(photos: Grass Trees, Albert's Lyrebird,
Satin Bowerbird's bower)
25 Sept Tue
We tried to get up at five, but failed, and emerged around seven. Bob went off to try to see the Lyrebird, but came back discouraged. I made some filter coffee and Hil and I watched the Pademelons finish grazing and the parrots fly in while Bob went up to O’Reilly’s Discovery Center where their resident naturalist holds forth.
He met Glen Trelfo, a well-known birder and expert on the Lyrebird who told him where the birds hang out. The three of us set off and ran into Glen just as he was leaving for Brisbane. He insisted on taking us to a likely area for the Lyrebird, and there in the underbrush was a male Lyrebird with its intricate and filmy two-foot tail, scratching a hole in the ground! Bob’s 97th life bird of the trip!
Glen also told us where to find a Satin Bowerbird’s bower that is located near one of the picnic tables. The bird had constructed an “avenue” in the tall grasses and scattered blue bottle tops and blue straws in it to entice a female. The availability of colorful plastic trash has made the bowerbirds’ task of finding decorative material for their bowers much easier!
We retired to Gran O’Reilly’s Café for breakfast and then drove a short distance down the road to the Python Rock trail head and took a lovely hike through the rain forest, emerging into eucalyptus and grass tree woodland as we neared the rim of a canyon overlooking a tall waterfall.
Bob and I drove 11 km down the mountain to look for lower elevation specialties, but the road is so narrow and difficult to drive with all the traffic that we decided to return.
Hil and I caught Happy Hour in the bar and Bob joined us for another excellent dinner of mushroom tarts and roast pork with roasted veg.
We tried to get up at five, but failed, and emerged around seven. Bob went off to try to see the Lyrebird, but came back discouraged. I made some filter coffee and Hil and I watched the Pademelons finish grazing and the parrots fly in while Bob went up to O’Reilly’s Discovery Center where their resident naturalist holds forth.
He met Glen Trelfo, a well-known birder and expert on the Lyrebird who told him where the birds hang out. The three of us set off and ran into Glen just as he was leaving for Brisbane. He insisted on taking us to a likely area for the Lyrebird, and there in the underbrush was a male Lyrebird with its intricate and filmy two-foot tail, scratching a hole in the ground! Bob’s 97th life bird of the trip!
Glen also told us where to find a Satin Bowerbird’s bower that is located near one of the picnic tables. The bird had constructed an “avenue” in the tall grasses and scattered blue bottle tops and blue straws in it to entice a female. The availability of colorful plastic trash has made the bowerbirds’ task of finding decorative material for their bowers much easier!
We retired to Gran O’Reilly’s Café for breakfast and then drove a short distance down the road to the Python Rock trail head and took a lovely hike through the rain forest, emerging into eucalyptus and grass tree woodland as we neared the rim of a canyon overlooking a tall waterfall.
Bob and I drove 11 km down the mountain to look for lower elevation specialties, but the road is so narrow and difficult to drive with all the traffic that we decided to return.
Hil and I caught Happy Hour in the bar and Bob joined us for another excellent dinner of mushroom tarts and roast pork with roasted veg.
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