The Cook’s River Cycleway is one of those underrated Sydney classics: a 30km mostly off-road cycle path (give or take, and depending on where you consider the start and the end), that wends its way between many different landscapes – from industrial wastelands to landscaped parklands and Casuarina groves, mostly hugging one of Australia’s most polluted rivers! At times ugly and smelly, at times beautiful. Very Sydney!
On a strangely cool December day, Bramanda rode about half of it, and saw quite a few birds.
Starting with a mystery: we confess… we don’t know who this is. We would love it if anyone could reply with a identification of this bird.
Australian Pied Cormorants and Australian Pelicans were using the inflatable pollution booms as a lilo:
Magpie-lark Dad was showing his two fledglings how to forage in the mud, but they were noisily more intent on being fed, rather than learning to feed themselves:
A family of Australian Wood Ducks:
This fluffy young Pied Currawong was also being shown the ropes by a parent:
A pair of sleepy, fledgling Noisy Miner siblings hunkered together for warmth in the cool breeze. It made me sleepy just watching them:
At Boat Harbour (a tiny man-made dock that once served the historic sugar-mill) a pair of Tawny Frogmouths were roosting. We had heard that this family of Frogmouths were something of a fixture at Boat Harbour, so we were pleased to spot them on our visit.
At Beaman Park, a flock of Eastern Rosellas was feeding:
In Gough Whitlam Park, a Little Pied Cormorant dried his wings and was none too happy that I had interrupted him:
Also in Gough Whitlam Park, we happened upon this lovely Striated Heron, waiting for passing fish. As is always the way when we encounter Striated Herons, we spent ages here in the hope of him doing his “amazing telescopic neck” thing… sadly no luck this time:
Even though the fish were tiny by his standards – we’ve seen Striateds deal with much bigger catches – he seemed to be catching enough to make it worthwhile:
Bramandagram 