Australia - Birds in Mandurah

After hang gliding on Friday morning there was no time to spare. Jo and I speed walked the mile walk back to the North Fremantle train station where we caught the train to Fremantle. My Mom picked us up and we drove to Beaconsfield and caught the bus to the Murdoch train station where we caught another train to Mandurah. Peggy's friends Jan and Bryn had invited us to Mandurah for lunch at their island vacation house on the Murry River.

Mandurah

Jan picked us up at the train station and drove us to the dock where Bryn was waiting with the boat to take us to the island. Their house is located on Yunderup Island in the Murry River delta. The delta opens up into a huge inlet that is protected from the Indian Ocean by strip of coast line.

Jan and Bryn's House

It was a windy day with occasional rain showers passing through. There were many different species of birds populating the inlet area. I've always considered myself an armchair bird watcher. On the short boat ride to the island we saw an Australian Darter, an Australian Pelican, and what looked like a Great Egret. Like all the houses we were invited to, Jan and Bryn's house was amazing. It was a quaint beach house with a large covered outdoor deck with a table, a grill, and furniture. We could have spent all day relaxing under the shelter of the overhang listening to the sounds of the ocean and inlet.

Australian Darter

Australian Pelican

Great Egret

The Dock

Jan and Bryn treated us an incredible lunch that was on par with a five star restaurant. We shared more stories and laughs over lunch and were soon joined by a local guest. It was an Australian Magpie, that wasn't the least bit shy about flying down and landing on the end of the table. American Magpies have been known to steal keys and other shinny things out of people's hands. Australian Magpies are just as cheeky, they have been known to swoop down and rip tufts of hair off people's heads. Like most of the wildlife I encountered there, the Australian Magpie had no fear of man, I could almost reach down and pet him.

Lunch

Our Uninvited Guest

Australian Magpie

After lunch Bryn took us for a walk around the island. The wind was cranking when we got to the southwest tip. The inlet reminded me of the Chesapeake Bay and the creek my sister Kathy used to live on. We saw another Australian Darter drying its wings on the walk back. Bryn is a hilarious fellow who works on the off shore rigs in Northern WA, he kept us entertained throughout the visit with funny jokes and stories.

Yunderup Island Path

Bryn and Jo

Garden Flower

Australian Darter Drying its Wings

When we got back to the house I spotted a Galah and a Australian King Parrot in the tree by the dock. Both birds are considered somewhat annoying by the locals. At sunset the parrots would group together in trees and chirp loudly back and forth at each other like a bunch of high school kids at a dance. Galah's are quite frisky birds, always making noise and flying somewhat animatedly. The locals even refer to each other as Galah's when someone does something stupid. I climbed the tree to get as close as I could for a picture. The parrot flew away, but the Galah showed no fear, just mild curiosity as to what the hell I was doing. I managed to get within about 6 feet of him, but couldn't get an unobstructed shot. Then the branch I was on let out an ominous tremor followed by a horrible sinking as it slowly broke away. As I fell I managed to get a poorly cropped shot as he took flight before extracting myself from the stricken branch onto the main tree trunk with my non-camera hand. Dangling safely from my left arm I watched the branch fall into the swampy muck below. Luckily nobody else saw the calamity!

Galah before the Branch Broke

Galah After the Branch Broke

(I think it's a half descent shot considering I was falling at the time)

My mom was the keeper of the schedule throughout the trip and pronounced that our time on the island was almost up. If Jo and I wanted to go for a paddle in the canoe (which we did) we had exactly 18 minutes to do so. Everyone laughed as we paddled off for an 18 minute tour of the creek. The 18 minute time frame became a running joke for the trip. On the way back to the mainland I got this sequence of an Australian Pelican clumsily taking to the air.

Australian Pelican Taking Flight

We rode the train back to Fremantle where Peggy's friends Maya and Samir took us out for another rich dinner. By this point on the trip I had eaten more fancy meals than I normally eat in an entire year. I was a great dinner filled with more laughs, stories and a few political discussions.