Gluepot revisited

[sandra henderson <>]

A group of four COG members has just returned from a few days camping at Gluepot. The weather was very kind to us, the campsite (Sitella) was excellent, and the birds mainly very cooperative.  There was a large group of photographers also there because of a special photographic event, but we encountered them only briefly.

As we entered the reserve on Wed 25th, we were met by thousands of woodswallows (mainly white-browed, a few masked) - above and around us. Many were feeding on lerps on the ground, dislodged from the eucs. After a chat to the ranger about the pros and cons of the various campsites, and noting that there were already quite a number of photographers at Babbler camp, we settled on Sitella camp. Very pleasant, very birdy - neighbours included red-capped robins, spiny-cheeked and white-fronted honeyeaters, chestnut-rumped thornbills, weebills, white-browed babblers,and at night, at least 2 owlet nightjars and a boobook.

There were chestnut quail thrush in abundance - the first group we encountered had 7 birds, and they were wandering the roads throughout our stay. Red-lored whistler, striated grasswren, southern scrub robin, chestnut crowned babblers, the (black) grey currawongs, hooded robins, crested bellbirds, mulga and ringneck parrots were found, as well as many others. Excellent views of a couple of white-browed treecreepers, and we were treated to a collared sparrowhawk bathing a few metres from us for half an hour, in one of the elevated water troughs.

The amount of water still in the Riverina is still staggering. The woolshed campground at Yanga NP is under water, and some flooded paddocks were covered in  waterbirds - white-necked herons, white faced herons, great egrets, black-winged stilts, grebes, spoonbills, ducks....

last week a young malleefowl was caught (and returned to the mallee outside town) on the street beside the Euston Club.

Over 100 species for the trip - 10 or more new ones for Lia and Jean.

 

sandra h