2008 Road Trip: Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga Botanic Gardens, New South Wales
During our 2008 Road Trip to Sydney we drove from Narrandera to Wagga Wagga during the second morning. This took us through some interesting farming country. The weather was far more pleasant than the heat of the previous day.
We arrived there just in time for a picnic lunch. coming into the town we saw signs pointing to the Botanic Gardens. As we approached the entrance I remembered that we had visited these gardens about four years ago. We found a suitable picnic table and were soon having a lovely lunch.
During our meal I managed to get a good photo of a Tree Sparrow, a species of bird I had previously not seen in Australia. It was one that had eluded me. A few years ago I did see this species in Thailand.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
2008 Road Trip: Hay, western New South Wales
Caravan Park, Hay, New South Wales
On the first day of our 2008 Road Trip to Sydney we stopped for the night at a caravan park in Hay, a large rural town in mid western New South Wales. As soon as we had arrived we booked into the cabin shown in the photo above. Because it was a few days before Christmas we made the precaution of booking ahead.
The day had been very hot and we were pleased that the car air conditioning made travelling very pleasant. The cabin, however, had heated up during the day and was very hot. The tiny air conditioner really struggled to bring the temperature down. Still, we were very pleased with the facilities and size of the cabin.
After dinner we went for a stroll along the banks of the nearby Murrumbidgee River. I made the mistake of not taking my camera nor my binoculars. The birding was very good and I added several new species to my trip list. You can read about the birds I saw here.
Caravan Park, Hay, New South Wales
Some Birds of Strathalbyn, South Australia
Australian Wood Ducks
Last year I had a few weeks of work based at Strathalbyn in the Adelaide Hills. This delightful little town is about a half hour drive from my home in Murray Bridge.
During the time I was working there I usually had my lunch in a small park near the river. Previously we had enjoyed several picnic lunches in this park. The bird life there was always of interest. The trees had many Little Corellas, Galahs and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. Along the river I often saw and heard the Clamorous Reedwarbler. In the park the Willie Wagtail would come and visit while I had my lunch.
Dusky Moorhen
Emu and chicks, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
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Emu, Murray-Sunset NP, Victoria
/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} While travelling through the Murray-Sunset National Park during our holiday last year we disturbed a male Emu with three chicks.Â
I was quick enough to get a photo of the male, but the chicks were too quick for me and disappeared into the bushy undergrowth before I could photograph them..
For those readers who may not know, the male Emu is the one who sits on the eggs once the female has finished laying the clutch. The female lays between five and eleven eggs in one clutch. Once hatched, the male then cares for the chicks for up the eighteen months.
Birds of the Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
Banded Lapwings in Murray-Sunset National Park, NW Victoria
Every now and then I come across a great bird sighting. It makes my hobby constantly interesting.
On our last day of our holiday last year we were driving through the Murray-Sunset National Park in north west Victoria. This is remote country and quite beautiful. It also has a prolific bird population, the main attraction for me for taking this alternative and slow route home.
I added several species to my trip list while driving through the park, including these Banded Lapwings. This species is found throughout southern Australia in suitable habitat. While they are widespread they are not plentiful anywhere. I have only seen this species on a handful of occasions, so it was a real buzz to see them. I think they posed beautifully for me.