On watch in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Feral Pigeons, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
I just had to take this photo of two Rock Doves (Feral Pigeons) on watch in the middle of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. They seemed to be on watch. Quite a few children were playing on the water’s edge just a few metres from this sign post. Anyone could have easily slipped into the ornamental pond. These pigeons were ready to sound the alarm.
White Ibis in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
White Ibis nesting, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
White Ibises are one of the most apparent species of wildlife living in the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. After the Grey-headed Flying Foxes that is. The Ibis seem to be everywhere when we visited in September 2007. And they were extremely noisy, squabbling in the trees overhead. It was nesting time with quite a few of them carrying sticks to add to their nests. The arguing seemed to be over who was going to occupy each nesting area.
People wanting a restful and relaxing day at the gardens would have been wise to choose another, quieter section of the park during Ibis nesting season.
White Ibis nesting, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Rails in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
No Comments »14th October, 2007; Category: Birds, Botanic Gardens, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens, Sydney
Buff-banded Rail, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Most people would never have heard of a bird called a rail, let alone know what a Buff-banded Rail looked like. This species, however, is a resident species of bird present in the Royal Botanic Gardens in the heart of Sydney. Regular visitors to the gardens would certainly be aware of this bird, even if they don’t know its name.
Buff-banded Rails are widespread in Australia in suitable habitat. They generally are not present in the drier inland regions. The field guide I use most often says they are commonly found in “well-vegetated gardens.” Botanic gardens certainly fit that requirement.
I have not seen this species all that many times so it was a delight to see this one, and it was a bonus to get a good photo. Normally I have found them to be rather secretive. I tried to photograph this species last year during a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. On that occasion the batteries in my camera went flat just minutes before seeing the bird. Aaaaaaah! Lesson learned – I always carry spare batteries since that day!
Keep a watch on your lunch
Noisy Miner
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
Soon after arriving in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney we found a comfortable shaded seat. We quite often take our lunch with us rather than buying food. This is because we can rarely predict where we will be for meals. It gives us a flexibility that suits us.
On this occasion we had made some sandwiches and brought along some fresh fruit to have for lunch. While we were eating this Noisy Miner, one of the honeyeater family of Australian birds, decided that our lunch looked tasty. He came quite close but when we weren’t forthcoming with a handout he went to the person sitting on the next seat who was more obliging. The bird then flew directly to some nearby bushes. I suspect it had a nest there with some little ones in it.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, St Ives, Sydney
No Comments »1st October, 2007; Category: Birds, Botanic Gardens, New South Wales, Parks and Gardens
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens, St Ives, Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
One of the places we wanted to revisit during our stay in Sydney was the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens. These gardens are in St Ives, in the northern parts of Sydney. They abut the Ku-ring-gai National Park, another great place to visit for the wildflowers, birds, bushwalking and picnics.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens, St Ives, Sydney
On arrival we had a picnic lunch in the grounds of the gardens near the Visitor Centre. Two Laughing Kookaburras kept a close eye on our lunch, we kept a close eye on them. We didn’t share any with them. The bird watching was a little slow during our visit but I did see a few good species. I have good memories of a visit seven years ago.
Laughing Kookaburras
After looking at the displays in the Visitor Centre we spent several hours wandering the various paths around the gardens. Many of the paths are paved roads making the walking easy. There are many other dirt tracks linking the paved roads and these take a little more care. Some sections are a little steep but most reasonably fit walkers would negotiate them with ease.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens, St Ives, Sydney
While there were quite a few plants in flower for us to admire and photograph, it was a little disappointing. We estimated that we were about three to five weeks too early for the main spring flowering time. Despite this, we still enjoyed our time there. In fact we spent so much time in the gardens we ran out of time to visit the nearby national park. We will leave that for our next visit.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens, St Ives, Sydney