birding-aus

Unsuccessful search for Princess Parrots

To: Birding-Aus <>
Subject: Unsuccessful search for Princess Parrots
From: John Reidy <>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:23:08 +1000
Hi all.

Allan Benson, Alan Morris, Rob Benson and I have have just had a very enjoyable but unsuccessful search for the Princess Parrots in the Kings Canyon and Uluru areas.
We travelled from Kings Canyon up the Mereenie Loop Road to around the 
north west extreme of the road. As has been stated, the country was 
alive with flowering plants, Black and Pied Honeyeaters, Little Button 
Quail, White-winged Trillers and Rufous Songlarks in profusion. We also 
encountered some Grey Honeyeaters, a new bird for most of us, near the 
transmission tower at the NW corner of the Mereenie Loop.
We found Bourkes Parrots and Spotted Harriers close to Kings Canyon and 
had brilliant close and extended views of a pair of Dusky Grasswrens 
near the beginning of the Kings Canyon walk inside the Canyon, as well 
as Spinifex Pigeon and Western Bowerbird in the car park.
Woodswallows, mostly Masked were seen in most places, Little 
Woodswallows seen at the Kings Canyon and the Olgas. Crested Bellbirds 
were everywhere. We only saw one group of Grey Crowned Babblers.
We had brilliant views of Black-breasted Buzzards on the road out of 
Kings Canyon as well as in a number of other places. A pair of Major 
Mitchells were a delight.
We then left the area and travelled to Uluru and further west on the 
Docker river Road. We travelled about 50Kms along this before deciding 
that the country was too dry and not improving and not nearly as good as 
that around the Mereenie Loop. We saw Grey-headed Honeyeaters at Ayers 
Rock and the Olgas.
We also checked the area around Curtin Springs and stopped many times in 
likely looking habitat.
The best area by far is that around the Mereenie Loop and were sorely 
tempted to head west from there on the track to the closest Princess 
Parrots.
We all hope that the Princess Parrots will breed up and become 
accessible rather than disappear back into the Gibson Desert.
Happy birding.

--
John Reidy
Sydney
Phone 02 9871 4836
Fax 02 9871 2616

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