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!)