Hi
Back from a fantastic trip to Alice Springs Thanks to all who gave tips on
where to go & to the local birders, Jane Bannister for putting me on to Pam
Walker who accompanied me one afternoon & found several new birds for me. I
must be a birder because our first stop from the airport was the sewerage
ponds & as stated they are well set up for birders. We arrived there about
12.30 p.m., hot & humid but saw more birds there then than 2 days later
when I went early morning. Some sand banks that had been exposed earlier
were covered & the waders & Black winged stilts had gone.
The first trip there we recorded
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Masked Lapwing
Red-kneed Dotterel
Black-fronted Dotterel
Wood Sandpiper
Whiskered Tern
Hoary-headed Grebe
White-faced Heron
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Black Swan
Pacific Black Duck
Grey Teal
Hardhead
Stubble Quail
Richards Pipit
Brown Songlark
Zebra Finch
Black Kite
Clamorous Reed Warbler
The next trip added
Pink-eared Duck
White winged Fairy Wren
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Desert Wildlife Park
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Great spot! Well laid out , similar to Territory Wildlife park near Darwin.
Many wild birds here as well
Spinifex Pigeon
Budgerigar - Thousands everywhere at the moment
Ground Cuckoo_Shrike
Diamond Dove
White plumed Honeyeater - the most numerous of the honeyeaters seen all
over
Spiny Cheeked Honeyeater
Bourke's Parrot
Zebra Finches
White winged Triller
Black Faced Woodswallows
Common Bronzewing
We visited Simpson's Gap early next morning, evening & with Pam the
following evening but no sign of the Dusky Grasswren. There was lots of
long grass everywhere so could have been there but not seen.
Also was windy so may not have heard them. We didn't have time to hunt for
the hard to find species or the ones specific to an area away from Alice
like Rufous Crowned Emu Wren, Chestnut Banded Whiteface, Chiming Wedgebill
etc
Birds were nesting everywhere & we found nests with young Crimson Chats &
Varigated Fairy Wrens
Zebra Finches with eggs, Budgerigars & Cockatiels in & out of
hollows.Australian Hobby at nest.
Birds added
Grey headed Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Ringneck
Mulga Parrot
Collared Sparrowhawk
Whistling Kite
Ormiston Gorge
________________
__
Failed to find any Western Bowerbirds for the whole trip, even in Fig Trees
so who knows where they were.
Added
Mistletoe Bird
Varigated Fairy Wren
Little Black Cormorant
Pied Honeyeater
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
to the list
The afternoon with Pam, we went to John Flynn's grave & into the bush
behind that
Brown Thornbill ( Race Tanami )
Masked Woodswallow
Crimson Chats again
White winged Triller nesting
Grey Crowned Babbler
Tropic of Capricorn
Left side of the road. We were battling to get to Kunoth Well before dark
so spent a quick 5 minutes
here but it was alive with birds & I added
Red-capped Robin
Hooded Robin
Rufous Whistler
Slaty-backed Thornbill
On the way to Kunoth we had to scream to a halt as we were travelling at
speed into the western sun
to have a look at a very handsome Spotted Harrier sitting in a low tree
beside the road. We just made Kunoth on dusk but managed to add
Southern Whiteface
Little Button Quail
Rainbow Beeeater
Crested Bellbird ( heard )
White-fronted Honeyeater ( heard )
Next day on way to Airport we visited Emily Gap in the East MacDonnell's &
the bird of the trip for me was a long look, around 20 minutes, at a Grey
Falcon. Also added
Brown Goshawk
Peregrine Falcon
Grey Shrike-thrush
All up around 85 species.
It appeared that the influx of birds after the rain had dispersed to breed
so large numbers were not seen, except for Budgerigars.
If anyone wants a complete list please e-mail me privately.
A quick trip to Quirindi for a wedding when we got back & I added Black
Falcon to my list of new birds as well so all in all a good holiday
Cheers
Dick Jenkin
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