The passing whales at Malabar Headland are declining in number, but the juvenile Peregrine Falcons are still putting on some amazing displays of flying. And a few Sea Eagles and Kestrels add to the show.
On the way out, I stopped to photograph one of the usual birds – A Superb Fairy-wren – Continue reading
This was another walk I did with Bob, in a series to try and locate some Aboriginal heritage sites in the Blue Mountains. In particular, on the trip we were looking for cave art.
We had done some research into possible likely areas to visit, and Bob had been able to obtain a grid reference to what could be a very good site. The trouble was, that it was a long walk to it and then back to where we parked Bob’s car. It was also a rather hot day. We didn’t have too many big hills to climb was we would be following a ridge, at first along a fire road, and then along an overgrown fire road, and then through bush to get to where we hope the site was. Continue reading
I once again joined Brian Everingham on one his walks for the National Parks Association. This one was from Berowra to Cowan Creek and then and ascent to Mt Kuring-gai.
In the party was Brian, Sue, Paul, Valerie, Amanda, Andrew and myself. We left Berowra Station and crossed the railway line and the motorway and entered Ku-Ring-gai Chase National Park and followed the track down to Waratah Creek. This is a pleasant descent as the track takes gentle incline with a number of switchbacks. In places there are fine views. Continue reading
This was a pleasant day spent at Warriewood photographing the birdlife. I caught a B-line bus up the Northern Beaches, and on the walk to Warriewood Wetlands I ran into Jan, who was also visiting the area photographing the birds. We joined up, and later at Irrawong Reserve, met Alexandra, who joined us on the walk back through Warriewood Wetlands. After lunch, Jan and myself continued down Mullet Creek, then crossed Pittwater Road to Lakeside Park and finished off at Rat Park.
At Warriewood wetlands, Jan and myself, took the boardwalk track through to the Settling Ponds. On the way we spotted a few Purple Swamphen chicks. Continue reading
The previous day had been most interesting. The next day I would be in Maroubra Junction during the middle of the day, so decided to make a return visit that afternoon. This time I started from the Malabar side and walked out to Boora Head.
Conditions were reasonable. As I walked in a I spotted a distant raptor. I think it may have been a Swamp Harrier – Continue reading
This was another interesting day spent out on Malabar Healdand. Again, my main motivation was to photograph the juvenile Peregrine Falcons while they are still close to their nest area.
In particular I was after photos of two or three of the juvenile Peregrine Falcons interacting in the air. I thought this may become less likely the older the chicks get. When I reached the nest area, I spotted two of the chicks. One was on a lower ledge, the other was higher up. I waited for it to take-off. Continue reading
This was another very pleasant day wandering around Oatley Park with my camera. I saw quite a few birds and also some nice orchids.
I started by visited the wetlands at Lime Kiln Bay. I saw a nice lot of Chestnut Teal chicks. Continue reading
Warm weather means the canyoning season has arrived. Bob and myself were headed up the mountains to visit a fairly short canyon. I had heard about the canyon from another canyoner. They had wanted to know if I knew about it and if it had name. It was one I was not familiar with. It sounded short – but also seemed worth visiting.
So Bob and myself decided it would be good for a visit easy in the season. It was not a long walk to the start of the canyon – but it was scrubby. It did look like it had not been visited too often. Continue reading
Spring is always a good time for bird photography. The birds are often active – getting food, setting up nests, getting food for chicks etc. The weather is not too hot, so the birds are often active throughout the day. It was time for a trip up to the Northern Beaches. One reason was to check on the nesting Ospreys. Another was to visit the rock platform at the end of Long Reef to see if any migratory birds were present.
On this trip, I was joined by Jan. It was a full day as we visited a number of sites, using bus transport to get from place to place. We met at Wynyard Park, and hen caught a B-line bus to Warriewood. We then walked out to sporting park to see how the pair of Ospreys were doing. Unfortunately, on ur visit they were quiet. One was sitting on the nest – hopefully on eggs, and the other was perched on a light close by. A Currawong did make a guest appearance, but that was all. Continue reading
This was a most extraordinary day! Probably the best day of bird photography I have ever experienced. The main object was to take more photos of the juvenile Peregrine Falcons – and it looked like our visit was optimal for this. The three chicks and come a long way in their flying ability, and were now practicing their hunting and defensive flying. This provided many photographic opportunities. It also turned out to be a great day for photographing whales.
On the day, I met up with Jan on the headland. He stayed till early afternoon. And I was also joined by Ken. He was there from late morning till we left around 4 pm. Continue reading
