November's random photos

This post will be updated from time to time with photos and/or smart-arse remarks that appeal to me and do not fit within more general themes.  The first set of images cover events on 1^st and 2^nd November.

We headed towards Eden to replenish household supplies.  Our first stop was at the Gipsy Point cemetery to see how the orchids were going.  The Thelymitra ixioides were all fertilised and thus finished.  However there were many smaller sun orchids.  I decided that these were T. arenaria.

On getting to (Greater) Eden we swung in to Quarantine Bay expecting to see a roost of black and white cormorants which we have seen in the distance from the wharf.  In fact that was not the case as shown by this snip from Google Maps.  The birds seem to be on the Eastern side of Cocora Point (our viewpoint shown by red arrow) and thus invisible from the place we were (shown by red box).

We did see a cruise ship.  This is the Caledonian Sky - I think on a "cruise" from Melbourne.  

It appears that punters take short trips to spend a few days at sea.  From the appearance of the obvious tourists wandering about the Eden Wharf area I can't imagine what they do on board as they

• didn't look like the "party 'til you puke" types. and 
• ignored the juvenile Pacific Gull so aren't birders.

I found it rather difficult to find out much about this vessel or others serving the port.  Plenty of sites willing to sell tickets but little about the boats or how the day is filled on the cruises.  It appeared that a boat was due on about 50 days before the end of March so the new wharf is getting plenty of action: but I also can't see what people do in Eden for about 9 hours!

Here is the view at Quarantine Bay.  Much guano evident on the rocks but no unusual Cormorants.

 After a nice serve of fish and chips we walked along the wharf where a Pacific Gull was evident.

 Looking out in the usual direction some Pied Cormorants were visible at the end of telescope range.  We agreed that we'll have to explore that part of Eden at a later time.

On Saturday morning on our early walk (I still think of it as our dog walk) we were surprised at the number of Sea Hares around the board walk.  They included this Sydney Sea Hare (Aplysia sydneyensis) as well as at least 5 Walking Sea Hares (A. juliana).

 I went for a stroll around the Double Creek Nature Trail, where I failed to find any interestin g birds but did remember to photograph this useful sign.

 Coming back a bit the Xanthorrhoea resinosa was in good bloom.

 My eye was caught by a flamboyant insect which I have tentatively identified as Cryptocheilus bicolor (Orange Spider wasp).

On 9 Nov I noticed a bunch of white birds on Seagull Island.  I wondered if there were any Cattle Egrets there and identified 1, much whiter than most of the flock currently around the area.  There were a good lot of Royal Spoonbills.  Looking at the full sized image allowed to sort out what was a Spoonbill and what was a snoozing Pelican (or Ibis) giving a count of 14.

 On the morning of the 10^th, 10 of them were wading in the Lakeside Lagoon,

 These 3 were showing their plumes rather well.

In the afternoon we went to the Miners Track area and found the orchids were largely cactus.  This Diplarrena moroea (Buttercup Flag) was looking good.

 So was was this Varied Sword-grass Brown (Tisiphone abeona)

When the team from Birdlife East Gippsland visited here they found two Powerful Owls on the Casuarina Track.  I visited the track several times that week and more since with no success.  On the 22^nd Frances and I went again.  A first good sighting was a Rufous Fantail in the deeper gully.  After crossing the second gully a Wattlebird ruckus could be heard as we approached a bench.  They obviously had a target in the bush and on going a little off track there was my target