Day 7 and, after an early breakfast, refuel and air refill of my spare tyre
(more on this later!) at Tibooburra, I was off to towards Cameron Corner and
beyond! After the last couple of days, it felt odd heading even further west
than I already was. The first section of this road, which was well graded and
very easily 2wd-able all the way to Cameron Corner and beyond, passed through
similar stony desert habitat to that I had already encountered through much of
Sturt NP. Not far along the road I came across some inundated areas to either
side of the road, an indication of the rains that had occurred here in the last
month or so. Here I stopped to look at some waterfowl, hoping I might be lucky
enough to pick up a Freckled or a Blue-billed Duck. There were lots of
Pink-eared Ducks, Grey Teals and Black-winged Stilts but,
unfortunately, none of the rarer species I was hoping for. Further along the
road, I noticed a transition from an abundance of Orange Chats to an even
greater abundance of Crimson Chats. These latter birds were probably the most
common species observed along the road to Cameron Corner, although Black-faced
Woodswallows would have to run a close second.
After a while, the road began to pass over clay-topped dunes similar to those
I had crossed heading south towards the Warri Gate. Soon this became the
predominant landscape, with only an occasional section of stony plain or, at
least in one section, an open claypan. Just as I neared Cameron Corner, several
birds flushed from the roadside into some nearby dead trees. At first they
appeared to be plain brown birds, and I wasn’t expecting them to be anything I
hadn’t already seen. Then I noticed the subtle pink and blue undersides, and I
quickly stopped the car to get a better look at my first Bourke’s
Parrots! A pair of them remained perched quite close to where I was, giving
me plenty of time to admire them.
As I passed once again through a border gate, this time into South Australia,
I was impressed with how good the road was even here. I decided then that I
probably should have inquired about the condition of the road from Noccundra to
Innamincka and on to Cameron Corner. I have a feeling this would have been much
better than the direct route south to Tibooburra, and would also have saved me
some unnecessary backtracking. I continued heading west, and shortly after the
gate I noticed a swallow flying low overhead. It turned out to be a
White-backed Swallow. A little further down the track I encountered
several more of these attractive birds.
36km past Cameron Corner I reached my ultimate destination, marking the
furthest point west I intended to travel during my trip. Here I was entering
into real cane grass covered dune-country, and I soon became engrossed in the
amazing colours and scenery that make this part of Australia such a hauntingly
beautiful place. It seemed only fitting that I was here to look for yet another
grasswren which, like the countryside around me, was unique to Australia’s
heartland. I began walking along the crest of a dune, once again wondering how
difficult an undertaking my search would be. Soon I noticed that all across the
sand were the tracks of numerous reptiles, small mammals and birds. I remembered
advice prior to my trip about the signature hopping pattern of the grasswrens,
with one footprint always slightly ahead of the other. Sure enough I began to
notice these tell-tale tracks all along the dune between clumps of cane grass.
Things were looking promising!
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to locate the grasswrens on the north side of
the road, so I decided to try along the dune on the south side. Initially the
only bird calls I heard were Zebra finches. Shortly after, another call just
downhill from where I was drew my attention to a Mistletoebird. Then a
pair of Brown Falcons (dark birds this time) flew low overhead, displaying and
calling to each other.
The next call I heard was quite long and melodious, and was coming from a
fallen dead tree just downhill and away from the good cane grass on the dune
crest. Unsure of what was calling, I certainly didn’t expect it to be my
grasswren until, very near to where I was standing, a similar but quieter call
came from within a clump of cane grass. I found myself torn between moving
towards this closer call, or pursuing the call downhill. Soon the decision was
made for me, as both birds flew from their respective hiding places to perch
next to each other in a nearby fallen dead tree for the better part of a minute.
I couldn’t believe my luck as I stood peering through the binoculars at a pair
of Eyrean grasswrens! I even managed to take a quick photo with my
digital camera, although the quality is so poor that no-one but me can see two
birds, let alone two Eyrean grasswrens! Then they were gone and, in more typical
grasswren fashion, remained silent and elusive.
As I walked back towards the car I was still buzzing with excitement! It
occurred to me just how difficult it would be to express this feeling to someone
other than a fellow birder. I mean, if a brilliantly coloured Orange Chat had
hopped in front of me right then I would hardly have noticed, yet the briefest
of views of these subtly patterned birds was a life-altering experience! We
really are a strange lot!
Back to the car, and it was finally time to turn east. Along the way, I
stopped at some spots and wandered off into the vegetation looking for the other
birds on my list, particularly Banded Whiteface, Cinnamon Quail-thrush and
Red-browed Pardalote. I found none of these birds, but I was still on my
grasswren-induced high so it didn’t really seem to matter. I did however see the
only Banded Lapwing of my entire trip standing alone in an open plain by
the roadside. Back through the gate into NSW, and I shortly came across a party
of Chestnut-crowned Babblers. During a quick stop at Fort Grey I saw a flock of
about 10 Crimson Chats. These birds really were quite numerous here at this
time. From here the return trip was initially uneventful. About halfway back to
Tibooburra I again encountered the group of birders from the day before.
Unfortunately, most of them hadn’t had the same success I had at Pyampa Station,
with only one or two being lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Grey
Grasswrens. I wished them better luck with the Eyrean Grasswrens they were
heading out to see, and continued on my way.
A bit further down the road I noticed a pale falcon flying from one tree to
another in a dry watercourse. This time however, I was sure I caught a glimpse
of a slaty-grey back! I quickly pulled over, grabbed the binoculars, and headed
off along the creek bed. The falcon never appeared again, even though I
carefully scoured the landscape for half an hour searching for it! For the
second time during my trip I had found a possible Grey Falcon, and for the
second time it had eluded me! Oh well, you can’t be lucky all the time.
This is one of the drawbacks of birding alone. It’s difficult sometimes to
drive and bird effectively, without causing a major traffic incident! During my
long driving stints, I decided to apply the term "blirding" to all birding
carried out from a fast-moving vehicle! I also decided I should probably invest
in a bumper sticker that reads "Caution: Blirding in progress. Sudden unexpected
braking may occur"!
Back at Tibooburra, I ate and went to bed early, in anticipation of the long
drive ahead of me the following day.
