Start time: 12:49pm
Duration: 3 hours, 51 minutes
Distance: 5.2km (approx)
iNaturalist observations: 14
Today, I decided to return to Parramatta Lake Reserve after my trip here on Monday was cut short due to bad weather conditions. I walked the whole circuit track this time, starting from and finishing at the entrance on North Rocks Rd.
The trail consists of 4 main walking tracks:
From the beginning of my walk to the Lower Hunts Creek Crossing, the rocky terrain was abundant with many different kinds of trees and shrubs of all sizes, including turpetine, various eucalyptus and angorpha species, hop bushes, sweet pittosporum, many acacia species and geebungs. The forest floor was covered in leaf litter and had lomandras and ferns, gradually increasing in number the closer I got to the creek before reaching the dam where they became the main component of the understory. Yellow-faced honeyeaters were very common and heard calling throughout the bushland.
A photograph overlooking Lake Parramatta, right near the water on the bend on the Upper Lake Track. A swan-shaped pedal boat hired from Parramatta Row Boats can be seen. Image by myself
At around an hour and a half into my trip, I stopped off at the picnic tables to have lunch, before continuing on to the Arrunga Bardo Walk. Here, I came across many different waterbirds, wrens and a sulphur-crested cockatoo feeding on acacia seed pods. Once I reached the western side of the Upper Lake Track, the undergrowth became denser as I got closer to the Upper Hunts Creek crossing.
Though the creek area was smothered with many invasive plants, I came across quite a special surprise. For the first time in my life, I saw a wild echidna!! I only briefly saw the spines of its back before it waddled back into the bushes.
After that, it was getting late, so I decided it was time to finish up. I made a few observations on my way back to the entrance, noticing some grass triggerplants on the way back, which I had not noticed elsewhere on the trail before. Although I didn't get as many photos as I would've liked to, it was overall a good day. I learned more about Parramatta's biodiversity and came across a few surprises like the dollarbird and the echidna. With the warming weather bringing early summer temperatures, I think it might be time to go coastal next to enjoy the cool breeze.
Below are some of the common and/or notable species I observed and was able to identify:
📷 = Observations posted
Plants:
Birds:
(Full list on eBird checklist:) https://ebird.org/checklist/S152714297
Reptiles:
Mammals:
Insects:
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