Belmont Lagoon and Morriset

Destination: Belmont Lagoon
Where??? Just south of Newcastle, NSW

The weather looked average as I drove south to my destination, but there was nothing that would stop me from christening this shiny lens by pointing it at something feathery. A quick stop at Maccas for a hot chocolate and then down to the lagoon. I was not alone for this outing and met up with a fellow photographer as it’s always good to have someone to back up your stories.
Off we trod in search of birds. After spooking a Great Egret and several Cormorants, we came across lots of White-faced Honeyeaters and Silvereyes just waking up and getting active as the sun poked it head over the horizon. After recently hearing a report from this area, our first targets were hopefully to be Southern Emu-wrens.

It was very cool when we actually first saw the Emu-wrens flying across the track with their long, six stranded tail feathers flailing behind them. It was the first time I had seen these birds before and we quickly settled in to try and get some photos. These birds were very reluctant to come out into the open but we did manage a few photos. A quick about turn and we headed off down another track, which seemed too quiet and didn’t hold much hope for seeing anything. Luck was on our side however and we saw White-throated Treecreeper and yet another first for me, Azure Kingfishers. What a stunning bird! No hope of a photo as they darted quickly up and down the creek, but still a great sight and we made a pledge to return at a later date with a hide to try and get some photos. Still many Silvereyes flying around but time was running short for my friend who was suffering from a case of ‘under the thumb-it is’ and had to be home only a couple of hours after we started. A gentle poke in the side and some persuasion got him to stop off again at the spot we saw the Emu-wrens and we took some more photos before heading back. At the car we had a last minute photo opp with two Welcome Swallows and a White-faced Heron.
I was not under instructions today and had a day pass to enjoy myself, so I headed further south to loop around Lake Macquarie to Morriset where I was looking for Ospreys. I entered the paddock where I knew there was an Osprey nest and was happy to see one of them on the tree.

A short warning cry let me know that my arrival had been noticed. The bird was a little tentative and did not hang around too long, but I managed a few photos before it decided to go fishing. Not wanting to sit and wait I walked a short track and found yet another new bird for the day, in the form of the Mistletoebird. What a cute little bird with a striking red chest and a very inquisitive nature.

Also encountered some Red-browed Firetails (Finches) and a few Superb Fairy-wrens to top off the walk. As the sun was high overhead, I decided to head towards home via Stockton where I practiced a few flight shots with the Silver Gulls and had no hope of photographing another Osprey that was high above and riding the breeze.
An enjoyable outing with many new sightings and some cool photos to boot.