Thursday November 7 our day with Carol Proberts

Our day with Carol Proberts and the Capertee Valley started early at 6:00am with first stop at Evans Lookout where we both had a lifer, the Superb Lyrebird! The day was hot already and the overload of cicadas buzzing had started by the time we left. We also saw a Crimson Rosella and a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. We then stopeed at Gardens at ., where we saw many new birds such as the Golden Whisler (new for Colleen), the Satin Bowerbird (new for both of us), the Red-browed Finches, the Brown Thornbill and the Wattle Bird. These gardens were in full bloom with rhododendrons of all shapes and colours which attracted the birds and there were several tracts we took because of the bird sond (we were moving away from the cicada noise a bit but it was still hard to hear the actual bird song. That cicada noise was really something.
We stopped to pick up lunch then went off to the Capertee Valley where there are no stores. We saw Kangaroos by the side of the road and went down into this escarpment surrounded valley. Carol has friends here and we went on several properties. The first was April's homestead which had a trough with water for the birds and we had the New Holland Honeyeater, the White-eared Honeyeater and several other birds. The Capertee Valley is a hidden treasure and it is like being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon along with the extreme heat and no wind.
We stopped at several places and walked into private properties, once of which had the Regent Honeyeater which is now a rare bird with only 500 pairs estimated left.
WE had the Fuscous Honeyeater and White-winged Cuffs. The bush flies were in our face, they do not bite but aim for your mouth and eyes and who knows where the flies had come from. They are smaller than house flies and are just annoying. Carol we have mastered the Aussie "wave". For tea breakbreak, Carol served Colleen gluten free prlalines and I had an Australian goodie called "Lamington" which is pound cake rolled in coconut and chocolate powder on the outside and it is very tasty. I will try to make this at home sometime. Our tea in the outback was lovely even with the flies. Thankfully the Capertee Valley does NOT have the cicadas so it was great. We had Regent Honeyeater, the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater and the Noisy Friar Bird, to name a few.
A couple of more stops and we had what Carol said was a good bird the Horsefield's Bush Lark. This was in a pasture of Lucerne (Alfalfa). We made several more stops, had a lovely lunch - Colleen had a steak wrap with Beetroot and I had the Smoked Salmon and Avocado wrap with Beetroot too (Beetroot is included with everything including hamburghers. The time flew and then it was time to return to Katoomba. We said farewell and drove in the later evening with some sun to Windsor to meet up with Keith Brantwood tomorrow. We made at dark and we watched out for Kangaroos and Wallabies on the road, there are road kill here. We are cooling off now with a glass of wine and cheese to celebrate our lifers today.