Most happily, on the second day of our trip to Phillip Island two weekends ago, we woke up to sunshine and blue skies. The weather was just right for a hike around Cape Woolamai, well known for both its surfing beach, and for the shearwaters that return every year from the Bering Strait to build their nests and raise their young. This astonishing distance is one of the longest migratory routes of any seabird.
Watching the dozens of birds soar both above and below us was a beautiful experience, although it was tempered somewhat by the reality of the magpies and crows out in force stealing and consuming the large eggs from the shearwater nests. We encountered wallabies and thousands of butterflies as well, and these in combination with the stunning scenery contributed to what was surely one of the best hikes we have taken in the nearly twenty years that we have been married.
The nest robber, one of many:
Incredible views. How gorgeous!
Posted by: Shanda Ives | 12/29/2011 at 11:13 PM