TRIP REPORT TO EYRE PENINSULAR, CEDUNA & FLINDERS RANGES,
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 26 AUGUST- 6 SEPTEMBER 2002
Robin Benson and I made a 12 day trip to South Australia 26
August-6 September with the purpose of seeing some birds that we had not manage
to see on previous visits to South Australia. On route we paused briefly at Lake
Cullinan in Victoria, where a flock of 12 Regent Parrots were
seen and at Brooke Conservation Park near Waikerie S.A., we renewed
acquaintances with Little Eagle, Mulga Parrots, Southern Whiteface,
Singing & White-fronted Honeyeaters, Chestnut-crowned
Babblers & Varied Sitellas (the lovely Black-capped form), birds
not seen on the NSW Central Coast!
We had scheduled a stop at the Arid Lands Botanical Gardens at
Port Augusta to find the Rufous Fieldwren but on the day we arrived there was a
gale blowing and a dust storm! Things had calmed down the next morning so that
we were able to arrive when the gates were opened at 7.30 am and quickly located
Rufous Fieldwrens and Chirruping Wedgebills, but no Slender-billed
Thornbills as we thought that the habitat in part of the Gardens was suitable.
We looked for the Thornbills later that day out near Iron Knob but without
success, however did have fleeting views of a Thick-billed Grasswren,
which was one of our target species for the trip. Between Tumby Bay and Port
Lincoln, we were pleased to see a flock of 248 Cape Barren Geese feeding
in a pasture near the main road. It was great to see them in such good numbers
since they are only a very rare vagrant to NSW. Other smaller flocks were seen
at Big Swamp, west of Port Lincoln feeding on young wheat crops.
We spent three days in Lincoln NP, including camping two nights
at Memory Cove. Trevor Quested had given us the lat longs for where he had seen
Mallee Whipbirds one year before. Alas despite a two hour stake-out each morning
and evening for two days, we neither heard calling nor saw any Mallee Whipbirds.
However what a delightful spot was Memory Cove. Throughout our stay Bottle-nosed
Dolphins and Fur Seals fed/swan in the small bay, Sooty Oystercatchers,
Pacific Gulls & Caspian Terns fed around the rocks and Hooded
Plovers were present on the beach. Around the tent, Blue-breasted Fairy
Wrens, Western Yellow Robins and Purple-gaped Honeyeaters (all new
birds for us), Southern Scrub-robins, Golden Whistlers and the
striated – breast form of the White-browed Scrub-wrens all foraged! We
were out to see Rock Parrots too, and we did, recording them at 12
different sites in Linclon NP and at two sites in Coffin Bay NP. We saw them in
groups of up to 16 birds, generally more often seen feeding on the low caoastal
heaths but we did manage to see them in all habitats in the Parks. We did a
morning and evening stake out in the Taylors Bay car-park, another Mallee
Whipbird known site (most of the other known sites were burnt in the bad
bushfires of February 2001). On the finally morning between 705-820 am, about
200m from the Camping Area we heard a Mallee Whibird call, in fact three
different birds were heard calling at once but all were well into the dense
under-growth. None of the birds came near to the open areas and our tape did not
attract any birds out from where we could hear them. So we dipped on the Mallee
Whipbird and will have to return some day.
Other interesting birds at Lincoln NP included a pair of
Banded Lapwings on the old oat paddock, nesting Ospreys, a pair of
Peregrine Falcons, Collared Sparrowhawks and Brown Goshawks
and a number of Wedge-tailed Eagles. Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters and
Dusky Woodswallows were seen on the heaths. On the beach near Avoid Point
in Coffin Bay NP were more Ospreys, Hooded Plover, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers
and White-breasted Sea-eagles. We encounted more Cape Barren Geese, as well as
many Hardheads, Australian Shovelers and Coots at Big Swamp, west of Port
Lincoln as we made out way to Ceduna. Seasonal conditions seemed to be pretty
good between Port Lincoln and Ceduna, with the Wheat Crops and Conola Crops
present attractive dark green and yellow contrasts, together with the yellow
flowering wattles and cassias. Pallid Cuckoos appeared to be plentiful in
this country.
We went to Ceduna to see Scarlet-chested Parrots, and at a
location about 48 km north-west of Ceduna, in Yumbarra Conservation Park we were
successful in that a small parrot flew across the road in an area we had
expectations of seeing one! We stopped the ute and through the windscreen we
were rewarded with a close view of a n adult male Scarlet-chested Parrot
perched in bush in front of us. We eventually exited the vehicle and even though
the bird flew off we were able to find it or another male and female together
feeding on the ground. Later we found another pair, so we are not sure whether
we saw just one pair, or three males and two females. However there were plenty
of other Mulga and Port Lincoln Parrots in the same area, being
not far from water, so that it is possible that five were actually present.
We birded around Port Augusta on the morning of 2 September
looking in likely spots for Slender-billed Thornbills without success. Saw
plenty of Rufous Fieldwrens, Wedgebills, Stubble Quail, Orange
Chats & White-winged Fairy-wrens. At the Sewerage ponds and
associated wetlands we saw Banded & Black-winged Stilts, Avocets, and
the usual ducks.
We relocated to Flinders Ranges NP to have a try for the
Short-tailed Grasswren, searching a likely spot for which we had directions,
about 2 km north-east of the Stokes Lookout on Willow Springs Station. After
searching for about 2 hours on a hot day with a gale blowing from the north we
retired to the "Overseers" cabin at Willow Springs to recoup our energy. Later
that afternoon, armed with the "Willow Springs" directions and lat longs as
where to find the STGW, we climbed up from the "Grasswren Campsite" carpark,
about 2 kms onto a high ridge to the south, only to find that we were exactly
the same location as where we had been earlier in the day! Again after two hours
in the same hot conditions and the gale blowing we returned empty-handed but
determined to go back in the morning. We can recommend the cabins, very good
facilities for our needs!
We arrived on site at 700 hrs, and just when we decided that we
might give up, Rob had brief views of two Short-tailed Grasswrens at 915
hrs. Further searching and we found the same pair again this time for extended
views and one sat up on a spinifex clump and called! This site was probably
2-300 metres from the main known site. Later we found one, if not two birds back
where they have previously been recorded! We spent the rest of the day being
tourists in Flinders Ranges NP and at Brachina Gorge entrance to the park, had
good views of Redthroats, White-fronted & Grey-fronted Honeyeaters,
Southern Whiteface, Inland & Chestnut-rumped Thornbills etc!
We returned home having seen about 142 species in South
Australia and adding four species each to our life lists, plus the Short-tailed
Grasswren!
Thankyou to all those people who provided information as to
where to look for variou species, we could not have done the trip and been so
successful without your help!
Alan Morris & Rob Benson
