THE 5K TURKEY TROT HAS BECOME A Thanksgiving tradition for some in the US, an excuse to overindulge later in the day. There are no turkeys trotting Down Under so we decided on a walk in the woods instead and a chance to find a Purple-Crowned Lorikeet. More of a Lorikeet Lollygag.
Lorikeet Lollygag in Onkaparinga River National Park
Hilltop view from Hardy's Scrub Trail
We got an early start, arriving around 7:00 at Onkaparinga River National Park, fifteen square kilometers nestled among scenic vineyards. Despite its name, Hardy’s Scrub Trail was exceptionally scenic—a 4 kilometer loop (though it seemed longer!) meandering through stands of pink gums and southern cypress, with enough ups and downs to keep the morning chill from my bones.
The Butterflies loved Connie . . .
. . . and the Red Wattlebird loved the Butterflies
New Holland Honeyeater
Birds were active on some sections of the trail while other places were eerily quiet. At times the trail passed near the park road and vineyards. Hilltops showed off views of the countryside and in the draws it felt like we were miles from civilization. Occasionally we would walk through swarms of Common Brown Butterflies who seemed especially fond of Connie. We saw many New Holland Honeyeaters, a few Striated Pardalotes and a Weebill along the trail.
Purple-Crowned Lorikeet (the orange patch gives him away)
After a particularly long hill climb towards the end of the trail we stopped for a breather and Connie thought she heard Purple-crowned Lorikeets. Several flew in as we were scanning the canopy and promptly became invisible. The lighting wasn’t optimal but I managed a to click a few shots. Connie reviewed them and, Bingo! we had our bird. The photos are not fit for publication but we’ll share one with you, “for the record.” As I looked up from the camera the startled eyes of a just awakened Koala were staring back! He turned his head to follow our progress as we passed under his perch and up the trail.
Aussie Chook Dinner is Served!
It's not my fault everything was done at the same time!
On the way home we stopped at Woolworths to buy the fixings for our Thanksgiving dinner. They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Oz so they won’t stock even frozen turkeys until Christmas. I had planned on a store-cooked rotisserie chicken but decided to roast our own instead, a 2kg “chook,” Aussie for chicken. I may have outdone myself, both on the meal and the mess! Hey, I never claimed to be Gordon Ramsay.
