On a solo cycle through Sydney Olympic Park and on to Meadowbank Wharf, Brad – predictably – found some birds.
Around the southern end of Haslam’s Creek, a few families of Purple Swamphens (Porphyria porphyria) were showing their chicks the ropes. The chicks were rather cute:
One of the parents on the shore was determined to distract me away from the chicks with a display I can only refer to as “flashing his bright white arse”…
Moving onto Woo-la-ra Hill – which Bramanda have nicknamed Cisticola Hill – a few minutes listening for the distinctive call led me to a small group of Golden-headed Cisticolas (Cisticola exilis):
At Badu Wetlands, a number of juvenile Pied Stilts (Himantopus leucocephalus):
And also a photogenic Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia):
In the rapidly dropping sun, a Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) made a lovely silhouette against the diamante water:
A Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata):
A female Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus)…
…and the male. It is not widely realised how varied the male’s plumage can be as he moves in and out of his breeding phases:
In the mangroves right in the south-east corner of Homebush Bay, a juvenile White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) was working out how to forage amongst the pneumatophores. He was very unsure of where to place his feet as he browsed between these spiky aerial roots.
Heading for home, I checked in on the Magpie-lark location, but only found this male. Is he the now-fledged chick we photographed less than two months ago?
And as a final treat, a Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea) allowed me to photograph her feeding her recently fledged youngster.
Bramandagram 