Some rain was forecast, so I abandoned plans to go to a distant place for some bird photography and instead chose my local area. I caught a bus to Bexley North, then walked down the Two Valleys Track, along Wolli Creek, to the junction with the Cooks River then walked upstream to Wardell Road and then home.
Along the first section of track, I heard a lot of birds, but most of them seemed to want to stay hidden in the foliage.
At Iloura, I stopped to photograph some of the Welcome Swallows.
And here is a Superb Fairy-wren at the Bray St Wetlands.
It was good to see a lot of rubbish removed and weeds cleared from underneath the bridge on Hartill Law Street.
I looked for the Tawny Frogmouth I had seen earlier at Girrahween Park, but had no luck.
Further along the track I saw flock of Silvereyes.
And the Greenhood Orchids were still out.
Pterostylis pedunculata
Pterostylis nutans
On this visit, all the Grey-headed Flying Foxes were fast asleep.
At Turrella Reserve, there were some Welcome Swallows flying around, and also some Fairy Martins. Here are some –
And this is a Tree Martin –
And one of the Welcome Swallows –
This Galah was feeding in Waterworth Park.
Then all the birds, Stralings etc, got alarmed and flew into nearby trees. A raptor was around. I spotted a Brown Goshawk –
I stopped for lunch at Gough Whitlam Park, then continued walking upstream along the Cooks River. I was on the lookout for Sacred Kingfishers.
Little Pied Cormorant
The Sacred Kingfishers seem to be about at low tide, which it was, but they also seem to prefer sunshine, which it wasn’t. Perhaps it their main prey – mud crabs that come out in warm sun? No Kingfishers seen this time.
Willie Wagtail
Royal Spoonbill
And I spotted the Tawny Frogmouth pair at Marrickville Golf Course.
I looked bit could not spot the Tawny Frogmouths at the Dibble St Pond.
As it turned out, I only had a few drops of rain while I was out.
Excellent video (mentioned on CRVA facebook page) of a canoe paddle the length of the Cooks River. Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmxKUwB8VFQ
The video “bad river” shows some shocking footage of rubbish in the sections of the river we don’t even have access to. Fascinating movie. Highly recommended. The man who made it, Beau Miles, from Melbourne, has a fascinating channel on youtube.
I had seen that video earlier. It was interesting and well filmed – but it seemed to concentrate on the large rubbish – mainly plastic bottles, and although unpleasant, are fairly inert and are home to small fish and other creatures. What was neglected was the level of chemical pollution in the water – which has probably declined over recent years. And he did not show any video of the lower reaches – with some restored banks, the bird life, fish – and birds which live on fish, and birds like the kingfishers. And he did not show any people enjoying recreation on the banks – walking, cycling etc. So I thought it was a bit one sided – and that was probably the filmmakers aim – just to show one side. And that is fair enough.
Thanks for the comment, David. Yes, things are improving, in no small part thanks to the advocacy of community groups and people like yourself. In over 20 years living next to the river, there has been a massive change. But, still a long way to go.
Keep up the good work you do.