I recently spent 2 weeks in Darwin competing in the Australian Veterans
Hockey Championships and a further week traveling to Katherine, Timber
Creek, Victoria River Crossing and 3 days in Kakadu. My wife Cheryl &
youngest daughter Lana stayed for the period of the Championship and we
did a 2 day trip to Kakadu staying overnight at Cooinda & doing the dawn
Yellow Water cruise.
Highlights of the trip were :
Darwin CBD Rufous Banded, Brown & White-gaped H/E
Stuart Park mangroves Mangrove Gerygone, Dusky H/E, White-breasted Wood
Swallow, Black Butcherbird.
East Point-Orange-footed Scrub Fowl, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Crested
and Lesser Crested Terns, Yellow White-eye.
Holmes Jungle Nature Reserve- 4 separate visits to this site. Red-backed
Button-quail area described in Thomas & Thomas had been burnt. Searched
thick long grass on eastern side of the creek toward the Riffle Range.In
this area flushed a Button-quail but unable to identify as it flew into
the rising sun. Many Golden-headed Cisticola calling from the grass
heads. 2 Zitting Cisticola identified by there "click-click" call. Other
birds of interest : Masked, Long-tailed, Crimson & Double-barred
Finches, Forest Kingfisher, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Pheasant Coucal,
Little-bronze Cuckoo, Grey Whistler, Nankeen Night Heron, Weebill,
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Spangled Drongo, Tawny Grassbird &
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.
Buffalo Creek- 4 visits to this site. Chestnut Rail in mangroves
opposite the boat ramp also Little Kingfisher in the same location. In
the mangroves adjoining the boat ramp Mangrove Grey Fantail, Mangrove
Golden Whistler, Mangrove Robin, Red-headed H/E, Mangrove Gerygone,
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Mangrove Heron, Great Bowerbird, Sacred, Azure
& Collared Kingfisher, Shining Flycatcher, Northern Fantail. On the sand
spit & creek the following birds were observed with Alan Morris on our
visit at low tide : Large & Mongolian Sand-plover, Red-capped Plover,
Grey-tailed Tattler, Sanderling, Red-necked Stint, Wimberel, Eastern
Curlew, Great Knot, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit,
Reef Egret, Marsh & Gull-billed Tern .On a separate visit a Common
Sandpiper was added to the list.
Howard Springs - Rainbow Pitta, Spangled Drongo, Grey-crowned Babbler.
Adelaide River - Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Heron, Leaden
Flycatcher.
Fogg Dam - Bar-breasted, Dusky, Rufous-throated, Rufous-banded H/E,
White-winged Triller, Rufous Whistler plus all the usual birds.
Knuckys Lagoon - Australian Pratincole, Black-necked Stork, Black Duck,
Golden-headed Cisticola, Brahminy Kite.
Casuarina Beach - Large-billed Gerygone, Grey Whistler, Little-bronze
Cuckoo.
Botanic Gardens - Rufous Owl 2 adults + juvenile, Torresian pigeon
Middle Arm boat ramp - Mangrove Robin, Little Shrike-thrush, Curlew
Sandpiper, Mangrove Gerygone.
Bachalor - 2 Varied Lorikeets- only ones seen during the trip, feeding
in flowering gum with Rainbow Lorikeet, Little & Silver-crowned
Friarbirds, Blue-faced H/E.
Litchfield NP - Red-winged Parrot, Grey Butcherbird
Nourlangie Rock - Rufous-throated, Brown, White-throated, White-lined,
Dusky H/E, Black-tailed Treecreeper, Grey Shrike-thrush, Emerald Dove,
Helmeted Friarbird.
Yellow Water Cruise - Great-billed Heron- the first on sighted in 2
months by our guide,2 Brolga, many Black-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis,
Plumed & Wandering Whistling Ducks plus many other species. A must do
cruise for any one visiting Kakadu.
East Alligator River - Red-backed Kingfisher.
Trip to Katherine
Ferguson River - target species Goulian Finch, no luck, river was still
flowing following an extended wet and therefore many areas for the
finches to drink.
Edith River - Pallid Cuckoo, Silver-crowned Friarbird.
Edith Falls - Cockatiel, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Peregrine Falcon,
Collared Sparrowhawk, Varigated Wren.
Katherine - Zebra Finch, White-rumped Miner.
Chinaman Ck - Wedge-tailed Eagle, Hooded Parrots ( approx 6 on the wing
),Long-tailed Finch.
Timber Creek Airstrip - Yellow-rumped Mannikin, Star Finch in the long
grass on the northern side of the strip.Also in the area Masked,
Long-tailed & Double-barred Finch, Hooded Robin, Rufous Songlark,
Singing H/E
Timber Creek Township - Yellow-tinted H/E.
Victoria River Crossing - Purple-Crowned Fairy-wren, Star Finch,
Rufous-throated & Yellow-tinted H/E
Victoria River Escarpment Walk - White-quilled Rock Pigeon ( 2 on a late
afternoon walk & 7 the next morning ), Sandstone Shrike-thrush (1),
Silver-crowned Friarbird, 2 Grey Falcon soaring over the escarpment.
Stag Creek Kakadu NP 8 km from Waterfall Creek (Gunlom) - Banded
Fruit-dove, White-browed Robin, Rainbow Pitta, Azure Kingfisher.
Waterfall Creek (Gunlom) - Target species White-throated Grasswren.
After searching the top of the escarpment for 1.5 hrs I decided to make
my back to the camping area. I stopped to read the information sign
where the climb to the top of the waterfall levels out and heard the
Grasswrens calling a short distance away.In response to my sqeek 5
Grasswrens appeared approx 6 M away and gave excellent views for some
time as they moved along the walking track.This bird was the highlight
of the trip.Other birds in this area included :Chestnut-quilled Rock
Pigeon,Sandstone Shrike-thrush, Northern Rosella, Helmeted &
Silver-crowned Friarbird, Varigated Fairy-wren.
Old Darwin Road- Sth of Cooinda- Searched for Chestnut-backed
Button-quail without succes. Did see Little Falcon & Black-tailed
Treecreeper.
Road into Muirella Park - 2 Partridge Pigeon at different locations.
Buba Wetlands Walk - 2 Brolgas
East Alligator River - Crested Hawk.
Ubirr Rock - Little Woodswallow, Bar-breasted H/E.
South Alligator River - Swamp Harrier
Wildman River - 3 Northern Rosella.
Leaning Tree Lagoon - searched for Red-backed Button-quail - no luck.
Fogg Dam - Brush Cuckoo
This for me was a most enjoyable and successful trip with 186 species
being rocorded of which 18 were new for me. This brings my Australian
bird list to 602.
A full trip list is available upon request.
Robin Benson
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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