Blue Mountains Canyoning – Ranon, Twister and Rocky Creek Canyons 28 – 29 November 2020

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Dave Noble

Two very hot days of weather were forecast over the weekend, so Enmoore had suggested some Blue Mountains canyoning. The plan was to visit Ranon Canyon on Saturday, and then some of us may so some more canyoning on Sunday. As it turned out – there was Enmoore, Dave W, Rossco, Su Li, Brent and myself for rain on Saturday. And then Enmoore and myself visited Twister and Rocky Creek on Sunday.

It was ideal weather for canyoning. As we headed up the mountains, the temperature near Richmond was already 37° C. We had planned a latish start for Ranon as we wanted to walk out in the cooler late afternoon. Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Mountains, Canyoning, Grose Wilderness, Wollemi National Parks | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cooks River Birds – 27 November 2020

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was my next visit to check the status of some local birds. I cycled down to the Cooks River, and  went upstream to the Boat Harbour, then went downstream to Gough Whitlam Park, then back upstream again.

I first stopped off to check the status of a Willie Wagtail nest we had seen recently. There are now chicks, and the parents are busy supplying them with food. Continue reading →

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

Hole in the Wall Canyon – 26 November 2020

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Dave Noble

With the coming of hot weather, it was time for some canyoning. This week, Bob and myself planned to visit Hole in the Wall Canyon. We were joined by another old friend, Nipper.

We travelled up the Bell and Chifley Roads and turned off at the Zig Zag Railway turnoff and headed out onto the Newnes Plateau. Not far past Bungleboori Picnic Area, we turned off along the Waratah Ridge Fire Trail and drove to the car park at the end. Continue reading →

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

Malabar Headland – 25 November 2020

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Dave Noble

The juvenile Peregrine Falcons on Malabar Headland are growing fast, and I was worried they would soon leave the area, so I decided to make another visit. This one was a lot better in terms of getting photos of the two juveniles flying together.

Like the previous visit, it started off quiet. I did not see any Falcons for the first hour or so, and was getting a bit anxious, thinking they may have left the area. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

More Nice Birds at Emu Green – 24 November 2020

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Dave Noble

As bird photography trip go, this one was pretty good. I was fortunate to get some reasonable photos of a Mistletoebird and a Southern Emu-wren.

The Southern Emu-wrens have been one bird I was after at this reserve for a long time. Two trips back, I had been able to get some reasonable photos of one. This trip, I only saw one Emu-wren, and in the same location I had seen one previously. And again, it did not show itself for very long, but it chose a better perch for photography than before, and I was ready. Continue reading →

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

Malabar Headland – 23 November 2020

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was the next in a series of trips to the Headland to photograph the developing Juvenile Peregrine Falcons.

One of my aims is to photograph the two chicks flying together, and this trip was not very successful for that. But it was still very interesting. When I arrived, on this visit I walked into the park from the Malabar side. I did not spot any of the Falcons near Boora Point, nor at the their nesting area. I continued on towards Dead Man’s Gulch, without any success despite scanning the cliffs with binoculars. Continue reading →

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

Wolli Creek Nature Walk – 22 November 2020

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was another local activity. Wolli Creek is the closest intact bushland remnant to where I live and I like to walk down the valley every few weeks. On this visit, I caught a bus to Bexley North and then set off down the Two Valleys Track.

I was mainly on the lookout for birds, but also orchids. Of the birds I have been looking for in the valley, one that has eluded me until now has been the Variegated Fairy-wren. I had seen plenty of the much more common Superb Fairy-wrens on my visits, and had heard that the Variegated species had been seen recently. So I had been on the lookout for it for at least a year. It was good to finally spot it this visit. Continue reading →

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

Cooks River Birds – 21 November 2020

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Noble

With so many interesting birds in my local area, I thought another visit to the Cooks River would be worthwhile. This time I travelled by bike between locations.

I started at the new bridge at Lang Street and cycled up to the Boat Harbour. When looking around for the Tawny Frogmouth family, I got swooped by a Butcherbird. They have been viscous in this area on previous years, and you need to be careful. Continue reading →

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

Malabar Headland – 20 November 2020

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Noble

Here are some photos from my latest trip to Malabar Headland National Park. Like my other recent trips, my main aim was to photograph the pair of juvenile Peregrine Falcons. But compared to the trips this one was relatively poor.

As the juvenile Falcons get bigger, they move around the headland and can be hard to locate. When they do fly, its only for about five minutes every hour, so you need to be in the right place and ready. On this visit, I saw one of the falcons fly into Dead Man’s Gulch – the dyke between Magic and Boora Points. When I arrived there, I spotted the adult Peregrine Falcon perched on a cliff. A little later I spotted the two juveniles. One was perched on the far side of the gulch, and the other was perched on my side, and eating a bird. Continue reading →

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

Jugglers and Grand Canyons – 19 November 2020

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Noble

It was nice to head up the mountains with Bob and visit some canyons. It hasn’t been that hot so far this season, so we decided on Jugglers Canyon and then Grand Canyon.

We headed up to Medlow Bath and out to near the airport. Then it was a short walk along the fire road and track to the start of Jugglers Canyon. We soon descended the short hand over hand drop, and then made our way to the first abseil. Bobset up the rope and started off down the short drop. Continue reading →

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