Thursday, December 20, 2007

Happy Christmas

Party time chemistry style

Well its all been flat out trying to finish things up for the year both in and out of work and so I've not managed to get out anywhere in the last couple of weeks. I think I've finally got things pretty well under control now so I'm almost set for my trip home to Scotland on Sunday.

Prawns

The department Christmas party was yesterday so there are a few fuzzy heads at work today but it was a pleasant end to the year with the traditional mountain of prawns and cricket in the courtyard. I can now actually think about the holidays and that's great.

A very merry Christmas to you all!

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Royal NP

Rainforest gully

Last weekend our good mate Marty was up from Melbourne to attend Neutron School at ANSTO. They let him out on Sunday so Jarrod and I took him down to the Royal NP to boost his bird list with a few NSW species.

Jarrod and Marty out on the Curra Moors

First we did the Forsest Track at Lady Carrington Drive which takes you through wet forest with a very good rainforest gully. Luckily the Lyrebirds were out as well as the Satin Bowerbirds and we also had great views of an Azure Kingfisher by the creek.

Curra Moors

Botany Bay Weevil (Chrysolopus spectabilis)

We then headed out onto the coastal heath on the Curra Moors and managed to find some Beautiful Firetails and the Rock Warbler (NSW's only endemic) but we also managed to find a new one for my list. The extremely elusive Chestnut-rumped Heathwren #366. Fantastic. There's not any shade out there on the heath so things got a little warm after a while but everyone got new birds and so I guess it was all worth the discomfort in the end. Of course it was!

Rock Warbler