1/4/07
Yesterday we were married on the farm at Narbethong, it was a bit cool for our ceremony in the woods, but all in all it was a good day. Today we were up at 4.00 and the taxi arrived on time and we got to the airport in good time. My Qantas card didn’t work, apparently because I had a paper ticket, so had to go to the check in and I got my bags put through to Norfolk Island. Because Bev had used her card and already had her seat allocation we tried to get a seat together and we forgot to ask to get her bag put through to Norfolk Is. The flight to Sydney was uneventful. At Sydney we had to get Bev’s bag from the carousel and go back through security, they had a look at the spotlight but passed it. The queue for the bus to the other terminal was huge, but we made it in good time. It looked like there was a huge queue at the check in, but I eventually found the right one at the end of the row which was short. The flight over the sea was pretty boring except when we flew over the reefs of the Lord Howe ridge. Got on a full bus to our hotel and found our pleasant unit with our hire car as ordered and settled in. Drove to the botanic gardens to start the bird list. A huge cage housed the endangered Green Parrots and we found some wild ones clinging to the outside of the cage so we could add them. Bev described a bird that I saw too briefly to ID, I ascertained that it was a Long-tailed Cuckoo, we also got Grey Fantail, Silvereye, Scarlet Robin, House Sparrow, Common Starling, Feral Pigeon, Blackbird, Emerald Dove, White Tern, Song Thrush, California Quail, Welcome Swallow, Grey Gerygone, Crimson Rosella. Then bought some food which is about twice the price of food on the mainland. Went to the bowling club for fish and chips $11 each for Red Cod a very light melt in the mouth fish that was cooked well. Bev fell asleep watching the line feed TV from Queensland, McDonald’s ads and all (there aren’t any McDonald’s here (thankfully)).
2/4
Up 7.30, after breaky went back to the botanic gardens, no sign of the cuckoo, drove to Slaughter Bay to get some seabirds, whilst down there were told to get away from the coast as we had a tsunami warning from an earthquake in the Solomon’s. Went to a cliff top but were told to move from there too, so went back to the unit for some lunch, then went on the ½ day tour, they had to change the route because of closed roads for the tsunami which never came, it was a bit boring, but after correcting him on a bird ID I engaged with the driver. We had some nice scones and apple juice at one place, at Slaughter Bay we saw some birds but he wouldn’t stop, so we went back once the tour had finished. Had Chinese for dinner then had a spotlight for the Morepork but heard and saw nothing. Found some bio-luminescent fungi which seemed to get brighter when I shone the torch on them. New birds for the day: White-faced Heron, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Black Noddy, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Little Shearwater, Pacific Golden Plover, Wandering Tattler, Golden Whistler, Whimbrel, Masked Booby, Sacred Kingfisher, Sooty Tern, Australian Kestrel, Mallard, Feral Goose, Feral Chicken.
3/4
Up 7.00 had guava jelly on toast, drove to the botanic gardens. A local asked me about a bird calling that I’d heard yesterday and thought it was a call of the White Tern, she said it was a black bird, so chased it but couldn’t find it. Went to Captain Cook memorial and got a frigatebird, then walked the bridle trail and got the endemic silvereye, out to Bird Rock where we spent a bit of time, but got nothing new then back along Red Stone Link track where we got some ternlets. Back for a late lunch and down to Slaughter Bay at low tide and got some waders, waited for sunset at Rocky Ridge for some shearwaters to come in, they were all Wedge-tails coming in singly and silently just on dark. Had a $13 hamburger at the League Club, Bev had potted pie which was the better pick. New birds were: Great Frigatebird (female), Grey Ternlet, Long-billed Silvereye, Ruddy Turnstone, Purple Swamphen, Brown Noddy.
4/4
Up 7.30 and walked the Palm Glen track, poor birding, found some guava fruiting so ate some. Drove to the Cockpit falls, a pretty little area. Bev fell at one point and had a bit of a sob but recovered. Checked out Cascades, still poor birding though did see another frigatebird. Over to Buck’s Point where we’d had to abandon the search because of the tsunami threat, saw another Little Shearwater, otherwise pretty poor. Back to the unit for lunch and snoozed until 15.30 and down to Slaughter Bay reef where there were some more waders and a stop at Rocky Point, the walk through 100 acre wood was interesting as the noddys were building little platform nests in the pines, the Grey Ternlets were using the pines to roost in, there was little happening out at sea though. Only added Double-banded Plover today. Dinner was at the RSL.
5/4
Got up at 13.00 for lunch and down to Cascade Bay then Ball Bay, took some photos, down to Kingston for low tide and saw 10 Double-banded Plovers and 4 tattlers which I think are Wandering. Had pizza for dinner expensive at $28 for a large, but it was very nice, and we got some chocolates for dessert.
6/4
Up 6.30 to the pier at 7.30 for the boat ride to Phillip Island, there were plenty of Sooty Terns, Black Noddys and Masked Boobies, saw a few Grey Ternlets and a nesting Red-tailed Tropicbird, the only new bird was a Black-winged Petrel, though some chicks in holes weren’t identified. Walked to the top and saw the spectacular plunge to the sea way below. The other two people who came with us weren’t confident climbers and Mat the guide had to help them back down, the guy lost his nerve at on stage, Bev did well. Had a look at NW Point but little activity on a calm sea. Fish and chips for dinner which although cheap at $6 each I wouldn’t recommend. Went for a look for owls since Mat the guide today had heard them along Mill Lane, but after spending 1½hrs at different spots we gave up.
7/4
Up 9.00 Bev went shopping, I lazed around the flat, at 12.00 we hired some snorkeling gear and went to Emily Bay, the water was very cold. There wasn’t a lot of coral or fish but I saw a very pretty yellow Moray Eel and some huge Sea Urchins. Just as I got out it started to rain, Bev hadn’t spent much time in at all and basically wasted $15. I waited for a funeral to finish before getting back in again at the back of the cemetery, there was even less coral and fish but a few different ones including a small shark and a Banded Moray Eel, so it was worth risking hypothermia for the second time. Back to the unit for a hot shower and chicken and chips for dinner, As we got back to the flat and got out of the car we heard a Morepork calling, but couldn’t find it.
8/4
Home
If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.