The tide is high but I'm movin' on...
Apr. 14th, 2005 01:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gemfyre"Apparently it's pretty dangerous to cross Crab Creek. I know the mud's REALLY deep. I'll quite happily never cross Crab Creek ever."
Not half an hour later there I am on the other side of Crab Creek. My feet still feel like they're traversing the really soft, slippery surface and sinking in.
I wasn't even planning on going into the mangroves this morning. Ricki intended to go at 6am and take Pat (a guy staying here for free in return for doing odd jobs, he's been a bloody godsend, especially during the course). Chris was intending to go with them. After spotlighting last night we were both pretty buggered. At least I saw Bush Stone Curlew which was cool.
As I said, I wasn't planning to go. If it wasn't for my clock constantly stopping/slowing (despite new batteries) I wouldn't have gone. I woke up and looked at the clock and saw it was 5:30. I felt decently awake so I figured I could get dressed, go to the toilet, grab a drink and some muesli bars and be ready for the trip. I got the shadehouse and looked at the clock - 6:10. Ah well, I thought, I'll just spend the morning in air-conditioned comfort in my room. Then as I headed back to the Woodside Block I realised both cars were still here and there was Pat waiting outside the office. Apparently Ricki was a bit late, and Chris had decided he'd rather sleep and not go to the mangroves. So I caught the bus, so to speak and went to the mangroves.
Best mangrove day ever. We'd barely got to where they begin when we heard White-Breasted Whistlers. In the small clump near One Tree Point we got ALL the regular mangrove species for the area. Ricki was also sure she was seeing Mangrove Gerygone which some people insist are NOT found in these mangroves (but they ARE found on the salt marsh). We finally got the mangroves next to Crab Creek where the best birding is to be had... apparently (usually). We just saw more of the same there, which was awesome no doubt, but nothing new. Ricki occaisionally swore she heard Mangrove Golden Whistler - which are not common for these mangroves (being more likely in the town mangroves beside Dampier Creek). After a while (in which I proclaimed my complete non-desire to ever cross Crab Creek) Ricki announced "There's only one way we're gonna get Mangrove Goldens and maybe a Redshank." You guessed it, cross the creek. To my surprise it was the first time Ricki had done it too but she just plunged in and crossed over with little trouble. Pat followed suit and not wanting to be left behind (and miss the chance to see such birds - Ricki was also egging me on, telling me I had to do it for the glory), I went across too. The first bank was okay, the actual creek was deep, but not unbearable. The far bank however. "Slurp." Down went my leg, I was waiting to get a footing before taking the next step but there was no footing to get, the mud just kept going down and to prevent getting stuck you need to just keep going forward. I was up to my knees in the stuff and making very slow progress, but eventually I was able to grab Ricki's hand and extract myself and there I was on the far side, most of which was quite firm sand and easy to walk on.
Unfortunately we didn't see a Mangrove Golden Whistler or a Redshank, but I did survive the crossing back as well and now I can say, I have crossed Crab Creek.
Not half an hour later there I am on the other side of Crab Creek. My feet still feel like they're traversing the really soft, slippery surface and sinking in.
I wasn't even planning on going into the mangroves this morning. Ricki intended to go at 6am and take Pat (a guy staying here for free in return for doing odd jobs, he's been a bloody godsend, especially during the course). Chris was intending to go with them. After spotlighting last night we were both pretty buggered. At least I saw Bush Stone Curlew which was cool.
As I said, I wasn't planning to go. If it wasn't for my clock constantly stopping/slowing (despite new batteries) I wouldn't have gone. I woke up and looked at the clock and saw it was 5:30. I felt decently awake so I figured I could get dressed, go to the toilet, grab a drink and some muesli bars and be ready for the trip. I got the shadehouse and looked at the clock - 6:10. Ah well, I thought, I'll just spend the morning in air-conditioned comfort in my room. Then as I headed back to the Woodside Block I realised both cars were still here and there was Pat waiting outside the office. Apparently Ricki was a bit late, and Chris had decided he'd rather sleep and not go to the mangroves. So I caught the bus, so to speak and went to the mangroves.
Best mangrove day ever. We'd barely got to where they begin when we heard White-Breasted Whistlers. In the small clump near One Tree Point we got ALL the regular mangrove species for the area. Ricki was also sure she was seeing Mangrove Gerygone which some people insist are NOT found in these mangroves (but they ARE found on the salt marsh). We finally got the mangroves next to Crab Creek where the best birding is to be had... apparently (usually). We just saw more of the same there, which was awesome no doubt, but nothing new. Ricki occaisionally swore she heard Mangrove Golden Whistler - which are not common for these mangroves (being more likely in the town mangroves beside Dampier Creek). After a while (in which I proclaimed my complete non-desire to ever cross Crab Creek) Ricki announced "There's only one way we're gonna get Mangrove Goldens and maybe a Redshank." You guessed it, cross the creek. To my surprise it was the first time Ricki had done it too but she just plunged in and crossed over with little trouble. Pat followed suit and not wanting to be left behind (and miss the chance to see such birds - Ricki was also egging me on, telling me I had to do it for the glory), I went across too. The first bank was okay, the actual creek was deep, but not unbearable. The far bank however. "Slurp." Down went my leg, I was waiting to get a footing before taking the next step but there was no footing to get, the mud just kept going down and to prevent getting stuck you need to just keep going forward. I was up to my knees in the stuff and making very slow progress, but eventually I was able to grab Ricki's hand and extract myself and there I was on the far side, most of which was quite firm sand and easy to walk on.
Unfortunately we didn't see a Mangrove Golden Whistler or a Redshank, but I did survive the crossing back as well and now I can say, I have crossed Crab Creek.
