Simpsons Gap birds - Hooded Robin, Western Bowerbird, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

A quick trip to Simpsons Gap produced another wonderful close-up experience, this time with a Hooded Robin just near the grid at the start of the Simpsons Gap reserve.

I stopped on my way out, seeing the bird sitting on top of a roadside tree and he hadn't moved by the time I let the 4 cars behind me go past and got out of th car. He flew onto a pole nearby and as I approached he flew off, but I soon realised it wasn't my presence that caused the move, merely some tucker on the other side of the road. He then flew back to the same tree and the nearby pole, seemingly oblivious to the person standing nearby with a camera:

Hooded Robin

Prior to the Hooded Robin experience, I was in the car park nearest the Gap and had these close-ups with the Western Bowerbird and the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Western Bowerbird

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Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

A couple of Greys - Grey Fantail and Grey Shrike Thrush

Saw these two youngish birds at Simpsons Gap. The first is the Grey Fantail. Both sat in a tree above me, the Grey Fantail by far the most curious. I think he was saying "what are you doing just sitting there.... in my patch!"

and the Grey Shrike-thrush was in the same tree but far more concerned about the next bit of food it could spot

There weren't nearly as many birds at the picnic area as has been the case recently. I wondered a few things, maybe the hot weather, maybe the approaching storm. although the lack of as many bugs as had been before was probably what I settled with in the end.

Thornbills, Fairy-wrens, Major Mitchell Cockatoos and a Dragon

More photos from the cold, cloudy, drizzly Centre we are experiencing at the moment. The larger birds seem to be keeping themselves warm in caves somewhere, but the smaller birds are out in numbers. this collection is from the Cassia Hill Walk at Simpsons Gap. Yellow-rumped Thornbills were noisily playing in the scrub, but the Chestnut-rumped Thornbills were happily playing by the path:

I'll pose for the camera!

I wish I could have a dragonfly for lunch

How lucky was that, caught it by the toe!

A quick transference to the beak

A few whacks on the branch and then get a better grip

 There were lots of fairy-wrens around and this Splendid Fairy-wren is in the middle of a moult:

A Major Mitchell cockatoo was extremely tame and allowed me to get very close, perched on a wooden fence:

and finally, I love photos with birds and signs, but sometimes other animals can get involved. This photo may well be captioned:

Dragons Guard These Gates!

You can just make out the Bearded Dragon on the bottom left of the photo. Here are some closer shots:

Collared Sparrowhawk Simpsons Gap

I was on my way to one of the RedCentre Birdweek activities at Simpsons Gap and noticed a shape sitting in a puddle at the Cassia Hill Walk carpark. To my delight, it was a Collared Sparrowhawk having a wash:

Even though I was thrilled to see it, I was sure it would fly off never to be seen again if I drove too close. I was just getting ready to turn the car off and watch for a while when it took flight. Instead of flying off, it sat in a nearby tree and wasn't too fazed by the car sitting not far away and let me take the following photos:

A morning stroll around Woodland Trail at Simpson's Gap

Major Mitchell Cockatoos