I always think Parsley Bay Reserve is one of those under-appreciated places. It has a family friendly beach with a shallow sandy bottom that extends far out into the bay. It also has interesting animals running around it. When I used to scuba dive I always looked forward to diving in Parsley Bay as I would always see something interesting. As a child I loved walking thought the bush at the back of the reserve. I recall one night coming down to collect tadpoles in a pond, high up toward the back of the reserve, when a largish eel made an appearance, possibly attracted by my net disturbing the water like a struggling morsel of food. The place has always held a fondness for me, so I was really happy to wander around the park with my camera on Boxing Day 2018. Although I was happy to photograph a currawong at its nest and to see a cormorant, I was even more excited to photograph a water dragon and some crabs, two animals I had been hoping to photograph that day. I hope you enjoy the pictures below.
I had not gone far into my walk when I saw a Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) go flying past only to land at the top of a fern tree where it had a nest. There were three chicks in the nest. I was surprised to see it bring a full-size cicada for its chicks to eat. They seemed to have large mouthes capable of taking the insect whole. The cicada had lost its head, something I had see when a Noisy Friarbird was also feeding its chicks on Red Hill in December. I am not sure if that was a part eaten by the adults or whether it was removed to kill the insect, thus making it easier for the chicks to eat. The currawong made repeated trips to feed the young, although it never flew too far away. I could keep it under visual observation the whole time it was away and I believe I only saw a single adult. There is a good chance this was a female bird as she takes the primary role in feeding the chicks.
The only other bird I was able to photograph that morning was this Little Pied Cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos). It landed in the water as I was crossing over the bridge above the bay. Upon landing it immediately began fishing. It made a couple of short dives underwater.
I knew Parsley Bay had Eastern Water Dragons (Physignathus lesueurii lesueurii) living in it. Indeed, one path that leads towards the back of the reserve is called the Water Dragon Walk. I was hoping to be able to photograph these reptiles so I could compare them to the photos I had of the Gippsland Water Dragons in Canberra. I was not disappointed because there was a water dragon on a rock ledge near the small water fall at the back of the reserve. It saw me first, with its movement attracting my attention. I thought it was going to run into a crevice somewhere so I started photographing from a distance with a flash. I knew my photos would not be great but at least I would get some shots. The dragon stay stilled, so I was able to edge closer. Each time I moved forward I took more photos, just in case it disappeared. I was standing almost directly above it before it decided to disappear in to a convenient hole. Compared to the Gippsland Water Dragon (and more photos here) these ones have less colour but the black stripe through the eye is the easiest way to identify them. I was so happy to get these photographs as this had been one of my objectives in going to Parsley Bay. These lizards can spend up to 30 minutes underwater, which comes in handy for hunting their prey. They will eat most small creatures as well as some forms of vegetation, like berries.
While walking on one of the tracks I saw this Green Lacewing land on the underside of a leaf. There was a slight breeze and I was having trouble focussing so I am not completely happy with the results. Lacewings are considered ‘good insects’ by the agricultural sector as both the adult insect and the larvae form consume harmful insects, like aphids and other plant eaters.
I was also happy to get this photograph of this female Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi) even though its web was not yet showing the full Saint Andrew’s cross. The size and colour indicate this as a female. Because the canopy was so thick, making it hard for light to penetrate, this spider was still sitting in the middle of its orb web. I do love the colours of the spider.
After finishing in the bush part of the park I walked out to the rocky area near the swimming net. I really wanted to photograph a crab. I was fortunate in finding a number of Variegated Shore Crabs (Leptograpus variegatus) scurrying across the rocks, including the one at the top of the post where a wave is just washing over it. These are very common crabs in Sydney. They can live above the high water mark for period of time but need to remain moist. It mainly feeds on algae but does scavenge when the opportunity arises.