First we walked down to the lake and saw a great many waterbirds. There were Black Ducks, Shelducks and Wood Ducks, Swamphens and Coots, White Ibis and a Black Swan on an island nest. A Kestrel was hovering over the lake and Swallows were flying around after insects.

We then walked around the lake, looking at the wildflowers and the bush birds. We walked through a forest of Flooded Gums, Sheoaks and Wattles. There were yellow-winged honeyeaters feeding on the red flowers of the one- sided bottlebrushes. We looked at lichens growing on the trees. Lichens are made up of a fungus and an alga growing together. Dragonflies were abundant, looking for tiny insects to eat, and Felix managed to get a close- up photo of a dragonfly. We heard rattle-can frogs calling, and found a long- necked tortoise.

Mike Gregson