Friday, February 24, 2023

Sydney, Australia – Feb 18

Sydney, Australia – Feb 18

I have included the photo links from our previous visits here:

2013 Sydney https://photos.app.goo.gl/r7uHbEu8me4GXecU6

2013 Blue Mountains https://photos.app.goo.gl/EsranL4NUrXfUT2A6

2013 Kata Tjuta, (The Olgas) Australia https://photos.app.goo.gl/xL78xASpH6y965Fs7

2013 Ayers Rock https://photos.app.goo.gl/siN5swNAhzhA8qfw8

2017 https://photos.app.goo.gl/xu42Pq8PHHasLq1B6

2019 https://photos.app.goo.gl/GjU3s3x9ECfpEEk47

Our sail in this morning was one of the prettiest we have had. Sunrise over the beautiful city and the opera house was spectacular. We have had some rainy sail ins, so this was a treat.






Andrew, our guide took this photo from shore of our ship & the Opera House






















We had another great birding day with Andrew Patrick of Zest for Birds. andrew@zestforbirds.com 

He is a superb bird guide and when he gets your “target list”, he puts together the best spots to hopefully find them. Last time we were in Sydney in 2019 we and an excellent day with him scoring many new birds. This time we saw even more! We saw a total of 65 species today. 21 new birds added to our life list bringing our total to 1,630.

Weather was hot, but we were shaded in the forests for the most part, so not bad at all. Andrew is always waiting right outside the port terminal for us and off we go in search of birds. Besides his birding abilities he is just a nice guy to spend the day with. He brought morning tea and biscuits and later we had lunch. Always cold water and juices. 

I have included some pretty "bad" photos, but getting the perfect shot with birds is oftentimes just not possible or any shot at all for that matter. Greg amazes me with his quick camera skills.

Cumberland Forest State Park was our first stop. The forest was just full of bird sounds and was just so peaceful.

Laughing Kookaburra
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Long-billed Corella
Bell Miner
Eastern Whipbird
Eastern Whipbird
Rainbow Lorikeet
Eastern Whipbird
Crimson Rosella - female
Australian Brushturkey

Fred Caterson Reserve was our second stop.

Crimson Rosella - male
Glossy Black-Cockatoos - there was a pair here feeding on the balls that looked like tiny pinecones







Little Wattlebird
kids on the BMX track - it was a weekend so many locals were out enjoying the park

Silvereye
Silvereye
Lewin's Honeyeater
Lewin's Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Eastern Spinebill
White-throated Treecreeper
Dollarbird
Dollarbird
Brown Thornbill
Eastern Spinebill
Eastern Spinebill
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo






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White-browed Scrubwren
Little Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Satin Bowerbird nest - remnants
Satin Bowerbird nest - remnants
Satin Bowerbird 

Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery - It may seem odd but cemeteries are often great places to bird.

Beautiful letting for the cemetery


Willy Wagtail
Australian Ibis
Maned Duck

Spotted Dove
Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher


Red-rumped Parrot - male

Red-rumped Parrot - female & male
Red-rumped Parrot - male
Red-rumped Parrot - male
Red-rumped Parrot - male
Red-rumped Parrot - female

Cattai National Park - Mitchell Park - tea – trail – lunch - trail 

Sacred Kingfisher
 Golden Whistler
Black Bittern - way across the river shot through trees
Black Bittern
White-throated treecreeper
Brown Thornbill
Brown Cuckoo-dove

Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Gray Fantail
Eastern Yellow Robin
where we had tea and later lunch

Pitt Town Nature Reserve - a beautiful spot with a bird hide that Andrew had a hand in making happen. We agree with him that it would be great if they made some islands closer to the hide for better bird viewing. We took many photos here, but most were at such a distance that they weren't great. I included a few of the "better" ones. As we walked down to the hide, we startled a couple of Brown Quail. They startled us too!


Australian Pelican



Pied Stilt

Chestnut Teal & Pied Stilt
White-faced Heron on the left
Royal Spoonbills

Masked Lapwing
Masked Lapwing
Royal Spoonbills


Australasian Darter - landing

Gray Teal

Gray Teal


White-faced Heron


Chestnut Teal
Superb Fairywren
Superb Fairywren
Horse Farm
Andrew


We dropped our things and headed back out for gelato, dinner, and more gelato. We stopped at a market and bought our Tim Tams. (layered chocolate covered cookies that are delicious and can only be found in Australia, though they do export them to the States, we have never seen them) 

first gelato stop - the roasted macadamia nut was yummy, chocolate was a no

We got a surprise when we returned to the ship and it was champagne, a floral arrangement, a plate of canapes and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. It was for reaching 500 days sailed on Princess. While that was nice, we would have preferred to have gotten it on a sea day instead of arriving back late after a full day of touring and already full from dinner etc. We ate the 4 canapes and put the strawberries in the fridge with the champagne. A note was also attached that explained that they had changed how the Captains Circle works and they would no longer acknowledge the new 500-day people at the party. Not sure if they discontinued having the special luncheons etc. too?

500 days flower arrangement & champagne - thank you, Princess!
(no photos of the chocolate covered strawberries & canapes)


We ate dinner at 4 frogs Crepes. They were “OK”, but if we lived there, we wouldn’t go back. They were of the gluten-free healthy variety. 




prosciutto, goat cheese, walnut & honey
Chicken, Swiss Cheese, peri peri sauce & spring onions

We walked around a bit, but the weather was taking a turn and it got cloudy and blustery and we about got blown away eating our gelato.





last gelato stop - yummy!
across from the port

mural in the port

We headed quickly back to the ship and showered and got dressed to see the late show in the theater. It was supposed to be a comedian Johnny Cardinale, but it was Dan Downey who plays mostly in the Bayou Café and a few other venues, so we left. He’s OK and has a following but is a bit too mellow and we were afraid we would fall asleep. 

We also were eager to start working on the birds that we saw today. Back in the cabin we had our memories out and batteries charging on our cameras. Then, we notice fireworks from our balcony going off over the Opera House. No photos, but it was awesome! (the weather had blown past, and it was nice again) So, we settled back in and had our batteries and memories back in and the fireworks happen again. Just awesome and this time we got photos and video. Just as it was ending, we started to sail away. Just like the sail-in this morning it was the best sail-away we have had here. 









































Just as an aside, while we were in line to be amongst the first off the ship, we overheard some ladies talking to the organizer of their private tour saying, “we are so glad we listened to you and got here this early”. What a contrast to the couple that couldn’t show up on time for the Moorea tour that we needed to be there extra early due to being a tender port. 

We also found a letter from the shore excursion desk saying our tour for Moreton Island was canceled. We jumped online and tried to book something else, but not much was left. Not knowing if we could book directly with the resort on the island, we grabbed the Resort Day pass. We rarely use ship tours, but some places make it almost impossible not to use them. (timing or other issues) 

Another time change tonight 1 hour back. Yay! 

Tomorrow, we have one sea day before Moreton Island, Australia.

For larger photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8irRUGexKeTPJMke7

65 species seen today, and out new life list total is 1630 with the 21 new birds seen today.

 Australasian Darte

Australasian Swamphen       

Australian Brushturkey               

Australian Ibis        

Australian Magpie                       

Australian Pelican                        

Australian Raven                         

Australian Shelduck - New     

Bell Miner - New     

Black Bittern - New     

Black-faced Cuckooshrike                        

Black-fronted Dotterel          

Brown Cuckoo-Dove - New    

Brown Gerygone                         

Brown Quail - New     

Brown Thornbill            

Chestnut Teal                

Common Myna             

Crimson Rosella - New     

Dollarbird                       

Dusky Moorhen            

Eastern Rosella              

Eastern Spinebill - New     

Eastern Whipbird - New     

Eastern Yellow Robin                  

Eurasian Coot                

European Starling                        

Fairy Martin                   

Glossy Black-Cockatoo - New     

Golden Whistler - New     

Gray Fantail                    

Gray Goshawk - New     

Gray Shrikethrush - New    

Gray Teal                        

Hardhead                       

Large-billed Scrubwren - New     

Laughing Kookaburra                  

Lewin's Honeyeater                    

Little Wattlebird - New     

Long-billed Corella                      

Magpie-lark                   

Maned Duck                   

Masked Lapwing                          

Musk Lorikeet - New    

Noisy Miner                   

Olive-backed Oriole - New     

Pied Stilt                      

Pink-eared Duck - New     

Rainbow Lorikeet                        

Red-rumped Parrot - New     

Royal Spoonbill              

Sacred Kingfisher                         

Satin Bowerbird            

Silvereye                         

Spotted Dove                 

Spotted Pardalote - New     

Straw-necked Ibis                        

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo                       

Superb Fairywren                        

Welcome Swallow                        

White-browed Scrubwren                       

White-faced Heron                     

White-throated Treecreeper - New     

Willie-wagtail                 

Yellow-billed Spoonbill - New    

 

 


 


 


 


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