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Hi all,
Just a short note to thank Frank O'Connor, Dave
Harper & Peter Ewin for supplying information on bird sites that greatly
helped our trip to south western WA last month.
We copped some
pretty wet and windy weather at times, which slowed us down somewhat, but we
still achieved our goal of getting all the currently recognised sw WA
endemics, as well as one potential split - Crested (Western) Shrike tit and
we saw some other very nice birds on the way. Details of the sites referred
to can be found on Frank O'Connor's web site:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~foconnor/
Highlights are as
follows:
Short-billed Black-Cockatoo: Several groups seen in Stirling
Ranges, a single waterlogged bird seen in a pine at Albany
Long-billed Black-Cockatoo: Flock seen about 2-3 km N of Augusta
on Augusta - Dunsborough (Caves) road
Western Corella: Only seen at Rocky
Gully
Western Rosella: Seen at many localities eg Albany suburbs; Augusta
etc.
Red-capped Parrot: Seen at many localities, eg Cheyne Beach Caravan
Park, road between Albany & Two people's bay.
Noisy Scrubbird: Seen
at Cheyne Beach (near the caravan park) east of Albany. Heard at car park at
Waychinicup NP & along the walking track from Little Beach to Two People's
Bay.
Rufous Treecreeper: easily seen at Dryandra forest, Stirling Range,
etc.
Blue-breasted Fairy-wren: Only seen at Dryandra forest (Kawana road
banding site).
Red-winged Fairy-wren: Seen at several sites, including
tame ones hopping around our feet at Cheyne Beach caravan
park.
Western Bristlebird: Only seen near power pole 104 on Cheyne Beach
Road.
Western Thornbill: Seen Bungendore State Forest, near Perth and at
Dryandra forest.
Little (Western) Wattlebird: Seen at Dryandra forest and
at Cheyne Beach caravan park.
Western Spinebill: Seen at several
locations
Western Yellow Robin: Easily seen at Dryandra (Ochre Trail) and
a few other sites.
White-breasted Robin: Seen at seveal locations; easy
at Cheyne beach
Red-eared Firetail: Only seen at Cheyne Beach caravan
park
Other highlights: Close views of Yellow-nosed and
Shy Albatross on a whale watching trip from Augusta (with
Humpback and Southern Right Whales also seen), Square-tailed kite
- single bird seen well soaring over the road about 20 km N
of Augusta, Regent Parrot (at Stirling Ranges, near the Cafe),
Elegant Parrot (At Stirling Ranges (caravan park); Albany &
Augusta), Rock Parrot at Cape Leeuwin lighthouse,
Western Whipbird - heard only near Cheyne Beach caravan park
and near power pole 104 on Cheyne Beach Road (so I hope they don't split
'Western' from 'Mallee' - having had more success spotting the 'Mallee'
form of this species on Kanagaroo Island in the past!). Crested
(Western) Shrike-tit - single bird feeding and calling softly in
woodland between Kawana road banding site and Kawana road heath, Dryandra forest
(see Frank O'Connor's web page for details).
Cheers,
Quentin Paynter
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