Animal behaviour
My campsite right on the waters edge…..I have always had it all to myself.
Lately while on work trips out to Chillagoe I have been camping at a favourite spot overnight if I make it away late either coming or going. I do not like riding in the bush at night so I pitch my tent and make the final journey in the morning. I truly love this spot.
A pair of resident Black Swans.
Ever since I have been visiting this spot there have been Black Swans in residence. A week ago I noticed the female on the nest. I figured it would not be long before cygnets were added to the family.
Swans usually lay 4 to 6 eggs.
The next week when I returned there were 6 cygnets right in front of my campsite. Black Swans usually lay 4 to 6 eggs. Once they hatch the cygnets spend just one day on the nest and then they on the water or walking on land.
Female bird teaching it’s young to feed.
The female adult bird stirs up the vegetation to bring it to the surface so that the cygnets can feed.
The male bird keeping an eye on me :)
The male bird stands guard and chases off any other birds that come near the cygnets. It also keeps a very close eye on the human with the camera!
A very friendly Australian Raven.
Speaking of keeping an eye on me, I believe Australian Ravens remember human faces and I seem to have made some friends as they drop by very close everytime I camp there.
A camera shy Azure Kingfisher.
A bird that I have not seen at this location before is the Azure Kingfisher. This one was diving onto the water for food from a tree about 40 feet from my tent.
Azure Kingfisher, Barron Gorge, November 2021.
These stunning birds are no more than size of an adult human hand. They also only have 3 toes, two facing forwards and one backwards.
Left to right: Male and female Australian Wood Ducks.
On this trip there were also Australian Wood Ducks in abundance. Like the Azure Kingfisher they also appeared to be camera shy and kept their distance.
Little Pied Cormorant flying past the Swans nest.
I am guessing by the presence of this Little Pied Cormorant that there is also fish in that water. Maybe I might throw a line in one day and see what I can catch. Given the amount of contaminated water from mining in the area I doubt I would eat any fish I caught.
Some of the remains of the Rocky Bluff Mill, near Stannary Hills, July 2026
Speaking of mining, on this trip I visited the old tin mining town of Stannary Hills and the remains of the mill at Rocky Bluff where they processed the ore. You can read more about this heritage listed spot in this blog post.
Blog Post: From a town of 724 residents to noone, Stannary Hills
A Wallaby off in the distance feeding on the water vegetation.
A lot of wallabies made their way to the water during this visit. Over the years I have seen cattle enter the water to feed on the vegetation but this is the first time I have seen wallabies do so.
The Swans starting to relax and swim towards me more often.
After quite sometime the Swans started to worry less and less about my presence and swan towards me more often. However with the sun rising and a work meeting to get to in Chillagoe it was time to pack up and hit the road.
Feeding right in front of me.
It will be interesting to se how much they have grown the next time I visit this campsite. I cannot wait.