WA Trip - October,2001

[scouler <>]

Hello birders,

Further to my posting of 3 November re my trip to WA with Bruce Cox and Bob Way:

The total number of species seen was about 185. Bruce got 24 lifers, I got 23 and Bob 22. We got all our target species except for the "Western" Shrike-Tit, as mentioned in the previous email, and the Roseate Tern. The RT became a rank outsider when a planned trip to Houtman Abrolhos fell through at the last minute.

We are grateful for the help we got from contributors to birding-aus and from the birders we met during the trip. Special thanks are due to Frank O'Connor, both for his renowned and incomparable website and for personal advice, and to Edwin Vella and Mike Carter.

Highlights, apart from the Phalarope and the Scrub-bird, included:
 

A brief but definitive view of the Western Whipbird from the carpark at Little Beach in Two Peoples Bay NR. Bruce also got a good look at the bird the following day near the inlet in Waychinnicup NP (though, as Peter Ewin points out, the whipbirds there are reputedly "Mallee", not Western)

Excellent  views of the Western Bristlebird in and beside the car park at Little Beach. As expected, the WB proved to be by far the easiest of the "big three" to tick.

Seeing a Red-eared Firetail near the Boranup camping ground in Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP. This was the only time we saw, or even heard, the REF.

Finding a flock of Western Corellas along Thomson Road near Lake Muir.

Good views of the "Western" Fieldwren in roadside heath about 15 km north of Jurien alon the road to Green Head.

Red-tailed Tropicbirds performing their stunning courtship flights over Sugarloaf Rock  near Cape Naturaliste.

Coming across a mixed flock of Short-billed and Long-billed Black Cockatoos feeding together beside the Austlind Bypass, and spending time sorting out the differences between them.

Regards,
Colin Scouler