After two previous very good trips to Barton Park where on each I had seen two raptors, I thought I would go again to Barton Park and see if any where still around.
Not long after I arrived I did spot the Brown Goshawk. But it flew off very quickly. I got a few shots. Continue reading
This was a short lockdown project. I had already picked out a selection of my better Royal National Park photographs from the past five or six years and put them into a Quicktime Video that I posted on YouTube. The slide show video has the photographs placed into certain themes – The Coast, Life, Rocks, Water, Patterns and finally Moods.
Like my earlier canyon slide shows, it is best watched at full 4K resolution on a ultra high definition TV or monitor. If playing on a Macintosh Computer, you should use the Chrome browser to access the 4K stream which is not available if using Safari.
Two days earlier I had seen two good raptors at Barton Park – a Brown Goshawk and a Grey Goshawk. I wondered if they were still around, so decided to make another visit. The Brown Goshawk seems to live in the area. The Grey Goshawk is rarer. its the first time I have seen one in my local area. As it turned out – I sae neither of these birds, but I did see two different raptors – a Nankeen Kestrel and a Black-shouldered Kite.
I spotted the Nankeen Kestrel through binoculars when I arrived in the early afternoon. It was perched on one of the lights at the old sports ground. I made my way up there. Unfortunately it was on the most remote light – the one you cannot walk to the base of from outside the ground. So I had to make so with some distant shots. It was hunting in the sports ground.
After the Greenway bird survey, I caught a train to Strathfield North and walked down to Mason Park. In the wetlands I spotted a single Black-fronted Dotterel.
Nearby, in Powells Creek a White-faced Heron was hunting. It would stir up the sediment with one of its feet and then try and grab any escaping animal that might be tasty. Continue reading
Another early start for a bird survey. This time along the Greenway from Taverners Hill to Hawthorne. And again it was an informal small group of us who undertook the survey.
At Teverners Hill Light Rail Station, being high up, it has often been a good place to spot birds. This time we saw White-plumed and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters. Continue reading
In the morning I had been down to the Cooks River helping to survey the local birds. In the afternoon, I decided to go for an exercise bike ride to Barton Park. I had been there recently, the day before in fact. On that visit, just before leaving, I had spotted a large family of Teals. Tow parents and at least 8 very young chicks. Its a bit morbid perhaps, but I thought the presence of the chicks may attract some predators.
When I arrived at Barton Park, I went to Landing Lights Wetland. I noticed the Teal family straight away. They were all out cruising on the far side of the main pond. I counted 10 chicks. There is a reason for so many chicks – they lose a lot to predators. Continue reading
With some easing of the lockdown restrictions I went down to the Cooks River early in the morning to meet a small group from the Mudlarks (Cooks River Bird Group) for an unofficial survey. With appropriate social distancing, we enjoyed a few hours looking at some of the local birdlife. The only downside was – we didn’t socialise later for morning tea.
We walked upstream on the true left bank up to the Boat Harbour and old Sugar Mill, then crossed over and visited the Cup and Saucer Wetlands before walking back staying on the true right bank. Some highlights – Continue reading
I was out for some more exercise and again I carried my camera to record any birds I saw. This time I started off at Barton Park. It was fairly quiet at the main pond in the Landing Lights Wetland.
I did see a Royal Spoonbill in the concrete lined creek nearby. Continue reading
I have photographed the International Space Station a few times. On 10 May there would be a reasonable chance to get some more photos. It was passing over the Sydney area, at an angle of 87°, and be visible for 6 minutes. This angle would mean that it would pass almost over the zenith, so its distance above Sydney would be relatively small compared to other passes. Also – the night was clear.
So here is one of my photos. You can easily see some of the substructures, including the solar panels end on. The details were – 840 mm, f9, 1/1000 sec, 1600 ISO.
I spent a pleasant day walking around the paths and trails of Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside. I also took a camera along and managed to get a few photos of the birdlife.
When I visit the reserve, I always look for the pair of Azure Kingfishers. Sure enough, I spotted one a few times during the day. As usual, though, the kingfisher was hard to photograph – perching on branches that were hard to get a clear view of. Here are some photos – Continue reading
