AUSTRALIA - HOLIDAY/RECCE TOUR - DAY 3 - SEPT 29TH - SYDNEY AREA

SYDNEY HARBOUR - BOTANICAL GARDENS - HYDE PARK - BONDI BEACH TO CLOVELLY WALK - THE 'GAP' SOUTH POINT - WATSON BAY - CENTENNIAL PARK

This was not a birding day but we took my binoculars and Dawn's camera with us anyway.......just in case a birdie showed up anywhere.

the Powerful Owl roosting in the botanical gardens
 - the only owl I have seen with a narrow neck

W caught the bus into town and around the main shopping area before crossing Hyde Park and into the Botanical Gardens where we spent an hour or so looking at plants and some birds. Dawn was trying out her new camera and getting some good results.

Little Pied Cormorant  -  this tiny grebe-like beauty is nesting in the botanical gardens 

From there we caught a bus to Bondi Beach, it was crowded, you couldn't see much sand at all it was like Weymouth on a sunny August bank holiday. The surf-boards lay redundant on this calm morning leaving the hoards of blonde, tanned surfers with nothing better to do than to pose around on the beach, I wondered if any of them have ever read a book?  Despite all of this it was a hot sunny day and the colours were vibrant and tropical and the light was simply divine.



Australian White Ibis - seen in every park, garden and even litter bins

After eating a lovely lunch we set off on the coastal path heading south, our plan was to meet up with our friend Robyn a couple of hours down the coast. We saw many Superb Fairy Wrens, what a little beauty, also lots of Noisy Miners, Australian Raven, Magpies and a few New Holland Honeyeaters.

Long-billed Corella - hundreds were feeding in the park

very common in parks - Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

After a bit of a cock-up with directions which resulted in our walk being extended by a few km's (in 34C heat) we finally met up with Robyn.


a real beauty - Masked Plover

We then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting several lovely places along the southern shoreline which resulted in me adding a few new species to my 'Sydney' list. We finished at Centennial Park where large open grassland, lakes and parkland trees make up the habitat. We added Australasian Grebe, Black, Swan, White-eyed Duck (which is a carbon copy of Ferruginous Duck). Other new birds seen earlier included: Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, Common Koel (a migrant cuckoo just returning from the north) and Variegated Fairy Wren. My favourite find was a small flock of Eastern Silvereyes, they looked stunning in the afternoon sunlight.

the gorgeous, aptly named Silvereye

We got back home at 6pm, well shot..........another early night I'm afraid, tomorrow we leave for the interior near Canberra.

List of new birds seen today

1. Variegated Fairy Wren
2. Koel
3. Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
4. Black Swan
5. Eastern Silvereye
6. Australasian Grebe
7. White-eyed Duck