An uninvited lunch time visitor
Australian Magpie on our picnic table
On our last visit to Sydney to visit and look after our grandchildren we had a child-free day, so we took advantage of the lovely weather to visit Lane Cove National Park. This park is a wonderful natural environment along the Lane Cove River and is only a ten minute drive from my son’s home, and not much more to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
We drove through a section of the park we had never visited before, checking out the many picnic areas along the river. We eventually settled on a pleasant spot and set up on a nearby picnic table. It wasn’t long before several species of birds came to visit us, all in the hope of a free lunch. The boldest happened to be the Australian Magpie shown in today’s photos. The magpies in the Sydney area happen to be the Black-backed sub-species. Those we have at home – Murray Bridge which is 80km SE of Adelaide, South Australia – are the White-backed version. The Western Magpie is found in Western Australia, and there are many variations due to hybridisation on other parts of the country.
Although this bird was very bold due to being very used to human visitors to the park, we didn’t take pity on him and feed it any morsels which is a good thing; human food is generally not only unsuitable for our birds and animals, it can also be dangerous and even deadly to them. Please don’t feed the birds.
In the coming days I will show more close encounters with other species of birds during our visit to this lovely park.
Further reading:
- Plenty of magpies
- Wild weather and baby magpies
- Magpies up close and personal
- Magpies up close and personal #2
Australian Magpie on our picnic table
Australian Black-backed Magpie on our picnic table
Australian Magpie above our picnic table
A short stopover at Pheasant’s Nest, NSW
Sydney Trip Report June 2011
After a cold and wet stay with family in Sydney earlier this year we headed back home. We were planning to travel home via Bathurst but the roads that way were closed due to a heavy snow fall. We decided to head home the way we had come.
After negotiating the Sydney traffic – the Lane Cove Tunnel is a quick way to get out of Artarmon where my son lives – we headed SW towards Wagga Wagga. Mid morning we stopped at a roadside rest area and service centre at Pheasant’s Nest. No – we didn’t see any pheasants. In fact, I saw very few birds.
A few Noisy Miners scratched around on the grassed areas near the car park, and several Australian Ravens flew overhead while we were having our cuppa and morning tea. A few minutes later a flock of about 20 Pied Currawongs flew out of the nearby forest and began foraging in and around several rubbish bins in the car park.
And that was it.
Oh… I nearly forgot. The wind chill factor felt like it was going to snow at any moment, except for the lack of clouds and bright sunshine I guess it would have snowed. I found our later that it had snowed that morning a little further north. It was a most unpleasant break in our journey. I didn’t even bother to get the camera out, so I’ve included a photo I’d prepared earlier.
Pied Currawong
Waking up with the birds in Narrandera
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Sydney Road Trip May 2010
On our recent trip to stay with family in Sydney we stayed one night in a motel in the town of Narrandera. It was on the southern edge of town, near the intersection of the Sturt and Newell Highways. Though a little noisy with the sounds of trucks, we still had a good night’s sleep.
At dawn the next morning I was woken by the wonderful sound of a Laughing Kookaburra nearby. It’s a wonderful way to wake up. The morning was crisp and cool and slightly foggy. Sadly I didn’t have time to add many more species to my list before we headed off towards Sydney straight after breakfast.
I never did see the kookaburra that woke me – so I’ve included a photo of one I saw in Lane Cove National Park on our last visit some 18 months earlier.
Australia Day 2010
No Comments »26th January, 2010; Category: General
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
January 26th is celebrated as Australia Day. This day commemorates the landing of the first European settlers in Australia. This event occurred at Sydney Cove on this day in 1788.
Australians celebrate this special day in many ways. Many people new to our country become naturalized Australians in moving ceremonies in many places. Other people attend family gatherings or get together with their friends. Some people go to the beach, others have a picnic or barbecue, and many people attend major sporting events.
I’m having a quiet day at home. I’ll do a little reading, watch the cricket and tennis on television and go for a swim in my swimming pool. Normally I’d go out and do some birding, but it’s reather hot today. Instead I’ll share some bird photos with you.
Australian Magpie
Emu, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Galahs at nesting hollow
Happy bird-day to me
7 Comments »16th November, 2009; Category: Photos
Yes – it’s that time of the year again.
IT’S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY.
Had a very quiet day and didn’t do much. Bought a couple of novels to read as a treat and had a few friends visit in the evening. Didn’t go out birding despite a much cooler day after our unseasonal heat wave of the last 8 days. So I thought I’d treat everyone to a few of my favourite bird photos of the last year.
Laughing Kookaburra, Lane Cove National Park, Sydney
Australian Pelicans, Mallacoota, Victoria
Male Gang-gang Cockatoo, Botanic Gardens, Canberra
Male Flame Robin, Mt. Macedon, Victoria