LITTLE STYX RIVER TO COOPERNOOK

We left Tenterfield on the 13th January and kept heading south toward Armidale and the Waterfall Way where we free camped beside the Little Styx River just outside New England Nat.Park. The weather turned wet and cold for the 3 nights we were there.

In the photo below I was playing the call of the Olive Whistler, unsuccessfully trying to bring a bird in. We didn't hear or see any of these elusive birds in this park or a couple of other places we tried.

There were plenty of Currawongs about though and this one came in for a squiz at our campsite. 

Pied Currawong

And this little tyke was braving the elements in the car park of the national park.

Flame Robin

The road from Armidale to Dorrigo is called the Waterfall Way for good reason. There are about half a dozen  picturesque falls along this route all worth a look.  

Upper Ebor Falls

 And a walk through the rainforest at Dorrigo National Park is a must.

Dorrigo National Park

Dangar Falls, Dorrigo.

Just north of Taree we camped in Coopernook State Forest where we had a chance to dry out after the wet weather that had dogged us for nearly a week. Across from our campsite a juvenile Sparrowhawk was intent on calling for a parent to feed it, sitting tight next to the nest. It continued this routine for a few hours until they came back from hunting and it flew further away into the forest to be fed.

Juvenile Collared Sparrowhawk and nest

These gulls were loafing beside the Macleay River when we came through earlier from Coffs Harbour and the sun had finally emerged.

Silver Gulls

QLD BIRDER HITS THE ROAD

Clare and I had planned on doing some travelling sooner, rather than later, and with that in mind we purchased our van last year and decided to spend 2012 on the road. We left home on the 8th of January and headed south into New South Wales. First stop was at Bigriggen Park near Rathdowney (QLD) a lovely site by the banks of the Logan River. The temperature hit 37 here so we spent a lot of time in the water.

Logan River

Relaxing after our first setup.

The crows were taking it easy in the heat but why they weren't in the shade has got me beat.

I thought they were supposed to be intelligent? 

Torresian Crows

One of the locals was having a good look at the newbies.

Red Necked Wallaby

And this pair seemed to be panting in the heat, perched high up in one of the massive gums around the campground. 

Dollarbirds.

 This little bloke had the right idea hanging round the river on the rocks, in between catching tiny insects flying above the water.

Juvenile Eastern Water Dragon

Our next major stop was Tenterfield NSW, where we had the chance to explore the nearby Bald Rock National Park. We hiked to the top (the biggest granite monolith in Australia apparently) and enjoyed the expansive views from the summit. 

Bald Rock

 Some of the rocks on the walk up were quite impressive too.

Balancing Rock

 This skink got a good feed out of the apple core we left for it.

Okay, don't feed the animals etc. but I don't think we were going to make a serial pest out of this fella.  

Cunningham's Skink

The scenery was stunning and we were overawed by the sheer size of some of the rocks around the park. 

Clare dwarfed by the massive boulders.

 This King Parrot spent a lot of time hanging around our van waiting for a handout (we didn't oblige).

  

King Parrot - male.

And another of the locals was looking totally bored while waiting for his owner to come back.

SOME LOCALS AND A LIFER.

I got a decent shot of a Pale-headed Rosella recently feeding on some seeding grass across the road.

We have a small group in the neighbourhood that sometimes visit our feeder.

Pale-headed Rosella

Another local has been tending his mound down the bottom of our backyard.

It's a massive construction he's prepared for the female to lay her eggs and that he continuously maintains to keep the temperature at 35 degrees for successful incubation. Big job but with his massive feet he's up to the task.  

   

Brush Turkey

This immature Blue-faced Honeyeater came in to hunt for insects around the cocos palm.

It won't get the striking blue facial skin of the adult until about 16 months old.

Blue-faced Honeyeater

The next picture isn't great but it's a record shot of a Sooty Owl, my first sighting of this elusive species after a tip off from a friend (thanks Russ!) who had found the bird roosting in a piccabeen palm in a local rainforest reserve.The view through my binos was better than this shot suggests, although it was a neck breaker and about 20 metres straight up.  

Sooty Owl

Below is an illustration of what a Sooty Owl should look like, courtesy of John Gould.