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TRIP REPORT GLOUCESTER & BARRINGTON
DISTRICT 9-11 APRIL 2001
John McLennan, Lorraine Johnstone & myself
recently spent 3 days in the Gloucester District as a precursor to organising a
trip there later in the year and to Atlas in blocks with low totals in the
general area.. Unfortunately while we travelled up in fine weather our day spent
up in Gloucester and Barrington Tops was cold, very misty & wet and so we
did not see many birds there!
On the way up we stopped at Newells Creek (32 16,
152 10) where Spotted Pardalotes were calling stongly; at The
Glen NR ( (formerly Graven SF, 32 10, 152 05) in a 20 minute, 2 ha count we
found 19 species including Brown Gerygone, Golden
Whistler, White-naped Honeyeater and 2
Wedge-tailed Eagles. Around Belbora we found plenty of
Bar-shouldered Doves, a few Brown Cuckoo-Doves,
a female Rose Robin, Fantailed Cuckoo
a few late White-throated Gerygones & Rufous
Whistlers.
In the streets of Gloucester, White-headed
Pigeons were prominent as they fed on the ripening Camphor Laurel seeds
and Blue-faced Honeyeaters called from the street trees. In the
surrounding paddocks were flocks of Straw-necked Ibis &
Cattle Egret, and a few White-necked Heron and
Intermediate Egret. Up in Barrington Tops near Honeysuckle
Creek we watched an adult female Collared Sparrowhawk wrestling
on the ground with a Red Wattlebird, which it eventually
subdued and flew off with the carcase, all the other Red Wattledbirds in the
vicinity were calling their heads off!. At Devils Hole, in the mist &
the rain, were two Crescent Honeyeaters feeding in the Banksias
along with many Eastern Spinebills and Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters. Trying to keep dry from the rain standing under the
leaking shelters eating our lunch, we were kept busy watching the flock of
Flame Robins feeding undeterred by the weather at Polblue
Swamp. The trip to Gloucester Tops in the rain was equally unrewarding though
most of the common bushbirds were seen and it was obvious that the
Yellow-faced Honyeater migration had commenced.
Next morning the sun came out and we had a pleasant
drive to Woko NP (31 47, 151 46) about 25 km N of Gloucester on the Nowendoc Rd
and exploring this National Park. Highlights of the trip here included 2
Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Green Catbird, Wonga Pigeon, Rose
Robin, Restless Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped
Thornbill, King Parrot, Rufous &
Golden Whistlers, Yellow-throated Scrub-wren,
Australian Raven & Torresian
Crow.
Altogether 18 atlas sites were surveyed
and 83 species recorded.
Alan Morris
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