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TRIP
REPORT
CASTLEREAGH REGION, NORTH
CENTRAL NSW 5-9 MAY 2001
Dick Mason and myself travelled to
Mendooran NSW on the Castlereagh River (31 49S 147 07E) where Dick was to attend
the State Council Meeting of the National Parks Association while I went along
for the purpose of atlassing in unrecorded ten minute grids in the general
Castlereagh Region area. Following the Meeting, Dick then joined me for four
more days of Atlassing around Gilgandra, Dunedoo, Binnaway, Merrygoen, Neilrex,
Gulargumbone, Coonamble, Tooraweenah, Baradine, Coonabrabran & Coolah.
Altogether we visited 33 ten minute grid blocks, recorded and prepared atlas
sheets for 80 sites and saw 112 species. Many of the low and or unvisited grids
were basically rural sites, mostly utilised for wheat growing and stock grazing
with the only trees being along watercourses, rural roads or Travelling Stock
Routes. Some small State Forests were located and also surveyed.
Mendooran was the first settlement on
the Castlereagh River in 1841 and nothing seems to have changed since, however
the birding was good with flocks of both Red-winged &
King Parrots common in the village, Spotted
Bowerbirds were seen in the school grounds, this being perhaps the
eastern edge of their range in this part of NSW, while Double-barred
& Red-browed Finches were present along the River
bank, Red-brows do not extend much further west from this point!
Spiny-cheeked, Striped &
Blue-faced Honeyeaters were common in the street trees, as were
both Noisy & Yellow-throated Miners.
Kestrels and a Hobby were seen in the village
and a Boobook Owl was seen in the main street at night. A lone
European Blackbird was also seen along the riverbank, not seen
here previously by me.
On Saturday 5/5, Inland
Thornbills & Speckled Warblers were seen near the
Mendooran Rail silos, and Choughs and
Apostlebirds were common in the District. A lone Little
Eagle was seen at the Cobbora Rd Junction with the Dunedoo Rd, 7
Brown Quail flushed near the Wongoni Bridge and
Grey-crowned Babblers were first noted on the Wongoni-Digilah
Rd, where a pair of Hooded Robins were also seen. There was
plenty of White Box flowering on the hills between Digilah Hsd & Dunedoo
(and around Coonabarabran) and although plenty of Yellow-faced
& other honeyeaters seen there were no Swift Parrots or Regent Honeyeaters
seen during the 5 days although conditions appeared right for them. 3
Glossy Black Cockatoos were seen near Digilah and on the
Angledool Swamp near Dunedoo, 36 Shoveller and some
Hoary-headed Grebes were among the many waterbirds present. A
female Rose Robin was seen in Ironbark country west of
Merrygoen at a place where the first Brown Treecreepers,
Dusky Woodswallows, White-browed Babblers and another pair of
Hooded Robins were located. Jacky Winters
appeared to be very scarce with the only 2 seen for the day on powerlines in
Neilrex village itself.
On Sunday 6/5, the NPA group inspected
the Goonoo State Forest where plenty of Inland &
Buff-rumped Thornbills, White-browed Babblers
and Speckled Warblers were located. We inspected a Malleefowl
mound, used last season, but no birds were seen although there was a party of
Emus in the Forest. We parted company with the NPA group after
lunch and went to visit Coolbaggie NR near Eumungerie where the best birds
were male Rose and Red-capped Robins
close to each other and another Little Eagle. Another
Hobby with prey was found west of Eumungerie with plenty of
Little Ravens for company while at Balladoran SF the best birds
were late Rufous Whistlers and wintering Golden
Whistlers.
On Monday 7/5 we visited Boyben SF west
of Mendooran and found 2 Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens, and the
usual collectioon of thornbills, Weebils and Speckled
Warblers. A Peregrine and 2 Brown
Falcons, and Restless Flycatchers were the highlights
near Breelong. While in Breelong SFBrown-headed Honeyeaters and
2 Red-capped Robins were the best birds, In Eura SF
Pied Currawongs were very noticeable! Biddon SF, NE of
Gilgandra was a great place for woodland birds, having plenty of box/ironbark
woodland! At the one 2 ha site were Jacky Winter, Red-capped, Easterm
Yellow & Hooded Robins, Dusky
Woodswallows, Speckled Warbler & 3 species of
thornbills in the 19 species recorded. Cockatiel were common in
the farming country and 2 Hobby & a Wedge-tailed
Eagle were seen at a location 26 km NM of Mendooran.
We stayed overnight near Coonabarabran,
and inspected Wittenbra SF near Bugaldie next morning 8/5, where our first
Little Lorikeets & Diamond Firetails were
seen, also seen were Dusky Woodswallow, Brown Treecreeper and Hooded Robin.. We
walked along Baradine Ck at Baradine where the Square-tailed Kite is often
reported but drew a blank, the only new bird being Peaceful
Doves. Alas Carmel Lagoon at Terridgerie was dry but Terridgerie Lagoon
had some water along with 8 Yellow & 1 Royal
Spoonbills. However we got lucky along the road between Coonamble and
Baradine where at 30 km from Coonamble we stopped to see Emus
and Blue Bonnets and located a lone male Superb
Parrot (Winter visitors to the Castlereagh Region). At our lunch spot 4
km west of Coonamble, we saw our only 2 Black-faced
Woodswallows for the trip, and were entertained by Red-winged
parrots & Spotted Bowerbirds. We spent the
afternoon on the plains between Coonamble & the Warrumbungle Range, all
agriculture country here but did manage to locate one lone Brown
Songlark near Mt Tenandra, and 2 flocks of 30 &
10 Superb Parrots east of Gulargumbone and yet 2 more
Hobbies. (All the birding sites around Baradine are documented
in the 4 page pamphlet, the "Bird Routes of Baradine" by David Johnston,
available from the Coonabarabran Tourist Information Centre).
On Wednesday 9/5 our last day, we
started with an hours look around Coonamble and found White-necked Heron
(plenty seen on this trip), Black Kite,
Hobby and 2 late White-breasted Woodswallows!
A visit to the Coonamble STW, 2 km N of the town off the Walgett Rd, found us
White-winged Wrens, Zebra Finches,
Tree Martins, Pinkear, Hoary-headed
Grebe and many waterbirds. We then returned to the Gulargumbone area to
survey some more unvisited squares and located more Little
Eagles, a Sparrowhawk, Wedge-tailed
Eagle & Brown Goshawk! In a Timber Reserve
on Youlbung Rd Tooraweenah we discoverded a nice bit of box woodland and
found the usual bevy of small birds including Red-capped Robin, Speckled
Warbler, Inland & Chestnut-rumped Thornbills and
Double-barred Finch. On the run backed to the Central Coast, we
atlassed in two blocks around Coolah not previously visited and found
Musk Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella,
Restless Flycatcher, Black-shouldered Kite
etc. Altogether a great trip and plenty of birds to see despite the wintry
conditions.
Alan Morris
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