Haha Geoffrey you’re so spot on!
😊 That’ll be exactly
why I want to see if they’re still at Ginini Flats!
Thanks to all of you who responded either personally or back to the chatline. What a fabulous resource it is – meaning what a fabulous
resource all of you are. Collating all the responses so far, I now understand why I got lost at the bottom of the ski slope and what to do about it next time. I know lots of fabulous plants and frogs etc. to look for as well, and so many other places to go
for Olive Whistlers if I ever give up on Ginini Flats.
Best of all, I have a few wonderful offers from intrepid fellow Birders to venture up there in January!
I’m particularly interested in Geoffrey’s comment about a track starting at a “carpark 900 metres towards Canberra from the Mt Ginini
turnoff” as this sounds much more like the place I went in 1995. I don’t remember the ski slope, and the distance Geoffrey mentions (quoting Ian Fraser’s book) of 1.5km return sounds right. What happened to that track? Does anybody know if you can still get
to the flats that way?
Thanks everyone,
Sue
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Friday, 22 December 2017 11:10 AM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] A wild Olive Whistler chase?
I think Sue is more interested in recapturing the youthful excitement of seeing an Olive Whisler at Ginini Flats than in being told where Olive Whistlers have
been seen elsewhere. Sue has consulted eBird, and her own record of an OW at GF (Nov 1995) may be found there along with a small number of other records. As sue says, no similar records since 2007, not conclusive that they are no longer there but certainly
not promising. This suggests the long drive to Ginini Flats may not be justified if your only purpose is to see an Olive Whistler. On the other hand, if you are interested in Corroboree Frogs, as so many members of this chatline are, your prospects of success
will probably rather brighter.
As to the location, I turn to Ian Fraser’s
Above the Cotter (1991). This suggests using the (then) car park 900m towards Canberra from the Mt Ginini turnoff. Cross the road and the track starts at the right rear of a small clearing. The return along the ‘faint but easy track’ is given as ‘1.5
km, 20 minutes plus time to explore’ . The flats themselves extend ‘north beyond Mt Ginini’, so the OWs have quite likely relocated within a large, inconveniently trackless, area. The vegetation sounds interesting, but then Ian makes vegetation just about
anywhere sound interesting.
Not sure if this is relevant because it is not Ginini Flats. I have found them (ok one, maybe on more than one day) within about 5 minutes stroll from the Kings
Highway at the top of Clyde Mountain. That as I recall was after hearing it from the car park and going to look.
Philip
Hi everyone
Tallaganda NP and Warks Road Head area crop up fairly regularly in the ABRs.
regards
Con
On 12/22/2017 8:21 AM, David Rees wrote:
Could also try Monga National Park the other side of Braidwood. Unless there has been heavy rain, access with a normal car is usually OK into there.
On Thu, Dec 21, 2017 at 6:00 PM, Sue Beatty <> wrote:
Hi All,
22 years ago the hotspot for Olive Whistlers was Ginini Flats. Wanting to see one I was sent there by whoever manned the COG phone one day in November 1995 – a very long drive along
dirt roads south of Piccadilly Circus – and there was an Olive Whistler in full song. Magic. According to eBird they haven’t been reported there since 2007. I can’t believe they’re no longer there and want to go back in January for a good look.
Firstly, does anybody know if they’re still there?
Secondly, does anybody want to come with me to hunt for them? I’m not keen to go on my own as it’s very remote and a fair bit of walking as well as driving is involved – it’s not
nearly as easy to get from the car to the flats as I remembered from 22 years ago!
I’d be interested in your thoughts on Olive Whistlers at Ginini Flats. I know there’s one at the Bot Gardens and that they’ve been reported recently at Bendora Dam and a couple
of other places in Namadji.
Cheers,
Sue
