The Whalers Way

Our first foray this morning was to the Reserve at the end of Dolphin Way.  Probably not the most successful walk ever, mainly because the small dog took the lead and the track isn't that obvious (understatement).  Our routes out and back diverged quite a bit as shown by this eBird track.

Very few birds were around in the bush here for reasons not known to me.  As we got back to the house (about 800m North of the Reserve) a pair of parrots flew into a small tree.  On checking, they were Mulga Parrots. I returned with my good camera and got some pix.  By that stage they have into a Pomegranate tree.

Our main plan for the day was to go to the Whalers Way South of Port Lincoln.  It is the red line in this snip from Google Earth.

We called in to the Port Lincoln Visitors Centre and picked up the key to the Reserve, paying our $30 entrance fee.  All excellent, unlike the street signs in Port Lincoln, which were non existent for the major roads I was looking for.  However, we didn't get lost and soon passed Lincoln National Park: I'm sure Its a lovely place, but canophobic as are most places in which a State Conservation mob are involved.

We stopped by a historic marker to where Flinders found water.

This sign is at the entrance to the Whalers Way Reserve.

Dogs are allowed on leads!!  I suspect their public liability insurance premiums (or their lawyers fees) are quite high: the gate is about 30 km from Port Lincoln and the Reserve is full of cliffs accessed by a reasonably rough road.  This is not to grizzle but to suggest the Parks Services could learn a lot from this.  Our route is very visible as the dirt road in this image.

Here is the first Inlet, Whalechasers Chasm.  It should be noted that the wind was extremely strong, adding to the range of things that could go wrong (but didn't).

I think I have mentioned cliffs.

There were also flowers available.  This Melaleuca sp. was flowering in profusion throughout the Reserve.  It was attracting a lot of New Holland Honeyeaters and in one area a flock of Dusky Woodswallows. (presumably feeding on the insects that were feeding on the flowers).

I have no idea what this is, other than a white flower.

A Correa sp.

All vegetation here is quite low which on thinking about it is to be expected on a limestone area exposed to the Southern Ocean (next land going South is Antarctica) and prevailing winds that have possibly not been interrupted since:

• Port Elizabeth (South Africa) if coming straight West - Google Earth suggests 10,000km; or
• Southern Argentina with a small amount of South in the breeze - add another 7,000km.

A flowering eucalypt ...

.. with interesting seed capsules.

Another eucalypt ...

.. which has dropped the flower caps on the ground.

A colony of fur seals (really sea lions) were stacking some zeds at the mouth of a cave.  Even knowing they were likely to be there the distance was quite a lot - both vertically and horizontally.

The cave is at the centre bottom of the island in this image.  Presumably there was some sort of fault which has allowed the sea to cut that channel.

Emus were available.  This image also gives an idea of the height of the vegetation.

More cliffs!

It was suggested that the pool at the bottom of this slope was a possibility for swimming (presumably in Summer).

I think this swimming is contraindicated by this sign.  There were quite  few signs about beware of freak waves in this area.  In WA they are a little more direct: King Waves Kill!

As we drove out a good flock (at least 27 birds) of Cape Barren Geese were seen grazing.

As we got close to our house (having dropped the key off at the Visitors Centre) we found 4 more geese sharing grazing with part of a huge flock of Galahs.

After getting back to the house I was going to take photographs of the Cormorants on the island in front of the house but the wind was so strong the telescope would have shaken continually (especially with my phone acting as an aerofoil).  So I had a glass of wine instead.

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Day 5: Touring Port Lincoln

Going here (or possibly there) around Lower Eyre Peninsula.

The weather overnight was somewhat stormy.  It seemed that every hour a squall would pass with very noisy wind, and lashing rain.  At least the temperature is several degrees higher than it has been in Canberra.  The dawn however was great!

We decided that we would go to Coffin Bay the next day so headed off towards Port Lincoln, pausing to check out the Big Swamp.  We were rewarded with a sighting of a male Musk Duck doing a vigorous display by chucking wingfulls of water high into the air.  The object of his attentions was not visible,

Proceeding down the highway I stopped to begin my collection of photos of SA road safety signs.  So much better than the NSW equivalent with some slapper doing a weak pinky pose.

As we swung into Port Lincoln we were intending to do the Pernkalla walking tour.  Then I looked at the map and realised it was going to be many kilometres long.  So we started in the middle, adjacent to the statue of Makbe Diva – a nag who won two Melbourne Cups, 

Proceeding along the sea front a couple of  OFLUSs (an acronym for Old Farts Like US) expressed, vocally, fear at the sight of the big fierce dog we had with us.  A little later another person of similar vintage asked if we'd found her in a packet of cornflakes.  He was a friendly soul so I didn't comment that “yes, I'd cut my South Australian driving license off it and there she was.”

We wandered along the walk going around the silos and fishing jetty

and generally enjoying ourselves when I noticed that putting on our raincoats had been a good idea.  Looking at the sky suggested it was about to get very damp so we returned to the car.  In fact the dark sky appeared to have been a very localised shower, but we still drove to Billy Light's Point .  The aim of going there was to find our way to a Reserve described as a bird-watchers paradise.

This turned out to be a tad hard to find as all access to the Reserve appeared to be labelled as Private Property.  Eventually we got to a track overlooking the sea covered with very large gravel.  It was hard for us to walk on and must have been agony for Tammy.  Then Frances spotted a dirt trail on the far side of some lagoons.  More bad signage by Port Lincoln City Council, who will be getting some advice about this.  From looking at one (badly defaced) sign we did eventually find it seems as though the rocky track was the bed of a former railway line.)

Eventually we got to the Reserve to be greeted by a group of about 4 green parrots.  They had blue faces so were Rock Parrots (not quite a lifer, but my original sighting at the salt fields North of Adelaide had been very stringy).  Shortly after we decided that the wind was too cold to stick to the waterside so headed off back towards an inland track.  Before getting there Frances had to explore the far side of a bush.  To my surprise I was called to attend her.  She had discovered another colony of Cyrtostylis robusta and on this occasion some of the flowers were fullyopen.  Despite the howling gale I managed to take a couple of reasonable images.

We had become convinced of the ID from reading the text in “First start with the leaves” a book by Robert Lawrence about the orchids of the Adelaide hills.  With that as a good hint I had been able to follow up with “Orchids of South Australia” which revealed the species to be common on the coast, both limestone (original sighting) and sandy soil (later sighting).

A few other additional good plants were seen today as well as several  repeats from yesterday:

Melaleuca halmaturorum p

Leucopogonparviflorus  (this was a surprise as the plant was 2m high: I am used to knee-high bearded heaths!)

Eucalyptus sp

Acacia sp

Plus - although not photographed - a good collection of Xanthorrhea semiplana tatei beside the Flinders Highway.  The lack of images is dealt with tomorrow!

About 20 metres down the track a large white bird erupted from a tree letting fly with the most outstanding spray of guano I have ever seen in mid air.  It was very good that it didn't fly over us while so doing!  Frances, the eagle-eyed scout, picked it as a Barn Owl. 

Shortly thereafter we were serenaded by one of the local intelligentsia on a trail bike.  While he did slow down to pass us the noise of his machine was most offensive.  So we turned to go back home to find other intelligent persons were driving towards us while their 3 pig dogs ran beside the car.  I grabbed Tammy and moved off the track while Frances advised these well sun-tanned folk that we had a dog with us.  Their three mongrels were inserted back in their car, already occupied by about 5 anthropoids, and we passed by, accepting apologies.

We got back to our car and called in at a seafood place to get some prawns and oysters.  They made our tea, and very nice they were too!

Bird of the Day:                     Barn Owl [Rock Parrots strolled down the red carpet but were not as exciting as a day-time Owl].

Plant of the Day:                   Cyrtostilis robusta, as it was identified today!

Interesting thing of the day: the way the walk weaved though the post and silo areas.

What we learnt today:          Where Tammy came from!

And now this spell was snapped: once more

I viewed the parrots green,

And having once turned round walked quick

Because I saw a flying owl

Drop down a mighty slick.

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