26th April - 3rd May 2000
Our party consisted of: Jill Dark, Mick Dark, Carol Probets.
This was our first visit to Gluepot (approx 60km north of Waikerie SA, for
those who don't know) and we camped at Babbler Camp which is set amongst
some fantastic mallee and belah habitats. Jill and I recorded 78 species
during our stay, and what struck us most was the abundance of honeyeaters.
Some of the mallees were in flower and others were so covered in lerps that
the leaves were a mass of white and the ground underneath littered with
them like sugary confetti. We saw Purple-crowned Lorikeets on the ground
feeding on them (and zooming around everywhere generally).
The most common birds throughout included White-fronted, Spiny-cheeked,
Grey-fronted and Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters, Striated Pardalotes, and
White-browed Woodswallows. The woodswallows were literally everywhere - I
can't even begin to guess at how many there were altogether. Along with the
White-browed were some Masked and Dusky. I never tire of watching these
beautiful birds.
Some of the highlights included:
* Two Striated Grasswrens (my first ever grasswrens!) scampering between
the clumps of spinifex on the Callitris Walk, or bouncing along like a
ball, with incredible speed and long tail held upright.
* Jill saw about 7 Regent Parrots fly through our camp on the first morning
and we both saw two at the Taylorville gate a week later as we drove out.
* We saw hybrid miners and finally got a good view of a Black-eared Miner
at Sittella Camp.
* A female Pied Honeyeater in a sugarwood tree on the Whistler Tank walk.
On the same morning, a group of Far South Coast birders flushed a Spotted
Nightjar on this walk.
* A single patchy male Crimson Chat which we watched two days in a row at
the start of the Callitris Walk.
* An inquisitive Southern Scrub-robin which jumped out from behind a bush
and just stood there looking up at me, distracting me from a Chestnut
Quail-thrush I had been following. (We did get better views of other
Chestnut Quail-thrushes.)
* Everywhere we stopped it seemed there was a pair of Red-capped Robins.
* White-browed Treecreepers and Black-eared Cuckoo at our campsite.
* Despite trying very hard, we dipped on the Red-lored Whistler. The
Gilbert's was some consolation as it sang one of the most beautiful
whistler-songs of all.
* The beauty and variety of the habitats. Magnificent old mallee giants;
dew-covered spinifex glistening in the early morning sun...
When we weren't watching birds we were taking photos, looking at plants
(Jill is also a knowledgeable botanist and therefore useful to have on any
walk), watching lizards or invertebrates and musing over their holes in the
ground - there was always something of interest. To anyone who hasn't
already been to Gluepot, I thoroughly recommend a visit there. Below is our
bird list for the week.
Carol Probets
Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW
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Emu
Australian Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Chestnut Teal
Australasian Grebe
White-faced Heron
Brown Falcon
Australian Hobby
Nankeen Kestrel
Masked Lapwing
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Peaceful Dove
Galah
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Regent Parrot
Australian Ringneck
Mulga Parrot
Pallid Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Black-eared Cuckoo
Southern Bookook
Australian Owlet-nightjar
White-browed Treecreeper
Brown Treecreeper
Splendid Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Striated Grasswren
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Weebill
Inland Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Southern Whiteface
Red Wattlebird
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Striped Honeyeater
Black-eared Miner (or close hybrid)
Singing Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
Grey-fronted Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
White-fronted Honeyeater
Pied Honeyeater
Crimson Chat
Jacky Winter
Red-capped Robin
Hooded Robin
Southern Scrub-robin
White-browed Babbler
Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Chestnut Quail-thrush
Varied Sittella (race pileata)
Crested Bellbird
Gilbert's Whistler
Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
Restless Flycatcher
Magpie-lark
Grey Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Masked Woodswallow
White-browed Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Grey Currawong
Australian Raven
White-winged Chough
Apostlebird
Mistletoebird
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin
Common Starling
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