New South Wales, August 2014

It feels like it's been a pretty hectic year thus far, and yet you wouldn't know it from following this blog... sorry for the lack of posts of late!

So late August, and the closing days of the New South Wales winter: a week spent readjusting to time zones, catching up with friends in Sydney and a bit of exploring of the heaths and rainforest south of the city, through Royal National Park and the Illawarra escarpment.

A boat trip out from Wollongong provided hundreds of albatrosses and some bow-riding Common Dolphins. The bleak beauty of Barren Grounds was home to Eastern Bristlebirds, Southern Emu-Wren and a fleeting Eastern Ground Owl. The rainforest of the Illawarra gave the chance to catch up with Superb Lyrebird, Satin Bowerbird, Eastern Whipbird and other old favourites, as well as Green Catbird and the wonderfully named Wonga Pigeon. And the flowering heaths of Curra Moor were heaving with honeyeaters, making the most of the nectar.

Next stop, Western Australia.