SW NSW Trip- Part 1

["Lynn" <>]

Hi all

 

Thanks to all those who provided me with information on good birding areas for my recent trip. Also past trip reports and observations by many people all helped the research towards finding the best possible birding sites with limited time available. 

 

SW NSW TRIP REPORT- DECEMBER 03

 

 

I have just completed a fantastic 5 day round trip from Dungog to Deniliquin to participate in a two day Plains Wanderer weekend with Phil Maher. Distance covered was 2150 kms and 181 species recorded, 149 on the PW weekend alone! Eight new species seen and noted with an asterisk. Yellow Rosella and the melanotus race of Splendid Fairywren were also new to me.

 

I left home at 6 A.M. on Thursday December 4^th and headed out through Singleton and Denman then down to Kandos,Rylstone and into Bathurst for lunch. Stopping at a couple of places between Jerry?s Plains and Denman to check on some breeding White-browed Woodswallows I had seen the month before. There was about 10 WHITE-BROWED WOODSWALLOWS around the first stop and a female sitting on a nest about 12 metres high in the fork of a Eucalyptus tree. Other good birds present here were : Peaceful Doves, Rufous Songlark, Restless Flycatcher, Dusky Woodswallow and Diamond Firetail.

 

Another stop at Martindale just outside Denman revealed another 20 White-browed Woodswallows , Speckled Warbler and White-Throated Needletails (10).

About 25 kms east of Grenfell there were 5 Superb Parrots perched in a dead tree beside the road. I took the back road from Grenfell to West Wyalong through Bimbi but didn?t see any signs to Bimbi State Forest and due to recent heavy rains decided not to chance heading on unknown roads so continued on to WW. On the way Brown Songlark, Little Ravens and White-Browed Babblers were seen.

 

My next stop was Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve , 10kms south of West Wyalong on the Newell Highway at about 4.30 P.M.  The area was still rather dry with the recent rainfall not making an impact yet. I managed 27 species in about 2 hours here the best of which were :

 

*Shy Heathwren ( good looks at a single bird circling around me as I sat in the Mallee whistling to it )

Collared Sparrowhawk

Brown Treecreeper

Crimson Chat (3)

Budgerigars (12)

Varied Sittella

White-Winged Triller

 

Also many more White-browed Woodswallows and 2 Emus in the paddock opposite.

 

Over night at West Wyalong.

 

 

 

 

Friday December 5^th

 

Headed off at 6.00 A.M. travelling via Tallimba to Ardelthan and onto Binya State Forest just to the east of Griffith. The road to Ardelthan was alive with birds feeding along the roadside. White-Winged Choughs , Galahs and Red-Rumped Parrots were numerous. Also around 50 to 60 Blue-Bonnets plus many Apostle Birds and the odd Common Bronzewing. A pair of Spotted Harriers were disturbed from the ground close to the road.

 

Next stop was Binya State Forest about 20kms east of Griffith where I spent about 2 hours birding on the western edge of the forest (Griffith side).  Birds seen here included :

 

Southern Whiteface

White-browed Babblers

Brown Treecreepers

Mulga Parrot

Inland Thornbill

*Chestnut-Rumped Thornbill

Yellow-Rumped Thornbill

Splendid Fairywren  Race melanotus

White-winged triller

*Black-Eared Cuckoo x 2

 

The Black-eared Cuckoos appeared to be younger birds as they were pale and the ?black ear? was not fully coloured.

I then headed off to Leeton and  Fivebough Swamp where I birded from midday to about 2 P.M. This was a great spot and many water birds were present including :

 

Pink-Eared Duck  hundreds

Blue-Billed Duck  30

Freckled Duck  2

Hoary-Headed Grebes

Black-Winged Stilt

Red-Necked Avocet

Swamp Harrier

Whistling Kite

Australasian Bittern  1

Whiskered Tern

Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper

Australian Reed Warbler

Little Grassbird

Glossy Ibis   About 200

Little Egret

Intermediate Egret

Great Egret

 

Over night Deniliquin after a great meal at the ?Crossing Restaurant? near the bridge.

 

To be continued