A poor choice of accommodation
Our holiday in Canberra
September 2007
On arriving in Canberra late in the afternoon – after sunset actually – we checked into the Crestview Caravan Park where I had booked a cabin for our stay in the nation’s capital. This caravan is actually in Queanbeyan just over the border in New South Wales. It is only a ten minute drive to Canberra from there.
The caravan park and the cabin were a disaster, and I am determined never to stay there again. The park was crowded with very little room to park vehicles. The cabin was far below standard for what we paid. The facilities were well below acceptable and this detracted from our stay. Before we left I wrote a two page list of all the things wrong with our accommodation. The owners probably just screwed it up and binned it.
Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Canberra
On our first morning we spent several hours birding at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. I had heard a great deal about this great birding spot from the internet. The birding was rather slow during my visit. You get that.
See also Bush birds at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands on my Birding blog.
Purple Swamphen
Birding in the Royal National Park, Sydney
Royal National Park, south of Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
After morning tea we went for a walk along Lady Carrington Drive in the Royal National Park south of Sydney. I deliberately chose this road because on our last visit in 2007 we saw a Lyrebird walking along the road. It seemed quite at ease walking a few metres away from us. I guess it is so used to walkers and cyclists using this track that it feels quite at home in their presence. I was disappointed that we didn’t see a Lyrebird this time around. I did get to see a Rock Warbler. Not as good as a Lyrebird but still a good sighting all the same.
Dangerous Birds in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
No Comments »28th October, 2007; Category: Birds, Botanic Gardens, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens, Sydney
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
I was intrigued by the signs in one part of the Royal Botanic Gardens during our recent visit to Sydney. The signs were encouraging – instructing – visitors NOT to feed the birds. People often think it is great to have flocks of Silver Gulls, for example, crowding around them while they throw out scraps of food to the birds. Human food is not good for the birds and it just encourages them to become reliant on these handouts. Some species can also become very aggressive. One such species is the White Ibis in Sydney and the Straw-necked Ibis elsewhere. (I believe the latter has been a problem in Brisbane parks for example.) An Ibis can be very frightening for a two or three year old child, and potentially dangerous if the bird starts pecking the child trying to get food.
In one part of the botanic gardens there was a small flock of about a dozen Sulphur-crested Cockatoos feeding on the grass. I was able to get a number of good photos because they were quite tame. A group of tourists (possibly German) had either not seen the signs or were ignoring them. They started feeding the cockatoos who became very aggressive, landing on the woman with the food (see photo below). I tried to warn her about their potential to give a nasty bite but she either didn’t understand or didn’t hear me. I was not surprised when one cockatoo gave her a nasty bite on the arm.
Sulphur Crested Cockatoos
A colourful resident of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
1 Comment »25th October, 2007; Category: Birds, Botanic Gardens, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens, Sydney
Rainbow Lorikeet, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
One of the delights we enjoyed while visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney was the prolific bird life. Included in my list of birds was the Rainbow Lorikeet shown in the photo above.
This bird kept screeching at people passing below the tree. I suspect it was investigating the hollow in the tree as a potential nesting site, or it may have already established a nest in the hollow. I caught it in mid-screech in this photo. Click on the photo to enlarge the image.
Bird watching in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Little Black Cormorants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
September 2007
Wherever we go when travelling or on holidays I look out for places to visit where I have a good chance of seeing a good range of birds. I therefore look out for national parks, lakes and rivers, parks and gardens and beaches. Botanic Gardens are extra good because that also caters for my wife’s interest which is Australian native plants.
On our recent trip to Sydney we spent a whole afternoon in the Royal Botanic Gardens. These beautiful gardens are an easy walk from the CBD and are used by thousands of people every week. Despite the large numbers of daily visitors, the bird population is abundant and vibrant. The birds are used to large numbers of people using the park so they are relatively easy to approach. This means one is able to take some close up photos of the birds without the need to have an extremely long lens.
These two Little Black Cormorants were resting on a small island in one of the ponds in the gardens. This is just one of about a hundred species of birds that have been recorded in the gardens in the last fifteen years or so.
For more about bird watching in Australia visit my birding blog called Trevor’s Birding.
You can also see more bird photos on the family Photo Gallery.
Little Black Cormorants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney