Saturday 26th October
We were booked on pelagic trip from Wollongong. We and other birders
assembled at the quayside at 7.00 but unfortunately the
trip was curtailed because of bad weather. Some diehards decided to brave
the elements but we decided not to! As it turned out, we subsequently found
out that we managed to see elsewhere all the birds they saw on the curtailed
trip. We did at least see Australasian Gannet offshore. Having erred on the
side of discretion, we paid a visit to Barren Grounds but, because of the
wind, it was 'barren' in terms of birds! We saw very little there, let alone
any of its specialities. We then tried Fitzroy Falls, where we found a
couple of Australian Ravens obligingly displaying to the plate glass windows
of the restaurant! One of the highlights here was a Short-beaked Echidna
foraging quite close to us. We also saw a Little Raven on the way to the
Falls.
Sunday 27th October
>From our hotel window overlooking Wollongong Harbour we saw a Sooty
Oystercatcher on the rocks. We checked out and headed north-west to Lithgow
and the Capertree Valley. The car park for the Lithgow Shopping Mall
produced a couple of new birds, Red Wattlebird and New Holland Honeyeater.
Along the Capertree-Glen Davis road birds included 2 Wedge-tailed Eagles, a
Common Bronzewing, Red-rumped Parrot, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Yellow-tufted
and White-plumed Honeyeaters and White-winged Chough. We checked in at
Oska's Cottage in Glen Davis for two nights. It turned out to be a
delightful place to stay. A walk in the forest behind the cottage produced a
good list of birds - highlights were a Brown Treecreper, 2 Rock Warblers,
Hooded Robin and Restless Flycatcher.
Monday 28th October
We spent most of the day around Glen Davis and Glen Alice. On the way to the
latter we saw many Woodswallows (Masked, White-browed and Dusky). In Glen
Alice birds were few on the ground but I managed to find another Crested
Shrike-Tit and a Rufous Songlark. Glenowlan Road proved to be a bit better -
with Red-rumped Parrot, Diamond Firetail and Brown Songlark among others. At
one stage a huge Goanna crossed the road ahead of us and climbed a tree. We
had no luck with Regent Honeyeater or Plum-headed Finch.
Glen Davis campsite produced a surprise in the shape of a female Red-capped
Robin - if only a male had shown himself!
Early morning and late afternoon walks behind Oska's produced more good
birds, including White-throated Treecreeper, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (seen
while looking at a Rock Warbler), Western Gerygone, Weebill, Hooded Robin,
Rock Warbler and Black-chinned Honeyeater. I also saw another Short-beaked
Echidna and some Common Wallaroos.
Tuesday 29th October
A last early morning walk behind Oska's enabled me to find another of the
local target birds - Turquoise Parrot, a pair of which passed through
briefly. On the way back to Capertree we found our first Fuscous
Honeyeaters. We spent the night at the Best Western Alpine Motor Inn at
Katoomba.
Wednesday 30th October
Trips to the main tourist spots in the Katoomba area didn't yield anything
of note in bird terms. In the afternoon we returned to Sydney Airport where
we dropped our our rental car and took a bus into the city. We spent that
and the next two nights at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at Darling Harbour
(where we had fabulous harbour views).
Thursday 31st October and Friday 1st November
Walks in the Botanic Gardens produced a small selection of the commoner
birds. The Grey-headed Flying Foxes at their roost were quite a sight.
To be continued
Robert Grimmond
Kent, UK
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