The crags of the Stirling Ranges are visible rising out of flat
wheatlands from miles away. The birding site we visited was not the scenic
centre of the park, but remnant woodland on the Park's northern border, a
scant hour's drive NE of Albany. It was the area around the Bluff Knoll
turnoff from the Chester Pass Rd., and hosts a reasonable concentration of
avifauna which is probably attracted by two small dams and a tank in the
van-park and near the cafe over the road, but there was also a big variety
of trees and shrubs within a kilometre radius.
Fifteen Regent Parrots made our day, they were roosting in a large
Red-gum type eucalypt near the two Rangers cottages. Two Red-capped Parrots
were in the parking area, several Port Lincolns flew through, a couple of
Purple-crowned parrakeets zoomed around trees behind the camping
ground/van-park. A galah flew over.
Shrubbery and fallen timber in the van-park had some good stuff;
Western Yellow Robins, Rufous Treecreepers, Western Spinebills, many Scarlet
Robins, Grey Shrike-thrush.
The black and white and grey contingent was well represented by
Western Magpies, Grey Butcherbird, Little Crow, Magpie-larks, Willie
Wagtail, Restless Flycatcher, Black-faced Woodswallow.
Grey Fantails, Weebills, (as yellow as east coast Yellow Thornbills),
Yellow-rumped, Inland and Western Thornbills, Spotted and Striated
Pardalotes and Splendid Fairywrens were high in the trees and low on the
ground according to the species, plus
Tawny-crowned,White-naped,Yellow-plumed and New Holland Honeyeaters, Red
Wattlebirds. A Wedge-tailed Eagle high overhead.
No Western Shrike-tits.
The short drive up to Bluff Knoll was worth the effort.
Michael Hunter
Mulgoa Valley
50km west of Sydney Harbour Bridge
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