TRIP TO BARRINGTON TOPS AREA 24-25th JANUARY 1998
For part of the Australia Day Long Weekend, I spent sometime birding in
the Barrington Tops Area just NW of Newcastle and approx. 300km north of
Sydney. I went with a local birding friend and met some others at
Glouster Tops last Saturday afternoon where we saw 3 Glossy
Black-Cockatoo's and also 3 Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo's, White-headed
Pigeon, Grey-crowned Babblers, Pied Butcherbirds and Forest Ravens. We
went up to the summit of the mountain at Glouster Tops to find the local
Rufous Scrub-birds, Olive Whistler's, Paradise Riflebirds, Sooty Owl and
other goodies but the weather was too wet and we had to unwillingly
retreat. I have seen all these birds however previously around this area.
However, the next day the weather was good, and so was the birding at
nearby Copeland State Forest. Here we saw several Wompoo Fruit-doves, a
Topknot Pigeon, Wonga Pigeons, 2 Noisy Pittas, Varied Triller,
Red-browed Treecreeper aswell as Satin and beautiful Regent Bowerbirds.
We also heard Emerald Dove, White-headed Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-doves,
Logrunner and Green Catbirds.
What was great to see, was the massive Fig Tree there (which towers high
above the Rainforest canopy) in full fruit with great views of the Fruit
Pigeons and bowerbirds feeding out in the open.
On our way back home we saw 2 pairs of Wedge-tailed Eagles soaring above
the road.
Edwin
P.S. Wasn't that show on Sunday night on Channel 2 about Eagles a master
piece. For those who did not see it, you really missed out on something
!!!
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