Captivating correas
Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia
Whenever I go out birding, or when we are travelling out in the country and my wife is with me, I keep one eye on the birds and the other on the vegetation. Being a little cross-eyed like that probably means I miss a few plants or birds and sometimes nearly step on venomous snakes. Joking aside, I once had a red-bellied black snake crawl over my boot while checking out a birding spot. I swear that my feet didn’t touch the ground for at lest five metres!
On our recent visit to Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia we were on the lookout for flowering plants of any description and especially these delightful bell shaped correas shown in the photos. We were not disappointed and saw plenty. The photos on this post are all in a small area on the sand dunes at Penguin Point near Marion Bay.
Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia
Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia
Correas growing in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia
Coastal vegetation in the dunes at Marion Bay, South Australia
Ospreys at Marion Bay
Osprey, Marion Bay, South Australia
I have tried many times to photograph birds in flight with limited success. On the second day of our recent short holiday on Yorke Peninsula we were having lunch at Penguin Point near Marion Bay. The wind was blowing a gale so we sat in the car to eat.
As we ate two Ospreys began soaring low overhead on the wind. They came over low enough and often enough for me to get a few reasonable shots of them. This was one bird I wasn’t expecting to see on this trip, and to get a half decent photo or two was a real bonus.
Sometimes you get lucky.
Osprey, Marion Bay, South Australia
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Penguin Point is a well visited tourist destination in the small holiday town on Marion Bay at the southern tip of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Just to the south east of the town – perhaps a 5 – 10 minute walk from most places in the town – there is a car park with board walks through the sand dunes leading out to Penguin Point. From the headland one has excellent views over Marion Bay to the north and towards Rhino Head to the south west (see photos below).
While I’ve never seen a penguin here it is entirely possible that Little Penguins do visit this area, and may even nest in the region. I didn’t record many birds on this most recent visit because the wind was near gale force by lunch time and they were all keeping low in the coastal bushes. I did manage several good shots of an Osprey soaring overhead on the wind as well as a Rock Parrot walking along the path in front of me.
Rhino Head near Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Penguin Point, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
On the second day of our recent short holiday on Yorke Peninsula here in South Australia we drove from Edithburgh where we were staying to the town of Yorketown. Here we refueled and also visited a local nursery. My wife has a small nursery of her own and is always on the lookout for native Australian plant nurseries to visit, just like I’m always on the prowl for bookshops.
We then drove to Marion Bay near the heel of the peninsula. Many years ago we had several very enjoyable beach holidays in this small town. It had been quite a few years since our last visit, so we were interested in seeing what changes had occurred in recent years. The original beach shack area in the old part of this beach village had changed little, but there has also been considerable building going on to the south with many new – and expensive looking – houses. Many of them were obviously holiday homes and not permanent dwellings.
We stopped in the car park at Penguin Point. We had to sit in the car to eat lunch as the wind had intensified during the morning and was by then almost gale force. Not at all pleasant to be sitting outside. In fact, I tried to take a few photos of two Ospreys soaring on the wind above the bay and had terrible trouble keeping on my feet to take the shots.
Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Wool Bay, Yorke Peninsula
Port Giles grain silos, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
On our short holiday on Yorke Peninsula last week we diverted from the main route to Edithburgh, travelling though the small coastal settlement of Wool Bay. This small town has a few homes and holiday units. It also boasts a good jetty (see photos below) which is great for fishing. Just south of Wool Bay is Port Giles with its huge grain silos and jetty reaching out into deeper water.
Port Giles is just a grain port with no town or houses. This part of the peninsula is an excellent grain growing area and this port is one of the main shipping ports for grain – mostly wheat. As we drove along the coast road we could see four ships anchored in the bay. When we left four days later there were six ships riding at anchor. When I arrived home I checked the schedule of arrivals and departures and, as I write this, one was loading and the others would load in the coming two weeks. It’s a busy port.
Wool Bay jetty (foreground) and Port Giles jetty (background)
Wool Bay and Port Giles, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia