Crimson Chats, Blue Bonnets, Budgies, Cockatiels (Weddin Mts-Young)

On Saturday Lisa and I went on a day
trip (from Canberra) out west to Central NSW. It took us under 2 hours
to reach Thuddungra (just past Young) where the first interesting birds
were spotted - our first of many Apostlebirds and Pied Butcherbirds.
I have never seen NSW so green! In a flooded wetland below Bribbaree Hills
we found a lone Black-winged Stilt and a White-necked Heron.
The road to Bimbi produced Superb Parrots. We had lunch at Fuzzy
Box Campground in the western Weddins where we were welcomed by a Striped
Honeyeater. A wander around Seaton's Farm and neighbouring Bimbi State
Forest produced many BrownTreecreepers. At my favourite spot in
Bimbi SF near a full dam I stopped the car and had no sooner stepped out
that from the tree above came the calls of Budgerigars. With some
more careful searching I eventually also flushed 23 birds from roadside
grass in addition to small groups totalling another 17 birds at least in
the trees - all giving beautiful close views. A Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
was on the fence, a pair of Diamond Firetails were courting atop
a dead tree, Southern Whitefaces and Speckled Warblers foraged
along the track and Rainbow Bee-eaters hawked above us. Later on
we saw Double-barred Finches and Grey-crowned Babblers.
A drive through less visited parts of
Bimbi SF produced 3 Cockatiels flying over a field, and in more
open white cypress pine woodland a pair of Blue Bonnets - a nice
surprise. Another bird was seen later on. Along Grimm's Lane as we headed
to Weddin's Gap we saw a pair of Crimson Chats. We then drove home
along a circuitous route via Quandialla, Morangarell, following Bland Creek
to Grogan and Stockingbingal and then back home via Harden. With all the
recent rain I wanted to look in this region hopefully for Brolga but dipped
out. We did notice many of the low lying areas were flooded and saw quite
a few Ibis, Spoonbills, Herons etc.
At Quandialla a Yellow-eared Miner
obliged us by sitting by our car door in town, near Eurabba SF we saw another
Superb Parrot and a single Little Corella hanging out with
Cockatoos. This was my second tick of the day (after the Budgies).

What was interesting was the total lack
of honeyeaters at most sites, apart from the single Striped at Fuzzy Box.
They must all be further west going by other reports.

Cheers
Marnix


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