Dear all
I have just returned from a trip to Central Australia, including, on 10 July, a
full day of guided birding in Alice Springs with Mark Carter. The day started
at 7.30am and ended around 7.00pm, and was really excellent.
Mark went to a lot of trouble to plan a day which suited me, and to target the
birds I hoped to see. Ultimately we were very successful, and I picked up 9
'lifers', and also had great views of birds I had seen only fleetingly in the
past.
I have travelled to this area previously, and had seen many of the 'easy to
see' birds of the Centre. However Mark, with his local knowledge and great
birding skills, found birds which I would not have found.
We had great views of male and female Dusky Grasswren, Rufous-crowned Emu Wren
(3 males together), Orange Chat, White-backed Swallows and Spinifexbird on
Santa Theresa Road. There were Inland, Yellow-rumped and Slaty-backed
Thornbills at Simpson's Gap together with great view of a pair of Redthroat and
a beautiful Grey Fantail showing off its while tail. We had Spotted Crakes
galore at the Sewerage Ponds as well as White-backed Swallows circling with a
metre of us at waist height. Then off to Kunoth Bore on the Tanami Road for
raptors, including a Spotted Harrier and a group of 8 Bourke's Parrots at
sunset.
We looked for Grey Honeyeater without success. Mark is concerned that, despite
the boom conditions of the last 18 months or so, these birds have not
increased, and may have declined due to competition from a big population of
Brown Honeyeaters.
My list for the day follows:
Red-capped Plover
Black-fronted Dotterel
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Black-tailed Native-hen
Eurasian Coot
Australian Spotted Crake
Australasian Grebe
Hoary-headed Grebe
Black Duck
Grey Teal
Wood Duck
Hardhead
Black Swan
Masked Lapwing
Black-shouldered Kite
Spotted Harrier
Black Kite
Whistling Kite
Collared Sparrowhawk
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Nankeen Kestrel
Brown Falcon
Australian Hobby
Peregrine Falcon
Diamond Dove
Spotted Turtle- Dove
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Galah
Australian Ringneck
Mulga Parrot
Bourke's Parrot
Red-backed Kingfisher
White-backed Swallow
Fairy Martin
Tree Martin
Rufous-crowned Emu-wren
Splendid Fairy-Wren
White-winged Fairy-Wren
Variegated Fairy-Wren
Dusky Grasswren
Redthroat
Inland Thornbill
Slaty-backed Thornbill
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Southern Whiteface
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Yellow-throated Miner
Brown Honeyeater
Orange Chat
Crimson Chat
Rufous Whistler
Grey-Shrike Thrush
Crested Bellbird
Black-faced Woodswallow
Pied Butcherbird
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Torresian Crow
Little Crow
Magpie Lark
Willy Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Red-capped Robin
Hooded Robin
Australian Reed-Warbler
Little Grassbird
Spinifexbird
Brown Songlark
Australasian Pipit
Mistletoebird
Zebra Finch
A very good day's birding!
kind regards
Penny Evans
Surry Hills
NSW
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