Hello all,
The first half of 2004 had not been very kind to our family of three
adults, so we decided to indulge in a short Winter holiday in the
expectation of a better second half. Where to go? It would have to offer
benign winter conditions , have suitable, affordable accommodation,
easily reached places of scenic interest in reasonable proximity
accessible by good roads as each of us was of limited mobility and would
have to use a rental vehicle for transport. As the only birder in the
family, I privately considered certain other criteria such as possible
diversity of bird species and habitats. After some debate, a place
inevitably emerged as complying with our requirments---Darwin! I must
admit that this choice was influenced to some extent by the special fare
being offered by a certain pure and colourful airline, Syd/Darwin single
$99.00 and a cheap return also
Arriving on Saturday night, we collected our car on Sunday morning and
during the next six days visited various city sights On Monday and
Tuesday we drove to Kakadu NP., Wednesday Howard Springs, East Point,
Casuarina Beach Reserve. Thursday we visited Litchfield NP,, Friday,
Lee Point and Buffalo Creek. Saturday was a quick stop at the
power pole on Tiger Brennan Drive a visit to Parliament House and
return to Sydney and Winter that night..
Now the point to all this preamble is , given the fact that not one of
us was capable of walking 100 metres without a rest, I was able to
clearly identify ninety-two species of birds which with the exception
of a cruise on Yellow Water in Kakadu, were mostly seen from the car..
I mention this so that birders who may be placed in a similar situation
can take heart in the knowledge that all is not lost. I even managed a
tick with a pair of Mangrove Robins at Tiger Brennan Drive
A list of birds seen follows , not in any particular order. I might
mention in passing that the Yellow Water Cruise is Nature's gift to
incapacitated birders.
Black Kite
Barshouldered Dove
Peaceful Dove
Pied Imperial Pigeon
Figbird(northern)
Redcollared Lorikeet
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater
Whistling Kite
Sulphurcrested Cockatoo
Whitegaped Honeyeater
Bush StoneCurlew
Sacred Kingfisher
Paperbark Flycatcher
Willywagtail
Peewee
Australian White Ibis
Whitebreasted Woodswallow
Tree Martin
Whitebellied Cuckooshrike
Little Eagle
Torresian Crow
Rainbow Beeeater
Partridge Pigeon
Squaretailed Kite
Silver Gull
Brown Honeyeater
Dusky "
Mistletoe Bird
Redheaded Honeyeater
Spangled Drongo
Yellow Oriole
Bluewinged Kookaburra
Strawnecked Ibis
Blackshouldered Kite
Brown Falcon
Masked Lapwing (northern)
Blackfaced CuckooShrike
Varied Triller
Redbacked Fairywren
Helmeted Friarbird
Little "
Great Bowerbird
Redtailed Black Cockatoos
Pied Butcherbird
Forest Kingfisher
Brahminy Kite
Yellow throated Miner
Olivebacked Oriole
Reef Heron
Chestnut Rail (calling Buffalo Creek)
Blackwinged Stilt
Gullbilled Tern
Galah
Tawney Frogmouth
Mangrove Robin
Jacky Winter
Rufous Whistler
Northern Fantail
Mangrove Gerygone
-Yellow Water Cruise-
Great Egret
Plumed Egret
Little Egret
LIttle Corella
Shining Flycatcher
Magpie Goose
Greenbacked Pygmy Geese
Lemonbreasted Flycatcher
White breasted Sea Eagle
Crimson Finch
Azure Kingfisher
Pheasant Coucal
Jacana
Striated Heron
Purple Swamphen
Night Heron
Plumed Whistling Duck (thousands)
Radjah Shelduck
Royal Spoonbill
Brolga
Blacknecked Stork
Pelican
Whiskered Tern
Swamp Harrier
Pied Heron
Darter
Pied Cormorant
Little "
Redwinged Parrot
Blackfaced Woodswallow
Pacific Heron
Whitefaced heron
A footnote: Cars displaying interstate Disabled Parking Permits are
allowed to use metered areas free in Darwin City.
Reg Clark.
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