Day: January 25, 2026

Mr An Onymous and Ms In Cognito had needs to travel up toward Newstead, and invited EE and I for the day.
We decided a detour to the Newstead Cemetery was on the bill of fare as we might get to see the Rainbow Bee-eaters. Bit late in the season for nesting, but, well, while we were close, enjoy the visit.

Long time readers, (thanks for enduring), may recall that we used to make the pilgramage up there most years. The Cemetry is situated on a (usually) dry creek bed a few km from town, and well off the main road. Seemed like a secure, quiet area for a Bee-eater pair to raise their young.

Interesting to return to an area after so long and to contemplate so many changes.
The digital revolution, at its beginning was still the realm of dedicted birdos with some new equipment. Now, since the covid years, so much has changed. Equipment has become more sophisticated, more user friendly, far less expensive and the output can reach millions via social media.

It’s the instantaneous gratification of social media that intrigues me. I was reading an article t’other day about a scenic location in the Blue Mountains in NSW that is being closed to tourists as the impact of 3,000 or more a day to get just the right sunset motif is causing damage to the area, and the risks that are being taken on the cliff tops is but one step from disaster. Such is the power of getting a ‘fav’ or ‘star’ or a new follower.

Article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-20/popular-lookout-lincolns-rock-in-blue-mountains-closed/106245326

Sadly for me, at least, birding seems to now be following the same direction. We found signs attached to the fence at the Cemetery reminding people to be mindful of the birds and that they were nesting, and not to go traipsing over the private farmland nearby. Can’t recall that ever before.
The reporting of a sighting of a bird will have line of cars making the journey for that ‘shot’, and then next week on the winds-of- change-of- the-‘net’ off somewhere else to repeat the process. (Nearly wrote performance)
The life and character of the bird overlooked for the importance of ‘best’.

So leaving that aside, it was good to settle into the area near the creek and wait to see what was in play. Sadly we only saw two pairs, (at least I took it to be pairs), and they flew back and forth along the creek and trees catching a snack or two. They didn’t seem to be intersted in the nesting locations, so I concluded that we had, indeed, missed the action.

Photography over, we completed the journey to town, and found a country cafe to enjoy some great country cooking and a coffee.
All agreed we should make the trip again just for the tucker 🙂

Enjoy