Oatley Park is always worth a visit. There always seems to be a lot to see and photograph there. On this visit I observed quite a few different species of orchid, and lots of lizards and birds.
Slender Beard Orchid (Calochilus gracimillus)
I walked to the park from Mortdale Station, and first visited the track on the western side of Lime Kiln Bay. I was on the lookout for birds, but instead encountered quite a number of orchids. Continue reading
It was time for the annual Sydney University Bushwalkers Christmas Walk to the Coxs River. I met up with Roger, and we walked down to the campsite earlier then the main party.
The walk down was hot and we were looking forward to cooling off in the river. On the way, Roger, a botanist, was keen to look for some rainforest plants that he had seen many years earlier. So we made a short side excursion to look for them. Continue reading
I had heard that the special Carnivorous Plants Display at the Calyx at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney was worth a visit. So I decided to see it. It was quite amazing and well worth it. It has free entry.
There was an incredible display of these amazing plants. It included over twenty species of Venus Fly Traps, a wide range of Pitcher Plants, Bladderworts and Sundews. Here are some of my photos – Continue reading
I had suggested this walk to Bob a while back. I had thought about some o f the other tributaries of Glenbrook Creek – such as Kanuka Brook and Magdala Creek – they both have waterfalls along their length. So I thought it likely that Western Creek could have a waterfall or two. It seems to be a seldom visited creek.
Small Waterfall in Western Creek
Perhaps in the past, when St Helena was weed free and a frequently used camp sight, some visitors may have walked down the exit creek from the crater and walked down Western Creek to Glenbrook Creek. I thought that may not be the best way to go now due to the weeds in the crater. Particularly Blackberries. Continue reading
Rain was forecast, but it seemed to be OK in the morning, so I made a trip to Tempe Wetlands and spent a few hours there.
My observations were similar to what I saw with the Tempe Birdos on the previous Saturday, but there were some new baby birds. A pair of Pacific Black Ducks had five chicks in the upstream pond. Continue reading
It had been a while since my last visit to Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside. My last trip there had been fairly quiet and I thought it about time I made another visit.
I caught a train to Doonside and made the short walk from the station to the Reserve. I made my way to the ponds where I had seen a pair of Azure Kingfishers on some of my previous visits, and like my last three visits I could not see them. I looked along some of the other pools and the creek – but I had no luck. Perhaps they had left the area? Continue reading
This was a very enjoyable day out with friends in the Mt Wilson area. We visited the lower section of the North Branch of Bowens Creek Canyon. The trip was organised by Wendy, and in the party were Enmoore, Keith and myself. Also Roscoe was visiting the canyon, but he arrived early at Mt Wilson and had set out by himself to visit the upper section of the canyon and meet us lower down.
We set off down the fire road. I was on the lookout for Flying Duck Orchids – but had not luck spotting any. I had seen them before in this area. Then we headed along the track that goes steeply down the gully to arrive at Boens Creek not far above the constricted section just before its junction with the South Branch. Continue reading
I spent a pleasant morning in my local area looking for birds. Early on I joined the Tempe Birdos for their monthly bird survey. I was in the group that surveyed Tempe Wetlands.
Juvenile Figbird
Here are some of the birds we spotted – Continue reading
I made another visit to the Northern Beaches mainly to see how the raptors were going that I had seen on my last visit.
I first visited the sporting field where the Osprey’s have their nest. The parents were not there, but two of the three juvenile Osprey were perched on or near the nest. Continue reading
I spent an interesting day with Digi Dave. We had planned to visit Woronora Dam, but when we turned off the Princess Highway, we found a locked gate. It seems the area is now only open on weekends. Perhaps due to some work go on? We had not thought of any alternative, so thought a trip down the coast may be worthwhile.
Black-faced Monarch
We first stopped off at the lookout at Stanwell Tops. Here we had a nice view. There was also some photography and filming going on. There was a photo shoot and at a another spot a TV camera and some local politicians being interviewed. I knew a bushwalkers standing nearby. He said they were announcing funding for walking tracks in the area. Continue reading
