Nice birds and more orchids

I found some interesting birds around the area on the morning of the 14th and a known orchid patch did not disappoint in the afternoon.  However I begin with a Coral Tree near the wharf.

The weather was wonderful.  Clear skies no wind and heading for 20C.  So I revisited the Gun Club Track area.

I had hoped to find the insectivorous birds on the Airport fence but they were absent.  An Australian Pipit posed nicely on top of a fence post.  This was the first of three which I saw during the visit.

A more typical sighting!

Although not a sighting as such it was good to hear a Eurasian Skylark singing as it ascended over the grass of the Airport.

A Dillwynia was looking very showy.  The plant seems a little different to those of D. sericea with which we are familiar but it seems to be the only local candidate for this habitat.  More research needed.

A large grey bird perched briefly on the fence and then headed for the trees.  A Grey Currawong, not common around here.

It eventually emerged to give a clearer view.  No idea why it is holding its foot up.

Back home the Fairywrens were very active.  I did hope to get an image of culminated courtship but that didn't happen.

This male kept puffing himself up as he called the females' attention to himself.  I don't know why making yourself look like an alien is a good mating strategy, but then I'm not a Fairywren (and it seems to work for the Mango Mussolini).

Off to Pebbly Beach in the afternoon.  It is interesting how different the alignment of Betka Rd is between the white line (cadastral road) and where it actually goes!

There were, as hoped, many Caladenia catenata on the track in to the parking lot.

We were surprised - and pleased - to find a flowering Lomatia ilicifolia near the steps down to Secret Beach.

In case you wonder why it is called "ilicifolia" here is a close up of the leaves.  Looks like holly to me!

A particularly lush clump of Hardenbergia violacea.

A different approach to bushfire art.  

My current interest in the burnt shapes has caused me to look for the sculptor whose work we saw at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2010.  Following Frances' suggestion I looked at their site for 'Past Exhibitions'  and there was David Nash. 

Heading down the track to Pebbly Beach some greenhoods appeared.  No Pterostylis grandiflora but several P. nutans.

and a few P. pedunculata.

Yellow was represented by Senecio linearifolius.  

A challenge for the orchid specialist.  There was a "gone over" capsule on the top of this stem!

Another challenge!  This is a coming-plant which I think will be an orchid.  I had rejected a suggestion of Glossodia major as it seemed far too big compared to the species in Carwoola,  but on consulting "Orchids of East Gippsland" it is on the money.

This site is not anti-geology.  So I have no idea why I initially omitted this photo of a balanced rock at Pebbly Beach.  I also have no idea why we haven't noticed it on our ~30 previous visits to this site:  has it just been deposited by a recent storm?

In Queensland they'd create an entire National Park for that.  (But it would only be about 10 Hectares in extent: cf the Curtain Fig in Yungaburra.)

Returning home there was a terrestrial ruckus.  It turned out that a pair of Masked Lapwings have hatched 4 chicks which required a lot of noise from the adults to keep under control.