CAPERTEE REDUX

The last time I published a post about the Capertee Valley, I concentrated on our sighting of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater:  http://qldbirder.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/capertee-revisited.html
This time I've included a varied selection of other images from our visit.

The cliffs of Wollemi National Park

Being Spring there was a fair bit of activity around the place, which made for some nice birding and great photo opportunities. The Bellbirds were in full "tinking" mode, and though usually fairly high up in the gums this one came down for a better look at the intruder.

Bell Miner

This male fairy-wren was in fully breeding regalia, and although the photo doesn't do it justice, the bright blue head shone out like a flourescent beacon in the dull evening light.

Variegated Fairy-wren

Beside the Capertee River, in Wollemi National Park, from the concealment of my car I was able to film a Superb Lyrebird foraging along the bank, casual as you please. Later he took some time out to do a spot of bathing, and I felt privileged to get a glimpse into his daily routine. 

Superb Lyre-bird - male 

This raptor was eyeing off  potential prey from a convenient fence post beside the road.

Brown Falcon

A couple of masurpials were out and about too.

Swamp Wallaby or Stinker

Eastern Grey Kangaroo - male

And a monotreme that became camera shy. It's very difficult to sneak up on these unique little creatures. 

Echidna

While exploring the rocky escarpment behind the camping area at Glen Davis I was able to observe a pair of Rock Warblers going about their daily routine. 

Rock Warbler

The ubiquitous Eastern Yellow Robins were as usual photogenic. One of my favourite bush birds.

Eastern Yellow Robin

I couldn't quite capture the rufous coloured rump on the Songlark.

Rufous Songlark

The Babblers were active at their communal nest near our campsite, just on dusk. 

White-browed Babbler

Capertee River

Cheers & Happy Birding

COOLAH TOPS

We were well into spring by the time we departed from Tahlee, and the weather gods were still smiling upon us as we traveled south to Coolah Tops National park. The road up was rough and steep with many grids and dips, but well worth the drive when we pulled up at the tranquil bush campground.  

Laughing Kookaburra

Red-browed Treecreeper

The park abounded with wildlife, especially of the macropod variety which were observed daily, notably in the vicinity of the camping area.

Eastern Grey Kangaroo, with large joey  

Eastern Grey - juvenile 

One of the walking tracks featured a two kilometre loop through a grove of magnificent grasstrees, some of which are thought to be over three hundred years old. We had never seen them this large in our travels and we were gob-smacked with our first view of these giants, one of 28 species found only in Australia.

Giant Grasstrees

Lunchtime

Swamp Wallaby

Red-necked Wallaby

This was my first decent shot of a Shrike-tit which I usually see feeding high up in a tall eucalypt or such. It was observed at Pucca Bucca wetlands at Mudgee, our next stop after our Coolah Tops side trip, and well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Crested Shrike-tit

Cheers & Happy Birding

MURRAY MUSINGS

After leaving Jindabyne we headed to Victoria via Tumut. Along the highway we pulled up to observe the damage the huge bushfires of 2003 had wreaked on great swathes of the foothills and mountains.  

A devastated landscape

This is similar to what it would have looked like before the fires. It will take up to one hundred years to get back to its former glory.

View from Black Perry Lookout

At one of our camping spots in northern Victoria we spotted this wallaby browsing on some low growing shrubs.

Swamp Wallaby

Our first camp on the Murray River was at Greenbank Reserve near Yarrawonga, well clear of the River Red Gums that have a habit of dropping limbs at any time. 

We had some nice views from our front yard. 

And some noisy visitors dropped by for some human watching. These corellas were in flocks numbering hundreds, their raucous calls heard all day as they moved up and down the river. They are the cheekiest of parrots and I love watching their antics.  

Little Corellas

Another of the parrot family that we observed nearby was this rosella, nowhere near as obtrusive as the former but a bit more colourful.

Eastern Rosella

Our next stop was Barmah Lakes campground where for a day and night we had the place to ourselves. The next day a large group of school kids came in for a spot of camping and canoeing,

reminding us a bit of the recent corellas, but not as cute! 

River Red Gums at Barmah Lakes

The bird life here wasn't prolific either but I was able to snap a couple of shots of woodland species. The first a superb vocalist that is always a delight to hear. The second a bird that spends almost as much time foraging on the ground as in the trees.

Grey Shrike-Thrush

Brown Treecreeper

We also came across the burnt out remains of this massive Red Gum on one of our walks. 

Clare in gum