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Hi Birders,
Have just returned from a 21/2months [8/8-23/10] carananning tour taking in the
following route :
Melbourne/Alice
Springs/Kakadu/Darwin/Kununurra/Wyndham/Derby/Mitchell
Plateau/Broome/Darwin/MtIsa/Melbourne.
Many thanks to Mike Carter, Tony Russell, Frank
O'Connor,Niven McCrie, Pam Masters & Bob Forsyth for providing me with great
assistance & advise on many of those elusive birds.
Special thanks to fellow travelling birder Michael
Harrip whose route criss-crossed mine & with whom I shared many birding
highlights.
The following is a brief summary of the places
visited & the more interesting birds sought or seen :
KUNOTH WELL - Dipped on the grey Honeyeater-
Eremophila not flowering, birds quiet.
GUNLOM FALLS - White-throated Grasswren &
Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon as per T&T.
STAG CREEK - Banded Fruit-dove & White-lined
Honeyeater as per T&T.
GUNLOM ROAD - Partridge Pigeon.
COOINDA/YELLOW WATERS WALK - Rufous-banded
Honeyeater,Little Bronze-cuckoo,
White-browed Robin, Barking Owl & of
course the full array of waterbirds.
BARDEDJILIDJI WALK-Sandstone Shrike-thrush &
almost tame Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon.
ADELAIDE RIVER CROSSING - Mangrove Golden Whistler
regularly seen between the bridge & the "Jumping Crocodile Cruises"
kiosk.
HOWARD SPRINGS - Rainbow Pitta, Little
Shrike-thrush, Grey Whistler, Emerald Dove.
BUFFALO CREEK - Chestnut Rail, Green-backed
Gerygone, Red-headed Honeyeater, Mangrove Gerygone & Rainbow
Pitta.
HOLMES JUNGLE - Red-backed Button-quail &
Rainbow Pitta.
FOGG DAM - White-browed Crake, Rose-crowned
Fruit-dove, Rainbow Pitta .
UMBRAWARRA GORGE ROAD - Chestnut-backed
Button-quail.
GREGORY N.P.--Escarpment Walk - White-quilled
Rock-pigeon.
VICTORIA RIVER CROSSING - Purple-crowned
Fairy-wren.
TIMBER CREEK CARAVAN PARK - Black
Bittern.
KUNUNURRA - Yellow-rumped Mannikin along Riverfarm
Road as per F O'C.
WYNDHAM - Gouldian Finch [100+] Now regularly
drink in the town at dawn at the Civic Centre, Swimming Pool & I am told at
the "Dreamtime Statues" park.
Collared Kingfisher & Mangrove Grey-fantail at
the Wharf.
Zitting Cisticola on Parry Lagoon TRACK within 1km
of the Highway.
DERBY - Sewage Outfall - Yellow Chat, Long-toed
Stint, Little Curlew & other waders.
Unfortunately this terrific birding spot is to be
significantly reduced due to the mosquito problem.
Great-billed Heron at the wharf.
MITCHELL FALLS - The road was bloody awful- very
corrigated & dusty. Rewarded with Black Grasswren- which we located at
the top of Little Merten Falls 200m across the creek.
White-quilled Rock-pigeons were common in this
area.
The Kimberley form of Partridge Pigeon regularly
visit the campground.
BROOME - JETTY -Brown Booby.
OBSERVATORY - Asian Dowitcher, Oriental Plover, Lesser Crested Tern, Sooty
Oystercatcher. At Crab Creek at low tide - Common Redshank & Beach
Stone-curlew & in the surrounding mangroves -Dusky Gerygone, White-breasted
Whistler, Mangrove Grey-fantail & Broad-billed Flycatcher. Thanks to Chris.
Hassell for Grass Owl.
Then on the return journey finally located Hooded
Parrot at Fergusson River.
Here we had previously seen many honeyeaters
including Banded Honeyeater.
DARWIN SEWAGE WORKS - Flock Bronzewing
DARWIN BOTANNICAL GARDENS - Rufous
Owl.
PALMERSTON SEWAGE WORKS - Mangrove Robin,
Broad-billed & Shining Flycatcher
TABLELANDS HIGHWAY - near Alroy Downs as per
T&T. No luck with Letter-winged Kites but found Red-chested
Button-quail & on route Ground Cuckoo-shrike
MT ISA - No luck with Snipe at Lake
Moondara.
BLADENS BURG N.P. - Rufous-crowned Emu-wren still
at the same location as I reported them last year although my markers have
gone.The park was very dry so the birding was generally quieter than May
2000.
Travelled 18000km to see 308species including 37
lifers.
WHAT A GREAT COUNTRY !!!
GEOFF.
WALKER
03 9568 2909
0418 572 922
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