Ice-cold temperatures and rain; it’s enough to have you bundling up and hibernating the season away. Add in wine, a good book and throw in a roaring fire for good measure and facing the brisk weather sometimes feels nearly impossible. But we’ve got there absolutely unmissable wildlife experiences to tempt you out into nature, no matter the weather.
Dance like no one is watching
What: If you’re happy enough to tuck your long pants into your socks and risk bringing a leech or two home with you, the Illawarra escarpment is the place to be. From May/June to around August is the peak display period for the Superb Lyrebird.
Not only will you hear them cycling through the mimicked repertoire of local birds (both the males and females are extraordinary mimics) but you might get lucky and spot a male trying to woo a mate. Up on his dirt podium – one of up to 20 he builds in his territory – tail fully extended and tossed forward over his head, he vibrates and literally shakes his tail feather(s) towards the waiting female. Who wouldn’t be impressed with that?
Where: Sublime Point, Mt Kembla and Mt Keira Ring Tracks and Minnamurra Rainforest are all great spots to see this incredible dance.
Whale hello there!
What: May is officially the start of the Humpback Whale northern migration. The migration back south from around October gets a lot of the glory thanks to the active newborn calves that accompany their mums back home but there’s a lot to love about the start of the journey.
Competition pods are really exciting to watch. Males compete with each other to grab the attention of a female humpback as she heads north to breed. There’s loads of argy bargy during this process, with the males swimming at a frantic pace, jostling each other out of the way and often trumpeting loudly!
Whales have already been spotted off our coast and the numbers will only increase over the next month.
Where: Find your nearest headland and wait (with a coffee). Shellharbour, Wollongong lighthouse, Bulli and the Royal National Park are all prime locations.
Still time to be a fun-guy or gal
What: Look, I’m in my fungi era. (Here’s an article I recently wrote about why fungi hunting is for everyone). And while the mushie season is drawing to a close – Autumn is the prime time – there’s still loads around. This isn’t about looking for fungi to eat but to just enjoy the thrill of finding all the incredible shapes, colours and sizes – some of which are absolutely mind-blowing – of local fungi and slime moulds.
Where: Everywhere! Mulch piles, decaying tree branches and amongst moist leaf litter is a great place to start.