Powerful surf conditions were forecast, so I thought it would be nice to do coastal walk. So I caught a bus to Maroubra and set off along the new track into Malabar National Park.
Nankeen Kestrel
It was quite windy and some light train was falling. But the impressive waves pounding the beach and cliffs made up for any discomfort. Continue reading
I headed down to the Cooks river with my camera mainly to check on the progress with the Tawny Frogmouth chicks.
Great Egret
But on my visit, it was quite windy and one of the parent birds was sitting on top of the chicks to stop them being blown away – Continue reading
This was a pleasant trip down Claustral Canyon with a group of friends – Wendy (who organised the trip), Michael and Colin and his daughter Sam. I did not take any photos on the day, but instead shot some video. Here is the result on YouTube –
The day of our visit was quite cool. The air temperature was low, but the water temperature in the canyon was not that cold (by Claustral standards). I would have shot more video, but our party, and others just behind us were held up by a party that moved very slowly through the abseils. They were a party of four, and only had one rope – and that was a long rope which didn’t help with their speed. They also seemed to lack basic skills at setting up and retrieving their ropes quickly and efficiently. Claustral Canyon is not a good place to learn these skills. They should have been mastered! Our group was held up about an hour and so were groups behind us. Continue reading
It was the second Saturday on the month so I joined the Tempe Birdos for their monthly bird survey at Tempe Wetlands and Reserve. I then headed up the Cooks River to look for the tawny Frogmouth chicks one again.
We soon spotted an Oriole fly to a tree and grab a cicada and then fly back with it to another tree to eat it – Continue reading
I spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around the pools and foreshore at Bicentennial Park with my camera.
Superb Fairy Wren
I was mainly looking for birds, but the overwhelming noise was from cicadas. Continue reading
Thanks to Jennifer, who lives along the Cooks River, I had heard that the Tawny Frogmouth pair that live near the Dog Area were raising a new set of chicks. I had seen these birds in October last year with two chicks, so this is their second brood for the season.
When I visited, I spotted their nest straight away – it was in the same place as their last one, and was again a very flimsy structure – just a few sticks resting in a fork of a gum tree. But I could not see any chicks. All I could see was one parent sitting on the nest. Jennifer’s photo had shown two small chicks, so I assumed that the parent had covered them up. Continue reading
Kangaroo Creek is one of the major streams within Royal National Park. It starts near Waterfall and flows to join the Hacking River at Audley. On this walk, I started at Waterfall and walked down the creek to the Karloo Pool, then walked out via the track to Heathcote.
At Waterfall, I walked a short way way along the Uloola Falls Track and then turned off on another track to the left. I winds around through dense bushland to eventually reach Kangaroo Creek, then it follows above the creekbed on the true right, often following ledges. Continue reading
I spent an enjoyable day along the Cooks River looking for and photographing some of the birdlife and other animals.
I started off at Cup and Saucer Creek Wetlands, where I was pleased to see a Purple Swamphen chick. Its parents seemed to be absent and it was quite close to the path at the bridge. It seemed to be very curious of its surroundings and allowed me to photograph it quite close. Continue reading
Bob and Doug were keen for a canyoning trip and had suggested the North Branch of Bowens Creek. I joined them. It had been a while since I have been down this branch from the top.
This trip starts at the bend at the base of Mt Wilson (near the large wooden Mt Wilson sign). Bob dropped us off there and then drove to near Wynnes Rock Lookout, where would finish, and then rode back to join us by bike. He didn’t take long. We were off by 9:15 am. Continue reading
This was the second canyon I visited with Albert for some canyon photography. A day of extreme heat was forecast and the Grand Canyon at Blackheath seemed like a good place to be in on such a day. As it turned out, it reached 38°C in Blackheath and over 47°C in Penrith that day.
We had camped overnight on the Newnes Plateau with John and Chuin Nee and their party. They too had visited Rocky Creek the day before, and some of them also visited Grand Canyon – but from below. Continue reading
