The weather in Narooma is starting to cool with Autumn dropping the temperatures. There was also a cold snap over Easter that caught us unprepared with our more suitable clothes unfortunately left back in Canberra. Luckily, I had clothes that would keep me warm enough on my bike so I headed out on Good Friday to explore the area. While riding along the Mill Bay Boardwalk I saw two Welcome Swallows perched on the end of a cross beam that supported the wooden boards. The one nearer to me seemed nervous because of my presence. It would fly off in a rapid circle before returning beside its fellow swallow. It did that a few times before it stayed on the cross beam, although even there it regularly shuffled its position while the second swallow stayed still. I love the colours of the Welcome Swallow so I was glad that this one stayed still a few times for me. A number of birds were still around but the weather was cooler and the days shorter with Winter a couple of months away. I am still enjoying getting to the coast to see the nature there and I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
The first three photographs come from a kayak paddle I enjoyed around Wagonga Inlet in mid-March. The day was cloudy with a bit of wind blowing from west along the inlet to the sea. Initially, I was struggling with light because of the clouds but the sun eventually broke through. While on the inlet I thought that there were less recreational craft out and less people holidaying around the shore. That made the inlet feel quieter. I enjoyed that feeling because it meant I was able to focus more on the wildlife I was seeing around me than be too concerned about what other boats were doing.
The first animal I photographed was a lone Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) that was standing on the inlet’s large southern sand flat, which was still mainly underwater. Because the sand was just below the surface the bird seemed to be standing mid-water with nothing around it. The lack of light at that time made it hard to get a good exposure without introducing too much noise. Despite the early pre-dawn time the pelican was already out in the middle of the inlet, on the sand flat. I didn’t see it fishing but the ebbing tide may have helped in trapping fish in pockets on the sand flat. That was the only pelican that I saw and the lack of pelicans may have to do with the full inland waterways where pelicans go because there are more fish. In addition, because there are less recreational fishers using the boat ramps the pelicans have trouble finding easy meals from the cast-off from the catch.
Australian Pelican standing on a barely submerged sand flat in the pre-dawn light
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1000, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Later in the paddle, coming back past the same sand flats, the pelican had long gone but three Masked Lapwings (Vanellus miles) were now occupying the sand flat. This species is closely related to waders, as their long legs show. The birds were not looking for food, just preening, so maybe the sand flat was a way to get away from the human activity around the inlet. There were a number of lapwings around the shores of the inlet on the open, grassy areas. Those large numbers made me wonder what it will be like in Narooma during the lapwing breeding season when the birds defend their ground nests vigorously with noisy swooping.
Masked Lapwings on a sand bank
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 300mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
The final bird I saw on the kayak was when I was paddling slowly across the shallow water behind Lewis Island. A lone White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) was moving gracefully through the gradually ebbing water. I let the kayak drift slowly while I carefully organised my camera so as not to scare the bird. The water was providing some reflection but there was a little bit of wind that stopped a true mirror like surface. These birds are very common, possibly because they feed on a wide variety of aquatic animals. To catch their prey they will lunge, disturb with their feet, patiently wait for movement or any other way they can think of. Sitting quietly in my kayak watching this bird move slowly through the water was a lovely way to finish off my paddle.
White-faced Heron searching for food
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 300mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Because of the windy weather and the colder than usual Easter I didn’t get out for a kayak but I did have a chance to go for a couple of nice bike rides. While I like to have the camera with me, I often find that I flash by something before I have a chance to notice it. By the time I turn around, the bird or animal is spooked and the moment is gone.
One moment that didn’t go was towards the end of one of the Good Friday bike ride when I was able to catch this almost silhouetted shot of Australia Rock. I had enjoyed a lovely ride along some back roads of Narooma after which I decided to ride down to the inlet entrance. Upon arriving at Bar Beach South I continued along the right breakwater towards its end, where the marker light was. I rested my bike against the pole supporting the marker light and spied this shot. In post-processing, I didn’t try to recover the shadows, I just left the exposure as it was.
Australia Rock in early morning silhouette
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 100, 194mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Cycling back to the place we were staying I took the Mill Bay Boardwalk, a lovely wooded path above the surface of the inlet that allows people to look into the shallow water below. I stopped with some other people to view a sizeable stingray resting on the bottom. While looking at the stingray I noticed two beautifully coloured Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) perched on the end of a cross beam of the boardwalk. The one closest to the camera was very active, or even flighty. When I first put my head over the boardwalk railing and looked in its direction the swallow flew off. I thought that I had blown my chance but the bird flew in a rapid circle and returned to where it had been. The other bird didn't even move. That first bird did the same thing several times. It would fly off, complete a rapid aerobatic turn and settle back to where it had been. While resting on the wood, sometimes it would look in my direction but other times out over the water. It was lovely being so close to these beautiful little birds.
Welcome Swallow pair on the Mill Bay Boardwalk
(Canon EOS 6D Mk II with a Canon EF70-200mm f/4L IS II USM [ISO 800, 200mm, f/4.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Despite Narooma getting colder because of Autumn there was still a lot of life around. I didn't have as much opportunity to photograph as I would have liked, and I saw far more than I was able to photograph. Hopefully, I will return again soon and have better luck photographing some interesting subjects.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the south coast of New South Wales has on offer. All the best until the next post.