Sandy Creek

I managed to get in a bit of walking before the arrival of Nathan and Michael today so I chose to walk the Sandy Creek Walk. The Dusk Moorhens appear to be paired up on the pond at the end of Hayward Place.

There used to be three present but for the last couple of mornings I have only seen two. I don't know whether its my romantic imagination but they appear to be enjoying one another's company a fair bit.

This Crested Pigeon was on the picnic table near the Swing Bridge. There is often a pair hanging around there. I have been hoping for a courtship display but this morning when I had a bit of time to sit around, there was only one present.

The Bell Miners were down low in the small trees along the walk this morning. They appeared quite docile and were quite happy to have their portraits taken.

The Masked Lapwings must have a nest on the oval. They were walking with that nonchalant air but with their spurs clearly showing. When I have a bit of time I will go back and observe to see if they have deposited a couple of eggs somewhere. I have found their nests bofore but it takes a bit of patience and a lot of scanning of the area to find them.

 For some time I have seen both adult and immature Pied Butcherbirds near the Swing Bridge. I had to wait there while the boys rode their bikes around the Sandy Creek Walk later in the morning so I watched these birds and captured a few photos of them. It is nice to get both the immature and adult birds at the same time if not in the same frame.

I know there is a family of Grey Butcherbirds up near the Factory and another family near the end of Sandy Creek Walk. There are both adult and immature birds in both of those groups so I will see if I can get a pair of similar photographs of them.