AUSTRALIA - HOLIDAY/RECCE TOUR - DAY 5 - OCT 1ST - WAGGA WAGGA AREA

LAKE ALBERT - VARIOUS PLACES AROUND WAGGA WAGGA - MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER WALK - BOTANIC GARDENS

I was as up early and raring to go, it was a beautiful morning clear blue sky and sunny but a very chilly wind from the north kept the temperature down to around 10C. At 6am I was on the lake shore watching all kinds of parrots, lorikeets, cockatoos and galahs. A beautiful White-necked Heron sat high on a dead tree but it flew off before my camera was ready! Lots of Pelicans milled about on the water or sat loafing on logs. I saw a few new species in the shape of Green Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Red-rumped Parrot and a tiny, almost tailless Striated Pardalote.

 



Andrew and Jane's house and their view from the terrace

 

 

The trees were full of Noisy Miners, Galahs, Cockatoos and Rainbow Lorikeets, as well as Australian Magpies and Red Wattlebirds. A Little Friarbird was nice to see and several Great Cormorants sat up in the dead trees. On the water I listed Pacific Black Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Grey Teal, Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen and a couple of Black Swans. A small flock of Whiskered Terns came in and began feeding over the water this was a nice surprise.

Rainbow Lorikeet

After a lovely breakfast we set off for a tour of the area, Andy and Jane are now retired but had farmed in the area for 20 years or more. They knew the roads and trails all around the town. We spent a couple of hours visiting  several sites where we might see the Superb Parrot but never saw one. It was quite windy and birds were hard to find, an unidentified falcon flew over and a Spotted Harrier quartered a field, we had good views of White-winged Chough and Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike.
 

Red-rumped Parrot

 In the centre of Wagga I walked along the bank of the Murrambidgee River and saw a few birds, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes were common as were Red Wattlebirds and I saw several Australian Reed Warblers. We had lunch in Licorice and Chocolate Factory, how amazing and unique was that, good food and some chocolate for a take-away.
 

Eastern Rosella

Late in the afternoon Dawn and I drove into town to visit the botanic gardens, it wasn't up to much just a glorified children's play area but there were lots of bird activity. I logged a couple of new Honeyeaters, a Blue-faced Honeyeater squabbled with a Red Wattlebird whilst a Kookaburra looked on and several Plain-naped Honeyeaters fed in the trees above them.

We ended the day going out for a meal at a local 'pub', well not a pub really just room with tables that serves alcohol and junk food. However we had a lovely evening with our friends.