SATURDAY December
6th
Phil picked up a group of six
from the motel and we headed off at 7 A.M. As we headed south from Deniliquin we
started to see many Superb Parrots flying around. We finally tracked down some
that were feeding on the ground along the roadside where we had good views.
About twenty birds were seen at this spot. We then headed to Gulpa Island State Forest, where we had fabulous views of
a female Painted Button Quail and a male
*Gilberts Whistler. Yellow Rosellas were plentiful and we also found a
White-browed Woodswallow sitting on 3 or 4 young chicks about a metre off the
ground, inside a piece of pealing bark. Other good birds seen here were :
Hooded Robin 2 males and a female
Crested
Shriketit
Brown-Headed
Honeyeaters
White-Throated
Treecreeper
Western Gerygone.
We returned to Deni , checking
out some dams on the outskirts. Highlights here were
Black-Tailed Native
Hens
Red-Kneed
Dotterels
Plumed Whistling Duck
A two hour lunch break allowed us
time to prepare for a long afternoon and evening of birding. First off we headed
north onto the Hay plains finding Blue Bonnets on the way to our next birding
stop. Some roadside birding was very productive with Crimson Chats with recently
fledged young, a pair of Diamond Firetails with 6 fledged young and a
White-browed Woodswallow feeding a recently fledged baby. Horsefield
Bronzecuckoo, Red-Capped Robin and Budgerigars were seen. At one
point we had 5 species of Woodswallow overhead at the same time. These were
Black-Faced , Masked, White ?Breasted, White-browed and Dusky. The only
one missing being Little Woodswallow.
A bit further up the road we
disturbed an Owlet Nightjar, which perched to give us all nice views. It
was being harassed by a male Red-capped Robin and at one stage perched near it
giving a nice splash of colour. Other nice birds seen here were, Mallee
Ringneck and a group of a dozen or so *Chestnut-Crowned Babbler.
Heading back towards Deni we made
our evening location for spotlighting to the news of a Little Curlew
being amongst a large group of Banded Lapwings (about 300 in
all). We lost it initially, after
brief views but relocated it to obtain better views both on the ground and
calling in flight. Brown Songlarks were also common and White-Winged
Fairywrens were also seen.
After dinner on the plains and a
bit of stargazing and planet identification, we started spotlighting. Eventually
we found a male *Plains Wanderer and a nest of 5 eggs which is one more
than the normal. We all got excellent views. Two Little Button Quail and
an Australian Pratincole on nest were also spotlighted. On our drive out
of the paddock we flushed several Banded Lapwings from the road and eventually a
single *Inland Dotterel. A Barn Owl was patrolling the roadside and
paused on a fence post to look at us. Arriving back in Deni about 1 A.M. we saw
a Southern Boobook sitting in a Eucalypt tree with a rat or mouse in his
beak. He then seemed to enter a hollow where a mate or young were no doubt
present.
