Red Rocks Walk – 24 – 25 September 2016

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Dave Noble

I joined several groups of friends and we headed up to the Red Rocks on the weekend to celebrate some birthdays. In the party were John, Chuin Nee, Jasper, Sebastian, Keith, Rob, Martin, Steffy, Stu, Su Li, Brent, Rik, Talia, Michael, Dan and Lauren.

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I was walking up with John and Chuin Nee and their two sons Jasper (4) and Sebastian (1). We headed up the quickest route from Newnes via Little Capertee Creek and then traversed to Point Nicholson where we met a lot of the others. Another smaller group joined us later.  Continue reading →

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Landing Lights Wetland – Birds – 23 September 2016

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Dave Noble

Digi Dave and myself headed out to the Landing Lights Wetland near Rockdale for an afternoon of bird photography.

Silvereye

Silvereye

When we arrived there were not that many birds in the main wetland pool – a few ducks and the odd ibis. We later spotted a couple of herons. Continue reading →

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North Head Walk – 22 September 2016

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Dave Noble

Some rain was forecast, but I was keen to get out for a walk. I caught the train to Circular Quay and then jumped on the Manly Ferry. On the way, the weather was looking more ominous, so I changed my original plans for walking to The Spit and instead thought a walk around North Head may be better. This would be a shorter walk with options for shelter in case it rained a lot and also better views of the storm.

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Storm clouds did indeed build up on my way to Manly. The lighting was quite impressive. But the rain held off.  Continue reading →

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Taronga Zoo Visit – 21 September 2016

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Dave Noble

On this visit to the Zoo, I wanted to try and photograph some of the animals that were located in dark places such as the Platypus and the occupants of the Nocturnal House.

Baby Meerkat

Baby Meerkat

To attempt these photographic challenges in places where artificial lighting in not permitted I used a fast (55 mm f1.8) prime lens and a high ISO. Continue reading →

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Royal National Park – Southern Coastline

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Dave Noble

It had been a while since I had been to the Figure Eight Pool on the southern coastline at Royal National Park.

Looking down at the Figure of Eight Pool

Looking down at the Figure of Eight Pool

For some reason it has become a popular place for Instagrammers to head to with their selfie sticks. I have no idea for the reason for this. Circular rock pools are common on coastlines and along rock shelfs in riverbeds. Having two such pools close to each other and then coalesce is also probably not that unusual. I have seen other examples in Royal National Park. Continue reading →

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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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