Friday, October 7, 2011

Half Way

On reaching Hell's Gates
my half way point


I always stop and breathe deeply
have a stretch
give a little sigh of gratitude
and gaze right down the coastline 
to the south
I search the rocky inlet below 
for signs of turtles


check the horizon for whales and calves
on their journey home to Antarctica
and scour the sky for birds
Today white splashes on the grey rocks below
caught my eye


and I zoomed in to find
three pied Cormorants
resting on the rocks


drying their wings
and preening 


after fishing in the ocean below
The Australian Pied Cormorant 
or Pied Shag


feeds on benthic fish
which are those that live
in the lowest layer of ocean
or in the sediment
fish such as prawns and sea worms


No whales today
but I did see some last evening
and hope to spot more tonight...




12 comments:

  1. Delwyn, this gives me the feeling....that I have returned.

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  2. What a heavenly place.... unlike the name "Hell's Gate". I wonder this is one of the virgin landscapes of Australia? I'd like to see whales swimming freely in the ocean in person.

    Yoko

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  3. delwyn, i looked these beauties up (as well as "benthic"). they can dive for about thirty to forty seconds, come up for a fifteen second reload on oxygen and go right back down!!! wow!! but they pale in comparison to be gorgeous picture of the coastline! steven

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  4. Hi Steven
    'benthic' was a new word for me too...

    Yes the coastline is amazing and I see differences every day...today I saw whales!

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  5. Wonderful wildlife and invigorating saline air! I bet spotting whales is always a huge emotion, right?

    Nice to be here visiting again :)

    Lola xx

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  6. I'm perplexed as to why this area is called 'hell's gate'. To me it should be called 'heaven's gate'. Beautiful post. I love your new heading!! xo

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  7. Marion
    that little inlet below the rocks where the turtles live is called Hell's Gates. It can be very rough and turbulent, crashing waves and boiling water...

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  8. I like the way Cormorants spread their wings and seem to dance. Your view of the shoreline is breathtaking, Delwyn.

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  9. I like your pied cormorants better than our plain black ones (for looks, at least) and they do seem to dry their wings often! They have made the rocks look a bit pied, too!!

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  10. Hello, again! You seem to have many unspoiled nature around you. You are blessed with priceless, precious treasure, Delwyn.

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  11. I enjoy any and all postings with birds, lizards, & any other animal you come across. The Pied Cormorants are lovely. How far away from your home is this walk?

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  12. Cheryl
    I can drive 5 mins to the National park and walk 35 mins to Hell's Gates OR more often I drive to a car park before the Main Beach -only about 4 mins away and enjoy the boardwalk stroll out to the National Park - that takes an additional 10 mins.

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