Hi all,
This is the shortish SW WA trip report that I promised in an earlier
posting.
Was there from 4-6th and 14-16th Dec. Mostly a mammal watching trip with a
bit of birding thrown in for good measure. (I will list the mammals here
because many birders are also interested in creatures that don't have
feathers!).
4th Dec 3/4 of a day on Rottnest Island. A Red-necked Phalarope on
Government Lake along with single Grey Plover, Sandling and GT Tattler were
interesting waders amongst the more common RN Stint, Ruddy Turnstone and
Banded Stilt. Also lots of pheasants on the golf course including three
females with small chicks. Tough call to claim the Peafowl are really feral
here. I only saw them in the settled areas and then they were so tame they
might as well be in a pen....
Also Quokka (lots) and King Skink. That night spotlighting at Lane Pool
Conservation Reserve produced 2 Western Quoll and 1 S. Brown Bandicoot.
5th Dec Lane Pool at dawn had Long-billed and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in
the surrounding trees along with the more commonly seen bush birds.
Off to Dryandra where spotlighting produced Red-tailed Phascogale 1, Tammar
Wallaby, Brush-tailed Bettong, plenty of Brush-tailed Possums and Bush
thick-knee.
6th Dec A half day of birding in Dryandra following Frank O'Connor's
excellent directions from his website was pretty productive although I
missed the 'Western' Shrike tit. A Numbat crossing the road as I left was a
bonus.
Back in SW WA on the 14th drove from Perth down to Perup Conservation
Reserve were spotlighting produced loads of Western Ringtails, Brush-tailed
Bettongs, Tammar Wallaby, Brush-tailed Possum, W G Kangaroo and 3 Western
Quoll and 2 Brush Wallaby.
15th Dec from Perup to Albany in the AM getting excellent scope views of
Western Corella on the way. In Albany on Mt Adelaide saw a King Skink eating
the eggs of a pair of White-breasted Robins. At Two Peoples Bay was hampered
by very strong winds, but did see Western Bristlebird and some of the more
common SW WA endemics. Spotlighting produced a Carpet Python (beautiful
animal...I wonder if they eat Gilbert's Potoroo?), several Western Ringtails
and WG Kangaroos.
16th Half day at Lake McLarty (again following Frank's excellent directions)
produced loads of waterbirds and a few nice waders including Long-toed Stint
1, Black-tailed Godwit 7 and Marsh Sandpiper 5 and Greenshank ~40, but alas
no Little Stint reported earlier by Frank. Final evening spotlighting at
Lane Pool was surprisingly quite with just WG Kangaroo and Brush-tailed
Possum.
Special thanks to list members Jon Hall for pre-trip tips on the mammals and
to Frank O'Connor for his excellent Website.
All the best
Rohan
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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