I walk daily to the beautiful lake near our home by the sea.
There are many new homes being constructed in this area at present, thus there is always something new to see along the way. But the real attraction is the birdlife in this area, such as this Heron.
As a Chinese symbol, the Heron represents strength, purity, patience and long life.”
I hope this might mean that both the Heron and I have a long life!!
Sometimes we even see the local kangaroos and their joeys in this area. Meanwhile, the Heron continues stamping the slightly soggy ground on the street’s verges looking for some food.
Today, however, we took a long walk in the opposite direction to the roos and away from the foraging Heron.
A new sports facility has opened up. In the current environment, this means that the ground is open, but as the football competition has been closed for the season, I am not sure if you could call it open, but officially it is.
We continue walking from the main road towards the “basin,” or pond. This is a mini wetland area that has attracted a variety of birdlife.
With a larger wetland environmental area opposite, the birds have plenty of food sources.
On closer inspection we could see cormorants, drying their wings in their familiar crucifix-like gesture, welcoming the morning rays of sunlight as well as a Black swan and the odd Ibis. A Willy Wagtail pair tweeting their way along the path in front of us, danced lightly on the ground. They were gone before I could photograph them.
We saw Moorhens chicks stepping their way through the waterlily pads, a perfect adaptation to the watery environment.
This Mother was calling her wayward adventurous chick, and had to chase after her to give her some food.
The cutest of all were these little ducklings. Covered with down, they dipped their heads under the water, but never really that far from Mother Duck.
New Sports Facility for Australian Rules Football
This football field will be a training ground for the local Australian Rules Football club. If you are not Australian, you might not know of this game. Developed as a way for the cricket players to maintain their fitness in the off-season, ‘Aussie Rules,’ is played on a large oval with four posts at either end. It is basically a kick and catch type of game, with elements of basketball thrown in for good measure and a few penalties along the way to add excitement. The players are tall and lean, and very muscular, and I might add, very highly paid.
The Football Clubhouse looks forlorn and vacant and I think of the term ‘white elephant’ when I look at it. It awaits the demise of Corona as we all do.
A storm was heard in the distance, towards the Northern coast. Highly unusual for this time of year, it did not threaten us, but we did get to see some gorgeous coloured sky and cloud formations.
The simple pleasures of life.
Some days I feel that the lockdown won’t ever be over. I push that thought aside and continue my walk from the ground back towards the estate.
Just before we hit suburbia again, there is an Eco-corridor. The Magpies are up early hunting for their breakfast and I am getting pretty peckish too.
The early bird gets the worm, I hope. Can you see four birds in these pictures? Three were magpies and the fourth, an Indian Myna bird.
That completes Monday’s Walk at the Home by the Sea. Thanks for walking along with me in the virtual sense.
Breakfast awaits.
A Home by the Sea 
Watching the birds in the wetlands is always great, something I often do when I am at my “home by the sea” on Cape Cod, only I have to say that I have never, ever seen a kangaroo when out for a walk 😉
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Lol. If you did, I would question what you had recently consumed? Lol.
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I’m so grateful that like you I have nature my doorstep for my daily exercise. The bluebells are out now creating a blue carpet in the woods near our home and the cherry blossom s at its best cheering us all up and hasn’t been blown off with the wind as is usually the case.
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Finally made it here, Amanda. I don’t seem to have a surplus of time despite my social calendar being blitzed. When all this is over I hope someone isn’t going to ask me what I achieved during lockdown. Survival isn’t a very satisfactory answer, is it? 🙂 🙂 Thanks for your walk, hon.
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Amanda we have been so lucky with both the extent of our lock down in Australia, and the success of it -thus far. Having wetland within walking distance, how lovely is that for you and the MOTH. Paul and I have our beach only a few minutes walk away, so we can walk in the sand if it’s pleasant, or the beach path if the tide is to high. There’s barely a day goes by that we don’t think how lucky we are to be living where we do.
My family in NZ had to endure several weeks of level 4 lock down. We’ve been able to purchase supplies for projects on the home front. Level 4 meant no hardware stores, so they couldn’t even use the time for the painting needed on the home front,
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Indeed, coastal living has its special treats. The wetland is a protected area so we can only walk along the inner fringe, away from the water but the lake is closeby and the beaches are within walking distance – about a 30 minute walk. We could walk along a beach walkway then south for about 10 kilometres from there if we were keen. The Moth has hurt his foot so we can’t go that far yet!!
As for NZ lockdown, the Moth would be tearing his hair out if the hardware shops were closed. The tradies are pleased too, and are still at work, of course, as I hear them every day outside my window. Grr. The colorful language is at times entertaining!(Terrace houses are being built across the road). Despite that, every day I pinch myself. Our move to settle here, has been a good one. Let’s how this lockdown is the end of this dreadful affliction.
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Beautiful and touching. ❤ We've got ibis too, northern bald ones. Pretty amazing creatures.
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They have turned into pests, raising rubbish bins and colonizing thr CBD, Manja but that is mainly the white ibis
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Thank you for taking us along for your walk, Amanda – it is such a beautiful & serene place where you live! and teeming with wildlife.
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I do love it here! And it is lovely that I can share a small piece of this world with others.
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