Sandy Creek Walk - Morning

I decided to walk on the Sandy Creek walk this morning. Carmel had reported some vandalism and I wanted to see what damage had been done. It turned out to be a bit of children's play and the damage was not all that much.

Long-billed Corella

Long-billed Corella

The Long-billed Corellas were showing an interest in the old dead tree near the Swing Bridge. There is usually a bit of competition for the holes in this tree. I have often see Wood Ducks inspecting the holes but have never seen any sign of actual nesting.

Superb Fairy-wren

Superb Fairy-wren

I managed to find a male Superb Fairy-wren in colour today, although I suspect that he was beginning to molt. There were quite a few Fairy-wrens around and I tried to see if some of them were Variegated, but no luck.

There are a lot of Pied Currawongs calling in the tops of the trees. I tried to get some in-flight shots but they were blurred. I did not have the camera set for flight photos.

Bell Miner

Bell Miner

The Bell Miners were in their usual place towards the College end of the track. This morning they were feeding quite low down and I was able to photograph them gleaning lerp from the leaves. It is fairly obvious why they are so difficult to see. They have the same shading as the Eucalypt leaves When they are high up in the canopy they are difficult to see.

Red-browed Finch

Red-browed Finch

Seeing we are going to the Warrumbungles tomorrow, I thought it would be a good idea to practice photographing Red-browed Finches. There are a couple of species of finches up there, and as usual they are pretty flighty and difficult to get close to. If today's effort is any indicator, I still need a fair bit of practice if I want to get really good photos of finches.

White-cheeked Honeyeater

White-cheeked Honeyeater

White-cheeked Honeyeaters were present near the shortcut path junction and towards the end of the track. I find it interesting that I have never observed New Holland Honeyeaters around Cooranbong.

Masked Lapwing

Masked Lapwing

Masked Lapwings are making their presence felt around the district at the moment. They are not displaying any aggressive behaviour so I assume they are not nesting. I need to remind myself to be on the look out for their nests in a couple of places they have used in the past.