Taking a break …

To some the Cape Barren Geese are unattractive.  I find them fascinating.  They are a large bird and with a tab on the top of the beak, stuck on like a bandaid.  Whenever I’m driving into Esperance from the airport I swing by the Golf Course where the geese like to hang out.  This trip there was a young pair, sitting pretty on the grass.  They could not see me seated in my car but no doubt could hear the beep from my camera.  The male finally got up and made eye contact.  He then started pecking furiously at the grass in an aggressive way, until I drove further away.  Interesting behaviour!

I love dusk in Esperance.  I sit or walk along the shores of the Bay and invariably the geese fly overhead, headed to their night roost.  In the air they are incredibly graceful.  They take off and land like big airliners.  They are iconic birds in the Esperance area.  Of the 70+ trips I’ve made to the small town, I’ve seen them only a few times.

The whales should be migrating along these waters soon but they have eluded me over the years.  They often come into the Bay or the surrounding beaches and I’ve always missed them somehow.  One afternoon I was going on a home visit in West Beach and saw an group of people looking curiously at the ocean.  It was the only time I didn’t have a camera in the car.  I was running late for my appointment so I didn’t stop.  It was a white pointer only 100 meters off the beach where I love to photograph surfers!  I was sorry I didn’t stop.

Tonight I looked at my schedule for the next two months.  I’m booked out solid.  Some sites have asked me to extend my visit for the next two months.  That means four consecutive nights in Esperance!  I’m looking forward to that.

My schedule forced me to start looking at holiday plans.  With the wedding, my plans have to be more modest.  I’ve got 2-3 trips to Bunbury and Busselton next month.  It will be a taster for a week or so either in Balingup, Nannup, Cowaramup or Margaret River.  I love visiting the south west in winter.  The thought of a fire, a glass of red, good cheese and a book, or long walks rugged up against the cold, is bliss.  It’s may not be Instagram worthy, but it’s a perfect break for me.

Time to turn in, hug the pillow and dream!

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird