Hi Birders,
Yesterday (13/3/04) I took advantage of the cooler weather to get back into
some real bushwalking and visit a part of the Blue Mountains that I don't
get to often enough. The Wild Dog Mountains are a series of peaks to the
south of the main Blue Mountains ridge, flanked on nearly all sides by the
steep-sided gorges of the lower Coxs River and its tributaries. Stunning,
wild country.
I started the walk mid-morning at Carlon's farm at the end of the Megalong
Valley road, where several bushwalking clubs and big groups of boy scouts
were gathering with huge laden backpacks ready to set off on their weekend
bushwalks. I headed down Carlon's Creek as quickly as I could so as to get
well clear of these groups, along the way noting the presence of Gang-gang
Cockatoos, Variegated Fairy-wrens, Rose Robin, Mistletoebird, two parties
of Red-browed Treecreepers, and the usual conspicuous colony of Bell
Miners, among others. For anyone who is interested, there is a more
detailed description of this part of the walk in my posting from 1/9/03, "A
walk down Carlon's and Breakfast Creeks".
On reaching Breakfast Creek I spent a few minutes watching a mixed flock of
the usual small insectivores before heading straight up the other side of
the gorge onto Blackhorse Ridge. This route is the quickest and most direct
way to the Wild Dogs and the first time I walked up this ridge in the 80s
there was no track, but now hundreds of bushwalkers' feet have created a
definite trail straight up the steep ridge to connect with the track which
skirts the flanks below Mounts Mouin and Warrigal. When I say steep, I mean
steep. In the first kilometre, the height gain is 400 metres. Despite the
dry rocky terrain, there were plenty of birds here including Buff-rumped
Thornbills, Spotted Pardalotes, White-eared Honeyeater and Golden Whistler.
Bluffs of conglomerate signal the top of the steep section and allow
spectacular views back down into the Breakfast Creek gorge. The gradient
then eases off to a pleasant two kilometre meander along the broader
flatter ridgetop through beautiful forest of Eucalyptus punctata (Grey
Gum), Angophora costata, and Allocasuarina littoralis. The Grey Gums have
recently shed a layer of bark exposing the most vivid orange trunks which
glow like beacons through the forest. Here I saw Superb Lyrebird mounds
beside the track and heard one singing nearby - obviously gearing up for
the breeding season which starts soon. I also noticed a fresh fox scat.
Isn't anywhere immune from these introduced predators?
I decided to take a short break in a she-oak forest and sat down on the
soft bed of Allocasuarina needles. It was several minutes before I became
aware of the soft murmurings of a pair of Glossy Black-Cockatoos, which had
obviously been sitting quietly nearby, hidden in the treetops while I
snacked on raisins and dried bananas. No matter how many times I see these
birds, their red tails spread in flight are always breathtaking and this
was the highlight of my day.
Mobbs Swamp is a bushwalkers' camping site below Warrigal Gap, and a useful
source of water along the route from Katoomba to Kanangra. I arrived at
lunch time to be welcomed by the calls of a Pilotbird. Inquisitive
Variegated Fairy-wrens in the swamp vegetation came close to check me out
as did a Grey Fantail. Around the camp sites the ground was littered with
Allocasuarina chewings, indicating that more Glossy Black-Cockatoos had
recently been feeding here. Mistletoebird, Red-browed Finches and many
other common forest species were also here, while Yellow-tailed
Black-Cockatoos flew over. As I headed down to the creek to refill my water
bottle, a large Lace Moniter sauntered across in front of me.
I returned via Medlow Gap and a long winding fire trail, which passed
through a stand of magnificent wet forest. Birds of note included
Sittellas, Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Red-browed Treecreepers and yet more
Variegated Fairy-wrens. On Bellbird Ridge (which has no Bell Miners on it
but leads to a point overlooking Carlon's Creek where Bell Miners can be
heard) only a few hundred metres from the carpark, I saw a Rufous Fantail
and a Rockwarbler.
Altogether I recorded 48 bird species during the 19 km walk. Although
nothing unexpected was seen, it's always great to get out and beyond the
usual places that birders go.
Cheers
Carol
Carol Probets
Blue Mountains NSW
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