These are notes from a couple of recent trips.
Last week I went out for four days with a couple of English birders. They
had already spent some time in Queensland and had seen over 200 birds.
Top of their list was Rainbow Pitta, usually not a difficult bird to find
at this time of year.
We began at Leanyer Swamp where Zitting Cisticola obliged us with good
views. The areas was burnt a few months ago but the birds simply
retreated to the tufts of grass that were left, and now that new grass is
growing, are moving into that. Mangrove Gerygone is rather quiet there
this time of year although still calling lustily in the mangroves at
Leanyer Sewage Ponds. New birds for them were Green-backed Gerygone,
Red-headed Honeyeater (Rufous-banded they'd seen at East Point the day
before), Yellow White-eye, Brown (Grey) Whistler and Shining Flycatcher.
White-winged Black Terns now dominate the air above the sewage ponds
along with Gull-billed Terns which were present in larger numbers than
usual.
Searches of East Point (by the English birdwatchers) for the pitta, and
of Howard Springs (three of us) were unsuccessful - we heard only distant
calls. However we tracked it down at Fogg Dam.
The pitta was calling quite close to us on the forest walk (left hand
side going in), but it was in an area with a dense population of
freshwater mangroves ('Barringtonia acutangula').
Although I couldn't see much leaf damage I was concerned about the itchy
grubs that feed on these trees (and can leave one itching for weeks) and
suggested they not leave the path. We finally found an obliging pitta
near the carpark carrying nesting material.
It wase difficult to pin down the source of this bird's call (as it can
be with Sandstone Shrike-thrush, Black-tailed Treecreeper and a number of
other birds). So we triangulated as one does with frogs, each coming from
a different direction.
We then drove down the old Stuart Highway to Robin Falls and the resident
Black Bittern, but had only a glimpse before it flew. We searched the
creeklines for White-browed Robin after I heard a snatch of song while we
were driving along. But the bird proved elusive, giving only a couple of
soft calls, as it moved away. As the going was tough (high, thick,
tangled grass) we gave up after half an hour or so.
With a lot of water lying around and few grasses seeding, finches, and
most seed-eating doves and parrots were thin on the ground. After a
fruitless hunt for Hooded Parrot and Gouldian Finch (both problematic
this time of year) we took the Mt Frances Creek Road.Groups of
Grey-crowned Babblers were very common as was Olive-backed Oriole (it is
largely absent from Darwin at this time of year).
In Kakadu we had great views of an obliging White-lined Honeyeater from
the top of Gunnwardewarde Lookout but Banded Fruit-dove and
Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon were nowhere to be seen, and we didn't have
time to go to other outliers or to revisit Nourlangie.
Sandstone Shrike-thrush was also elusive but we finally caught a glimpse
of one on top of Little Nourlangie. It was about then that I discovered
Brian was also interested in mammals, reptiles and plants so from then on
I pointed out anything I thought he might find interesting eg 'Jacksonia
dilatata' a shrub with zygomorphic flowers growing on the tips of
cladodes (expanded stems). Some Aboriginal people make an antiseptic
wash from this plant.
Black-tailed Treecreeper was also elusive although it had been quite easy
to see only a few weeks before, at Nourlangie. I heard a snatch of song
way off in the forest but too far away to bother chasing. One flew across
the Arnhem Highway on the way home. We stopped to search the forest but
after giving a couple of calls the bird disappeared. We finally saw it
in near Mary River.
Both Doug and Brian had an extensive knowledge of a range of topics from
medicine to indigenous people and terrorism, and our discussions were
most enjoyable.
Friday, Nov. 2
A friend and I drove out to Gunbalunya, Arnhemland to help with mobile
polling for the Aus Democrats.
There were many road kills on the Arnhem Highway, mainly Agile Wallabies,
large goannas 'Varanus panoptes', and water pythons, attended mostly by
Whistling Kites and Torresian Crows. Blue-faced Honeyeaters and Brown
Falcons were the other birds commonly seen (unfortunately the driver
wasn't a birder and anyway, we were in a hurry!).
After crossing the East Alligator and entering the floodplains we came
across a flock of Brolgas, adults with almost full-grown young, perhaps
fifty birds in all; grey statues against a blue sky, their feet in
emerald grass which stretched on one side of the road, as far as the eye
could see.
During the day there was no time to watch birds what with handing out
pamphletts and meeting and greeting my Kunwinjku relatives most of whom I
hadn't seen for months. As I didn't know many of the men I either handed
them a copy with one hand on the other arm (proper procedure for people
who stand in some relationships), or asked Fay my offsider to hand them
out. As it was I shook hands with one man who turned out to be Wamud, my
brother! But that was okay as I'm considered 'Ngalkobanj' (old, or wise
lady) anyway)! I had a copy of the 'Lonely Planet guide to Aboriginal
Australia' that I had worked on with my Kunwinjku relatives, and most
hadn't seen it. Later I gave the book to Grace, my niece (she calls me
Berloo - auntie), and one of the people who speaks for the Gunbalunya
area.
We became even busier after discovering that very few of the Bininj
residents of Gunbalunya knew how to vote. So together we representatives
of the CLP, the ALP and the Aus Demos worked together explaining to each
person how the system worked. After all we all wanted the same things,
good government and a democracy, and without assistance these people
wouldn't be making an informed choice. When the CLP rep had to leave
early the rest of us handed out his brochures. Only in the Top End!
The Brolgas had disappeared from the floodplains by the time we passed on
our way home leaving just a few egrets (Intermediate and Great),
White-necked Herons, and Pied Herons on the banks of the streams
(Nogadjok marbut, my partner's dreaming). A solitary Black-breasted
Buzzard wheeled above the nearby escarpment.
The car broke down just before the East Alligator, luckily before the
crossing (I've always had a fear of being stranded mid-river especially
at night when crocodiles patrol the causeway). Fay waded very carefully
through the swiftly flowing water covering the crossing to get help, but
before she reached the nearby Border Store my Kunwinjku relatives
arrived in a 4WD and towed the car across. I glimpsed a Great-billed
Heron flying out of the paperbarks as we started off, but my thoughts
were with the car shifting in the force of the river. Obviously, we made
it safely across. My Kunwinjku son (Djedje) Peterson was on the other
side and with the help of Lisa from the Border Store was able to get the
car running again. While they were working on it I was fulfilling social
obligations with my Mamam (daughter-in-law) and her children, in other
words catching up on the gossip!
As Fay and I drove home with under gilt-edged stormclouds shot with
lightning, my colleague and I agreed we wouldn't want to be anywhere
else.
I go back to Gunbaluyna next week for a funeral;my sister Esther's
daughter was killed in an accident a couple of weeks ago. As I'm taking
my own car I should have more time for birding.
Denise
Denise Goodfellow (Lawungkurr Maralngurra)
Follow these direct links to my work on the web:
Four Short Stories
http://www.2DocStock.com/shortstories/Index.html
Birds of Darwin Sketches
HYPERLINK http://www.2DocStock.com/BirdsDarwin/Index.html
http://www.2DocStock.com/BirdsDarwin/Index.html
Birding & Natural History in the Far North
http://www.earthfoot.org/places/au002.htm
World Birding Event
http://www.earthfoot.org/birdweek/birdweek.htm
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