19/8/07 (continued).To Parachilna Gorge after lunch at Wild Lime Café
in Blinman. Small pools in parts of the Parachilna Gorge with
moderate numbers of birds. Pair of Brown Treecreepers with 2 eggs in
a nest deep within a vertical hollow in a broken branch of an old
Callitris. Many Tree Martin on ground closely watched by pale morph
Brown Falcon. More good sightings of Mallee Ring-neck, Elegant and
Mulga parrots, and many Striated pardalote, Southern Whiteface,
Yellow-fronted Miner plus the ubiquitus Galah, Little Corella,
Crested pigeon etc.
Stayed at the Prairie Hotel - great tucker and gregarious travellers
and no TV!
20/8/07 Parachilna to Clare with a short diversion into the Brachina
gorge for a second look. Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo and White fronted
Chat, Brown Songlark, Apostlebird, White-winged Wren, Brown Songlark,
etc posing nicely along the road verges.
Well-equipped self catering cottage at Skillagolee Winery at Seven
Hills with Blue Bonnet Parrot, Adelaide Rosella etc
21/8/07 Skillagolee to Pinaroo. A wetland at Murray Bridge provided
Black-winged Stilts and many other water birds and a contrast to the
dry country birding of the past days. Pinaroo Motel is too close to
the highway for a good nights sleep.
22/8/07. Pinaroo to Hopetoun.
Back to the more familiar Victorian Mallee with lots of birds and
good early spring growth. Random stops along the highway produced
many White-winged Chough, White-browed Babbler, Grey Butcherbird,
Yellow-rumped, Striated & Brown Thornbill, Rufous Whistler, Jacky
Winter, Mulga Parrot, Brown Falcon , Nankeen Kestral, Black Kite,
Tree Martin and a Black-eared Cuckoo was heard but not seen. The Pink
Lakes entrance to the Murray Sunset National Park provided the best
birding for the entire trip. Stopped on the Pioneer Drive for a
closer look at a Pallid Cuckoo perched on an old Buloke and rewarded
with a pair of Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo, a pair of White-winged
Triller in mating flights, a male Crested Bellbird repeatedly calling
from the top branches of several old bulokes, ground feeding pairs of
Red-capped Robin & Southern Whiteface. The same patch of old bulokes
also contained Grey Shrike-thrush, Spiny-cheeked & Singing
Honeyeaters. Brown Treecreepers and Mallee Ring-neck parrots were
nesting in buloke tree hollows. Good display of everlasting daisies
and good growth of native grasses. Pink Lakes stunning with strong
shrimp smell but no Avocets or Stilts.
Waite Reserve – late afternoon. Peaceful Dove, Hooded Robin, Varied
Sitella, Restless Flycatcher, Richards Pipet, Variegated Wren,
Singing Honeyeater all plentiful and in breeding mode.
Hopetoun Community Hotel/Motel provides a comfortable base for a non
camping visit to this area.
Return to Melbourne via Avoca.
Follow up rain desperately needed in Victorian Mallee and Wimmera
within the next week. If forthcoming the farmers and the birds will
be delighted. If not, doom and gloom for all.
Happy birding, Peter Thomson.
www.arkabastation.com/arkaba.html
www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/south-australia/flinders-
ranges-outback/accommodation/farmstay/wirrealpa-station-cottage/
www.littledesertlodge.com.au/
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