The aim today was to find the Large Duck-orchids at
the Grantville NCR. We’d ticked some a fortnight previous but they’d since ‘flown
the coop’ (in the words of Banjo). There were plenty of other
attractions to focus the cameras and binoculars on, including: a few un-opened
Beard-orchids growing on the sides of the track; a family of baby thornbills
being fed by some busy parents; Grey Shrike-thrushes singing in the canopy.
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Grey Shrike-thrush
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A few puddles in the track were attracting blue Damselflies
and some Dragonflies were clinging to track-side shrubs, warming up in preparation for their
daily aerial patrols.
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| Dragonfly |
Being a forecast hot day, the plan was not to stay for too
long. We bought some lunch and headed for the Dunbabbin Picnic Area at the
south-eastern corner of The Gurdies NCR. We shared lunch with some Golden
Whistlers and Dusky Woodswallows.
Just as we were about to head back, a Blue-winged Parrot
shot out of the grass on the side of the road, a ‘lifer’ for Thistle, so we
spent a bit of time chasing down a small group of these beautiful and uncommon little
grass parrots a close relative to the rare Orange-bellied Parrot.
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Blue-winged Parrot 1
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Blue-winged Parrot 2
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In the middle of the blue-wing pursuit, a family of
Varied
Sittellas arrived in the canopy along with some
Jacky Winters.  |
Varied Sittella
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An ice cream in beautiful Loch concluded another great day
in the bush.
Gouldiae.
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