Lake Cargelligo Day 1

Honeyeater of the day: Blue-faced Honeyeater
Other bird of the day:  Apostlebird,  Not seen on several trips, everywhere today and nesting in the caravan park at Lake Cargelligo
Plant of the day:  Calotis sp.
Icon of Spring  Several contenders including green paddocks and bouncing lambs.  But the winner was paddocks of Canola.
Icon of the Wild West:  Big sky full of puffy clouds.

So we left right on time at 9am looking for about 430 kms of largely rural driving.  By which I mean that we only had about 30km on the highways, not that we went through cities.

As we got on to the Lachlan Valley Way I was surprised to see the yellow of canola paddocks.  If they get a frost they could be in trouble.

I have included this shot as it shows the sown area looping around a creek line. Sometimes you see deep ruts, suggesting the tractor driver learnt by experience.

We are calling this flower Calotis sp.  It was quite common as we drove, occasionally under bright yellow bushes.

A different member of the Asteraceae, found nearer our destination.

Due to the wonders of digital photography and email, our friend Ros has advised that this  "is a Senna - probably S. artemisioides and probably var. zygophylla.  It was everywhere from about Harden onwards.

We had decided to refuel at Temora as there was a discount place there.  To our astonishment the price at the first place we came to - a small station- was $1:15 per litre (in Canberra recently $1:30 is normal and $1.25 the best ) so we topped up and decided that we would arrange things to fill up here on the way home.  Then we found the same price (before discount) at Woolies so this reinforced our thought.

Warnings about stock on the road need to be obeyed.  Due to good Winter rains the Long Paddock was very well grassed and the drovers were cashing in.

There was no warning of this lot of escapees!

In Wyalong we concluded that this was art not junk!

Although Lake Cargelligo becomes very hot in Summer - there is a reason nearly every house has an evaporative air conditioner - the good rains have given a great display in this garden.

I reckon a pair of Galahs have set up a nest in a tree just above our campsite.  They are surprisingly noisy when they clamber out.

I got very excited when someone said they had seen an Osprey.  Fortunately they had moved off when I took this photo of a Whistling Kite.

Apostle birds are nesting in the campground, making their usual array of odd noises.

On recent trips West we have hardly seen one of these birds.  On this trip they were everywhere: sometimes single birds, others were  in the traditional groups of up to 12.

On the shore of the Lake were several Black-fronted Plovers (plus washed - up litter, but not that much considering the amount of use the Lake receives).