Surat

May 3, 2024 to May 4, 2024

Friday the 3rd of May 2024

The bird species I was hoping to see at Myall Park was the Brolga (Antigone rubicunda) or Australian Crane, a relatively common but iconic bird. Myall Park has a resident pair which we heard calling soon after sunrise. So we planned to spend some time at the wetland below the campground on our way out this morning. Unfortunately the cranes were nowhere to be seen. All we picked up were lots of Pacific Black Ducks (Anas superciliosa).

The seven kilometers back to the main road was into a freshening easterly wind. We didn't mind, it was going to be a tailwind once we turned. A few kilometers down the main road to Surat with the wind on our backs two large birds came into view, flying sluggishly across the bush a few hundred meters away. Brolgas ! Too far away to photograph but a gentle massage of the soul to look at.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. A narrow strip road for much of the way so we spent some time on the gravel verge allowing what little other traffic we encountered to pass.

Surat, lying on the banks of the Bayonne River in an area that was populated by the Mandandanji people, was surveyed by James Burrowes in 1850. Burrowes named the town after his home, Surat, in India, and named most of the streets after members of his family including Charlotte, William, Bertha and in the case of the main street, Burrowes. The town is infamous for the mass killings of Aboriginal people by the colonists during the nineteenth century. In recent times it has risen to prominence because of the vast oil reserves in the Surat Basin. However it is still a small place with a population of about four hundred people.

We have setup camp in the campground run by the local hotel but will spend an extra night here, possibly in a hotel room or cabin, because strong northerly winds are predicted for tomorrow with rain through the night. There is also a museum and an aquarium (!!!) across the road from the hotel that we would like to visit.

Saturday the 4th of May 2024

This morning's weather presented a fresh north easterly wind so I wandered over to the hotel to organize a cabin. I had arranged an early check-in with the manager yesterday so by ten thirty we had moved into a very comfortable accommodation.

Williy Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys) are to be seen everywhere in Australia. They aren't related to Wagtails but are actually a type of Fantail but the Wagtail moniker has stuck. They are incredibly busy and entertaining little birds. Thus one was picking scraps from the grass in front of our tent while we had breakfast.

The museum, housed in the old Cobb & Co building, was surprisingly good. The building also has the local library, a gallery of bird photos and the aquarium.

Museum building. Cobb & Co was the name used by many successful sometimes quite independent Australian coaching businesses. The first was established in 1853 by American Freeman Cobb and his partners. The name Cobb & Co grew to great prominence in the late 19th century, when it was carried by many stagecoaches carrying passengers and mail to various Australian goldfields, and later to many regional and remote areas of the Australian outback.

Most of the small museum focused on the wool industry and the sheep and cattle drovers. This is an old wool press for baling wool.

The gallery had some nice pictures, including this one of Brolga.

As the day wore on, the weather got better and better. The wind dropped and the clouds cleared. It wouldn't have been a bad day to have been on the bicycles or sleeping in the tent. Nonetheless, a little bit of relative luxury hasn't hurt anything apart from our wallets.

It turns out that Monday is a public holiday in Queensland, Labour Day. This means stocking up with groceries for the trip north via Carnarvon Gorge could be difficult because the Woolworths in Roma is closed both tomorrow and Monday. Apparently the IGA will be open tomorrow so we might be able to stock up there. If necessary we might have to spend a couple of days in Roma before continuing northwards.

EDIT: Photos of camera setup for Steve.

Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 2,468 km (1,533 miles)

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Steve Miller/GrampiesI just thought I would jump in here with a question. Until recently I was taking photos on bike trips just to illustrate the narrative. But then I thought better landscapes would be nice, and went to the largest point and shoot that would still fit in a pocket. Then more birds began to creep in, and I am thinking of a bridge superzoom, mainly the Nikon P950. This would eat up my whole handlebar bag, and not be very quickdraw. Where do you store your camera (s) and do you get on foot to use them on planned walks or do you stop the bike, pull a camera, and try for a shot?
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6 months ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Steve Miller/GrampiesHi Steve. I use an M43 setup that fits into my handlebar bag. M43 stands for micro four thirds, a format supported by OM (previously known as Olympus) ans Panasonic with lenses also provided by the best glass makers around, Leica. M43 effectively doubles the focal length in relation to full frame DSLR cameras. So my Panasonic GX85 paired with a Leica 100-400mm lens gives me an effective 200-800mm lens on a full frame body at a fraction of the size. Using Ortlieb's camera insert, i can fit the camera and lens with sufficient space on the top, bottom and sides for my binoculars (Leica Trin8vid 8x20 - really small!), wallet, passports and mobile phone. The photos I've added to this post should explain the setup.
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6 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Jean-Marc StrydomMarc, that is tremendously informative and helpful to me. Thanks for taking the time to do the photos. Let me trouble you with a follow-up about how you use this.

I see that you have done birding days, from a blind, and I get that. But how about for example the Black Shouldered Kite on April 24. Did you spot this, put on your brakes without squeaking, dismount, unwrap the camera, and the bird waited for you to find it in the view finder, focus and shoot, and maybe have second thoughts about the exposure compensation, and shoot again? These are all areas that trouble me considerably!

How about that ute from the other. day, did you you shoot with the Leica, or a cell phone or point and shoot? There has to be another camera in the mix, such as to give the illustrations of the main camera that we have here!

Sorry to be a bug!
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6 months ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Steve Miller/GrampiesI often stop and haul the camera out, usually having grabbed the binos from on top of them first to have a decko. Mostly this is to get a record shot to help confirm the ID of the bird but sometimes I get lucky and the conditions are suitable to get a better shot. Often the bird flies off before I can get a shot! I have three presets saved in the camera for static, moving and focus tracking shots with different focus zones, aperture and ISO settings etc for each but I often adjust exposure compensation on the fly.
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6 months ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Steve Miller/GrampiesMost of my situational photos are done with my cellphone. Some are nicked from Leigh's cellphone.
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6 months ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Steve Miller/GrampiesI have a kickstand, so it is easy to park the bike and grab my stuff out of the handlebar bag. I sometimes use the saddle of the bike as a "beanbag" to get a steadier shot.

My apologies that my replies are piecemeal.
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6 months ago