I spent last week on the property "Bowra" at Cunnamulla. Thank you to Tom
Tarrant for providing the details of this property to birding-aus a few
months ago. Thanks also to those who responded to my RFI about birding
around Cunnamulla although I didn't leave the property in the five days
spent there.
Along with my family we were the first paying customers to stay on "Bowra".
Accommodation is in a comfortable cottage about 100 metres from the
homestead. I can heartily recommend the place. Our hosts, Julie and Ian
McLarren made us very welcome. Ian was very busy putting during our stay so
we saw little of him but he is a mine of information about the birds of the
area having lived on the property all his life.
The property is about 40 000 ha in size with the homestead situated on the
northern boundary 17 km from Cunnamulla. The property extends all the way
back to Cunnamulla and is 8 km from the bitumen. I travelled another 13 km
beyond the homestead and was still on "Bowra". There is plenty of scope for
birding. Much of the property is on sandy plain with Gumholes Creek (an
overflow of the Warrego River) running through it. This is an impressive
watercourse with some very large permanent waterholes. Towards the back of
the property is Mulga on stony ridge country which adds another dimension.
The birdwatching was wonderful. I really only seriously birded in the
morning for about two and a half hours devoting the rest of the time to R &
R with the family - mind you there were always birds to be seen. Despite
this limitation I recorded 100 species on the property with 69 of these
being seen within 500m of the homestead. I Atlassed over much of the
property being impressed with the number of species I consistently got on a
2ha site. It eventuated that I could just about have written Crested
Bellbird every time I stopped to do an Atlas survey - their calls were
everywhere and I saw them on most 2ha searched. This leisurely birding was
punctuated with those magic birding moments that happen from time to time.
Of interest were the number of species that I thought were close to their
limits. These included Noisy and Little Friarbirds, Brown-headed
Honeyeater, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Olive-backed Oriole and Plum-headed Finch.
All of these were seen regularly on the property.
The birding highlights for me included:
- The first afternoon I took my six year old daughter out looking for
Brolgas I had heard calling nearby. Three were located on a bore drain
about 500m from the house. While watching these a flock of about 150
Plum-headed Finches fly up out of the grass to sit in the saltbush. A
regularly seen species for me but somewhat unexpected here.
- Located many more Plum-headed Finches whenever near water. The most
memorable of these was the last morning when I stopped the car to have a
look at a Wedge-tailed Eagle only to realise that I was surrounded by
finches and doves. Hundreds of Plum-heads along with Zebras and
Double-bars. Also hundreds of Diamond Doves which were also regularly
around water.
- While doing a 20 minute Atlas survey I flushed a trio of Bourke Parrots
which obligingly few around me giving me excellent views.
- Stopping at a creek crossing realising that there was no way I was going
to cross it only to have a pair of Bourke Parrots land at the water 10
metres away and drink. I turned around in response to some twittering to
find another Bourke in the dead tree I had parked under. Magnificent views
in the morning light. At that moment a Major Mitchell Cockatoo flew low
overhead. Truly one of those magic moments.
- Having a Black-breasted Buzzard lazily fly low overhead while conducting
an Atlas survey.
- Searching for ages for Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush on the stony ridge.
I stopped to take in the sight of Red-winged Parrots, Mulga Parrots and
Ringnecks in the same area for a couple of minutes my eyes rested on a
tree-creeper in the Mulga. Having a closer look I saw my first White-browed
Tree-creeper. My eyes then caught some movement at the base of the tree.
Thinking it was a Crested Bellbird I had seen when I first arrived I lifted
the binoculars to find the elusive quail-thrush. Another magic moment.
- Finding Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush and White-browed Tree-creepers
very easily a couple of days later. The first ones are always the hardest
to find!
- Birding along a small creek in fairly rough country at the back of the
property. 38 species on a 20 minute, 2 ha search.
- The brilliant male White-winged and Splendid Fairy-wrens along with
Variegated.
- The number of parrots - Ringnecks, Mulga, Red-winged and Major Mitchell's
Cockatoo being common and easy to see.
Following is a list of birds seen 3 -7 July at "Bowra". Missing is Bustard
seen by Ian McLarren in a paddock being ploughed on our last morning. It
was gone half an hour later when we drove past but we did, however, see one
93km south of Cunnamulla later that afternoon.
David Geering
List of birds seen on "Bowra", Cunnamulla. HSD indicates seen with 500 m of
homestead.
Emu
Stubble Quail
Wood Duck HSD
White-faced Heron HSD
White-necked Heron HSD
Great Egret HSD
Australian White Ibis HSD
Straw-necked Ibis HSD
Black-breasted Buzzard
Whistling Kite
Black Kite
Collared Sparrowhawk
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Brown Falcon HSD
Nankeen Kestrel
Brolga HSD
Red-chested Button-quail
Black-fronted Dotterel
Masked Lapwing HSD
Common Bronzewing HSD
Crested Pigeon HSD
Diamond Dove
Peaceful Dove
Galah HSD
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Red-winged Parrot HSD
Australian Ringneck HSD
Blue Bonnet HSD
Red-rumped Parrot HSD
Mulga Parrot HSD
Bourke's Parrot
Pallid Cuckoo HSD
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo HSD
Australian Owlet Nightjar
Laughing Kookaburra HSD
Red-backed Kingfisher HSD
Sacred Kingfisher
White-browed Tree-creeper
Brown Tree-creeper HSD
Variegated Fairy-wren HSD
Splendid Fairy-wren HSD
White-winged Fairy-wren HSD
Striated Pardalote HSD
Weebill HSD
Western Gerygone HSD
Inland Thornbill HSD
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill HSD
Yellow-rumped Thornbill HSD
Yellow Thornbill HSD
Southern Whiteface HSD
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater HSD
Striped Honeyeater HSD
Noisy Friarbird
Little Friarbird
Blue-faced Honeyeater HSD
Yellow-throated Miner HSD
Singing Honeyeater HSD
White-plumed Honeyeater HSD
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Jacky Winter HSD
Red-capped Robin HSD
Hooded Robin HSD
Grey-crowned Babbler HSD
Chestnut-crowned Babbler HSD
Hall's Babbler
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
Varied Sittella HSD
Crested Bellbird HSD
Rufous Whistler HSD
Grey Shrike-thrush HSD
Restless Flycatcher HSD
Magpie-lark HSD
Grey Fantail HSD
Willie Wagtail HSD
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike HSD
Ground Cuckoo-shrike
White-winged Triller
Olive-backed Oriole
Black-faced Woodswallow
Little Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird HSD
Pied Butcherbird HSD
Australian Magpie HSD
Australian Raven HSD
Little Crow HSD
White-winged Chough HSD
Apostlebird HSD
Spotted Bowerbird HSD
Richard's Pipit
Zebra Finch HSD
Double-barred Finch HSD
Plum-headed Finch HSD
Mistletoebird HSD
Welcome Swallow HSD
Tree Martin HSD
Fairy Martin HSD
Rufous Songlark HSD
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