Hi everyone
The marathon of inputting continues, and here's Part 6 covering 9 to 14
September covering the coast and tall forest areas of
Deeside Coast Road, Mt. Frankland, Tree Top Walk, Valley of the Giants,
Peaceful Bay, Conspicuous Cliff, Coalmine Beach,
William Bay National Park, Albany, Waychinicup and Two People's Bay.
Coastal areas nice, with some very dramatic sand dunes, contrasting with the
tall forest areas giving birds that, by now,
I've seen a fair number of. Purple-crowned Lorikeet still buzzing around,
Rufous Treecreeper, Scarlet Robins. White-browed
Babbler in thick forest at Mt. Frankland, with the view from the top another
superb 360 degree panorama. Coastal areas also
produced Sooty and Pied Oystercatcher, Red-capped Parrot, Brush Bronzewing at
Cheynes Beach.
Peaceful Bay areas including Irwin Inlet produced Yellow-billed Spoonbill,
Caspian Tern, Hoary-headed Grebe and a Little
Eagle being chased by 2 Nankeen Kestrels. After weeks of not seeing many
raptors, they seemed to pop up more often now,
including:
>> Swamp Harrier being chased by Little Crow at Irwin Inlet
>> White-bellied Sea-Eagle at Coalmine Beach Caravan Park (recommend the on
>> site cabins here)
>> Osprey at William Bay hovering over the beach, with almost no wing flapping
>> in the strong wind. And at Cheynes Beach
>> Collared Sparrowhawk at Mount Many Peaks Nature Reserve
Hence 6 species of raptor in just a few days.
12 September went to the Waychinicup and Cheynes Beach areas chasing you know
what. Heard a Noisy Scrub-bird in Mount Many
Peaks Nature Reserve / Waychinicup, at the place where the road narrows and
dips over a creek (S 34° 52.538' E 118° 20.440')
but unfortunately couldn't get right to the end of this dirt road as it became
very chopped up after recent rains and I had a
2WD car. Wild winds at Cheynes Beach and couldn't see or hear a skerrick of a
Noisy Scrub-bird.
Mornings of both 13 and 14 September went to Little Beach early (in Two Peoples
Bay Nature Reserve). Noisy Scrub-birds heard
but not seen.
But ..... on 13 September at 9 am I climbed the hill near Little Beach to "The
Domed Rock" at S 34° 58.630' E 118° 11.360'
(see Frank O'Connor's website for details). I climbed up and then skirted the
rock around to the right to get out of the sun
and the wind, then sat down and stayed quiet. Sitting close to the ground
meant I could see the small bare or more open
patches on the ground under the shrubs. A bird alternatively called and was
quiet, but after about 40 minutes one called
very loudly right next to me and there it was in a little open patch. A quick
but sufficient view. Yahoo. Lifer No. 18 for
the trip.
Despite seeing the Scrub-bird on the 13th, I decided to walk the Sinker Reef
track on 14th September. Sat at "the spot" at
the creek for 1.5 hours and had the birds calling almost continuously and
moving around over an area of about 10 metres x 20
metres. But never saw it!!! Thank goodness for The Domed Rock.
And what of the Western Bristlebird????
13th September when I was early at Little Beach, I parked at the bottom of the
carpark, stood on the tarmac and looked up the
hill. 1 bird was at the left hand edge of the carpark road. I got a good view
as it stood there and contemplated life, or
crossing the road which it did not do. Ta muchly. Lifer No. 19 for the trip.
And what of the Western Whipbird????
Not a tweet, not a whistle, not a chirp, not a grey flash, not a brown flash,
not a hint of a crest, not a feather. Zero,
zilch, nil, nought. Not the slightest sign that this bird was around.
Irene Denton
Concord West, 12 km from Sydney city, NSW Australia
S 33°50.278' E 151°05.406'
Newsletter Editor, NSW Bird Atlassers
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