Trip Report: Gluepot, Flinders Ranges, Lyndhurst, Kinchega and
Hattah/Wyperfeld: Saturday 21st Sept - Friday 4th October
Hi all,
I've just returned from a two-week trip to the Flinders Ranges and the
Whiteface site, via Grampians, Gluepot, and back through Broken Hill, Menindee
and Hattah/Wyperfeld.
The best birds included Chestnut-breasted Whiteface (see site details below),
Thick-billed, Short-tailed and Striated Grasswren, Black-eared Miner, Inland
Dotterel, Chirruping Wedgebill, Rufous Calamanthus, Letter-winged Kite,
White-backed Swallow, Orange Chat, Redthroat, White-browed Treecreeper, Striped
and Grey Headed Honeyeater, Red-backed Kingfisher, and Common Sandpiper.
Other interesting birds seen included Chestnut-browed Babbler, Little Crow,
White-fronted and Tawny Crowned Honeyeater, Yellow throated Miner,
White-winged, Splendid and Variegated Fairy-wren, Crested Bellbird, Spotted
Harrier, Mulga, Regent and Elegant Parrot, Blue Bonnet, Major Mitchell
Cockatoo, and Ostrich and Peacock actually inside the boundary of Wyperfeld
National Park!!
The first part of the trip included a weekend in the Grampians - with friends,
my partner and my son. I Stayed on old farm house (near in Wartook) - very
pleasant. White-browed Babbler, Rainbow Beeeater, Jacky Winter and
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater were seen, and indeed all of these birds followed me
throughout my trip. While having a picnic a Kookaburra swooped and pinched a
sandwich out of one of my friends hand!
>From the Grampians I headed north, staying one night in the Renmark Hotel (not
>a pleasant experience), and then onto Gluepot. (Which reminds me, I have to
>return the key!) White-fronted Honeyeater was common in the orchards of
>Renmark. The oranges were also good. (I needed to restock after the SA border
>patrol confiscated all of my groceries.) Thousand of Emu and Grey Kangaroo
>were on the road between Mildura and Renmark.
As a number of other birdo's have mentioned Gluepot is a well-presented place
with excellent camping facilities. The road in from Waikerie is a bit sandy,
although it is easily managed with my 4WD. It could be a bit awkward for 2WD
and if it rained it would be impassable. I stayed at the 'Babblers' campsite,
which was excellent. In and around the campsite I saw Striped Honeyeater,
Crested Bellbird, Owlet Nightjar (at least four birds calling loudly at night),
White-browed Babbler, Mulga Parrot, Hooded and Red-capped Robin. White-browed
Treecreeper were near the homestead and Orange Chat at one of the dams. The
best public access spot for Black-eared Miner is at the intersection of Track 8
and the 'Birdseye Block Restricted Area' - this is a resident area for a flock
of at least twenty birds. This is also a good spot to start looking for
Striated Grasswren. I saw a number of birds down the boundary track which head
off to the right - in the second area of Spinifex grass, which is about 2
kilometers down (and about 20 yards off to the right of the track.) They were
calling loudly, and at one stage I standing between a male and female who were
bouncing calls off each other.
>From Gluepot I headed to the Flinders Ranges. Between Peterborough and Orroroo
>I saw the first of 3 possible sightings of Black Falcon, and Letter-wing Kite
>between Orroroo and Hawker. (All my BF sightings were fleeting 'car' glimpses
>and I didn't actually verify any of them even though I stopped and checked on
>all occasions!) Spotted Harrier was quite common throughout and I also saw a
>single Inland Dotterel on the roadside between Orroroo and Hawker. I was able
>to park the car right next to the bird!
I stayed at Willows Spring for the first few days in the Flinders Ranges.
Excellent campsites (it cost me $10 as a single), and I had a large area
camping area to myself. A range of birds flew up and down the creek, including
lots of Ringneck, Mulga and Red-rumped Parrot, Spiny-checked and Brown-headed
Honeyeater, Yellow throated Miner, and I had a resident pair of Kestrel who sat
over my camp fire and hawked for insects.
I saw Short-tailed Grasswren (or as it is locally known the 'Flinders Ranges
Grasswren') on the Stokes Hill Lookout. I found them after about 40 minutes. To
see them follow the fence line (that is to the north-east of the campsite) to
the next hilltop. The best spot to see them is around any rocks or grass trees
about 50 meters west of the fence line. There is a little gully here, which was
also excellent. I saw at least six birds, some very closely.
Wilpena Pound was bustling. I did the short walk to the lookout, which was
pleasant and profitable. Along here I saw Tawny Crowned (a bit of a surprise)
and Grey Fronted (a bit of luck!) Honeyeater. The Grey Headed was actually
quite easy to distinguish from the more common Yellow-plumed Honeyeater.
Another good spot for birds was Parachilla Gorge. Along a short walk here I saw
Redthroat, Chirruping Wedgebill, Elegant Parrot (which was common), Zebra
Finch, a pair of Peregrine high in the sky, Black-fronted Dotterel, Grey Teal,
Variegated Wren, White-browed Babbler, Southern Whiteface, Sacred Kingfisher,
Dusky Woodswallow, Rainbowbird, Spiny-checked and Singing Honeyeater. I also
came across a small group of goats, which were surprisingly distinguished.
Other spots of interest in the Flinders Ranges is Wilkawillina Gorge - where
you can see Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby, Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges (4WD river
crossings), and the picturesque town Blinman - where I watched Collingwood
unfortunately get beaten in the Grand Final. (Great game though, and the beers
went down well.) Chirruping Wedgebill and Zebra finch are common on the road
between Brachina Gorge and Parachilla.
The 'bird' of the Flinders Ranges is undoubtedly the Wedge-tailed Eagle, which
seemed to defy territorial boundaries, although it is closely followed by Tree
Martin, Ringnecks and Spiny-checked Honeyeater, which are everywhere.
Frustratingly Spiny-checked HE are just the right-sized bird that forces you to
have a 'look' just in case it's something interesting (if that makes sense?).
The pub at Parachilla is also interesting place, architecturally designed and
attempting to be up-market but 'feral' in style. (Indeed you could have been in
Bondi or Brunswick Street.) I had a Souvlaki for dinner. In the evenings the
Leigh Creek coal train goes past - taking a full five minutes to do so! It's
apparently the longest train in the world. Apparently the film Rabbit Proof
Fence was also filmed here, probably because it was a close access point to the
'outback'.
>From Parachilla I headed to the famous Chestnut Breasted Whiteface site near
>Lyndhurst. After 6 or 7 hours of trudging around the rocky and extremely dry
>escarpment I managed to come across a small flock of four birds in an area
>recently recommended by others. (Stupidly I concentrated on this area last!).
>To find the Chestnut Breasted Whiteface:
1. From the campsite head towards the mine.
2. In front of the mine there is a small track that leads west. Follow
this.
3. After crossing a small rise you will see two small hills in front of
you * they look like camels humps. There is small creek on your left, which
braches of to the right (below the camel humps).
4. Follow the branch of the creek for about 150 to 200 yards until you
come across a pleasant little branch in the valley. (There is a large old nest
in the fork of a tree).
5. Look around here, particularly on the west side of this small valley.
Also present at this spot were Rufous Calamanthus, Chirruping Wedgebill, White
winged Fairy-wren, Zebra Finch, and Hooded Robin. It was easily the most
productive area of the site, and just looks right - with flock birds flocking.
Interestingly, I've read a number of generalizations about the best spot to see
the Whiteface; some recommended the flats, others the hilltops. I saw the birds
in a valley! So make your own judgments. Thanks to Ken Gosbell and Giles
Daubeney for some excellent advice.
Thick Billed Grasswren were seen on a number of occasions, mainly in the middle
of the plain areas. The best spot to see them is the area across the creek from
the campsite, between the campsite and the old car. I saw several birds here,
particularly on and around a large flat rocky escarpment (approx 2 feet high
and twenty feet wide). At this site I dipped on the Cinnamon Quail Thrush -
there must be something about me and quail thrush. I made up for it with a
lovely pair of White-backed Swallows, who sat beutifully on the wind.
>From Lyndhurst I headed back down to the Flinders Ranges for a few days, and
>then onto Kinchega National Park (via Broken Hill - Blue Bonnet, Banded
>Plover), which is near Menindee. It's an interesting park, which is on the
>banks for Darling River (which is all but dry!) and contains several large
>lakes - Cawdilla Lake and Menindee Lake. I saw Chestnut-crowned Babbler here,
>as well as Blue Bonnet, Variegated and White Winged Fairy-wren (common),
>Orange Chat, Yellow Rosella, Little Friarbird and Common Sandpiper (x6), as
>well as lots of water birds (Spoonbill, Avocet, Stilts, thousand of ducks and
>Black Kite was also abundant).
>From Kinchega, down to Mildura (Red-backed Kingfisher), Hattah (Apostlebird),
>Wyperfeld (Blue Bonnet, Regent Parrot, Major Mitchell, White-backed Swallow,
>White-winged Triller, Splendid Fairy-wren, Pallid Cuckoo, Gilbert Whistler)
>and then home.
The trip overall was excellent, getting 3 grasswren (2 of which were ticks) and
the Chestnut Breasted Whiteface, with Black-eared Miner to boot. However, I
drove far too many kilometers (4 ½ thousand kilometers on my own - which was
dangerous!), and by the end was desperate for some social contact - and a
SHOWER! Only one real dip - the Cinnamon Quail Thrush; and in the end I didn't
get a good look at a Black Falcon for this trip (nor Crimson Chat, which I
expected).
Tim
Ps - the Wyperfeld Ostrich and Peacock are on private property that's inside
the boundaries of the northern part of the park.
Tim Dolby
Dept of Business and E-commerce
Swinburne University of Technology
Ph (03) 9214 6722
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