Close encounters of the bird kind

When a recent bushwalk in Marramarra National Park failed to produce any bird sightings (it was a rather warm day), I decided to look closer to home, in the scrub brush above Coogee Beach. If you want to commune with the local avian population, head straight to the stand of trees and rocky lookout between Coogee Beach and Gordon's Bay, and follow the worn paths from the rocks until you're surrounded entirely by the bush.

Off the beaten path

I encountered a pretty good selection of birds from my roost in the thicket, from a nest of immature superb fairy wrens, to a flock of busy starlings, to lonely red wattlebirds and magpie larks.

A chubby magpie lark

I made good friends with this red wattlebird (not usually so friendly)

But the highlight of my adventure was this little guy - a suberb fairy wren in his happy blue breeding plumage, just above Gordon's Bay.

My first sighting of a breeding male superb fairy wren!

He was nice enough to let me photograph him as he hopped from branch to branch

If, like thousands of Australians, you're were out walking near Coogee Beach last week, you might have glimpsed me through the foliage and wondered what in the heck I was doing (I'm thinking of you, tall Dutch-looking girl with the blue polka-dot shirt). Maybe one day you'll understand.