Cooks River Walk – 22 July 2021

Day 26 of lockdown. It was a nice but cool day, so I decided another walk down to the Cooks River would be good for exercise. I walked downstream as far as the junction with Wolli Ck and then crossed to the north side and with bait of backtrack, I walked on to Tempe Reserve and Wetlands, then made my way back upstream.

This walk started off fairly quiet as far as birds were concerned. At the Illawarra Road Bridge, I saw this Australasian Darter.

If you look carefully, it looks like the Darter has snagged a bit of fishing line. Not good!

I looked for Sacred Kingfishers, but they did not seem to be around, even though the Sun was out and the tide was low. I did see the Little Pied Cormorant in the mangroves –

At Gough Whitlam Park, I ran into fellow bird photographer, Daniele. She too was on the lookout for Sacred Kingfishers. She had seen one in the area a few minutes earlier. We looked along the river carefully, but it was not until we got the junction with Wolli Ck in Waterworth Park that we spotted one. It flew around a bit then grabbed a crab.

It then flew into a tree to eat the crab, but it disturbed a pair of Noisy Miners. They chased it to the far side of the river.

We waited around a bit to see if it would return or any others would arrive. No luck, so we stared walking back upstream. No more Kingfishers seen. Back at the Illawarra Road Bridge, we spotted a Little Pied Cormorant.

It soon caught a fish.

I farewelled Daniele, and slowly walked downstream again. This may be the same Little Pied Cormorant –

And here is a Little Black Cormorant –

I stopped at Gough Whitlam Park for short lunch break, then walked back down to the Wolli Ck junction. No Kingfishers around, so I walked back upstream and crossed the bridge. Then I started walking towards Tempe along the cycleway, but at the railway bridge – I could see a Sacred Kingfisher back where I had been. I walked back, and the Kingfisher was still perched on its rock, but when I got close, it flew off and I didn’t see it again.

So, I then recrossed the river again and continued on towards Tempe Reserve. On the way I ddi see this Little Black Cormorant which caught a fish.

Here is an Australian Darter on Fatima Island –

At Tempe Reserve, I saw a Striated Heron fly past –

I did a circuit of Tempe Wetlands, but the birds were either absent or quiet. Here are some Eurasian Coots –

And in the Alexandria Canal, I saw this very distant Pied Cormorant with a fair sized fish.

A White-faced Heron flew past.

This is one of a pair of Great Cormorants fishing –

Crossing back over the river at Bayview Road Bridge, I spotted a Sacred Kingfisher on the foreshore of Gough Whitlam Park. I walked around the salt-marsh to get close.

The Kingfisher then flew under the road bridge.

It soon flew down and returned with a crab.

I was ready for its next dive.

But I dint see the bird again, so I continued walking back upstream. Here is a Little Pied Cormorant and a Little Egret –

Further along, in the stretch before Illawarra Road, the Sacred Kingfisher was out. This was round 3 pm and the tide was rising (low tide was 12:30 pm).