Blue Mountains-Kanangra Trip

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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