New Pigeon!!!

Well, isn't it always the way. When you're not actually looking for something you end up finding it. And so it was on Good Friday, driving back from Mal's mother's place in Springwood, when I scored a new bird on the power lines beside the road descending from the mountains. And not only was it a new bird, it was a new pigeon!! The White-headed Pigeon # 242 no less. This is a nomadic species which follows the fruiting trees and is normally found mainly along the east coastal strip in rainforest areas. However, with people planting more introduced species in their gardens, especially the camphor laurel, it's range seems to be increasing a little and it's enjoying a bit of a revival after much of it's natural rainforest habitat had been lost due to the settlers' farming. There have been a few sightings in recent years as far up into the Blue Mountains as Blackheath. A good spot though, especially this far into the hills. Unfortunately though, as a result of the driving and everything, I don't have a picture for you!

Dante's Glen (26th March '06)

Dante's Glen is just outside the village of Lawson up in the Blue Mountains again. A couple of streams plunge down a series of small waterfalls into a very narrow and steep-sided sandstone gully. The vegetation is rainforest dominated by coachwood and its allegedly a top spot for most of the rainforest and wet sclerophyll bird species in NSW.

Some waterfalls

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Unfortunately when we ventured in there it was in the main part dead. Except for the fantails that is. This is the premier spot it seems for these inquisitive little chaps, both the more common grey but also the rufous. Honeyeaters included the usual New Holland, Lewin's and the spinebill. Parrots were represented by crimson rosellas and both sulfur-crested and yellow-tailed black cockies. Lots of eastern yellow robins, the odd treecreeper, golden whistler and thornbills.

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White-throated treecreeper

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I was hoping to pick up the large-billed scrubwren as all three NSW species reportedly live here but the common white-browed was the only one to come to the party. Red-browed firetails, as always, were a pleasure to see and also a couple of black-faced monarchs were observed nearing the end of their summer visit. They should be heading back to Queensland any day now.

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No snakes this time. I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or not. There were a load of copper-tailed skinks though which are very nice looking critters indeed.

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Copper-tailed skink

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We stopped off at Glenbrook lagoon on the way back down from the hills. This is just a random little pond a little way off the main road. Lots of good looking weed cover and reeds so I thought maybe a rail or something might be lurking but instead there was one little pied cormorant on a piece of wood and that was that! Not the greatest day's bird watching ever but again its just nice to get out into the bush for a bit and this was as good a spot as any.

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Glenbrook Lagoon and the Little pied cormorant

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Crikey! Jarrod does his Croc Hunter thing with a baby dragon

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Target bird: Large-billed scrubwren (negative)

Catch the Pigeon: None (Where have they all gone?)

Roadkill strike assessment: None (The place really was pretty much dead!)

New Office

Mmmm, corner office

Well here it is, the new office. Although its not got windows on both walls it is, in fact, the corner office on the top floor! Not a bad view of the city right now but you'll notice the large drill in the foreground. This is where they're about to build a new 8 storey high law building. To give you some idea, the library on the left is 6 storeys so the view will shortly be gone. This is just great though because I think we really need another 8 floors-worth of lawyers in our society.

Mmmm, city view