Chatting at Cowra
Touring New South Wales
September 2007
From Grenfell we drove on to the small town of Cowra. We had hoped to get there early enough to look around the town but a short detour into the Conimbla National Park west of the town prevented that happening. We were not all that impressed with what little we saw of this park. To be fair we only had a short time there and only drove through a small portion of the park. Both the park and the town deserve further investigation on another trip.
Cowra Caravan Park, New South Wales
We checked into the caravan park about four kilometres to the east of the town and settled in for the night. It was a restless night because of the cold and the constant passing of transport trucks and other vehicles on the highway next to the park.
Next morning before leaving we spent about a half hour chatting to a lady who is a permanent resident of the park. She occupies one of the cabins. She spends her day writing poetry and short stories and working in her small garden. This is what attracted us to her in the first place. Then we found out she is familiar with the local birds.
Red-browed Finch
These Red-browed Finches were feeding on the seed inside the cage of these two cockatiels. They were wild finches that came in for a free feed in the cage then they would fly straight out through the wide bars to freedom again.
A lunch break to remember
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
Weddin Mountains National Park
From Forbes we travelled south towards Grenfell. We didn’t go all the way into the town but turned off a few kilometres short of the town. We took the road into the nearby Weddin Mountains National Park. We had visited this park on our trip through this region three years ago and remembered that we’d enjoyed the experience.
Weddin Mountains National Park
We arrived a little late for lunch but we survived the extended wait. In the picnic and camping area the rangers have set up picnic tables, toilets, barbecues and some walking trails through the park. It is a pleasant spot to spend an hour or two or even several days camping. The bird life is quite good too. After lunch we had a chat to a man camping there for several nights.
Hideaway cave of bushranger Ben Hall
A feature of the park is the location of the hideaway of bushranger Ben Hall. The cave can be easily seen from the picnic ground. There is also a walking trail to the cave. We didn’t go on any walks through the park as we were running a little late at this stage. Despite the lateness of the hour, however, we just had to stop on the way out.
The trees bordering the exit road burst into bird song as we were leaving, so I just had to stop. I saw or heard many Brown Songlarks singing loudly, a White-winged Triller joined in the fun along with a Grey Fantail, a Rufous Whistler, Noisy Miners, Apostlebirds and several male Red-capped Robins hassling each other. All the time a majestic Wedge-tail Eagle soared overhead and the local White-winged Choughs joined in the chorus of birdsong. Meanwhile my wife was getting excited over the plants flowering near the roadside, including the native orchids shown in the photo below.
It was a lunch break to remember.
Weddin Mountains National Park - native orchids
Swamped by birds
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
One place I wanted to revisit on this trip was Gum Swamp just south of the town of Forbes in central New South Wales. I’d last visited the great bird watching spot three years ago. At that time the swamp was crowded with a vast array of birds. What I hadn’t considered was the recent drought years so I didn’t know if there was going to be any water in the swamp at all. I need not have worried. The level was down only a few centimetres.
Gum Swamp, Forbes, New South Wales
The bird life was good without being wonderful. Despite this I was still able to see some good species and add considerably to my trip list of birds seen. One bonus bird was a White-bellied Sea-eagle sitting in a tree on the opposite side of the swamp. After about twenty minutes of intensive birding we were on our way again, this time heading south towards Grenfell.
Gum Swamp, Forbes, New South Wales
A splendid encounter
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
Before leaving the Round Hill Nature Reserve we found another lovely spot for afternoon tea. I set up the folding chairs and we sat back enjoying the beautiful afternoon and the peaceful setting. We were almost ready to set off back to our cabin in the Lake Cargelligo Caravan Park when I heard the familiar call of a wren. I knew that the beautiful Splendid Fairy-wren was present in this park and hoped that this is what I had heard.
Splendid Wren (male)
For the next half hour the wrens played a game of hide and seek with me, flitting in and out and around the nearby bushes. Patience eventually paid off and I was able to not only identify the birds as Splendid Fairy-wrens, but also to get a few reasonable photos of the stunning male in full breeding plumage.
It was a splendid end to a splendid day.
Splendid Wren (male)
Around and around Round Hill
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
One of the target places to visit on this holiday was Round Hill Nature Reserve. I was keen to visit this spot after reading about the many birds that can be see in the reserve and surrounding areas. The reserve is about 60km north west of the town of Lake Cargelligo in central west New South Wales.
Round Hill Nature Reserve, central NSW
We arrived in time for lunch. Driving through the park-like eastern end of the reserve we soon found a lovely spot for a picnic lunch. The birds were calling all around but few came near to where we sat eating our lunch. It was a bright, sunny, cloudless day with a gentle cool breeze. The early chill in the air had long since disappeared and it was not long before we had discarded our jumpers.
Round Hill Nature Reserve, central NSW
After lunch we wandered around the general area where we had parked for lunch. My wife was busy identifying and photographing the plants she found while I occupied myself chasing up the local birds. I managed several good shots, including one of a Pallid Cuckoo, one species I didn’t expect to get a photo of without a lot of effort. Just proves that one can be wrong. This photo was taken leaning out the car window. The bird sort of posed just for me.
Pallid Cuckoo, Round Hill Nature Reserve
Later we drove through a part of the park before turning around and heading back to the main road. About an hour later we found an interesting track to take through the park. This led us right back to where we had turned around. We had come full circle! At least I didn’t get lost.
Red-capped Robin (male)