Claustral Canyon – 24 January 2019

Time to head back to the Carmarthen Canyons. This trip I was with Bob and we visited Claustral Canyon. It was a warm day, but not super hot. Conditions were overcast and quite humid. There was a forecast chance of showers but no thunderstorms. The afternoon before there had been quiet severe thunderstorms in the Blue Mountains and west, but it appears not that much rain had fallen over the Mt Tomah area.

We set of from the carpark around 9:30 am, and were soon in the creek. About an hour after starting we were abseiling down Calcutta Falls. No other cars were at the carpark, so we knew we would not be held up by other parties in front. Continue reading

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Birds at Tempe – 23 January 2019

I spent couple of hours at Tempe Wetlands and the nearby Tempe Reserve wandering around with my camera. It was hot, and not many birds were active.

Channel-billed Cuckoo

At Tempe Reserve, I heard a few birds flying overhead, and though there may be a raptor about, being harassed by other birds. That was what it sounded like. I did see a larger birds being encouraged to leave the area, but it was not a raptor, but rather a Channel-billed Cuckoo. It was the first one I have seen in the area. Continue reading

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Escaping the Heat – Kangaroo Creek – 22 January 2019

I was keen to escape from the heat, so thought a short walk down to the great swimming hole that I had been to last week may be nice. The pool proved to be a great refuge.

On the way down, I was on the lookout for birds and orchids. This time I spotted a nice Bearded Orchid. There were also the usual Hyacinth Orchids. Continue reading

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Birds at Centennial Park – 21 January 2019

Hot weather was forecast, so I dint want to do anything to strenuous. I thought a wander around Centennial Park may be good.

There were lots of birds to see. One thing that I hadn’t seen there before were all the Darters. They seemed to be almost finished their nesting, as there were lots of juveniles. Here are some photos of the Darters –  Continue reading

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Thunder Canyon – 19 January 2019

My friend Enmoore was keen on some canyoning and suggested Thunder Canyon. It had been a while since my last is it to this magnificent canyon. This was back in 2008. So it was well due another visit. Wendy was also keen to join us.

We left Enmoore’s car at the Claustral carpark on the Bell Road, and then drove in Wendy’s car to Mt Charles. I think it was around 10:30 am when we set off from Mt Charles. Continue reading

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Wolli Creek Nature Walk – 18 January 2019

More heatwave conditions! Sydney had been experiencing an unpleasant spell of very hot weather. Too hot to do the walk to and from many swimming holes. But it still nice to get out. So I thought I would do a short easy walk down part of Wolli Creek, along the Two Valleys Track between Bexley North and Turrella.

The hot weather seems to make the birds harder to see. I could hear a few, but most seemed to be resting high in the trees. Continue reading

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Audley and The Crystal Pools – 17 January 2019

Another nice day spent in Royal National Park. Digi Dave and myself organised a day, stating with some photography at Audley, and then when it got too hot – we would head to some entry pools for a swim.

At Audley, we started looking for birds, but it was the colourful Dragonflies that captured our attention first. Continue reading

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Watsons Bay Sunset – 15 January 2019

I spent a very pleasant afternoon in the Watsons Bay – South Head Area. I was hoping for some good sunset photography – in particular the Sun setting behind the city buildings (which happens at this time of the year when viewed from Gap Bluff). I had an earlier trip with this intention – but on that occasion a large cloud mass to the west meant no real sunset.

I also planned to full in my time looking for and photographing some of there birds in the area. It was a very hot day, but at least on the coastal cliffs there was a cool sea-breeze which made conditions considerably more comfortable.  Continue reading

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Bicentennial Park Birds (and Spiders) – 14 January 2019

The forecast was for hot weather. Very hot weather, so I wanted to do an easy activity with shade available and not too much walking, and no hills to climb. A wander around the pools at Bicentennial Park seemed to fit the bill.

Australian Shelducks

I caught a train to Concord West and walked the short distance to the park. I then headed to the ponds. Despite the hot weather, there were a reasonable number of birds out. Here are some – Continue reading

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Kangaroo Creek Walk – 13 January 2019

This was a pleasant walk to a great swimming hole in Kangaroo Creek. The walk was on the program of the National Parks Association of NSW and organised by Brian Everingham. The party was Brian, Sue, Ross, Helen, Dorothy, Valerie, Chloe and myself.

We met outside Heathcote Station and soon were on our way along the fire road through the fire protection zone behind the houses out to the Bottle Forest. We were all on the lookout for orchids – and we did spot a number of Hyacinth Orchids along the way. Most of them were past their best. Continue reading

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