Last weekend while recovering from our recent illness my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in the Capertee Valley in Gardens of Stone and Capertee National Parks staying at a luxury accommodation called Belle Bois (beautiful timber or trees) which we highly recommend which is owned and run by Wendy who is the chairperson of the annual Capertee Valley Bird Festival held in Spring. Capertee is one of the world’s top 50 birding sites which people from all over the world visit each year in search of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater which nests by the Capertee River and feeds from the many mature Mugga Ironbark Tree blossoms which are essential to their health and that of their young. The Capertee Valley in NSW is the widest canyon or valley in the world, being 30 km (19 miles) at its widest point, 1 km wider than the Grand Canyon in USA. Click on images to enlarge.

Pantoney’s Crown
Gardens of Stone NP, Capertee Valley
Mistletoe flowers
The black trunks of the Mugga Ironbark covered in Mistletoe

At present the Mistletoe blossom is providing nectar for the many species of birds as the Ironbarks will not flower till next Spring. The valley, situated at the north west of the Blue Mountains, has its own sub climate which has many species of birds. It is a very quiet place to stay with a beautiful morning chorus of birdsong where one can here the beautiful chimes of the Pied Butcherbird (one of my most favorite songbirds) with the laugh of the Grey Butcherbird calling together. You can also hear the repetitive call of the Peaceful Dove in the background. Listen !

Morning Chorus featuring the beautiful chimes of the Pied Butcherbird

This time of year is not the best for birding here, and the weather was cloudy and wet so we were thankful for what we did see. The Noisy Friarbird and Noisy Miner were the most numerous and noisiest of the birds feeding in the the Mistletoe blossom (for nectar) and Ironbark trees (for lerps)

Pied Butcherbird
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird feeding from Mistletoe
Noisy Friarbird driving off Noisy Miner
Friarbird calling angrily to Miner

Here is an example of the very aggressive Noisy Friarbird being noisy, as they communicate to one another and often chase and squabble among themselves as they selfishly pursue blossom. The Friarbird gets its name from its appearance. Its bald head and drab plumage resemble that of a monk. Listen to the noisy chuckle of the Friarbird as it feeds.

As we looked out from our room at Belle Bois we could watch the local Eastern Grey Kangaroo. I was chased by one male which was quite unusual. This was a beautiful peaceful vista at the backdrop of the valley walls. Kangaroos can hold off birthing till season is good, this is why we see so many young. Usually one boomer (alpha male) has a harem of several females.

Parent and juvenile
curious male
male about to chase me
time to rest from a busy night feeding
Notic mom has baby in pouch as well as two juveniles

We also noted these Straw-necked Ibis grazing in a paddock displaying their beautiful plumage in what little sun there was.

Straw-necked Ibis grazing
Straw-necked Ibis showing iridescent plumage

Our greatest find in the Ironbark trees at Belle Bois was this Brown-headed Honeyeater which is found in this area feeding on the Mistletoe and lerps from the Ironbark trees.

Brown-headed Honeyeater

Have a wonderful week and hopefully one day may be good for a birding date, as the changing season is somewhat unpredictable with rain and dull weather and fewer birds. If your are new to my Blog, Welcome ! Check out my Home Page for info on Birding and tips you can learn from them to de stress. Info also on establishing your own backyard birdbath to enjoy the antics of the birds drinking and bathing.

If you would like to explore more and learn from the birds how you can know true peace, joy and contentment in your life, visit my Birder Sanctuary page and quietly unpack the treasures from it’s helpful practical spiritual counselling material.

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Posted on 11 By aussiebirder Australian Birds Posted in Australian Birds Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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aussiebirder

My wife and I share a love of bird observing and bird photography which takes us all over Australia. We love sharing our experiences. Birds live in the beautiful parts of our country. We always get blessed with beautiful gifts of new birds and unexpected experiences each time we go out birding or just walking in the parks and reserves in our wonderful land. We love Australia, and the variety that each state and region offers in its wildlife and nature aspects. Join us in sharing our love. We have always found other birders enthusiastic and friendly people who appreciate the good things in life.

11 Comments »

  2. We rejoice that you and your wife have recovered from the illness and could celebrate your anniversary in this special place. Truly it looks like a slice of heaven on earth☺️ Hopefully our greeting card will arrive soon. Always thinking of you.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Takami, thank you for your anniversary blessings, we did enjoy our time away and are now back in the business of life again, more busy than ever with the baby and various ministries and concerns in our lives. We apologise for not making contact recently, I had intended but life never turns out the way you plan, as we have had several people the Lord has placed on our hearts to encourage and assist through difficult times at present. Looking for ward to receiving your card.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Donna, we had a lovely time at Belle Bois and those large male Roos seem quite threatening when you see them up close and looking at you, especially when they sit on that powerful tail they use when fighting other Roos.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Belle Bois looks a great place to stay Ashley. Glad you were able to see some birds despite the weather. Hearing your recording of the noisy friar bird brought back memories for me of seeing and hearing those birds in Sydney when I was growing up. I always thought them to be really loud and strange looking with their bald head!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Sue, yes we enjoyed our stay at Belle Bois and we heard the Friarbirds almost constantly throughout the day in the mistletoe blossom carrying on with each other with spats of aggression. The sound of the Maggies,, Pied and Grey Butcherbirds singing together in the morning chorus was so beautiful. It brought back memories of being on my property up north, as each morning I would hear them. We usually only see Friarbirds in Royal NP at the end of winter when they feed on the seed pods on the large introduced trees planted by the river. Usually we see them further west of Sydney and Newcastle. I think we have seen all four Friarbird species over our travels. The silver-crowned is my favorite looking one but he is way up far north of our continent.

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