There are those that say it rains a lot on the Errinundra Plateau, but there are also some doubters. From the Friday afternoon to the Sunday afternoon there was nothing but balmy weather and cloudless skies for the COG trip with Environment Tours to this magnificent area of temperate forest. The wet weather on all previous trips must just have been an unusual fluke I think!!!
Ian Fraser & Margaret McJannet were again most generous in sharing their extensive knowledge of the area’s flora, fauna and interesting places. We went to the top of Mt Delegate, which towers over the surrounding region; to the old gold mining tunnel where the river was diverted under the ridge; and on a walk through the soaring Ash to Mt Morris for stunning vistas. Their efforts at broadening our interest beyond just the avian were successful too. We also saw and appreciated kilometres of flowering waratahs, stunning ground orchids and plants only found on a few isolated mountaintops.
And of course in the bird department we were also well rewarded. Many people saw several species for the first time. In fact, between us there were over 70 species identified for the weekend. But the single-minded focus for many was to see a Pink Robin, and that we did. While a few caught glimpses at different stages of the trip, after lunch on the last day an obliging male spent at least 20 minutes strutting his stuff at eye level beside the road. Everybody got a wonderful view. It doesn’t get any better than that.
So with all the nature, all the history and the great cabins and setting at Delegate River, we had a fantastic weekend.
John Goldie