Dear Birding-ausers
Here'a a report of a trip I did to Alice Springs a few weeks ago.
It includes a long annotated birds list which I hope will give an idea of how
many birds people can expect to see at various localities, including the common
ones. The report is in two parts.
Alice Springs Area
Trip Report, 27.9.97 to 3.10.97
Most of the sightings on this trip were what you would expect if you consult
the birdfinding guides, so the following includes a few pointers beyond
Bransbury and Thomas and Thomas.
114 species were seen on the trip, highlights being Rufous-crowned Emu-Wren,
Dusky Grasswren, Freckled Duck, Oriental Plover, Spinifexbird, Spinifex Pigeon,
Bourke's Parrot, White-browed Treecreeper, Slaty-backed Thornbill, Painted
Finch. Most disappointing dip was Grey Honeyeater at Kunoth Well, but also
Ground Cuckoo-Shrike, which I'd targetted.
Simpson's Gap
Arrived just after dawn to beat the tourist buses, and Grey-headed Honeyeaters
and Painted Firetails were around the waterhole. No sign of Dusky Grasswrens
until the first tourist buses arrived, when they started bounding across the
rocks almost between the feet of the tourists carrying food to a nest on the
side of the gorge. Must be the easiest grasswrens to see anywhere. Considerably
harder to get a fix on were Little Woodswallows, but a couple circled the top
of the cliffs. A Peregrine put in a brief appearance.
A short walk along the Woodland Trail was quite good, with a couple of Western
Bowerbirds and a Little Button-quail. Also a lot of commoner birds at the first
(dry) creekbed.
Ellery Creek
This area produced some good birds: Spinifexbird, which was located by its
far-carrying call; a couple of Little Eagles circled; and both Sacred and
Red-backed Kingfishers.
Ormiston Gorge
Lived up to expectations: excellent views of Dusky Grasswrens (minus tourists)
in the little valley on the way to the Pound (going anti-clockwise), where
stunning, if brief, views were had of a Rufous-crowned Emu-Wren, wiggling at
speed through the spinifex and somehow managing not to impale itself.Surely
another top ten Aus bird?
Alsp Western Bowerbirds, Spinifexbird, Spinifex Pigeons in good numbers, a
Little Eagle, the only Red-tailed Black Cockatoo of the trip, Red-browed
Pardalote and a Painted Finch, as well as a variety of waterbirds in the Gorge
waterhole and along the Finke River, which had some pools, in the Pound.
Glen Helen Gorge
Worth a trip for a variety of waterbirds, Painted Finch, Little Woodswallows,
and the only White-necked Herons of the trip.
Alice Springs Desert Park
Nothing exceptional (for this region), but worth a stop.
Alice Springs Telegraph Station
A couple of walks around this area turned up nothing cosmic, but there were
some good birds, and Grey Honeyeater is supposed to occur here.
Alice Springs Sewage Ponds (note the lack of -er-)
An amazing abundance of birdlife, with thousands of duck, a good range of other
water (and non-water) birds, and a couple of uncommon species. I wasn't aware
when I saw them, but two Singing Bushlarks are apparently real rarities for
here, although they winter in the Top End. There had been easterlies for a
couple of days, so these were probably migrants drifted off their normal
migration route down south. Other top highlights (amongst many) were Oriental
Plover, and a young Freckled Duck.
Kunoth Well
This area of mulga an hour north of Alice, along the Tanami Track (sealed all
the way to the Well) is _the_ place for Grey Honeyeater, but despite a total of
sixteen hours in the area, I dipped. On a day I didn't go, a couple of these
birds were seen by two Parks rangers a few hundred metres from the turnoff to
the youth camp (see Thomas and Thomas for directions). This was a
disappointment, but a lot of other good birds were seen in the area, and sort
of made up for it, the best being a single (definite) Slaty-backed Thornbill,
which showed itself from all sides (despite what some say, I found this quite a
difficult bird, if not seen well, which thornbills often aren't), several small
groups of Bourke's Parrots in the area, a White-browed Treecreeper, a Little
Button-quail, a lot of Hooded Robins and good numbers of Western Gerygones, a
nice collection of parrots and dry-area thornbills, and a range of raptors,
especially around the well itself in the early morning, when there were lots of
birds, including hundreds of Budgerigars, which were (some of) the raptors'
targets.
The last two days in Alice Springs were remarkable for a non-stop downpour, so
that the river started flowing, and the Henley-on-Todd regatta was cancelled
because of too much water. About now the area is probably buzzing with birds
like chats and the black and white honeyeaters, following a downpour like that.
The whole area got a real soaking.
Finally, one of the delights of birding this area was the total lack of
introduced vermin - until the last day, when some Spotted Doves (not supposed
to be here according to the guides) were seen in Alice's western suburbs.
Below is an annotated list of all birds seen.
Rod Gardner
1 Plumed Whistling Duck
15 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
2 Australian Wood Duck
numerous, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
3 Freckled Duck
I immature, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9 and 2.10
4 Black Swan
ca 20, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
5 Hardhead
numerous, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
6 Pacific Black Duck
common, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
7 Pink-eared Duck
2 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9 and 3 on 2.10
8 Grey Teal
very numerous, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
2 at waterhole, the Pound, Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
9 Hoary-headed Grebe
numerous, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
10 Australian Little Grebe
less numerous than H-h Grebe, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9.
4 at Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
7 at Ellery Creek, 27.9
11 Darter
1 at waterhole, the Pound, Ormiston Gorge, 28.9.
Possibly same individual later at Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
12 Little Black Cormorant
11 at waterhole, the Pound, Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
10 (same individuals?) later at Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
13 Little Pied Cormorant
1 at waterhole, the Pound, Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
3 at Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
14 White-necked Heron
4 flew in to Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
15 White-faced Heron
1 at Ormiston Gorge, 27.9
1 at waterhole, the Pound, Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
16 Cattle Egret
3 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9 and 2.10
17 Great Egret
2 at Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
18 Intermediate Egret
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
19 Black-shouldered Kite
1 at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, 3.10
20 Black Kite
common along major roads, esp. Stuart Highway,
less common away from roads
17 at Old Telgraph Station, Alice Springs
21 Whistling Kite
2 West McDonnel Ranges, 28.9
1 Tanami Track, 29.9
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
1 at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, 2.10
22 Collared Sparrowhawk
1 female at Kunoth Well, 29.9
1 at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, 2.10
23 Brown Goshawk
1 at Kunoth Well, 26.9
1 from road, McDonnel Ranges w of AS, 28.9
1 at Kunoth Well, 29.9
24 Little Eagle
2 near Ellery Creek, 27.9
1 at Kunoth Well, 29.9
1 at Ormiston Gorge, 28.9
25 Wedge-tailed Eagle
only ones seen were 2 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
26 Brown Falcon
ones and twos in most areas.
Nesting near Kunoth Well
27 Australian Kestrel
only ones seen were 1 along Tanami Track to Kunoth Well, 29.9
and 1 at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, 2.10
28 Australian Hobby
1 at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, 3.10
29 Peregrine
1 at Simpson's Gorge, 27.9
30 Eurasian Coot
11 at Glen Helen Gorge, 28.9
numerous at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
31 Black-tailed Native-hen
14 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
32 Little Button-quail
1 flushed along Woodland Walk, Simpson's Gap, 27.9
1 flushed at Kunoth Well, 29.9
33 Marsh Sandpiper
4 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 2 on 2.10
34 Wood Sandpiper
ca 12 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 6 on 2.10
35 Common Sandpiper
ca 8 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 4 on 2.10
36 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 14 on 2.10
37 Curlew Sandpiper
7 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
38 Black-winged Stilt
common, Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
39 Red-necked Avocet
ca 35 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 18 on 2.10
40 Red-capped Plover
ca 12 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and ca 17 on 2.10
41 Oriental Plover
1 immature bird at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
42 Red-kneed Dotterel
2 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
and 1 on 2.10
43 Black-fronted Dotterel
ca 15 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9
ca 13 on 2.10
44 Masked Lapwing
only seen at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, ca 8 on 30.9
45 Silver Gull
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9 and 2.10
46 Whiskered Tern
1 at Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, 30.9 and 2.10
|
