We attempt to make a visit to Geikie Gorge annually to go bush-walking and birdwatching, however the space is just open for a couple of months annually. Usually the world is open from round April to October, however this may differ so much resulting from flooding rains or bushfires. Final 12 months we had been in a position to go to in Might, however this 12 months we had not been in a position to go to till this final weekend. The park had been closed to a bushfire the earlier week, so we had been fortunate that we might go to earlier than it closed. Final Sunday was a sometimes scorching day for late September with temperatures over 30c as quickly because the solar got here up and quickly growing to over 40c within the shade. It was a scorching and dry warmth, so it was like strolling into an oven although a fan-forced oven if you happen to discovered a breeze!
We’ve encountered Purple-crown Fairy-wrens within the space in two places previously. Final 12 months they had been very near the car-park and on the lengthy stroll beside the river. The species is just within the north of Australia and they’re usually present in places which might be exhausting to get to 12 months spherical. We’ve been in a position to observe Purple-crown Fairy-wrens in a couple of places throughout the north of Australia they usually had been fairly straightforward to see within the car-park at Massive Horse Creek in 2017.
Our encounters with Purple-crown Fairy-wrens final weekend within the scoring warmth was transient. It was partly because of the warmth, however principally resulting from the truth that we did not need to disturb them any greater than vital. Initially we heard them after which moved barely nearer to look at them and take some pictures. The Purple-crown Fairy-wren is a really small chicken, so is probably not clearly seen within the header picture. I’ll present you beneath the place it’s!
feminine Purple-crown Fairy-wren
We watched the feminine Purple-crown Fairy-wren preen after which the male Purple-crown Fairy-wren joined her. We had been solely within the space for 3 minutes to reduce disturbance, however by holding our distance I used to be in a position to seize them behaving as if we weren’t current. We did attempt to benefit from the little little bit of shade that there was and so I will not apologise for the dearth of brilliant daylight within the pictures! Each the Purple-crown Fairy-wrens and ourselves had been attempting to maintain out of the direct warmth of the solar the place we might.
feminine Purple-crown Fairy-wren
Male Purple-crown Fairy-wren
It was a memorable expertise to look at the pair of Purple-crown Fairy-wrens meet up on the department and preen collectively.
Purple-crown Fairy-wrens
I might have dedicated the pictures that had vegetation in them, nevertheless it helps you perceive how simply they’ll disappear from view. Minimising disturbance is much more essential than getting the “greatest” shot of such a tiny weak chicken. Over coming months there will not be any entry to the park and the Fitzroy River can be in flood as soon as our moist season rains begin. The entire inhabitants of the world might want to transfer to greater floor and hopefully we are going to return subsequent 12 months to look at them once more.
