Hi all. Lorne here. Here is my belated trip report from western NSW.
Saw three new birds...
1. Chirruping Wedgebill - a little east of Broken Hill
2. Bourke's Parrot - Lake Pinaroo, Sturt National Park.
3. GREY FALCON!!! - Fort Grey, Sturt National Park.
Very impressed with the falcon and shocked that I saw one. In dead tree
on the morning of Monday July 3rd, by camping area at Fort Grey, Sturt
NP. My travelling mate Dave (who's not a birder but loves birds) and I
were having a coffee at camp when he said, "What's that bird in the dead
tree being swooped on by other birds?" I leapt up, grabbed the nocs, had
a look and said, "Bloody hell, it looks like a Grey Falcon!!!" I quickly
walked about 100 metres to get a better look, had a one minute view,
then the bird took flight in this fast hobby-like manner. It's
interesting the variation books show re. the falcon's appearance. The
one I saw had grey wings and almost a white chest/head. The bird guide's
paintings show a more uniformly grey bird. A couple of pictures in the
hardback Australian raptor book with a Brown Goshawk eating something on
the cover, really show what the bird is like. I wished I'd had a longer
view.
Bourke's Parrots were pretty in early morning sunlight. They hung out in
dead trees that were standing in Lake Pinaroo, which is just near the
Fort Grey campsite.
Chirruping Wedgebills I only saw briefly when on the road, sitting at
the tops of bushes. They'd take flight when the car passed. Great
crests.
---
Saw some 100 birds all up. Not really enough. The trip went from Sunday
the 2nd of July to Friday the 7th of July. Went from Sydney to Menindee,
Menindee to Broken Hill, Broken Hill to Tibooburra, Tibooburra to Fort
Grey, then to Cameron Corner/SA/Queensland, back to Tibooburra, then to
Wanarring, Wanarring to Louth, Louth to Cobar, Cobar to Leeton, Leeton
to Grong Grong, Grong Grong to Sydney.
Other highlight... 6 BARN OWLS at one rural intersection in Grong Grong
- 4 SPOTTED HARRIERS 8km north of Louth - 22 EMUS between Wanarring and
Louth, and 13 between Louth and campsite on Darling River which was
about 20km south-west of Louth - RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOOS, 20 between
Louth and same campsite, OWLET NIGHTJAR, BARN OWL, BOOBOOK and TAWNY
FROGMOUTH all in one night at Darling River campsite... various
parrots... lots of raptors - I was THRILLED with the number of them -
practically every five kilometres had a raptor of sorts...
If anyone wants more info. on particular areas etc., give me a yell... I
met a very helpful NPWS ranger at Tibooburra who gave me advice on sites
for Black-breasted buzzard, Scarlet-chested parrot, Cinnamon
Quail-thrush, Grey Grasswren, but it was too late for me as my mate and
I had to head east.
There you go.
Peace,
LGJ.
Left Sydney at 5am on Sunday the 2nd July... first night spent at
Menindee, near Kichega Lakes
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