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Jack's 700th

To: Birding-Aus <>
Subject: Jack's 700th
From: John Barkla <>
Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 11:50:26 +1000

Last year we set out on a four month journey across Northern Australia, the main aim of which was to get 7 more birds for my then 78 year old father to achieve the milestone of seeing 700 birds in Australia.  Unfortunately, he was admitted to hospital shortly before we left and was unable to join us.  We made alternate plans for him to fly to Darwin when he had recovered, but those plans too were thwarted when my mother went into hospital.  He was left at home for the entire four months while we saw most of the birds he needed.  Not much fun for him and disappointing for us as well.

 

He now needs six birds, not seven.  He got one new bird late last year with a four day trip to see Canada Goose – we missed the goose, but took a short detour to NW NSW and saw Eyrean Grasswren. 

 

In two weeks we are off again.  Our plan is to go to Eulo Bore for Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Mica Creek 13km south of Mt Isa for Kalkadoon Grasswren, The Kimberley for Great-billed Heron, Chestnut-backed Button-quail, Chestnut Rail, Northern Shrike-tit and Black Grasswren, Broome for Red-chested Button-quail and Roseate Tern and return home through the Gammon ranges for Short-tailed Grasswren.  It doesn’t sound too hard to get six out of a possible ten does it?  Of course, there is always the possibility of Night Parrot as well.  He turns 80 on 14 November this year and the challenge is to get the 700 before 80.  What a party we will then have!

 

I was intending to post a few reports of last year’s trip, but lost all of my notes when my laptop was stolen shortly after we returned.  I was intending to back up to disk when I got home, but the thief beat me to it.  A valuable lesson for this year’s trip.

 

A few of the highlights last year were: all of the Australian raptors (Red Goshawk at Iron Range); Laughing Gull and Black Noddy at Portland Roads; all of the Cape York specialties (excluding those occurring in the wet); Rufous Owl in the car headlights and then by spotlight; 13 Golden-shouldered Parrots at Artemis Station; 60 Hooded Parrots in one spot; all of the Kakadu specialties; all of the tropical finches (great sightings and good numbers of Gouldians – they may be making something of a recovery); Black Grasswren and the Yellow-eyed race of the Partridge Pigeon at Mitchell Falls; and a spectacular number of birds on the Canning Stock Route (100’s of water birds, lots of Brolgas, a party of Yellow Chats, 100’s of Crimson Chats, 2 Oriental Plovers, a Pheasant Coucal which surprised me greatly, etc etc).  The only bird we tried for but missed in the four months we were away, was Princess Parrot. A bit of a bugger really, because I had seen 23 on my only other trip down the Canning, but none of the others with me had seen them.  If Jack had been able to join us he would be well over 700!!!!

 

I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

John Barkla        

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