out of the sandstone. Continue reading →

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Fairy Lanterns in Megalong – 17 January 2021

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Dave Noble

I headed up to Springwood and met Wendy and then Don and we drove in Wendy’s car to Blackheath and then down to Megalong to look for Fairy Lanterns. A friend, Greg, had recently posted some photos of these unusual plants on his Facebook page. So we knew they would be in flower. I had previously seen one of the species before – back in April 2015 on a field trip with the Sydney Fungal Studies Group Inc.

Fairy Lanterns are the flowers of the genus Thismia. These are very strange plants. They grow underground and obtain all their nutrients from a fungal partner. The fungal partner is also in a mycorrhizal relationship with another plant – in this case, a vine that often grows in the rainforest. Continue reading →

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