Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Bush and Beach

The road from Cooloola Cove to Rainbow Beach cuts through the northern portion of the Great Sandy National Park. The road is a about 20kms, well-made and sealed but narrow. There are only a couple of good places to pass and most of the time the road verges are narrow or non-existent. There are lots of interesting places for birds but mostly they are along 4 wheel drive tracks. The Searys Creek Picnic Place is part way along this road and the one place it is easy to get into the bush and see some birds. A board walk leads from the parking area down to the creek and then follows along beside  the creek a little further.

The creek crosses under the road in a culvert and there is a series of small rapids.

The water is stained with the tannin from the vegetation around and in the creek. The light shining on the water turns the brown color into shades of red.

There are always birds calling in the thick vegetation but it takes patience to find them among the leaves and even greater patience to get good photos of them.

I photographed a lot of pelicans roosting on the sand island at Inskip Point a few days ago.These are the only kind of pelicans found in Australia - Pelecanus conspicillatus. There are a couple of Pied Oystercatchers standing on the right of the Pelicans. They look small by comparison.

With numbers like this at the major roost sites there are also small groups of Pelicans in most places around the bay. I photographed these ones at Carlo boat launch.

Three was definitely a crowd and two birds swam off together leaving one by itself.

For more photos from around the world visit Our World Tuesday

and for more bird photos visit Wild Bird Wednesday.

36 comments:

  1. Nice shots, I love these Pelicans they are beautiful birds.

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  2. Wonderful place for a nature walk and I love the photos of your Australian Pelicans.

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  3. So much beauty and I do love the pelicans!! Terrific captures as always, Mick! Hope you have a great week!!

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  4. I love walking along boardwalks in amongst such lush vegetation - you can see everything up close. LOVE the pelicans!

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  5. huge looking pelicans. i like that boardwalk and the color of the water!

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  6. Boardwalks are great places to catch a few pics and quietly enjoy a bit of the natural surrounds .... the red muddy water makes a lovely splash of colour.

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  7. Very cool pelicans!!! Beautiful path....and yes, I can only imagine how tricky it would be to find those cleverly hidden birds:) Sounds like a fun challenge:)

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  8. I would love to go birding along the boardwalk. It is a beautiful path, very lush! The Pelicans are cool, great shots. Have a happy week!

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  9. Those pelicans are so beautiful and a bit different from our white pelicans. They really are very striking. Visiting from OWT. :)

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  10. Mick that looks like a great place and wonderful photos too. Pelicans are so neat.

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  11. I'd love to walk down there to the beach! Your pelican shots are wonderful!

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  12. I think boardwalks are such a great idea - they take you to places you might nor normally be able to walk to.
    Have a wonderful week and thank yo for stopping by my blog last week - we have been away trecking and only just back - so catching up!

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  13. Beautiful pelican photos!
    The boardwalk at the picnic area looks really inviting, too.
    Have a wonderful day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  14. Great area!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  15. Wonderful images... it looks like a fantastic place to visit.

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  16. Awesome photos of the pelicans!
    Great work!

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  17. It seems like a nice place to walk in. I almost can hear the birds sound in that wood!
    Love the pelicans with their incredible big peaks. Hmm, some love going on there too maybe?
    Greetings Pia

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  18. Your photos are great, especially the pelicans.

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  19. The boardwalk looks so inviting Mick, almost as if its saying "come on in and see what's to discover in my hidden depths". Love the pelicans - so huge.

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  20. Lovely - all of them! My favorites are the pelicans. Pelican pics are on my bucket list :) I'll take that boardwalk to our creek.. that would be handy! -Tammy

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  21. It is so long since I have been in the Rainbow Beach area, I feel homesick just reading about it. I love our large pelicans, bo wonder they are called conspicillatis, they certainly are unmissably conspicuous.

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  22. Great image series you show Mick. Thanks for the comment on my blog :) Hanne Bente

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  23. Beautiful countryside for walking.
    The pelicans are totally awesome.
    Best regards, Irma

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  24. I don't think I've seen that kind of pelican before. Boy, I'm learning so much from this blog hop.

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  25. I love the pelicans! A few years ago I would have been alarmed at the red look of the river, but we see that color here in Florida and learned about it and now it doesn't worry me.

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  26. Beautiful! I love the sound of running water.

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  27. Love the white pelicans...some of the best photos I have seen of them!

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  28. First time visitor to your blog, Mick. Glad I stopped by because your nature photos are just wonderful. Those boardwalks through some challenging terrain are just what's needed to make the places accessible to everyone. We have one of these that extends out over a forest canopy. And once in New Zealand I was able to look down into the tops of a "forest" of tree ferns. Memorable.

    Your photos prompted some good memories--so much that I'm talking too much! Well done!

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  29. I love places like this. But at times they can almost seem overwhelming. :)

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  30. These pelicans are so unlike what we see in USA. They're extraordinary!!

    And beautiful scenic views of your birding hike.

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  31. This area looks like it would be great to explore!
    It seems similar to our local environment - the coast nearby and tannin-stained rivers with banks of thick vegetation.

    Gotta love those Pelicans!

    -Thanks for a good post, Mick!

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  32. Great birds - I can't resist taking pictures of pelicans!

    Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW

    Stewart M - Melbourne

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  33. I loved the boardwalk and how it brings you into the habitat while protecting it from undue disturbance. The pelican shots are gorgeous!

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  34. A great place, great pictures. I really love the pelican pictures.

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  35. I love Pelicans! You've go some great shots there Mick!
    I might have to investigate that spot.
    Have a great week!!

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