Robertsons Knoll Walk – 15 September 2020

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dave Noble

This was a very nice walk organised by Brian Everingham for the National Parks Association of NSW. We met at Wattle Flat at Audley and then walked downstream to just past the Varney Bridge. Then we climbed up the track to Robertsons Knoll and walk south along the track towards Uloola Falls, then, not too far along, descended on the track that took us down to Wattle Flat.

In the party were Brian, Faye, Valerie, Sue B, Sue W, Derek, Deb, Peter, Gavin, Charlie and myself. It was a great time of the year to do this walk – we were treated to a magnificent display of wildflowers, including six species of orchid in flower. Continue reading →

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Birds at Emu Green – 14 September 2020

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dave Noble

I spent a very full day photographing the birds at Emu Green. This area is nestled between the foot of the Blue Mountain, the Nepean River and a series of Correctional Centres. One aim of this visit was to see and photograph some of the beautiful Rainbow Bee-eaters there.

I did see the Rainbow Bee-eaters. But the most interesting bird photography occurred on the walk from the station to the park entrance. Walking past one for the prison farms, I heard a commotion going on. I unpacked my camera and witnessed a spat between a Whistling Kite and some Ravens. This altercation went on for a number of minutes. Here are some of the photos – Continue reading →

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Malabar Headland – 13 September 2020

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dave Noble

This visit was with friends John and Chuin Nee and their boys Jasper and Sebastian. It was one of those rare weekend days that the east side of the park was open, and we took advantage of that. But so did a lot of others – the park was quite crowded.

I had promised the others whales and Peregrine Falcons, but we ended up seeing no whales and, only one of the Peregrine Falcons appeared – and that was a very brief fly past. But there is always something to see on the headland. Continue reading →

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Birds at Tempe and The Cooks River – 12 September 2020

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dave Noble

I spent the Saturday morning bird watching and photographing. Early on, I joined the Tempe Birdos for their monthly bird survey. After morning tea, I cycled home slowly along the Cooks River seeing what birds were out.

At Tempe, I joined the group surveying the wetlands. Birdwise – it was fairly quiet. Here are some of the birds we saw – a Red Wattlebird and a Superb Fairy-wren. Continue reading →

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Birds at Sydney Park – 11 September 2020

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dave Noble

I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Digi Dave at Sydney Park. We decided to spend the afternoon indulging in some bird photography and I suggested a few venues. One was Sydney Park. Digi had never been there before, so that is where we went. One of my goals was to get better photos of the Lewin’s Rails that live there, and in this I succeeded.

There are lots of nice birds at the park, and here are some – Continue reading →

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Blue Mountains Heritage Walk – 10 September 2020

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Dave Noble

Both Bob and myself had visited much of this area before in search of Aboriginal sites. We had completed a number of trips late last year, but it became too warm during Summer so we held off further trips.

On this occasion we visited some of the sites we had seen previously, and also found some more sites. The wildflowers were also great. Continue reading →

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Vale – Liz Kabanoff

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Dave Noble

My good friend Liz Kabanoff passed away unexpectedly on the night of Tuesday 8th September. I got to know Liz through our mutual interest in studying fungi. Liz had a scientific career as a microscopist at the University of Western Sydney and had not long retired. Retirement meant that she could devote more time to her passions – looking for fungi, orchids and other delights of Nature. She was a very keen observer and talented at being able to spot small and obscure species. 

Liz Kabanoff and myself in Birdwood Gully. Photo by Gemma Williams.

I was fortunate to spend many days in the bush with Liz over the past few years. And they were busy days. I like to photograph fungi and orchids and on these trips, Liz would find so much that I would be fully occupied trying to photograph everything and still keep up with her latest finds. Hectic days, but amazingly joyful days – we would share our excitement with finding species unfamiliar to us for the first time.  Continue reading →

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Greenway Bird Survey – 9 September 2020

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Dave Noble

It was a wet morning on the bird survey along the Greenway between Taverners Hill and Hawthorne Light Rail Stations. This results in poor light for photography and a lot of the birds seeking shelter. So not too may photos.

Here is a Red Wattlebird – Continue reading →

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Photographing the International Space Station 6 – 8 September 2020

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Dave Noble

The evening of 8 September would provide a good opportunity to photograph the International Space Station. In the early evening it was due to pass over Sydney at a maximum inclination of 88°, and its brightness would be magnitude -4.1. At its closest pass over Sydney, when it is straight overhead, its angle would be 90°, so it would be very close to ideal.

For practice, it would also pass over Sydney on the two proceeding evenings, but at lower inclinations. I could use Jupiter to focus on (manual focus). Continue reading →

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Lane Cove Valley Walk – 8 September 2020

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Dave Noble

After the Mudlarks Bird Survey, I caught a train to Cheltenham and than set off for a walk down Devlins Ck. On the way, I met up with Bob, who had recently seen some Powerful Owls and their recently fledged owlets. He joined me for the first part fo the walk and showed me their location.

Even though he had seen them the day before hey were difficult to spot. We looked up into the trees along a section of Devlins Creek. After about 20 unites, our persistence paid off. We spotted a parent owl and one of the chicks. Then with a bit more looking, we spotted another parent and chick. Continue reading →

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