About a month ago I mentioned an Atlas trip Judie Peet and I did in some
poorly Atlassed areas west of Dubbo. We have continued this whenever I feel
that my Flexi is getting out of control. We have now done three trips
covering the area north-west of Dubbo, roughly north of Trangie (although
most blocks are north of Collie), west of Gulargambone and south-east of
Quambone.
We have completed about 55 Atlas sheets covering 16 ten minute blocks. The
current information we have is that two of these blocks have previously had
2 Atlas sheets completed for them, two with 1 sheets and the remaining
twelve with no sheets. We intend continuing this very enjoyable little
project.
Prior to a trip I check out the relevant maps looking for areas of woodland,
state forests and wetlands (the cowals have been extremely productive). I
then join the dots with the best route and superimpose the 10 minute
boundaries to ensure that we get good coverage. We have been comfortably
covering most sites targeted with additional stops at sites to Atlas
interesting species that might otherwise be missed.
We have found some very nice birding spots. The state forests within "The
Monkey Scrub" west of Gulargambone (Tailby SF, Merrie Merrie SF, Sandgate
SF, Talegar SF and Carrabear SF) have been delightful with plenty of
woodland birds. Turquoise Parrot in Sandgate SF yesterday was quite
unexpected. Cowals, such as Dragon Cowal and Bundarra Cowal, have had
plenty of waterbirds including Brolga, Blue-billed Duck and Great Crested
Grebe. Yesterday we ducked (excuse the pun) into a portion of the Macquarie
Marshes south of the well Atlassed blocks on the usual route west of
Quambone. Wonderful area with plenty of egrets, spoonbills, nightheron,
ibis and ducks.
Besides the above, it is difficult to come up with highlights, as Judie said
yesterday - the trips themselves are highlights. Bee-eaters at Carrabear SF
yesterday were my first for the season. Superb Parrots at the first stop on
the first trip were nice, as were Brolgas on the second stop of that trip.
Southern White-face, Diamond Firetail, Jacky Winter, Hooded Robin and Brown
Tree-creepers (all classic declining woodland species) all in the same mixed
flock in Tailby State Forest was a delight. The sheer number of Blue
Bonnets and White-winged Fairy-wrens along the roadsides always kept our
interest up on the journey between target areas, as did the waterbirds on
roadside pools.
The amount of water around is wonderful, as is seeing the country at its
best. It does, however, make looking for those Ground Cuckoo-shrikes and
Banded Lapwing very difficult. The grass is so tall that Judy keeps
expecting to see Bustard. We're still looking.
David Geering (and Judie Peet)
Period: 10 August 2000
Route: Trangie, Collie, Gilgandra
Major locations visited: Trangie - Collie Road, Paddy's Cowal,
Bundarra Cowal, Ashgrove Cowal, Collie Cemetery, Berida SF, "Glen Lee"
Period: 30 August 2000
Route Collie - Berida - Bullagreen - Bourbah - Gular - The Monkey Scrub -
Pine Clump - Dragon Cowal - Collie
Major locations visited: Gewah Cowal, unnamed swamp on "Ranleigh",
Warrie SF, Tailby SF, unnamed swamp at Pine Clump, Glenwood Cowal, Dragon
Cowal.
Period: 9/6/00
Route: The Monkey Scrub, Gulargambone - Quambone Road, "Old Station" to
"Mayfield", "Oxley", Warren - Quambone Road, Bealbah - Bullagreen Road,
Collie
Major locations visited: Merrie Merri SF, Sandgate SF, Talegar SF,
Carrabear SF, Gum Cowal at "Oxley", Merrinele SF, Mellerstain SF, Dragon
Cowal
10/08/2000 30/08/2000 6/09/2000
Emu * * *
Blue-billed Duck *
Black Swan Breeding Breeding *
Australian Wood Duck * * *
Pacific Black Duck * * Breeding
Australiasian Shoveler *
Grey Teal * * *
Hardhead * * *
Australasian Grebe * * *
Hoary-headed Grebe *
Great Crested Grebe *
Darter * * *
Little Pied Cormorant * * *
Little Black Cormorant * * *
Great Cormorant *
Australian Pelican * * *
White-faced Heron * * *
Little Egret *
White-necked Heron * * *
Great Egret * * *
Intermediate Egret *
Cattle Egret *
Nankeen Night Heron *
Australian White Ibis * * *
Straw-necked Ibis * * *
Royal Spoonbill * *
Yellow-billed Spoonbill * * *
Black-shouldered Kite * * *
Black Kite * *
Whistling Kite * * *
Spotted Harrier * *
Swamp Harrier * * *
Brown Goshawk * *
Collared Sparrowhawk *
Wedge-tailed Eagle * * *
Brown Falcon * * *
Nankeen Kestrel * * *
Brolga *
Buff-banded Rail *
Purple Swamphen * * *
Dusky Moorhen * * *
Eurasian Coot * * *
Black-winged Stilt * *
Masked Lapwing * * *
Common Bronzewing *
Crested Pigeon * * *
Peaceful Dove * *
Bar-shouldered Dove *
Galah * * *
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo * * *
Cockatiel * * *
Superb Parrot *
Red-winged Parrot *
Eastern Rosella * * *
Australian Ringneck * * Breeding
Blue Bonnet * * *
Red-rumped Parrot * * *
Turquoise Parrot *
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo * *
Southern Boobook *
Laughing Kookaburra * * *
Sacred Kingfisher * *
Rainbow Bee-eater *
Brown Treecreeper * * *
Superb Fairy-wren * * *
Variegated Fairy-wren * *
White-winged Fairy-wren * * *
Spotted Pardalote * *
Striated Pardalote * * *
Weebill * * *
Western Gerygone * * *
Inland Thornbill * * *
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill * Breeding *
Yellow-rumped Thornbill * Breeding *
Yellow Thornbill * * *
Southern Whiteface * *
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater * *
Striped Honeyeater * * *
Blue-faced Honeyeater * *
Noisy Miner * * *
Yellow-throated Miner * * *
White-plumed Honeyeater * * *
Brown-headed Honeyeater * *
Jacky Winter * Breeding Breeding
Red-capped Robin * *
Hooded Robin *
Eastern Yellow Robin * * *
Grey-crowned Babbler * * Breeding
White-browed Babbler * *
Varied Sittella *
Golden Whistler *
Rufous Whistler * * *
Grey Shrike-thrush * * *
Restless Flycatcher * *
Magpie-lark * * *
Grey Fantail * * *
Willie Wagtail * * *
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike * * *
White-winged Triller *
Olive-backed Oriole * *
White-breasted Woodswallow *
Masked Woodswallow *
White-browed Woodswallow *
Black-faced Woodswallow * * *
Dusky Woodswallow *
Grey Butcherbird * * *
Pied Butcherbird * * *
Australian Magpie * * *
Australian Raven * * *
Little Raven * * *
Little Crow *
White-winged Chough * * *
Apostlebird * * *
Spotted Catbird *
Richard's Pipit * * *
Zebra Finch *
Double-barred Finch * *
Diamond Firetail * *
Mistletoebird * * *
Welcome Swallow * * *
Tree Martin * * *
Fairy Martin * * Breeding
Clamorous Reed-Warbler * *
Rufous Songlark * *
Brown Songlark *
Silvereye * *
Common Starling * * *
Total 127 species 83 sp 104 sp 109 sp
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