Thanks Chris for a fantastic write up of your Big Day. Really interesting. As
you note, you got 110 sp with relative ease in contrast to 101 for the
Twitchathon, a good indication of the excellent birding conditions in the
Centre at the moment. I might do my own Big Day while when there next weekend.
Can't wait! A target of mine is Grey Honeyeater; I might have to put a bit of
time to see this valuable diamond.
Your report reminds me that I have to start thinking about the Twitchathon in
sunny Victoria, and work out last years national totals. Good luck with the 2nd
Red Centre Twitchathon.
Cheers,
Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: on behalf of Christopher Watson
Sent: Wed 8/18/2010 9:08 PM
To:
Subject: A Big Day in Alice Springs...
G'day All,
Some of us folks here in The Centre get a bit miffed when
folks get upset and threaten to cancel birding holidays as if there was only
one bird to see here in The Centre (and only one place to see it).
I also strongly support the position of the Traditional Owners but
understand the disappointment some of you may be feeling. So I had a day off
work yesterday and decided to put in a big effort at a "Big Day" to use the
US vernacular - just to give you some indication of the quality of birding
that you can expect around Alice Springs at the moment, without a sat phone,
without a 4wd, and without any permits.
The limits I imposed were to go no further south than Hatt Road and no
further north than the Tanami Rd turnoff but I was allowed to go to Kunoth
Bore on the Tanami rd as it is sealed the whole way.
No further east than Emily and Jessie Gap and no further west than Simpson's
Gap. I was not allowed to go off sealed roads and not on any private or
permit controlled property. I allowed the Sewage Ponds as the key is readily
available to visitors.
Here's my list:-
1. Black Swan - Sewage Ponds
2. Australian Wood Duck - SP
3. Pink-eared Duck - SP
4.Grey Teal - SP
5. Hardhead - SP
6. Pacific Black Duck - SP
7. Australasian Grebe - SP
8. Hoary-headed Grebe - SP
9. Darter - SP
10. Intermediate Egret - Wetlands beyond the railway line across Norris Bell
Dve
11. White-faced Heron - SP
12. White Necked Heron - Norris Bell Wetlands
13. Royal Spoonbill - Norris Bell Wetlands
14. Straw-necked Ibis - SP
15. Black Kite - everywhere
16. Whistling Kite - everywhere
17. Black-breasted Buzzard - Ilparpa Rd near Honeymoon Gap and also on
Tanami Rd
18. Wedge-tailed Eagle - Telegraph Station
19. Spotted Harrier - Honeymoon Gap, Norris Bell and Tanami Rd
20. Swamp Harrier - Norris Bell
21. Black-shouldered Kite - Larapinta Dve near Desert Park and Norris Bell
Wetlands
22. Brown Goshawk - Telegraph Station
23. Nankeen Kestrel - Norris Bell Wetlands
24. Australian Hobby - Colonel Rose Drive
25. Peregrine Falcon - Simpson's Gap
26. Brown Falcon - Hatt Rd, Colonel Rose Drive, and Tanami Rd
27. Purple Swamphen - SP
28. Black-tailed Native-hen - SP
29. Eurasian Coot - SP
30. Little Button-quail - Flynn's Grave and Telegraph Station
31. Wood Sandpiper (9) - SP
32. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - SP
33. Black-winged Stilt - SP
34. Red-necked Avocet - SP
35. Red-capped Plover - SP
36. Black-fronted Dotterel - SP and Norris Bell
37. Red-kneed Dotterel - SP and Norris Bell
38. Masked Lapwing - SP
39. Crested Pigeon - Dixon Rd
40. Spinifex Pigeon - Botanic Gardens and Simpson's Gap
41. Common Bronzewing - Kunoth Bore
42. Peaceful Dove - Cora Cres
43. Diamond Dove - everywhere
44. Spotted Turtle-dove - Dixon Rd
45. Red-tailed Black Cockatoo - Emily Gap
46. Little Corella - SP and Tip
47. Cockatiel - Tanami Rd and Hatt Rd
48. Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Honeymoon Gap
49. Galah - Dixon Rd
50. Australian Ringneck - Dixon Rd
51. Mulga Parrot - Norris Bell Wetlands and Hatt Rd
52. Bourke's Parrot (3) - Kunoth Bore
53. Budgerigar - everywhere
54. Pallid Cuckoo - Commonage Rd, Ilparpa Rd, Kunoth Bore, Flynn's Grave,
etc
55. Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo - Flynn's Grave, Hatt Rd
56. Spotted Nightjar - Tanami Rd (after sunset at Kunoth)
57. Australian Owlet-nightjar - Tanami Rd
58. Red-backed Kingfisher - Colonel Rose Drive, Hatt Rd, Telegraph Station
etc
59. Sacred Kingfisher - Cliffside Court
60. White-winged Fairy-wren - SP
61. Splendid Fairy-wren - Flynn's Grave and the walk up Mt Gillen
62. Variegated Fairy-wren - SP
63. Dusky Grasswren - Up Mt Gillen and also at Simpson's Gap
64. Red-browed Pardalote - Botanic Gardens, Simpson's Gap and Heavitree Gap
65. Striated Pardalote - Ghan Road
66. Redthroat - Flynn's Grave
67. Western Gerygone - Flynn's Grave and Telegraph Station
68. Weebill - Telegraph Station
69. Yellow-rumped Thornbill - Telegraph Station, Kunoth, and Flynn's Grave
70. Inland Thornbill - Flynn's Grave, Simpson's Gap, Telegraph Station
71. Slaty-backed Thornbill - scrub near Kunoth Bore
72. Southern Whiteface - Kunoth and Flynn's Grave
73. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater - Cliffside Ct
74. Yellow-throated Miner - Cliffside Ct
75. Singing Honeyeater - Telegraph Station, Flynn's Grave, Simpson's Gap
76. Grey-headed Honeyeater - Simpson's Gap, Telegraph Station
77. White-plumed Honeyeater - Cliffside Ct
78. Brown Honeyeater - Hatt Rd and Flynn's Grave
79. Mistletoebird - Flynn's Grave, Telegraph Station
80. Crimson Chat - Hatt Rd, Tanami Rd, Colonel Rose Drive, Larapinta Drive,
Ilparpa rd, Flynn's Grave etc
81. Hooded Robin - Simpson's Gap
82. Red-capped Robin - Flynn's Grave, Telegraph Station etc
83. White-browed Babbler - Flynn's Grave, Undoolya Rd
84. Grey-crowned Babbler - Botanic Gardens, Roe Creek, Hatt Rd, Telegraph
Station
85. Crested Bellbird - Tanami Rd, walk up Mt Gillen
86. Rufous Whistler - Simpson's Gap, Flynn's Grave, Hatt Rd
87. Grey Shrike-thrush - Cliffside Ct
88. Willie Wagtail - Cliffside Ct
89. Magpie-lark - SP, Cliffside Ct
90. White-winged Triller - Botanic Gardens, Telegraph Station
91. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - all around town
92. Masked Woodswallow - Tanami Rd, Kunoth, Ilparpa Rd
93. Black-faced Woodswallow - SP, Norris Bell, Hatt Rd, Tanami Rd, Colonel
Rose Drive
94. Little Woodswallow - Simpson's Gap, Kuyunba Reserve
95. Pied Butcherbird - Cliffside Ct every morning
96. Australian Magpie - Heavitree Gap and around town
97. Little Crow - Telegraph Station
98. Torresian Crow - Kunoth Bore
99. Western Bowerbird - Botanic Gardens and in my front yard every day
100. Australian Pipit - SP
101. Zebra Finch - everywhere
102. Painted Finch (Firetail) - Simpson's Gap and walk up Mt Gillen
103. Tree Martin - SP, Tanami Rd, Hatt Rd
104. White-backed Swallow - SP
105. Fairy Martin - My house and in huge numbers at the sewage ponds
106. Australian Reed-warbler - SP
107. Spinifexbird - rocky spinifex slopes above Norris Bell Wetlands
108. Little Grassbird - showing well at the sewage ponds
109. Rufous Songlark - Simpson's Gap, Ilparpa Rd, Norris Bell, Telegraph
Station etc
110. Brown Songlark - Similarly common all about the place and calling
prominently
So there it is - 110 with no night-birding apart from the post-sunset drive
home from Kunoth and with a lot of obvious dips that I could have chased
harder. Where a road became unsealed, I got out and walked and it was never
more than 1500metres to get to what I saw.
My total for the twitchathon last year was a rather drab 101 and that was
driving much further, birding harder, and with more pairs of eyes and ears.
Birding up here at the moment is a joy and this list could easily get up
over 120 for a bit more unsealed driving and a few regulars that were
missing at the Sewage Ponds.
Grey Honeyeaters will always be elusive, but then, that is their charm -
"praise, like diamonds, owes its value to its scarcity". A lot
of eremophilas are blooming at the moment so they should be about if you can
spend the time. The Rufous-crowned Emu-wrens (while even more difficult to
hear now because of the multitude of other birds) should be fairly readily
tickable at the well-known site towards Santa Theresa.
I'm often around town and I'm happy to be contacted off-list if you want
more details or even accompaniment to a specific destination.
For those of you headed up this way, feel free to get in touch and make sure
you google the Alice Springs Field Nats - the site is quite informative and
can put you in touch with good local birders. Also keep in mind if you are
heading up in September that the 2nd Red Centre Twitchathon will be on and
it would be great to have some interstate teams to play with this year as
well as the locals.
As for the Princesses... maybe its best that they are safe out there just
beyond our reach.... for now. They don't call it an irruption for nothing -
there is beautiful sand dune and Desert Oak country along many sections of
The Mereenie Loop and they come quite close to the area in question.While
you're out there, Tnorala is a great spot for Chiming Wedgebill, Black
Honeyeater, Pied Honeyeater and a whole swag of raptors.
Regards,
Chris Watson
Alice Springs
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