Day 304: October 31st – Manly

     Another picture perfect day

         Our last day in Australia gave us the opportunity to revisit the town of Manly on the other side of Sydney Harbour.  Good friends of ours had invited us to visit them in Manly around 20 years ago and we were fortunate enough to be able to take them up on their generous offer.  With a free day today, we just had to get back to this beautiful little city and rekindle those fond memories of our past experience there.  When we arrived, we quickly made the short traverse across town to the spectacular Manly Beach.

      

       Sharon opted to take advantage of the sugary sand and warm sun while I decided to take the walk along the water to Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Preserve in the hopes of finding some bird life along the rocky shoreline.  .A sign at the entrance to the walk warned against any mishandling of the Water Dragons which can be found there.  Having never seen such a critter, I ready my little point and shoot in the hopes of capturing a suitable blog image.  It was only a matter of time, a really short time, before the first of the dragons appeared on the rock outcrops along the water.  I realized after a time that finding a Water Dragon along this path was no remarkable feat as they showed up every 50 meters or so along my trek.

       Still no birds, however, but I already had the dragons, so all was not lost.  I made the trip out to the next bay beach and back and finally came across my first bird of the walk.  A fine bird it was as I photographed and identified a Little Pied Cormorant in a most appropriate setting.  A good photo has to include the context in which it as taken and I believe that this shot fits the bill.  Nice bird in a beautiful setting.

     

       

       As we prepared to leave Manly, our next pair of new life birds appeared….another pair of cormorants.  These were a different species, however.  This was a pair of Little Black Cormorants.  It’s easy to see how these birds got their name as I mentioned to Sharon how much smaller they were than our NA versions even before I learned of their name.  It’s nice when the name, Little Black Cormorant, accurately describes the bird in question.

       We now prepare to leave Australia after 12 days and a number of new life birds which I have to admit I have yet to tally.  It’s been a fantastic trip, covering much of this large continent/country and we are really sad to leave. New Zealand is on the horizon, however, and that promises new adventures, new landscapes, and new birds to add to our “bucket list”.  We are indeed blessed to be able to experience these new lands “down under.”