Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Australia has a number of Black-cockatoo species, including the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo shown in today’s post. These impressive large parrots are not easy to approach in the wild, so when we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney last year I was pleased to get these close up shots.
These birds are a part of the Free Flight Bird Show which is a feature of the programme at the zoo every day at noon and at 3pm. It is a great opportunity for zoo visitors to see some of our wonderful birds up close – and sometimes quite personal.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos are found in their natural state in much of Queensland, the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia and there is a small isolated population in western Victoria and SE South Australia. Seeing a flock flying overhead is an awesome sight, but seeing them up close like this at the zoo gave me a new appreciation of the delicate beauty of this stunning parrot.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney
Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney
On our trip to Sydney earlier this year we had a brief visit to West Head Lookout in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park north of the city. The morning had been cold and wet but after lunch it cleared enough for us to get out of the house for a few hours.
It had been nearly ten years since my last visit here. The photographic opportunities were limited due to the haze from the wind and rain earlier in the day. Still, I did manage a few nice shots, even if they are on the hazy side.
Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney
Pittwater as seen from West Head Lookout, Sydney
West Head Lookout, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Barrenjoey Head from West Head Lookout
On our trip to Sydney earlier this year to visit family we spent an afternoon in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. We stopped for quite a while at the West Head Lookout where we took in the extensive sights over the Hawkesbury River, Broken Bay, Barrenjoey Head and Pittwater.
We later took a short walk on one of the walking trails but ran out of daylight which is a shame as this is undoubtedly a beautiful part of the greater Sydney area. In fact, where I took these photos is less than an hour by car from the CBD of Sydney.
Click on any photo to enlarge the image.
Broken Bay from West Head Lookout
Broken Bay from West Head Lookout
New field guide to birds of Australia
Simpson and Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 8th edition
From time to time I feature birds on this travel blog. Birding is one of my major interests and I write about my sightings on Trevor’s Birding blog.
Many people carry a bird identification guide book with them on their travels. I make sure I always have one with me to help work out what I am seeing.
If you are a traveller – and interested in birds – I’d suggest that you find room for a bird field guide too. Most of them are compact enough to fit easily into a day pack or even a handbag.
Today sees the publication of a new field guide of Australian birds. The Simpson and Day field guide has been around since 1984 and has sold over half a million copies. Today the fully revised and updated 8th edition is published.
The publicist at Penguin Books Australia sent me a review copy a few weeks ago. I’ve written an extensive review of this exciting new book here on my birding blog.
Happy Birthday to my blog
No Comments »6th March, 2010; Category: Australia, Nepal, New South Wales, South Australia, Thailand, Victoria
Ama Dablam, Nepal
This blog about my travels is now four years old.
I started this blog exactly four years ago in the dining room of my son in Sydney. He had just set up the domain name and busily went about teaching me how to blog. He was a good teacher for I was soon off and away with blog entries. And I haven’t let up in the intervening years. I try to post every day but during the last two years I have also been trying to complete my Master of Arts in Creative Writing which has impacted on how frequently I have been able to write articles here. I’m also in the last stages of completing the writing of a novel for children as part of those studies. It has all taken a lot of my time.
During the life of this blog I have written about many places, including a visit to Thailand and trekking in Nepal. By far the majority of the nearly 600 articles are as a result of travelling here in Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and my home state of South Australia of course.
I’d like to thank all my many regular readers, those who have occasionally dipped into various pages and especially those who have taken the trouble to leave comments. I value you all – you people make this blog a worthwhile endeavour.
A special thanks to my son Sim’ who looks after the background administration of this and my other blogs, keeping them ticking over nicely.
Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens
