Up early on a Sunday morning, despite the rain: I consider myself a serious birder now.
I arrived at Stretton Recreation Reserve, at the south end of Karawatha Forest, just after 5:30 am. Compared to early mornings at Oxley Creek Common and Archerfield Wetlands, I was surprised and wary when I couldn’t see (and could barely even hear) any birds in the open area near the carpark.
Still, I headed over the bridge and into the forest, choosing the short Melaleuca Circuit (approximately 1.3 km).
I could hear some birds, but I haven’t learnt enough bird calls yet to know what they were—except for the kookaburras. A while went by and all I had seen were some crows and ibises … and lots of spiders.
I thought this soggy currawong might be the most exciting thing I’d see.
One of the things I have loved about photographing birds over the last week has been seeing details that you wouldn’t normally see without the camera—like this currawong’s beautiful amber eyes.
I was starting to lose hope of seeing anything new at all when some quick movement caught my eye. To my left, just next to the walking path, were two White-Throated Treecreepers, darting their way up the trees. I didn’t get any good photos, unfortunately—they were just blurs—
—but it was so exciting to tick off a lifer, and one that I’ve been looking forward to seeing in action. I think my photography skills and my speed will need to improve greatly before I can capture worthy photos of these quick little birds.
Soon, though, I was back at the carpark and not ready to give up yet at only 6:20 am … so I headed to nearby Berrinba Wetlands for another bird walk.
Birds
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Australian White Ibis
- Torresian Crow
- Pied Currawong
- White-Throated Treecreeper
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