Birds of the Northern Beaches – 6 November 2018

I made another trip to the Northern Beaches with the purpose of getting more photos of the Peregrine Falcon fledglings.  I went out to the cliffs where I had observed them before – but on this visit I was unsuccessful. Perhaps due to the weather? It was warm and very still – no breeze at all. Perhaps they don’t like to fly in those conditions?

After wanting to see if they were around, I walked back to the beach, and there met Ken and John. They had also travelled up with the same purpose – photographing the Falcons. I told them I had not seen the birds, but by this time they may be around, so we then set out together back to the cliffs. But still no luck.  Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Nature, Sydney | Tagged | Leave a comment

Historic Railway Tunnels – Helensburgh and Otford – 5 November 2018

This was a very interesting day catching up with a group of old friends and visiting some old railway disused railway tunnels between Waterfall and Stanwell Park. In the party were Keith, Rose, Chris, Otto, Roger and myself. I had visited some of these tunnels a few years earlier.

Glow Worms in the Metropolitan Tunnel

We met up at Helensburgh, near the present railway station. The first tunnel we looked at was the old Helensburgh Tunnel. This is very close to the station and is quite short in length. It is also one that is fenced off – so we could not walk through it. Continue reading →

Posted in Illawarra, Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Landing Lights Wetland – 4 November 2018

I spent an interesting afternoon photographing the birds at Landing Lights Wetland at Barton Park.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Quite a few of the usual residents were present including White-headed Stilts and White-faced Herons as well as various ducks.  But there were also quite a few Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and one Black-faced Dotterel. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Jugglers and Grand Canyons – 2 November 2018

A very hot day was forecast, so it seemed a good time to visit some canyons. I travelled up the mountains with Bob and Doug. After coffee stop at Lawson, we decided to do Jugglers Canyon and then the Grand Canyon.

Bob abseiling into the Grand Canyon

We drove out to the airfield at Medlow Bath and there Bob parked the car. We packed our gear for the canyons and took a 40 m rope. It was short walk down to Jugglers Canyon. We used the rope for a hand-over-hand and soon found ourselves at the first abseil.  Continue reading →

Posted in Blue Mountains, Canyoning, Grose Wilderness | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Birds on the Northern Beaches – 1 November 2018

I travelled up to the Northern Beaches on what turned out to be quite a hot day.

Ruddy Turnstone

The tide was low in the morning, so I first went out onto some rock platforms at the end of Long Reef. I first spotted the more usual birds. On my way out, a Nankeen Kestrel flew overhead. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Sydney | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Malabar Headland – 31 October 2018

I spent another day out on Malabar Headland. On this visit there were whales – but they were a long way out and cruising past rather than breeching or tail slapping. Also – The Peregrine Falcons were not that active.

As I walked out, I could hear quite a few birds in the heath – but they tended to stay in the heath. Perhaps because it was a warm day? I did manage to photograph a Golden-headed Cisticola –  Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Bushwalking, Nature, Photography, Sydney | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nature at Wolli Creek and Tempe – 30 October 2018

I spent an interesting and enjoyable day wandering down the Two Valleys Track from Bexley North to Tempe and then crossing the Pacific Highway and looking for birds in Tempe Wetlands.

I could hear quite a few birds along Wolli Creek, but I had trouble photographing them. A lot, I could not spot, and some others like a Rufous Fantail were too quick for me.  Here are some of the birds I did photograph along the creek. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Bushwalking, Nature, Sydney | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Birds at Bicentennial Park – 29 October 2018

I spent a day out at Bicentennial Park at Homebush Bay wandering around and photographing the birds.

White-headed Stilt

I was hoping to photograph some of the migratory birds, but the only ones I saw were a long way off and therefore difficult to photograph. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Nature, Sydney | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bushcare at West Head – 27 October 2018

Our Bushcare Group spent a day weeding at west Head in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.

On the day, we weeded close to the lookout – in the same general area that we had weeded the year before. The main weed we were removing was Mother of Millions.  Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Sydney | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sculpture By The Sea and Some Coastal Walking – 26 October 2018

I made a visit to see the outdoor sculptures at Sculpture By the Sea, which is held each year along the Coastal Path between Tamarama and Bondi Beach. After that, I continue waking north to Watsons Bay, where I caught a ferry back to the city.

The sculptures are always interesting and well worth seeing. Quite a few of them look almost like repeats from previous years, with slight modifications. Perhaps that is due to the artistic style and the materials used by the various sculptors. Others are quite refreshingly different. Here are some of my photos –  Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Photography, Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment