Birdwatching at Taren Point Shorebird Reserve, Quibray Bay and The Cooks River – 10 December 2020

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was a nice day out with friends Valerie, Sue and Deb. We started out at the Shorebird Reserve at Taren Point.

We saw a number of birds there, including a Striated Heron and a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Claustral Canyon – 9 December 2020

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was my first trip down Claustral Canyon for nearly two years – it was good to be back! Its one canyon I try and visit every season, but bushfires had prevented a visit the pervious summer. I have to admit though, that I recently visited Ranon Brook Canyon, which has a long section in common with Claustral Canyon. Both Ranon and Claustral are very fine canyons and it is hard to decide which is better. I think I marginally prefer Claustral.

My previous trip down Claustral had been an overnight photographic trip with Albert in February 2019. It had been great on that trip to have plenty of time to set up cameras and tripods and enjoy the changing light and atmosphere of the canyon. On a day trip – you tend to walk faster, and you don’t like slowing the party down. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Mountains, Canyoning | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mudlarks Bird Survey and More Cooks River Birds – 8 December 2020

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Dave Noble

I spent a nice morning on the Cooks River. It was an early start with the Mudlarks – for the monthly bird survey. This time we surveyed the birds downstream from the new Lang Street Bridge – down to the bridge across to the Golf Course, then back up past Wave Rock and back to Ewan Park for morning tea. After morning tea, I joined Valerie for a look at the local Tawny Frogmouths.

The survey went well. There are some of the birds we saw – Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Nurragingy Reserve – 7 December 2020

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was another very pleasant day spent at Nurraging Reserve at Doonside indulging in some bird photography. A hot day was forecast, so I started out early and stayed till about 2 pm.

I saw a good range of birds during my visit. Two species I always hope to see at Nurragingy are Azure Kingfishers and Blue-faced Honeyeaters. I didn’t see any of the honeyeaters, and I had a fleeting glimpse of an Azure Kingfisher – but didn’t manage to get a photo. But despite this, I was delighted to see a lot of other nice birds. When I arrived, I could hear the call of a Sacred Kingfisher. It was in the same place I had seen a pair on an earlier trip, and sure enough, there were two perched close together. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Kangaroo Creek Walk – 6 December 2020

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Dave Noble

It was going to be a hot day. A walked to some nice swimming holes in Royal National Park seemed like a good idea – so I did not hesitate to join friends for this activity. The plan was to walk from Heathcote, down to the Karloo Pool in Royal National Park, then continue downstream to the Olympic Pool.

In the party were Enmoore, Su Li, Brent, Martin, Steffy, John, Chuin Nee, Jasper, Sebastian and myself. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushwalking, Royal National Park | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Malabar Headland and the Cooks River – 4 December 2020

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Dave Noble

I had been to Malabar Headland two days earlier, and that trip had been reasonable. Valerie and Sue were keen to see how the juvenile Peregrine Falcons were going, as  they had not seen them since they had just fledged. I was happy to make another visit as I knew they would not be around for very long.

Well, as it turned out, we did not see any of the Peregrine Falcons – neither the juveniles nor their parents. Although at one stage we all thought we had heard one calling. As the chicks get older their flying improves and they range further and further away from the nest area. I think they all still roost near the nest, and they may rest and fly in that area if conditions are suitable. But, it also could be the time for the juveniles to leave home? Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Bowens Creek Canyon – South Branch, Upper Section – 3 December 2020

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Dave Noble

Bowens Creek offers some great canyoning opportunities. There are good section of canyon in both the north and south branches of the creek, and the canyon continues for a fair way downstream from the junction of these two branches. On this trip, we visited the canyon in the upper section of the south branch.

Many parties visit this canyon by abseiling down a small southern tributary, but that entrance misses at least half the canyon in the upper section. It is much better to start very high up. On this trip, there was Bob, Nipper and myself. We drove a short way out along the Mt Wilson Road and parked at where a power line access fire road turns off. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Mountains, Canyoning | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Malabar Headland – 2 December 2020

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Dave Noble

Another day spent out on Malabar Headland. I think things are starting to quieten down in regard to the juvenile Peregrine Falcons. They can now fly a lot further and seem a lot harder to locate when perched on the cliffs.

On this trip, I could hear one of the juvenile Peregrine Falcons calling out, from somewhere in Dead Man’s Gulch. I could not see it until it moved. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Birds at Landing Lights Wetland and the Cooks River – 1 December 2020

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Dave Noble

Brian Everingham had organised a bird acting activity with the National Parks Association of NSW to look at birds at Landing Lights Wetland at Barton Park. In the party were Brian, Sue W, Sue B, Valerie, Deb, Ute, Janine, Vivienne, Allen and myself. We spent a nice morning wandering around looking at the birds, then I joined two of the participants Valerie and Sue B and Sue W for lunch at Gough Whitlam Park, and after that we checked out the Tawny Frogmouths.

At Landing Lights Wetland, there was not a huge abundance of birds. The main waders were a pair of Pied Stilts and their three chicks – Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cooks River Birds Update – 30 November 2020

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Dave Noble

This is just an update on the status of some of the Tawny Frogmouths and other birds along the Cooks River.

First stop was to see how a Willie Wagtail nest was going.  One parent was squashed into the nest with its two chicks. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , | Leave a comment