![]() The public holiday Monday, 28 January, did not dawn with good prospects for photography being a grey, overcast morning. Although I was happy to photograph a currawong at its nest and to see a cormorant, I was even more excited to photograph a water dragon and some crabs, two animals I had been hoping to photograph that day. The place has always held a fondness for me, so I was really happy to wander around the park with my camera on Boxing Day 2018. I recall one night coming down to collect tadpoles in a pond, high up toward the back of the reserve, when a largish eel made an appearance, possibly attracted by my net disturbing the water like a struggling morsel of food. As a child I loved walking thought the bush at the back of the reserve. When I used to scuba dive I always looked forward to diving in Parsley Bay as I would always see something interesting. It also has interesting animals running around it. It has a family friendly beach with a shallow sandy bottom that extends far out into the bay. I always think Parsley Bay Reserve is one of those under-appreciated places. I hope that you like the photographs below. I watched a White-bellied Sea Eagle fly along the river and I also had to chase away a Lace Monitor from my stationary kayak were just two of the encounters that will stay with me. And, I am glad that I did paddle in the gorge, the beauty of the location and animals that I saw made the trip more than worthwhile. In the end, I was left with the option of waking at 4AM to drive almost three hours in order to paddle 13km up the river and 13 km back down, to then drive another almost three hours to be back in Canberra that night with my family. My initial plan was to do a two day trip with an overnight stay in the gorge but for a number of reasons I could not make that a reality. ![]() So, jumping ahead to January 2021 I was fast running out of time to paddle the gorge before I needed to return to work. I had paddled up the Shoalhaven River in July 2020 but I had not gone as far into the gorge as I wanted. Shoalhaven Gorge is a stunningly beautiful gorge just a few hours from both Sydney and Canberra. I had a marvellous morning despite the overcast conditions and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below. Later, after the kayak, I was in a suitably elevated position to photograph some of those magnificent, large water birds as they came in low to land on the estuary surface around the boat ramp. I had a great time photographing those big water birds that can look so clumsy walking but are masters of using the wind to manoeuvre in the air. And once I saw the Australian Pelicans I was in my element. The wildlife was captivating, from the Eastern Curlew that I saw even before I put my kayak in the water to the Semaphore Crabs that blanketed the mudflats up the Tuross River. A kayak was the ideal means to see the region because I could paddle up shallow creeks and easily move between sand bars. However, none of that mattered because it was just such a wonderful time paddling around the shallow waters there with the beautiful birdlife and other animals. ![]() Rain was threatening most of the time and a strong wind blew up later in the paddle. Overcast skies hung threateningly overhead on the day in January 2022 when I went to Tuross Head. ![]()
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