Spotted Pardolate
For the second half of the day's birding we moved west into Megalong Valley - a beautiful mix of habitats including the crags and cliffs of the Blue Mountains, extensive mixed and deciduous woodland, rolling farmland (recalling, honestly, the Yorkshire Dales), and even lush, dark rainforest.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Plenty of relaxed birding and stops along deserted country roads and tracks, which produced (amongst many species) a further ten lifers - three soaring Wedge-tailed Eagles over the ridges, a secretive Yellow-faced Honeyeater, a patient Nankeen Kestrel on roadside wires, truly regal Australian King Parrots,
(note Jason's undeniably cool license plate)
ground-feeding Yellow-rumped Thornbills, psychedelically-painted Eastern Rosellas, oddly sizeable White-throated Treecreepers, a single Little Wattlebird, endearingly-named Jacky Winters and two-tone Eastern Yellow Robins.
Nankeen Kestrel
Little Wattlebird
(it's been years since we had one, but they follow you everywhere)
Eastern Yellow Robin
Eastern Spinebill
Thanks again to Jason - a great day and company in the field.
White-throated Treecreeper
Pacific Black Duck
the first Great Crested Grebe of the trip, provoking mild nostalgia for Blighty
Australasian Grebe
Jacky Winter (potentially Willy Wagtail's nemesis in an as-yet-unwritten children's book)
Little Black Cormorant pretending to be a duck
