Newstead – Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER doesn't mean I'm LOST

Little Journeys: Newstead

January 25, 2026Posted in Newstead, Rainbow Bee EaterTagged Newstead, Rainbow Bee Eater4 Comments

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

Taking a bit of a drive for Pardalote Parenting

November 20, 2016November 20, 2016Posted in Guildford, Newstead, Straited PardaloteTagged Guildford, Guildford General Store, Newstead, Striated Pardalote6 Comments

Spoke to Mr An Onymous and suggested that we might like to do a day trip up to see the Rainbow Bee-eaters working in the creek-line at the Newstead Cemetery.
The promise of a pie from the Guildford General Store sort of clinched the deal, and we found a day that looked promising weather wise and planned accordingly.

Best light in to the creek-line would be late afternoon as my Mum’s “Keep the Sun over your Left Shoulder, Dear!” would be just the ticket.

Phoned Guilford General to ensure that they would have a pie in the warmer for us, and chose a Lamb Rogan Josh and a Chicken Kashmiri as the likely candidates. “All good to go,” says Emily. We then packed the gear and headed up.

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Finding Jacky Winter

October 12, 2015November 26, 2015Posted in Jacky Winter, Newstead, Werribee WagtailsTagged Jacky Winter, NewsteadLeave a comment

We’ve been up around the Newstead area this past week. Went up for the annual Werribee Birdlife (Formerly Werribee Wagtails) camp out.

On one afternoon in the RIse and Shine Bushland area we were quietly travelling through the forest, when I was pretty sure I’d heard the familiar “Peter, Peter Peter” of Jacky.
So we stopped and eventually I reckoned it about 500mm further down so we went to look. No doubt about it, a Jacky Winter, and quite vocal, and very busy. The EE spotted a pattern of flying into one tree, and a few minutes later announced, like some magician about to pull a rabbit from a hat. “Look, she is building a nest!”.

Now of course you have got to have seen a Jacky Winter nest before to have any idea what you are looking for. Mr An Onymous who was with us peered into the trees, scratched his head, got out his ever dependable Nikon binos and looked again. “Where?” Which is a pretty good question as Jacky doesn’t exactly go in for high class up market building. If there was one of those ‘reality building’ shows for birds she’d be among the bottom of the backyards.

And there on a tiny Y in branch was an almost imperceptible bulge. And pretty soon Jacky confirmed that by adding some more spider web to hold it all together.

Hope she is successful.

Enjoy.