Jay and Karen left on Sunday after spending 3 weeks either visiting us or traveling the Southern Hemisphere. I've got a lot of photos (though Jay has more) and stories to tell, but I want to begin with their last day here cause it was AWESOME.
The entire time we have been here I had been planning on getting up to watch the sun rise over the ocean up at the Narrabeen Rock Pool and the headlands... but I am one who enjoys sleep so I hadn't done it. Well, Jay likes taking pictures more than me so I thought it would be a good idea for the four of use (always include the wives!) to get up and watch the sun come up. Well, sunrise was supposed to be at 6:10 so when the alarm went off at 5:40 AM, there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. More than once I said, "If you don't want to go, we don't have to." Still, everyone got up, bundled up in sweatshirts and trundled down to the car to make it the 1.5 miles up to the rock pool in time for sunrise.
Is that gorgeous, or what?
Clarice took this awesome shot horizontally, but I cropped it into a vertical shot to accentuate the awesome sun glare on the still waters sitting on top the rocks
Get a load of the COLOR in the morning light!
And what a sunrise! I set up my tripod and fired away. Jay and Clarice took a bunch of shots as well. I was worried when there were no clouds in the sky except a long line along the eastern horizon. Clouds make the sunrise more interesting, but I didn't want to block it out altogether! Well, I needn't have worried, just been more patient. As the sun crept up past the cloud layer we were blessed with a beautiful morning!
We stayed and watched for over an hour. An older gentleman, we guessed last 60's, showed up and began swimming laps (yes, in a speedo) in the pool! It was around 55 degrees Fahrenheit! I asked, "Are you crazy?" to which he replied, "It's fine once you get in and get moving." I'm still betting he was missing a few marbles, but I can only hope to be healthy enough to go for a morning ocean swim in 55 degree weather when I am his age. Good on him, I say!
As we were getting ready to head home for showers, I noticed a kayaker making his way out around the headlands moving to our left, and I decided it would be a cool shot with him silhouetted against the sun's backdrop. I had just taken my shots and was turning to head back to the car when I noticed what I thought was a whale blow from right behind the kayak. Thinking I was just tired, I waited until I saw it again, then asked Clarice if she saw it, too. By now I was convinced and led the troop (at a brisk trot) up the 100 or so stairs to the top of the headlands. Out of breath at the top, I saw another gentleman looking out to sea with massive binoculars. Between breaths I gasped, "Is it still there," to which he replied, "Oh yes. All 4 of them." I'll tell you this, all 3 times I've spotted whales in the last couple of months it is only because I was looking at something else and noticed the blow nearby. But what a wonderful addition to our morning! The gentleman shared his binoculars and I whipped out my telephoto lens for some photos. they were moving so I couldn't use the tripod, and the sun was almost directly behind them so the shots we not great, but who cares?
The Kayaker I have to thank for helping me spot the whales. He had the best seat in the house!
The whales playing off the headlands
No way to confuse something that big with...
These cute and comparatively little guys!
We watched for a bit when we spotted a pod of dolphins swimming closer to shore! And another pod a little further out. We guessed 8-10 in each pod, we followed the dolphins back around the headland where they played and "surfed" down the waves next to a bunch of surfers before heading back out to sea. Best way to start the morning!
After showers, we took in breakfast at a nice little coffee place Clarice had been wanting to try for breakfast called the Narrow Bean. Get it? Narrabeen - Narrow Bean? Yeah, hilarious. The food was excellent and I'm told the coffee was as well.
We were meeting Paul and Amber in Manly for dinner, so we decided to head down a little early, walk along the beach and corso, and generally relax. First we stopped along the way and walked around Long Reef. It is another fabulous walk around the Long Reef Headlands winding around the golf course and offering spectacular views. We spotted what I thought was a peregrine falcon hovering in the breeze. It was wierd to see a bird stationary in the air as it let the wind hold it aloft. It landed and I got some good close-ups before it flew away... to defend it's nest from a big black crow! The dogfight lasted a good 10 minutes with the little bird clearly dominating the bigger crow until the crow finally gave up and flew off. As we followed the fight along the path, we came across a many with the biggest zoom lens I have even seen shooting the birds. I asked if it was a falcon and he told me, "No, its a kestrel". Huh. Have to Google that one. Turns out he was spot on! Wikipedia (a source I tell my students to never cite) says, "Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around 10–20 metres (33–66 ft) over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects." That's exactly what this bird was doing!
At first I was a little disappointed about the kite surfer and plane in the shot on the left, but now they are growing on me.
Left -Kestrel "hovering" in air. Right - He was moving pretty good in this one.
The "Dogfight"
Compare these close-ups of the bird we saw with these...
Left - Peregrine Falcon; Right - Kestrel
Fairly certain the man was right - we saw a kestral
Just a nice shot of the Morning Glories along the walk
Eventually we met up with Paul and Amber and continued the walk since we were early for our dinner booking. We did the short walk from Manly to Shelly Beach and hiked up the path to that headlands. Just a beautiful late afternoon enjoying the view from the lookouts. Clarice sys, "Look dolphins," and I almost doubted here because of our experience that morning. Nope, she was spot on! Another pod of dolphins (or maybe the same one, who knows...) made there way into the beach area, had a feed in the waters of the protected sea life area, then headed back out to sea. Another nice bit to watch and a great way to end the walks for the day.
Jay and Karen with what else... coffee!!
Dinner was at my favorite restaurant in Australia - Ribs and Rumps. The other Americans from Clarice's project went there almost every night when they were here for 2 weeks when we first arrived and I got to tag along one night. Clarice took me back for my birthday last year, and we've made it back another couple of times. The meat is terrific, but I have to say, the chicken is to-die-for! After dinner we said goodbye to Paul and Amber and headed home to bed. Long day, but totally one of my favorites of our time Down Under.
