Birds of Floriade 2007 Canberra

Floriade 2007, Canberra

2007 Australian Capital Territory trip report #4

We had two main motivations for including Canberra in this holiday trip. The first was to include a visit to Floriade, the second, a visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens. On our first afternoon in the nation’s capital we went to Floriade 2007.

Floriade 2007, Canberra

This is an annual flower festival held in Commonwealth Park just a short distance from the CBD. It features tens of thousands of flowering bulbs; tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, dutch iris, narcissus and ranunculus. Other plants include daisies, pansies, violas and poppies. It is a time of sensory overload. And it is a photographer’s paradise. I must admit I went a little crazy with the camera, but I’m also very pleased with the results.

Floriade 2007, Canberra

As the initial thrill of so much to photograph wore off I was able to concentrate on the birdlife of the park. Black Swans were accompanied by two cygnets in the nearby lake. Australian Wood Ducks and Pacific Black Ducks were both in the water and the on the lawns nearby. Superb Fairy-wrens seemed to be everywhere, despite the thronging crowds of people. Dusky Moorhens and Eurasian Coots patrolled the waterways, and weren’t shy at coming up close and personal when we sat on a park bench to enjoy an ice-cream.

Black Swan with cygnets, Canberra