Cockatoo Lake

Visited: spring

Recommendation: This is a very pleasant camping site and the proximity of the lake means there is lots of wildlife around. Possibly not a destination location but definitely worth looking around if you are camping here.

The first thing you notice when you arrive in the small park/campsite at Cockatoo Lake is the sound of the frogs. And the cockatoo. It is deliciously loud. The water was very high and the whole site jumping. It was really lovely, especially with the huge, twisted gum trees.

At the camping end of the lake were a couple of trees full of Long-billed Corella. My first sighting in my current trip. They are bigger than their Little cousins (makes sense) and have a huge bill. They are also much less common. The bright pink on the face is the give away from a distance.

Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)

There are always Kingfishers around and I love seeing the different species where ever I go. Here, it was the Sacred Kingfisher ruling the roost. Sitting up high and looking for breakfast, it would call and call. The distinctive kek-kek-kek of the Sacred means it is usually pretty easy to find and identify.

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)

I could only walk so far around the lake because of the high water but the track was lined with thick scrub resembling a hedge interspersed with gum trees. There was so much activity but I was really looking again for some parrots. I spotted Musk Lorikeets but still couldn't get close enough. The Red-rumped Parrots were around again and I guess it wasn't much hardship to photograph them instead.

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

On the way back along the track I saw something running in front of me and bounce onto a tree trunk. A Brown Treecreeper. It worked its way up the tree very slowly which meant I could get great views of it. It is deceptively attractive. They are very interesting birds and it is actually their claws that are most fascinating. The long toes are an adaptation essential for their unique foraging behavior, which involves spiraling up tree trunks and branches in search of insects hiding beneath the bark.

The curved shape of the claws allows them to dig into the rough texture of tree bark, providing a secure grip. Next, the length of the claws ensures that the treecreeper has a wide base of support, preventing them from slipping or falling. Lastly, the flexibility of their toes and claws allows them to maneuver easily around obstacles on the tree trunk.

Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus)

I settled on a spot where there was a gap in the 'hedge' and I could see onto the water. I moved the van so I could sit in my side door and just look out. It didn't take long before the fairywren and scrubwren were bouncing around in front of me. Just lovely to have these little birds coming right up to my feet.

Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)

Spotted Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis)

The Spotted Scrubwren (Atrichornis punctata) and the White-browed Scrubwren (Atrichornis rufescens) were once considered a single species but were later split based on several key differences:

Morphology: The Spotted Scrubwren has a more compact body with a shorter tail and a more pronounced spotted pattern on its underparts. The White-browed Scrubwren, on the other hand, has a longer tail and a more uniform brown coloration.
Vocalizations: Both species have distinctive calls, but the Spotted Scrubwren's song is generally considered to be more complex and varied.
Habitat: While both species inhabit scrubby undergrowth in Australia, they have slightly different habitat preferences. The Spotted Scrubwren is more commonly found in drier, more open habitats, while the White-browed Scrubwren is often found in denser, more humid scrub.
Genetics: Recent genetic studies have provided further evidence supporting the separation of these two species. While they are closely related, there is enough genetic divergence to justify their classification as distinct species.

Above me a Crimson Rosella flew in. Unlike some other parrots, rosella are usually very shy and will fly away as you try to get near them. I suppose as I was staying still, this one didn't mind too much.

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

This gap was also home to a family of Willy Wagtail. This is a juvenile and I love how it has golden eyebrows.

Willy Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)

In the evening I saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo fly over. They were wailing away and didn't come close, much to my disappointment.

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea)

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