I'm not sure if my correction last night went through, so I'll try again.
It's amazing how two little letters can change the whole picture
completely. The land is 80 percent UNcleared.
For the record, below is the correct version...
A DREAM COME TRUE
Hi Birders,
For the past few years I've had the thought in the back of my mind that one
day I would like to buy a little place in the Capertee Valley. Especially
as a growing number of other birders and friends have been doing just that
recently. Despite having visited the area countless times while birding,
guiding, tracking Regent Honeyeaters, planting trees or just visiting, it
retains its magic for me and I never tire of it.
Well, now my dream has come true. As of last week and in partnership with
my mother, I'm now the proud owner of 330 acres in the heart of the valley!
OK, it's a bit more than a "little place" but I quickly fell in love with
this fabulous piece of land, which is 80 percent uncleared and includes a
diverse array of habitat from grassy flats to steep rocky escarpment, not
to mention the birds and other wildlife.
So after receiving the keys I took a good friend with me and have just
spent the last two days (Sun-Mon) cleaning out the cabin and making a start
on getting things organised. Of course, I was constantly lured away from
this work by the birds and, at the end of just two days, I already have a
property list of 70 species. Among the best of these are the Turquoise
Parrots which I saw in several places, Painted Button-quail, Speckled
Warbler, Cicadabird, Brush and Horsfield Bronze Cuckoos, Crested
Shrike-tit, Bee-eaters and eight species of honeyeater including Striped
and Black-chinned. White-browed Woodswallows were literally everywhere,
with a few Dusky, and plenty of White-winged Trillers and Brown
Treecreepers. White-browed Babblers fossicked around the cabin and I saw
flocks of Little Lorikeets around the flowering Yellow Box trees. Rufous
Songlarks were in full song. However, there was no sign of the Painted
Honeyeaters which were active and calling all around the cabin a few weeks
ago on my first inspection (and which I think was surely a good omen).
The main dam is only a two-minute stroll from the cabin. At sunset we sat
near the dam to watch the Diamond Firetails, Peaceful Doves, Common
Bronzewings and the honeyeaters coming in to drink, while above our heads
the air was filled with woodswallows.
After dark, with no electricity, we sat under the stars by candlelight and
I listened to my friend playing the guitar, accompanied by an orchestra of
frogs, an Owlet-nightjar and a distant Boobook. This is the life!
Next morning I got up before dawn and set out on a pre-breakfast ramble,
and ended up walking right up the mountain (more of a scramble than a
walk). The country up here is incredibly interesting with deep rocky
gullies, rock overhangs and ever-varying vegetation communities. I sat on a
rock high up the slope from where I could see almost the whole of the
Capertee Valley. Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters were up near the cliffline and
Rockwarblers, as expected. I noticed a juvenile Australian Hobby perched in
the top of a tree below me, taking flight as I approached. Superb Lyrebird,
Double-barred Finches and Eastern Whipbird were also up on the higher
ground. All this without ever leaving the property.
Down on the flats again I finally found the second dam (I'd been told there
were two but had only found one of them until this point). A pair of
Black-fronted Dotterels were feeding around the edge, and yet more Diamond
Firetails coming to drink. A Wedge-tailed Eagle flew silently over.
With the birdlist standing at 69 species yesterday afternoon, I decided we
weren't leaving until I found one more to make it 70. Then, as we were
packing the car, a couple of Channel-billed Cuckoos arrived - number 70!
And not one of those species introduced (unfortunately not the same can be
said for the mammals, as I saw foxes and rabbits in addition to the roos
and Swamp Wallabies).
I've still only seen a relatively small part of the property and am looking
forward to more exploring. The majority is only accessible on foot. There
looks to be suitable habitat for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Spotted
Quail-thrush and White-throated Nightjar, among others. I'll be looking out
for Regent Honeyeaters too, especially when the White Box flowers.
Although I've painted a rosy picture, some of the land is degraded from
past grazing, and a couple of years of drought haven't helped, but I figure
things can only improve now. One thing's for sure - you'll be hearing more
from me about the place.
Cheers
Carol
PS The lengendary Capertee Valley is around 120-150km north-west of Sydney,
in the NSW central tablelands. It's the largest enclosed valley in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Carol Probets
Blue Mountains NSW
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