Hi all,
I've just returned from two and a half weeks travelling around parts of
outback NSW, SA and south-west Qld. As we all know, the country is
currently in the grip of a drought, so my idea was to seek out permanent or
remaining water where birds might be concentrated. I left home with no
particular itinerary or route in mind, except that I wanted to revisit
Coongie Lakes (SA). Apart from that I just played things by ear, sometimes
not deciding where I was going until I actually reached the road junction.
I have travelled all these areas in previous years so I already knew most
of the roads and camping spots, but one great thing about the outback is
that it changes so dramatically according to the conditions - it can be
like visiting a totally different place from one year to the next!
Despite the dry conditions there seems so much to write about I hardly know
where to begin, so I'll try and limit this report to the real highlights.
In general I found that the shallow lakes I visited (especially Bindegolly
and Coongie) were simply bursting at the seams with birdlife and as
expected, my two days at Coongie were worth the entire trip alone, despite
being blasted by a day-long sandstorm while I was there.... but more about
that later.
Initially I headed north-west toward Thargomindah, deciding not to stop at
Currawinya NP as I had been there a month earlier with my team on the
Outback Twitchathon. On the road between Bourke and Hungerford, I did see
17 Brolgas still at "Green Creek" near Fords Bridge, the same spot where
the Rylstone Curlews had seen 33 and our team, the Whacked-Out
Woodswallows, had seen four at the end of July.
Barking Owls were particularly vocal at a few of my camping sites. At
Thargomindah in SW Qld, I heard at least 4 calling in concert from the
river near the caravan park - each bird with its own distinctive pitch and
tempo. The "River Walk" is a short walking track along the Bulloo and ideal
for a pre-breakfast stroll, revealing among other things, a flock of
Crimson Chats, more Brolgas, 3 species of woodswallow, Little Friarbirds,
Red-winged Parrots and the first of many Red-browed Pardalotes.
Lake Bindegolly NP features a saline lake surrounded by low dunes about
40km east of Thargomindah. Access to the lake is via a 9.2km circuit
walking track - unfortunately a bit too far to lug my scope and tripod in
the heat of the day but setting off with binos I found at least 7 Freckled
Ducks, thousands of Pink-eareds, as well as Hardheads, Shovelers,
Hoary-headeds and a Great Crested Grebe, Caspian Tern, Red-capped Plovers
and many Darters, including a bunch of 45 together in one binocular view.
Then I noticed there were thousands more birds on the other side of the
lake, too far away to identify without the scope. On the surrounding dunes
were White-winged Fairy-wrens, Chestnut-crowned Babblers, Singing
Honeyeaters, and 3 Major Mitchell Cockatoos.
Noccundra, one of my favourite places, basically consists of an old
sandstone hotel, airstrip and camping area situated by a permanent
waterhole in the Wilson River. Unfortunately the camping area has become
rather degraded from overuse, but I still find it a very tranquil, calming
place. The waterhole is flanked by coolibahs, gidgee and one of the most
beautiful eucalypts of all - Yapunyah (E. ochrophloia). The Yapunyahs have
a stocking of rough bark below glossy rich orange-red branches and weeping
foliage on long hanging stems almost reaching the ground, and some were in
flower.
The most common birds around my campsite this time were Brown Honeyeaters,
which seemed to be feeding on insects rather than the blossom. Each
morning, dozens of woodswallows filled the sky - an equal mix of
White-browed and Masked zooming all around me as I drank my morning cuppa,
with a few White-breasted and Black-faced mixed in. A Great Crested Grebe
swam back and forth in front of my campsite all day long, and small groups
of Red-winged Parrots flew about. I was intrigued by a pair of
Mistletoebirds which seemed to be spending a great deal of time
disappearing into a tangle of aquatic weeds (if anyone knows what this
bright green, leafy plant with thick stems is please let me know - it also
grows in the Cooper at Innamincka). Eventually I saw what the
Mistletoebirds were doing. They would perch on a stem just above the water
and, holding on tight with their feet, would hang upside down to drink and
splash water over themselves! Every so often, the honeyeaters' alarm calls
would sound and a Sparrowhawk would fly over, as all the other birds
quietly disappeared. Except for the woodswallows, which just flew higher
and looked down with disdain.
While I was walking around the Noccundra waterhole, I took what I thought
would be a short cut back to the road but ended up on what was almost an
island in the river and had to backtrack. It was here I suddenly found
myself face to face with a Bustard! It walked, unhurriedly, around a pool
and then just seemed to vanish into the long grass and shrubs.
Two Ground Cuckoo-shrikes flew up as I drove by, 2km from Noccundra.
Bourke's Parrots and Diamond Doves were seen at the Cooper Creek crossing,
Naccowlah West.
The first and only Gibberbirds I saw for the whole trip were 3 on a clayey
floodplain dotted with tussocks of long grass between the channels of the
Cooper. The only resemblance to gibber was the stony edges to the road.
Later that day I saw only Orange Chats and Pipits on the real expanses of
gibber, further west.
There are two disadvantages with going to the "Corner Country" in early
September - one is that it coincides with both the Innamincka and
Birdsville Races, making peaceful campsites difficult to find for a few
days while the travelling hordes pass through the area like a whirlwind and
back again a few days later; the other is that it tends to be the windiest
time of year. So it was by chance and certainly not by design that I once
again found myself in the Innamincka area during that time. I escaped the
crowds by heading straight up the Coongie Track, along the way passing
large flocks of Cockatiels, Budgerigars, Diamond Doves and clouds of Zebra
Finches.
The Coongie Lakes (pronounced with a hard "g" by locals) are 110km
north-west of Innamincka, in northern SA. This system of freshwater lakes
covers 25 square kilometres and fills to a depth of 2 metres, fed by the NW
branch of Cooper Creek. The lakes do sometimes dry up but at the moment
Coongie Lake itself still has water and is up to one metre in depth.
Although the access track is marked as 4WD only (mainly because of the last
sand dune just before you reach the lake), I had no trouble getting there
in 1995 when I had a conventional station wagon. And now there is an easier
detour around that section as well. As I now own a Landcruiser this time I
was able to do the Lake Drive - the only occasion on the whole trip that
four-wheel-drive was really necessary.
The cost of a camping permit within the Coongie Conservation Zone is a very
pricey $36 per night, or alternatively you can get a 12-months Desert Parks
Pass for $80. No facilities except one pit toilet, and no fires allowed
(which is understandable). But it's such a beautiful, pristine place and
absolutely overflowing with birdlife.
I camped the first night under the River Red Gums by the Cooper Creek near
where it flows into the lake, and from my camp I could hear six Barking
Owls - obviously three pairs - well separated along the creek.
For the second night (2nd September) I camped along the Lake Drive on the
shore of the lake itself, under the coolibahs. Directly in front of me were
1000 roosting Pelicans, even more Coots and Pink-eared Ducks, a couple of
Yellow-billed Spoonbills, 35 Brolgas and 8 of the 54 Freckled Ducks I
counted in total. Other birds on the lake included many Hardheads, Grey
Teal, Shoveler, Hoary-headed Grebes, 8 Australian Shelducks, Musk Duck,
cormorants, Royal Spoonbill, White Ibis, Black Swans, large groups of
Black-tailed Native Hens running in and out of the lignum, Black-winged
Stilts and Silver Gulls. I estimated about 4000 Pelicans over the entire
lake. There were Caspian, a dozen Whiskered and 4 Gull-billed Terns. Many
Black-fronted and a few Red-kneed Dotterels, and lots of Orange Chats on
the lake shore. On the shallow muddy south-western corner of the lake there
were about 10 Sharp-tailed and 4 Curlew Sandpipers and Red-capped Plovers.
A single Wood Sandpiper was feeding along the edge of the nearby Cooper. In
the air were Whistling and Black Kites, Little Eagle, Swamp Harrier, Brown
Falcon, Kestrel, and a Hobby flashed by. There were White-backed Swallows,
Tree Martins, Black-faced, White-breasted, and a large flock of Masked
Woodswallows (interestingly with no White-browed). And Bee-eaters!
Chirruping Wedgebills and Red-browed Pardalotes were common around the edge
of the lake.
All of the above I watched while a fierce wind was gathering momentum and
starting to whip up a sandstorm. Before long I realised that I, my vehicle
and everything in it, and most importantly, my binoculars and scope were
being violently sand-blasted from all directions. Visibility had diminished
in a thick white haze of sand particles. For the rest of the day this
paradise had rapidly turned into something resembling hell as it was too
windy to sit outside the vehicle and far too hot to sit in it. Nothing I
could do except find a slightly sheltered spot with scant shade and sit on
the leeward side of the vehicle or, better still, wade out into the lake
where there was less sand flying around. Night fell and I went to bed with
the wind still howling.
In the morning I awoke to a perfectly calm, clear dawn. Paradise had
returned. I went straight up onto the dunes to look for a species that has
eluded me for ages despite spending many hours and even days in the past,
searching in suitable habitat. Listening, sitting, waiting. But every
little sound, every movement in the canegrass turned out to be just
fairy-wrens, and after several hours I had all but given up hope of ever
seeing this bird. Then, bouncing along the sand between the clumps of
canegrass I saw a wren that looked a bit different. Sort of taller.
Sturdier bill. Darker cheeks. No, I must be imagining it. But wait a
minute, there are definitely white streaks on its head and back! At long
last, my first Eyrean Grasswren! In fact there were three Eyrean
Grasswrens, and they bounced along the ground and vanished into the
canegrass clumps as suddenly as they had materialised, like a mirage. The
only evidence of their existence, little footprints in the sand. (Actually,
quite distinctive footprints - hopping, with one foot slightly in front and
some very large gaps between hops.)
I also saw three Cinnamon Quail-thrush in the dunes - previously I have
only ever seen this species on stony ground - before I started the drive
back to Innamincka.
At Innamincka there were flocks of Cockatiels flying around everywhere and
more Masked Woodswallows, and yet another Barking Owl calling. The next
morning I wandered around the Town Common in the vain hope of finding the
roosting owl. I didn't find the owl but I did find a huge, two metre long
King Brown Snake under a shady Bauhinia tree. Seconds earlier, I had
decided this might be a nice place to sit for a while - but quickly changed
my mind!
>From the Old Strzelecki Track to Sturt NP the country looked really badly
drought affected (especially having seen this area in a couple of very good
years), but it seemed every group of trees had a calling Red-browed
Pardalote. Southern Whitefaces, Crimson Chats, Wedgebills, Black-eared
Cuckoo and a Spotted Harrier were some of the other highlights here. I had
a look around the back roads to the west of Tibooburra and Milparinka which
proved very quiet indeed, the only notable birds being a Black-breasted
Buzzard at Yandama Creek 16km west of Yandama HS, and a party of
Apostlebirds close to their western limit at Theldarpa HS.
Getting a room in the pub in Tibooburra was a welcome break from camping
and provided an opportunity to watch a Spotted Nightjar hawking in the
streetlights at dusk in the centre of the town.
On the way to Broken Hill I stopped for a while at Green Lake, 100km south
of Tibooburra near the "Historic Grave". Mick Todd reported finding large
numbers of birds there back in May; there were still many there, including
15 Freckled Duck, Whiskered Terns, Avocets, Red-capped Plovers, Orange
Chats, etc.
In Broken Hill, the amazing sight and sound of 4500 Little Corellas (give
or take 1 or 2) flying in to roost each evening near the caravan park
provided, in addition to the spectacle, a good exercise in counting. At
Umberumberka Creek just north of Silverton I had great views of a male
Redthroat singing his beautiful song.
Then on to Mutawintji NP (previously known as Mootwingee) - words can't
describe the magic of this place. I did the Mutawintji Gorge walk and the
magnificent Byngnano Range walk, where it was surprising the number of tiny
rockpools still containing water. Bird highlights included Mulga Parrots,
Red-backed Kingfisher, Splendid Fairy-wren, a lone Reed-Warbler in an
acacia with nothing resembling reeds in sight, and a Little Woodswallow
hawking between the deep rusty rock walls of Homestead Creek Gorge. I spent
ages closely watching the White-browed Babblers but couldn't turn them into
Halls Babblers. As I was walking out of Mutawintji Gorge at sunset, no less
than 21 Common Bronzewings flew past me towards the waterhole for their
evening drink. This was my fourth visit to Mutawintji and I'll definitely
be back for a longer stay next time and more walking.
At the caravan park at Nyngan, birds included Fuscous Honeyeaters, a
Western Gerygone in full voice and a flock of about 10 Superb Parrots which
flew over.
A few general comments: throughout the trip I noticed a distinct lack of
Emus in most areas I went, compared to other years; and nowhere did I find
any significant flowering or concentrations of honeyeaters, apart from a
few of the commonest species. The whole time, I was keeping a watchful eye
out for any Elanus kites but didn't see a single one west of Nyngan (and
all Black-shouldered at that). Of course I always travelled well prepared
with plenty of water, food, fuel and spares etc.
Oh, and arriving home to find that the Whacked-Out Woodswallows had won the
Outback Twitchathon was a bonus!
Cheers
Carol
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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