November 2021

Summer is definitely arriving in Perth as we had a hot day of 36 degrees forecast for Saturday 27th November. Luckily there was plenty of shade around and the breeze and surrounding water meant it was still relatively comfortable while wandering.

Close to the carpark where we were gathered near a shady bench there was a copse of thick trees overhanging the water. We spotted about 4 nests in the branches and then someone noticed underneath one; a bird staring back at them! Luckily there was a bird book in the car so we were able to identify it as a juvenile nankeen night heron and get a closer look at it through binoculars.

The birdlife (and their chicks) seemed to be the main attraction for everyone as we explored the rest of the park. Our exercise was to zoom in, zoom out and everyone managed to get that on their pages. We observed dusky moorhens, European coots, ducks, cormorants, Australasian darters, black swans and finally an adult nankeen night heron too! On top of the birdlife there was a snake-necked turtle that made a brief appearance and numerous tadpoles in the water.