Over it, under it, round it, through it!

Phew! Rocks, fallen trees, ants, spiders, nettles, birds of prey, a fox, blue green algae and a snake...today, was one of those days.
I knew early on that sacrifices would have to be made: there were about four things I wanted to do and they just weren't all going to fit!
In the end, I decided to forgo the opportunity to stroll across the final section of the Geelong Ring Road (and, as it turned out, possibly get my mug on TV with the Prime Minister) and regretfully turned down the offer of an afternoon of champagne and foot massage. What was I thinking?!
Well, what I was thinking was that it was great weather for a paddle, there were still bits of the Barwon I hadn't seen and that it was reasonably early which should allow me to sneak in the fourth option once I'd satisfied my curiosity about the stretch of river between the Pollocksford and Merrawarp Road Bridges.


Mid-stream above the Pollocksford Bridge

Well, that was the plan...
The reality as it turned out, was somewhat different. That stretch of the river is about 10.5km long (approximately 6.5km if you take the direct route) - a distance I have covered comfortably before. I had considered that the river was narrower and that there might be rocks this far upstream from the weirs. I had thought that there might be some fallen trees obstructing the river and that our recent lack of rain and lower water levels might not help. I had considered that there may be some portage required to overcome these obstacles and that it may take longer than anticipated to reach our destination as a result.

Rocks, trees, reeds...

As it happens, I was correct on all counts and within a few minutes of hitting the water we got our first taste of what the next six hours would hold. Around the first bend we hit a patch of shallow (pointy) rocks. Out we got, dragged them through and on we went.

Portage

Then there were trees. Not just branches, but whole trees which had to be either circumnavigated, climbed over, floated across or limboed under - all of which we did at various times.

Well we certainly weren't going over that!

At one point, we even came across a little weir which meant yet another exit from the "yaks".

A small weir across the Barwon

And so it continued. We would pass one obstruction, paddle a few metres downstream and then decide how to deal with the next obstacle. Despite growing frustration from some quarters, I wasn't too fazed and had time to take my shots as I waited for the straggler. The river valley along this length is deeper than in the lower reaches and reminded me in places more of the Leigh and Moorabool Rivers where the banks are cut away and the channel is narrow.

Sandy soil and steep banks

As we progressed further downstream the basalt gave way to sand which was considerably easier on the feet and ankles as we hauled the kayaks over whatever obstacle presented itself.

Negotiating the ghosts of trees past

...and more rocks...and more branches...

Aside from the landscape, the bird life was generally similar to other parts of the river with the exception of quite a number of raptors circling overhead. I'm not an expert so identification was difficult as they were rather shy, mostly being very quick to take to the air the moment they saw us coming. One Whistling Kite however, was not so concerned and was as keen to examine us as I was to watch him.


A rather warm Whistling Kite

 I have seen Whistling Kites over Lake Connewarre before, but not this far upstream. I also spotted a Brown Goshawk and whilst I couldn't identify various others, they may have been Brown Falcons or perhaps more kites.
At one point as we paused mid-stream - fortunately - to negotiate yet more branches, I spotted another denizen of river environment - a thirsty tiger snake.

I didn't realise until I looked at the photos that we were being
rather closely observed too...

 This particular specimen was quite sizable. I couldn't see either end to judge its length, however based on circumference it was big. It was also quite pale in comparison to other specimens I've seen closer to Geelong. I took my shots and we carefully paddled past. As we did so, I could see it watching me. At this point it decided perhaps that a drink - or even a swim - could wait until later, turned around and disappeared back up the bank into the tangled lignum.
By comparison, the rest of the trip was pleasantly uneventful. A few kilometres upstream from Merrawarp Road, the river deepened and widened out, the fallen trees became more navigable and we made easier progress towards our destination. Eventually, some six and a quarter hours later, we made it to the bridge where the support crew were waiting (some more patiently than others) to take us home.
By this time, it was nearing 5pm and that other activity I had hoped to get to was long finished. Unfortunately a blog post on the Shelford Duck Race will just have to wait until next year.

Go Fly a Kite

...or more precisely, go watch the kites flying. And I do occasionally. Here and there I have seen parents and their kids out flying kites in the parks along the banks of the Barwon. Last week as I was riding home, there was a kite flying above Balyang Sanctuary - probably from King Lloyd Reserve on the opposite side of Shannon Avenue.
Of late, the kids have expressed an interest in kite flying, so it looks like I'll have to invest in a new toy and get out there, hopefully creating a few photo-opportunities along the way. In the meantime, I will have to settle for photos of a different kind of kite.

Whistling Kite

Last week during a trip to Tait's Point, I wandered along the shore of Lake Connewarre, making my way round to Hospital Swamp - an area of the lake complex which I hadn't seen before. Not far from the parking area at Tait's Point, I was following the rough track which leads along the edge of the lake, keeping an eye and ear out to see what birds might be around. At this point the bank is well above water level and the land around is open farmland covered with long grass.
To my left, I suddenly noticed I was being observed by a large raptor which was standing quietly, almost completely camouflaged amongst the grass. I carefully snapped a few photos, watched closely the whole time. I moved a little closer, hoping to get a better shot and to minimise the amount of grass impinging on the shots. My subject however, was having none of that, and immediately took to the air, circling overhead and confounding my attempts to take even one respectable aerial shot.
It vaguely crossed my mind that such birds often hunted in pairs, but unfortunately I did not consider this seriously enough and as I moved off, a second bird took to the air. Eventually I abandoned my attempts at mid-air photography - doing this properly would require a significant upgrade to my photographic equipment and probably some specialist training. Neither is likely to happen any time soon.
So, hoping I'd taken at least one decent shot, I moved on a little and discovered a flock of red-rumped parrots perched - as they are wont to do - on the branches of a dead tree. Not particularly fazed by my presence, they twittered away whilst I snapped my shots. I moved in closer - still no reaction from the parrots. At that point however, one of the raptors (I had yet to identify them), swooped low overhead. What had been a tree full of parrots, very quickly became nothing more than a dead tree once again. Clearly whilst I was not considered to be a significant threat, the same could not be said for the large bird of prey overhead and the parrots made themselves scarce very quickly.
Meanwhile, I continued my walk, heading round to Hospital Swamp which I found to be home to many dozens of ducks, cormorants, swans and even an egret. I spent another hour or more taking photos and wandering around whilst above, the large birds continued to circle.
Eventually, I headed home and did some research which informed me a) that my raptor was a Whistling Kite and b) that there were many better photos around than the ones I'd managed to snap. Oh well, at least I now had proof of another species of bird living by the river - two actually, including the Great Egret I'd seen.

Brown Falcon

Buoyed by my "discovery", I headed back to Tait's Point a couple of days later, snapping more photos of several other species I hadn't seen before, including a European Green Finch, a Brush Cuckoo and a very obliging  Fan-tailed Cuckoo which was more than happy to pose for me. Once again I was pleased to note a pair of large birds circling overhead.
The weather was better on this occasion than two days earlier when I'd returned home with some good photos but very wet feet. Today I had good photos and dry feet. Great! Then, having decided I'd done enough for the day, I headed back the way I'd come. As I approached the point where I'd seen the kites two days earlier, I suddenly spotted what I thought was one of the same pair sitting on the branch of a dead tree. Carefully, I snapped several shots, closely observed once again. Also like last time, I attempted to approach a little closer only to have my quarry take to the air. So, again, I admitted defeat, headed for home and downloaded the new batch of photos only to discover that this raptor was not the kite I had seen the previous day. Instead, it was a Brown Falcon, a smaller, stockier bird with differently coloured plumage.
And so I had another bird to add to my tally. All in all another successful outing and a little better educated than before. Now to teach the kids how to fly a kite...