King Parrots and Cherry Blossoms

Australian King Parrots (Alisterus scapularis) nibbling on the blossoms of the cherry tree.

The females and immature birds look similar with the light green head and neck.

The distinctively brilliant scarlet males give a 'piping whistle' call.

Wattles on a sunny, blustery afternoon

The wattle trees have been in bright yellow bloom the past two weeks.  Even though some are starting to lose their brilliance, I think we'll continue to have flowers for another two more.  I love the yellow against a bright blue sky, and I love the way they smell!

Crimson Rosellas

Crimson rosellas are definitely our favorite parrots: and you can
see why.  Such beautiful, vibrant plumage!

Breezy day, feathers blowing in the wind.

We usually see them together in pairs, but occasionally a small
flock, sometimes a trio of two adults and a juvenile.

Plumage from the backside

They also have a cute little chuckling call, which you can see in a video
on a previous post here.

Flying Foxes in Nambucca Heads

 

Driving through Nambucca Heads at dusk, we saw hundreds of flying foxes.  It was really something to watch them fly silently over the sky.  They're not uncommon in Australia, but it's always a surprise to see them since we don't have them in Armidale.  (And also because they are massive, at least compared to the bats we grew up with.)  We've only seen flying foxes a handful of times: in Sydney and nearby Manly last summer, as well as Port Macquarie a few weeks ago.  This was the most we've ever seen, however, hundreds and hundreds of bats, flying in a steady stream over the sky.

We were also surprised, the next next day, to hear a noisy commotion coming from some trees and realize it was the flying foxes again.  Not so silent this time, the bats were roosting in several trees and flying about.  In the broad daylight 'flying fox' seems like a bit of a euphemism.  Of all the strange wildlife we've seen in Australia, these seem like the most exotic wildlife photos I've ever taken.

Flying Foxes [video]

Flying foxes roosting in Nambucca Heads.

Port Pelicans and Painted Rocks

One last set of photos from Port Macquarie.  It's really enjoyable to walk along the painted rocks jetty in Port, enjoying the scenery along the Hastings River as you walk toward the Pacific.  We saw new painted rocks that weren't there during our visit last January, paintings we recognized, as well as other rocks we'd forgotten but were dated earlier than 2015 so we very well might've seen them.

Port Macquarie and pelicans will always go hand-in-hand in my mind: it was the first place we ever saw pelicans in substantial numbers, up-close, and the first time I captured one in photograph.  The more I look at them the more strange looking they seem.

This particular pelican looks rather comical to me.

Looking up the Hastings River

Seagulls bobbing in the Hastings River

A new type of seabird to look up

I remember this rock from our first visit.  I think it's very cute.

Most of the rocks are painted with pictures; this abstract graffiti-style stood out.

The air along the water was cool but the sun was very hot, a bit hotter than we
were prepared for coming down from the New England highlands!

Of course I had to take a photo of the rock with rosemaling. I didn't particularly
remember this rock, but it's dated 2013 so we must have walked by it last time.

The end of the jetty

Park Beach and several downtown resorts

Lots of boats going by on the Hastings River.  Big boats, little boats,
fishing boats, tour boats.

Crane flowers, or birds-of-paradise flowers, are a common garden feature on
the coast: but I'm still amazed every time we see them.

Port Macquarie Sea Acres Rainforest Centre

Strangling fig on a host tree

Sea Acres National Park is a sub-tropical rainforest nature reserve inside Port Macquarie.  There is a nice Visitor's Centre there with information on the ecosystem, a cafe and gift shop, and an interactive exhibition on the local Aboriginal people.  There is a 1-kilometer boardwalk through the reserve with information on the different rainforest trees and plants.

Cabbage tree palm, "Australia's most widespread southerly palm"

It was nice to see plants labeled that we recognize but never knew the name, such as the cabbage tree palm.  We've seen these on many trips to the coast but I never knew the name before.  There is a cabbage tree palm at Sea Acres that is over 100 years old!

Boardwalk above the forest floor

Another strangling fig

Strangling fig life cycle

Since it was still the middle of winter (first day of August), it was a bit chilly under the canopy: about 60F/15C, a bit too cool for the t-shirts we'd been wearing out in the sun.  It'd be really nice in the summer to get out of the hot sun and under the cool shade of the trees.  The boardwalk is not entirely shaded, however, so we lingered in the sunny spots to warm up a few times.

The man at the Rainforest Centre said we'd be lucky if we saw any wildlife and we didn't have any expectations (though wallabies and pademelons don't hibernate so I'm not entirely sure why it'd be that much less likely to encounter anything.)  We did see a few birds (though we heard more than we saw) and of course a brush turkey.  I was hoping the cool weather would mean we'd see a snake sunning itself, as the diamond-backed pythons are supposed to be a common sight.  I'd like to see a snake (from a distance, of course.)

Cunjevoi, though I'll probably remember it better as Elephant Ears

A massive strangling fig tree fell in 2013, clearing sunlight
for new trees to grow.

An elkhorn fern, a type of epiphyte in the crook of a tree

(Just a friendly reminder that Australian nature doesn't like you.)