Local Birds – Tempe Wetlands, Landing Lights Wetland and Cooks River – 14 August 2018

I spent a pleasant day cycling along local bike paths and stopping to look for and photograph the birdlife.

I went down to the Cooks River Cycleway and first stopped at Gough Whitlam Park. Not too many birds around – but in the pool with the island were a Cormorant and an Egret.

Then to Tempe Wetlands where I walked around slowly looking to see what I could find. Again, not too many birds out and those I ddi see or hear where hard to photograph. Here are a few –

Superb Fairywren

White-plumed Honeyeater

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Silvereye

A few lizards were starting to appear – liking the earth of the Sun.

Looking up into one of  the Eucalypt trees I noticed all the leaves looked like they were being partially eaten. I wonder what does this? Perhaps its the Spotted Pardalotes who do this when the lever off the small insects they eat.

I then rode around the cycleway on the perimeter of Tempe Reserve. A few distant birds, but the only one I photographed was this Cormorant –

I then crossed the Cooks River and on the southern side, I stopped to watch another Cormorant diving for fish. It soon caught a couple of small ones.

I continued along the cycleway to the Landing Lights Wetland in Barton Park. I saw a Spoonbill there, but it flew off before I could photograph it. As well, there were the usual Black-winged Stilts and Red-necked Avocets.

I also photographed a Magpie Lark and a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike –

It was getting close to lunch time, so I continued on to Botany Bay, and along a little further to get some fish and chips. Then back to the mouth of the Cooks River. No terns or gannets diving for fish, so I made my way back around Muddy Creek to the creek that drains out of the landing Lights Wetland. I missed a Striated Heron. It flew off just as I arrived, so I had to content my self with photographing some Superb Fairywrens in their breeding plumage.

I then cycled back to Tempe and along the Cooks River. At Tempe Station, near the outlet of the stormwater drain – I spotted a Sacred Kingfisher fly off. I searched for it in the trees but could not spot it. So I continued up the Cooks River trying to be observant.

At the Boat Harbour, I saw one of the resident Pelicans and a lot of the other usual birds – Corellas, Magpie Larks, Noisy Miners etc.

I also looked for and found the resident pair of Tawny Frogmouths. Not yet nesting.

A little further upstream, I stopped to photograph a Willie Wagtail and a White-faced Heron searching for food in the mudflats –

I continued up to the Dog Area, and spotted one of the other pair of Tawny Frogmouths. Perhaps its mate was sitting on eggs on a nearby nest? I looked and couldn’t see any nests.

I then crossed the river, and did a circuit of the Cup and Saucer Creek Wetlands. Nothing much to see. But nearby I spotted a pair of Eastern Rosellas. The first of these parrots that I have seen in the area.