canberrabirds

Blue Mountains-Kanangra Trip

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Subject: Blue Mountains-Kanangra Trip
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Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 12:25:19 +1000

Lisa and I have just come back from a 4 day trip to the sandstone escarpment region of NSW (Blue Mountains NP, Kanangra-Boyd NP, Jenolan and Wombeyan Caves) plus Abercrombie River NP.
We got to see a large number of great wildlife in that time.

Highlights below:
  • Crescent Honeyeaters at 5 sites in the Blue Mts and Wombeyan.
  • Lewin's Honeyeaters and Eastern Whipbirds at the western limits of their range at Jenolan.
  • Pilotbirds at 5 sites! in the Blue Mts (Grose Valley Lookout, Narrow Neck Plateau, Horseshoe Falls, Grand Canyon Walk & Mount Banks).
  • Rock Warblers at 3 sites in the Blue Mts (Grand Canyon Walk, Mount Banks & Undercliff Walk at Wentworth Falls - where nesting) & 1 site in Kanangra-Boyd (Kanangra Tops).
  • Beautiful Firetail heard at Mount Banks.
  • Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens at 2 sites in the Blue Mts (Narrow Neck Plateau & Mount Banks). Perched atop shrubs in full song - such a beautiful melodious song!
  • Rose Robin male at start of Gordon Falls walk to Pool of Siloam (Blue Mts).
  • 2 Powerful Owls, Sugar Gliders and Wombats while spotlighting along Megalong Valley Rd.
  • Yellow-bellied Gliders also along Megalong Valley Rd. I love their bloodcurdling maniacal cackle and gurgling call.
  • Yellow-throated Scrubwren pair at Coachwood Glen Nature Walk in Megalong Valley - magnificent rainforest with coachwood trees.
  • Bassian Thrush bathing along creek in Coachwood Glen.
  • Wonga Pigeon at 'Cathedral of Ferns' at Mount Wilson.
  • Flame Robins (strangely all males) at Mount Wilson, Kanangra Tops and Black Springs.
  • Superb Lyrebird foraging metres away from Plateau Walk at Kanangra Tops.
  • Australian Shelduck pair by dam at Lake George along highway.

At the Abercrombie River we saw a lot of the drier forest birds we didnt see in the Blue Mts as well as Red-browed Finch, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Yellow Thornbill and Scarlet Robin.

Many migrants had arrived already including Noisy Friarbirds, Shining Bronze-Cuckoos at 2 sites, Fan-tailed Cuckoos heard at several sites, a Common Koel at our accommodation in Blackheath and even a Rufous Songlark in full song at Oberon Dam.

But the absolute highlight of the trip was standing on the cliff edge at Kanangra Tops above Kanangra Walls (130m cliff face) looking down into Kanangra Deep and across to the Thurat Spires and Mt Cloudmaker, and beyond to the Blue Mts. The drop immediately below our feet varied from 600 to 900 metres straight down. And in the surrounding heath Rock Warblers and Flame Robins cavorted.

Cheers
Marnix

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