We decided to take a day trip up to O’Reilly’s mountain retreat within the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park so I could try out my new lens on the abundant bird life in the area. What a wonderful day we had! If you are at all interested in our native winged fauna , O’Reilly’s really cannot be beaten for numbers and variety. O’Reillys can be found at the end of a winding 32 km road from Canungra in the Gold Coast Hinterland. The impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie is very evident as you make your way up the last 13 kms between Sarabah and O’Reilly’s. The road has been damaged and significantly narrowed in parts from landslides and, at the time of writing, is closed from 8pm at night til 6 in the morning Sunday to Thursday’s to allow for restoration of the road by the Dept of Transport and Main Roads. Upon arrival, within moments of parking the car, we were greeted by this lil guy - An Eastern Yellow Robin. These yellow robins were very prolific in fact and we saw several throughout the day, only rivalled in number by the Rosellas and King Parrots that swarm the designated feeding area, but more about that later. An unexpected and absolute thrill was stumbling across the Birds of Prey Presentation. Every day at 1pm you have the opportunity to meet a line up of some of the most awe inspiring of our feathered fauna. BB The Black Kite (pictured above), Matilda the Barking Owl, Conan the Kestrel (pictured below) or Stella the Wedge Tail Eagle all make an appearance. Not only do you get the opportunity to see these amazing creatures up close but the information you learn about them from the very knowledgeable and entertaining presenter is absolutely fascinating! Due to the fact that we came late to the party unfortunately we missed seeing the owls but were thrilled to meet BB, Conan and Stella and I had a ball photographing them in all their majestic beauty. Click on the thumbnails and you can see for yourself. For more information about the show check their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/oreillysbirdsofpreyshow/ O’Reilly’s has an area where all the parrots gather for feeding and this allows for easy access to photograph Rosellas and the charming King Parrots. If you are keen for a close encounter you can buy the seed and feed them yourself. You may even end up with a parrot in each hand and one perched on top of your head! As well as the parrots, pictured below is a Lewin’s Honeyeater using her unique four sectioned feathery tongue to lap up the nectar from the Pink Grevillea. Of course, being part of a World Heritage-listed National Park means that there are a number of different walks you can go on from 2kms to 24kms, some that take you to breathtaking waterfalls. The Tree Top Walk is not to be missed and takes you 15 metres above the rainforest floor, into the canopy where you can listen and spot birds as well as delicate orchids, creeping vines and ferns all nestled amongst the treetops.
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AuthorOwl Eyes AKA Nikki Archives
January 2020
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