We drove north of Perth to Kalbarri. Impressive scenery at Kalbarri
but be sure to take a fly net if you go and it was hot. Just south
of the town is The Rainbow Parrot Jungle, an aviary said to be the
best aviary of parrots in Australia. Birds are bred there. They had
a pair of eclectus parrots. I don't care to see birds enclosed in
cages, but this place does it well. So, anyone heading in that
direction could pay it a visit.
Between Perth and the Kimberly there are not a lot of different
birds. A few rivers would run into the sea, but they have been cut
off by sand bars. There are lagoons. We saw yellow billed
spoonbills at several, also black winged stilts, black fronted
dotterals, a reef heron, and the usual other birds. Wherever we went
there were willy wagtails. At Northampton where we stayed we saw
zebra finches, white-browed babblers spiny-cheeked honey eaters, a
fantail cuckoo, and "28" parrots. The raptors that we saw were black-
shouldered kites, kestrels, sea eagles, a spotted harrier and
Ospreys. At a couple of small towns the locals had put large baskets
on lamp posts to encourage Osprey to nest there.
At Cottesloe beach there is a resident Osprey. It perched on a light
pole on the groyne. We were able to get very close. Rainbow
lorikeets come to the Norfolk Island pines and casurarinas in their
hundreds, thousands starting just before the sun sets. The earliest
ones settle at the top of the pines. Strangely there does not seem
to be a mess on the ground or on the cars under the trees. We did
not see any western rosellas on this visit and I am sure that there
are smaller numbers of "28"s. The lorikeets have taken over. Sea
gulls were tormenting a great pied cormorant that was swimming in the
water. Why?
Around Perth in the suburbs there are both New Holland and white-
cheeked honey eaters, singing honey eaters, brown honey eaters and
doves The swamps/lakes that lie parallel to the coast are largely
dry, a great disappointment. They have been gradually drying for
some time, due to bores? fall in water table due to drought? land
clearing? a combination of many factors. Now the premier is
proposing that a highway be built across Bibra Lake which, in the
past, has been a great place for birds. On the southern side of
Thomson lake, also dry, you can see splendid blue wrens. At the
moment they are in eclipse plumage which meant that only their wings
were blue. But wait till Spring.
Almost always there are banksias in bloom, different ones from here.
And if you head south, the Banksia Farm at Mt. Barker is worth a
visit. The owner is very enthusiastic and he has growing specimens
of every banksia in Australia. He also knows a place very close with
several varieties of orchids in Spring. He knows the names. Grass
tree are different in WA
I am an enthusiastic West Australian
Elizabeth
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