Pelicans at Mallacoota
Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria
On our evening walk around Mallacoota we saw several Australian Pelicans cruising around near the jetty. They seemed to be quite unafraid of humans.
Several fishermen were cleaning their catch nearby, so I guess they have become used to having leftovers thrown at them from the fishermen and so they hang around for a free handout.
It was just on sunset, and the last soft rays of the setting sun lit up these beautiful birds to show off their lovely markings.
Australian Pelican, Mallacoota, Victoria
Birds of Mallacoota, Victoria
Bird life, Mallacoota, Victoria
On our walk around Mallacoota we followed the edge of the estuary. In the inlet and on sand bars and small islands we could see many water birds. I was kept busy taking photos, checking them out through my binoculars and jotting down the species’ names in my notebook. During our stay of about 18 hours I made quite a healthy list, mostly water birds. A stay of a week or more would undoubtedly add considerably to this list.
In the photo above I have captured Australian Pelicans, Yellow-billed Spoonbills, cormorants (not sure but probably Little Black) and Silver Gulls.
Black Swans, Mallacoota, Victoria
The photos above and below show the numerous Black Swans feeding in the shallows of the estuary.
Black Swans, Mallacoota, Victoria
Mimosa Rocks National Park, New South Wales
1 Comment »25th September, 2009; Category: Beaches, Birds, Holidays, National Parks, New South Wales
Mimosa Rocks National Park, south coast NSW
One of the places I wanted to revisit on our drive south along the coast of New South Wales was Mimosa Rocks National Park. The last time we had been there was in 1981 which was getting on for 30 years ago. Too long, in fact.
I had vivid memories of what it looked like but obviously the years had blurred the image. It was nothing like I remembered! In fact, I think we went to a different part of the park this time. The access roads may well have changed in that time too.
Again, we didn’t have much time to explore the park. We had a quick lunch and a look at the beautiful beach and then off again on our trek south.
The only birds of interest were three Pied Oystercatchers patrolling the beach.
Pied Oystercatchers, Mimosa Rocks National Park
Mimosa Rocks National Park, south coast NSW
Strange birds at Bateman’s Bay
Australian Pelican, Bateman's Bay
One of the most unusual sights I have seen was at the waterfront in Bateman’s Bay on the south coast of New South Wales.
Not one – but about a dozen Australian Pelicans were standing or sitting on the light covers in the street. I’ve never seen them perching like this before and it was so unusual in my opinion that I had to stop and take a photo.
Bizarre.
Bateman's Bay, south coast of NSW
Flowers of the Canberra Botanic Gardens
Daisy, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
We always enjoy visiting botanic gardens, no matter where they are. We have found over the years that most gardens have an excellent range of plants and flowers which keeps my wife interested. I also enjoy taking photos of the flowers. An added bonus is the often prolific bird life, which interests me. I use my observations to write about on my birding blog.
One of the best – arguably the very best – such garden is the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. We have visited these gardens on every occasion we have been to Canberra. In 2007 we spent a whole day there and only covered about half the gardens.
In this post I will feature some of the flowers I photographed on our visit earlier this year. (You can see other flower photos in the posts published in the previous few days, and also in the coming few days.)
Flowers, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Flowers, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra