Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Internet twitching (28th January '07)

Well I'm feeling a bit stiff today as I made my debut for the mighty Grasshoppers FC in the North Sydney 5-a-side league last night. Why Grasshoppers? Who knows. Maybe something to do with our green shirts. Anyway it was a bit tough in the heat and humidity and we went down to a battling 5-3 loss to the most excellently named Kid Nuclear & the Victory Bunch. We're currently sitting 2nd in division 3 on goal difference after two games. All results, league tables and suspensions(!) are updated weekly and can be viewed here.

The rather unassuming Wilberforce Lagoon

On Sunday I popped up to Springwood in the Blue Mountains for Malcolm's mum's birthday. My internet bird bulletin had mentioned a pair of wood sandpipers were hanging out in a small pond which was loosely on the way. Well I just had to stop off and sure enough, after a few minutes searching the muddy banks (there wasn't really much bank to search, it being a very little pond) I spotted one of them. So that's the wood sandpiper #340 in the bag.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Symphony in the Domain (20th January '07)

Phew! What a scorcher! Silly temperatures this weekend in Sydney with the mercury hitting 40 C on Sunday. It was a few degrees cooler on Saturday which was just as well as we all piled down to The Domain for the annual Sydney Festival Symphony in the Domain. Each year there is a series of free concerts in The Domain next to the botanical gardens in the city. There is a different type of performance each week (Jazz in the Domain, Opera in the Domain, etc.) as the arty types strive to bring a bit of culture to the masses. The masses tend to just turn up with a picnic and copious quantities of wine though.

Symphony in the Domain

This week was Symphony in the Domain which saw the Sydney Symphony Orchestra do their thing. The theme this year was American composers which wasn't the best as it all seemed a bit tuneless and percussion-based. There were a couple of nice pieces though before they finished with the traditional 1812 Overture and a load of fireworks which is clearly the crowd favourite!

Treemonkey - King of the Goon

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

NSW South Coast (4th-6th January '07)

I've just been down on the state's south coast for a change. I spent the first two days with Palli and Fleur at Fleur's parents' holiday house at Bateman's Bay and then I stopped off for a look around Jervis Bay on the way back north.

Very nice of Fleur to invite me down. Thanks again!

I also managed my first successful follow-up on an internet bird tip-off! It was on the way south anyway in a small park on the south edge of Sydney so I thought I'd better pop in on the way past. Luckily the birds were still there exactly where they were supposed to be. A pair of roosting powerful owls #338.

Powerful Owl

I then carried on down the coast for 3 hours or so to Bateman's Bay. Fleur's place is less than 100 m from the beach so we just hung out there for most of the time. There are loads of lovely little beaches right along the coast so it wasn't too busy despite the holiday season.

A lovely spot for breakfast

Palli riding a wave and me catching a barrel....... with my face!

On the way back north I spent the day in Booderee NP next to Jervis Bay on the look-out for the rare eastern bristlebird which hangs out on the coastal heath in the park. I think you really have to be there at dawn or dusk to stand a chance of the bristlebird or the even rarer ground parrot but I did bag a shining bronze-cuckoo #339 in a patch of woodland so all was well!

Bristlebirds and ground parrots - they're in there somewhere!

There were lots of wallabies and kangaroos about too which I reckon is a little unusual in the middle of the day. Unfortunately they were too quick for me to get you any pictures unlike little dragons and spiders. Next time.....

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

New Years Eve ('06/'07)

New Years Eve picnic with a top view of the bridge

On New Years Eve I followed the million other people down to Sydney Harbour to watch the fireworks. I went down before midday and already the queue to get to the water was desperately long. If Simon hadn't got down even earlier and bagged a spot near the front of the queue I'd have been standing in line for at least 4 hours. Aleisha joined us and we got a good spot overlooking the bridge at Mrs Macquarie's Point where we spent the day lounging about having a picnic as the people kept on coming.

We certainly didn't have the place to ourselves

By the evening, the place was packed. Showers were forecast but it stayed dry and the moon was even out later on. The fireworks were somewhere between ok and disappointing but once you've seen some, you've seen them all right? Anyway, it was nothing uber-spectacular as the ridiculously biased Australian media might have you believe. It was a lovely picnic though!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Forster (29th December '06)

Firstly, a snake update: After consultation with Jarrod, I can tell you that both snakes in the previous post are amethystine pythons (Morelia amethistina). This is Australia's largest snake usually growing to 3-5 m but they have found giant ones up to 8 m! Although non-venomous, they are known for often being easily annoyed and quick to bite! Just as well I seemed to have found a couple of more relaxed individuals.

Fishing on 7 Mile beach, Forster

Well Christmas was happily spent with mates and a barbecue, backyard cricket set, boules and a spot of poker. That's how its done down here. Of course the weather is much more suitable for a day outside! I kind of miss warming myself by a fire with family though.

Mal 'guns' the boat out into Wallis Lake

On Friday, Malcolm and I headed north to the seaside town of Forster for a spot of fishing. We went to 7 Mile beach first to get some worms. They are lured from the sand by a net of fish heads and when they peek out above the surface you endeavour to grab them and pull. You are then astounded when its still coming out of the beach about half a metre later! You can buy these things in the tackle shops but at 2 bucks 50 a pop you might as well catch a few. We had a few casts off the beach and I managed to land a small sand whiting but although they are great eating, this one was a couple of centimetres under the 27 cm limit.

Wallis Lake

We then hired a wee boat and spent the rest of the day slowly pottering about Wallis Lake. The lake is fringed by mangroves and is joined to the sea making it tidal. Its famous for its many oyster farms. No joy on the fishing front although Mal hooked a couple of nice bream but they got away within sight of the boat. Great views of osprey and sea-eagles though and messing about in boats is always great fun!

A wonderful bird is the pelican
His mouth can hold more than his belican
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
I'll be darned if I know how the helican

(Dixon L. Merritt, 1910)