Gardens of Stone In Focus – Photo Exhibition

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Dave Noble

I had the pleasure of attending the Gardens of Stone in Focus Photographic Exhibition yesterday. As well as being able to look at a great collection of photos of this very beautiful region there was a series of talks on different aspects of the values of the Gardens of Stone.

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Being able to see so many attractive photographs makes one wonder why it is not yet a national park. The present Gardens of Stone National Park only covers about one third of the area that is worthy of protection. Continue reading →

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The Stead Memorial Walk

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Dave Noble

I recently heard about this worthwhile project being undertaken by David Stead, the grandson of two of the major early conservationists in NSW, David G Stead and Thistle Stead. David Stead, the grandson, intends to walk from Wirrimbirra Wildlife Sanctuary near Bargo to Mt Stead, above the Grose Valley north of Leura. Wirrimbirra is a field studies centre set up by Thistle Stead as a memorial to her husband.

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This project is a fund raiser for a scholarship program to help conservation. Go to the Stead Memorial Walk Website for more information and to make a donation.

David G Stead has been credited with saving the Koala from extinction. Around 1930, when about 500,000 Koalas were killed in one month for the fur trade, he lobbied President Hoover in USA and their fur importation was banned.

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Royal National Park Photo Walk

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Dave Noble

Its always nice to return to Royal National Park with a camera. On this trip I saw a variety of wildlife (birds, lizards and snakes) and a great display of  wildflowers.

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Royal National Park has a mixture of landscapes – sea cliffs, coastal heathlands, sandy beaches, lagoons, bays and headlands and some great waterfalls.  Continue reading →

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Sydney Harbour – Sunrise and Morning – 12 September 2016

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Dave Noble

Last week I had been stuck at home with a bad cold, so was keen to get out. But, I had got tired the day before at West Head, so thought an easy morning would be better than a more strenuous bushwalk.

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I got up early  and caught a train to Circular Quay and then headed up onto the walkway on the Cahill Expressway and continued along to the Harbour Bridge to photograph the sunrise. It was nice, but not that atmospheric. As well a shooting stills, I also had a second camera to record some time lapse sequences. Continue reading →

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Bush Regeneration at West Head – 11 September 2016

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Dave Noble

Our bush care group was heading out to West Head to help wth some bush regeneration. We started at the West  Head Lookout and descended on a newly reconstructed track, down some ladders to the old World War II battery. We then walked along the head – mainly boulder hopping to reach an area with a lot of weeds. Here we spent the morning clearing the weeds.

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The most dominant weed in this section of the National Park was lantana. Some of it could be pulled out of the soft soil. Bigger plants had to sawn off close to the base – and then the cut part painted with roundup.  Continue reading →

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100 Birds and Still Counting – 10 September 2016

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Dave Noble

The local bird group – The Tempe Birdos has recently added a 100th bird to their bird list for birds seen at the Tempe Wetlands and Tempe Reserve. This is a fantastic achievement from a dedicated group of citizen scientists.

White Plumed Honeyeater

White Plumed Honeyeater

I went and joined the group for their usual second Saturday of the month observation morning at Tempe Wetlands. Continue reading →

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Cooks River Birds – 8 September 2016

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Dave Noble

After being sick at home for the best part of a week with a bad cold, it was pleasant to get out and enjoy some local nature. I headed down to the Cooks River area to photograph some local wildlife.

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I cycled along the cooks River from Dulwich Hill to the Cup and Saucer Creek Wetlands and then up Cup and Saucer Creek, and eventually finished off at the Landing Lights Wetlands. Continue reading →

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The Big Baird Wolf Strikes Again – A Sad Day for Local Wildlife and Trees

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Dave Noble

Today – The 7th September is supposed to be “Threatened Species Day”. How sad then that it has been marked by the destruction of a local forest area, an area that was one of the few remaining remnants of critically endangered Cooks River – Castlereagh Ironbark Forest.

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This is a small area adjacent to the M5 Motorway and lies in the Wolli Ck Valley between Kingsgrove and Beverley Hills. Why have the trees been removed? The reason is that the land will be used as an access ramp – either for the expanded motorway or to access a tunnel. As native forest, it provided a haven for wildlife – including birds such as powerful owls. It takes many decades for trees to form hollows suitable for nesting birds and homes for sugar gliders. Continue reading →

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Wild Blue Mountains Calendar 2017

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Dave Noble

Ian Brown’s Wild Blue Mountains Calendar for 2017 is now available. Ian is a Blue Mountains based nature photographer, and once again has taken a very nice series of photographs which he has published in his calendar.

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Copies can be ordered online from his website Ian Brown Photography or from selected bookshops in the Blue Mountains.

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New Book on Balls Pyramid

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Dave Noble

I have just finished reading a fine new book on the climbing history and other aspects of Balls Pyramid. The book is called “South Pacific Pinnacle – The Exploration of Balls Pyramid” and had been edited by Jim Smith with the aid of Keith Bell.

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Balls Pyramid has been called the “worlds tallest sea stack”. It is an amazing pinnacle of rock, the last remnants of an old volcanic caldera that lies close to Lord Howe Island. Its spectacular summit is about 560 m above the sea.  Continue reading →

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