Sydney has a wonderful harbour and a great way to see it is along the Vaucluse foreshore walk. This walk is a well maintained trail that goes from Nielsen Park to the Hermitage Foreshore Reserve in the shadows of the atmospheric Rose Bay Convent. Low tide is a great time to walk along the route, as the rocks are exposed meaning you can drop down from the path to follow right beside the water. As always Mum had out done herself with Christmas lunch so I really felt the need to go for a walk. I grabbed my camera, as I figured I would see what I could find while I walked. I am so glad I did as I enjoyed the subjects I came across. I expected the walk to be relatively quiet because it was Christmas Day, however, it appeared backpackers have extended their Christmas on the sea beaches to these harbour spots as well. There were three separate parties of young people enjoying the day with a wealth of accents audible as I walked past. They were in high spirits but keeping their parties ordered with very little litter. One group was very well prepared with a generator powering a DJ table as well as a refrigerator. Despite the noise there were still a number of birds around. It was all just part of the rich tapestry of a Christmas in Sydney. I hope you enjoy the pictures in this post.
Sea grass moving in the small waves near Hermit Point
Nerita atramentosa hiding in a rock holes that almost looked like a convict arrow near Hermit Point
The peaceful graves of some of the Sisters from the Rose Bay Convent overlook this beautiful foreshore walk
When I was growing up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney I cannot recall seeing Australian Ravens (Corvus coronoides) so I was a bit confused when I was inside Mum’s place early on Christmas morning and I heard what I thought were ravens. I was even more surprised when I went for this walk to see ravens eating sea urchins on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. Ravens are part of the highly intelligent Corvid family, a group of birds who have successfully learnt how to eat lethal cane toads so as to avoid the dangerous poison glands. May be I should not have been surprised these smart birds knew how to get the best bits from the sea urchin. I cannot be completely sure these birds caught the sea urchins but when I started watching them they appeared to be eating sea urchins that appeared to be whole so I assumed they have also learnt how to extract these sea creatures from rock crevices safely. The urchins had been turned over to expose the unprotected underside. The birds were then eating the yellow meat from inside them. I saw both an adult and a juvenile consuming these sea creatures in the way I have described. I was completely enthralled by this ability to eat wider sources of food, and that the knowledge of how to do so was at least available to two generations of birds. I am so amazed by these intelligent birds.
Australian Raven eating a sea urchin
The next generation has also learnt how to eat this food
There were of course Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala) enjoying the nectar of the flowers.
A Noisy Miner getting some nectar
Even though Red-whiskered Bulbuls (Pycnonotus jocosus) are introduced birds I was exited to see one as I have not seen them since I was a boy. There were about three of them that were on high branches in different trees calling out towards the open harbour side. There did not seem to be any interaction between the birds. These birds were introduced into Sydney in 1865 and to Melbourne in 1915. While the Melbourne birds seem to have stayed in the city the Sydney birds are spreading. This species has caused consternation in Canberra where sitings were recorded in 2015 and 2018. Canberra’s authorities were concerned the bulbuls will out compete native birds and may also spread invasive weeds because they feed on the seeds that are later excreted randomly around the area.
Red-whiskered Bulbul
One of my favourite moments from the walks was provided by this Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). Towards the end of my walk this bird landed on a glass wall of a swimming pool. Yes, this swimming pool had a glass wall running along the side facing towards the harbour. I am guessing this house was worth tens of millions of dollars with the swimming pool along having a view worth millions. I am sure this is an impressive pool, which provides a lovely reflection of the distant city on windless days for the owners. Despite, what I presume, was an astronomical price tag of this pool, the cocky saw only. a chance to have several drinks of water on a hot day. These cockatoos truly have adapted well to Sydney yet they are another species of bird I do not recall from my childhood in Sydney.
A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo enjoying a drink from a glass-walled swimming pool overlooking Sydney Harbour
Even a cockatoo can appreciate the views
There were Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) flitting between the few trees that bordered the path before it fell away to the harbour. There were probably enough trees along the foreshore to form a corridor for them.
Silvereye
I was happy the last bird I saw on my Christmas walk were three Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus). They were feeding in some low conifer trees, which because of the gradient of the road, had me at eye level with them. The light was fading but I was certain one of them was bobbing like it was about to fly. Due to the partial shadows I could not move the shutter speed up too high without increasing the ISO where the noise would be obvious. The bird took off allowing me to get the picture below. It is still a little blurry but I am happy with it.
A Rainbow Lorikeet moving between two trees