Hullo All.
Lawn Hill Gorge, within the National Park, is about four hours
drive northeast of either Cloncurry or Mt. Isa, the former having the
easiest roads, the latter passing the Eversleigh Fossil site which,
particularly after a visit to the Interpretive Centre ( prominent in Mt Isa
city), and on viewing the continuing process of fossilisation at Lawn Hill
gorge, is of some interest.
After driving for hours or days through wide brown land, the
gorge with giant relict palms, paperbarks and pandanus lining the long pools
is like a lost world, particularly knowing of the fossil record, and seeing
how the heavily calcified water is still turning dead treetrunks in the
river into stone. Don't stand under the camp showers too long, it's the same
water!
Some interesting and uncommon birds. Best before ten and after
three-thirty.
PURPLE-CROWNED FAIRY-WREN. Common, in pandanus and adacent
riverside vegetation, particularly along the riverside track above the
falls, morning and evenings best. Adult males outnumbered by
females/immatures and less forthcoming.
BUFF-SIDED ROBIN; ie White-browed Robin, race cerviniventris,
split by Shodde . Common and tame,
richly coloured unlike the north coastal Queensland version. Out side the
ranger's office, at the canoe hire ramp, upstream, downstream,on low exposed
foraging launch pads.Nice song in evening.
ARAFURA FANTAIL. Another distinct Shodde split, an insipid form
of Rufous Fantail. On track above falls.
Also, very colourful against the green pandanus, LONG-TAILED and
CRIMSON FINCHES, Zebra and Double-bars around the campground drinking at
leaking sprinklers, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin at the Gregory River crossing
upstream, first seen in the area for years according to the ranger. A gang
of GREAT BOWERBIRDS doing noisy circuits with their gutteral conversations,
a bower with dried bones at the south end of the campground. (Spotted
Bowerbirds at Lake Moondarra Mt.Isa.)
YELLOW-TINTED and WHITE-GAPED HONEYEATERS resident, along
with WHITE-THROATED & Brown Honeyeaters, Little Friarbirds and very vocal
Grey Shrike-thrushes in the camp.
SANDSTONE SHRIKE-THRUSH heard from on top of the Island Stack,
SPINIFEX PIGEONS on top of the steep walk south of the Rangers place.
RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO on an adjacent ridge.
The Gorge is well worth a diversion for birders travellers
along the Barkley Highway, and almost equally impressive
for non-birders.
Cheers
Michael & Penny Hunter
Michael Hunter
Mulgoa Valley
50km west of Sydney Harbour Bridge
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