This is a quick report on a just completed trip
from Sydney to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island and back.
HATTAH - the Nowingi track produced the
goods, with a Mallee Emu-Wren and two Striated Grasswrens found during
three hours spent walking the first couple of kilometres. Both were
literally on the edge of the track. However the highlight was great views
of a pair of Chestnut Quail-thrushes that came to within a couple of metres of
me, and eventually had to be chased out of the way. Also saw a Regent
Parrot near the main picnic area.
GLUEPOT - had little trouble seeing Black eared Miners near Sittella
camp. Despite putting in a lot of time on the
Malleefowl (formerly Callitris) track I had no luck finding a Malleefowl -
nor any of the three Red lored Whistlers someone claimed to have seen there the
week before (I did not even hear anything that may have been
one). Other good birds included lots of Owlet-Nightjars around the
Babbler camp site, Southern Scrub-Robins and more Chestnut Quail-thrushes,
Gilbert's Whistlers, Shy Hylacolas, Chestnut-crowned Babblers and
White browed Treecreepers.
KANGAROO ISLAND - Unfortunately three days of
showers and gale force winds stopped me from finding Western Whipbirds - I heard
one call for about fifteen seconds during several searches around Remarkable
Rocks. Purple-gaped honeyeaters could be found along the track leading
away from the sea at the back of the carpark. I did not see any Glossy
Black Cockatoos or Neophema parrots (not that I particularly looked for
them).
MUTAWINTJI (nee Mootwingee) NP AND BROKEN HILL AREA - At Salthole Creek 30
km north of Broken Hill on the Silver City Highway I saw White winged Fairy Wrens, a male Redthroat, Chirruping Wedgebills and a
Rufous Fieldwren.
On the road from the Silver City Highway to
Mutawintji I saw a few Orange Chats and Crimson Chats, plus Banded Lapwings
and an Australian Pratincole. Rufous and Brown Songlarks were also
common.
Mutawintji is full of birds at the moment.
Every tree at the camp site had Budgerigars nesting in them and there were
plenty of other parrots around. I saw Pied Honeyeaters at two spots - one
on the Western Ridge trail after about a kilometre (walking anticlockwise),
and the other beside the road a bit north of the gated entry to the
historic site. Unfortunately no luck
on Hall's Babbler or Grey Falcon though.
COBAR - A quick look for Chestnut-breasted
Quail-thrushes opposite the entrance to the mine about 7km north west of town
brought no success, but did give another male Pied Honeyeater.
Let me know if you want more details.
Murray Lord
Sydney
