Trip Report: Ned's Corner, Yarrara Bushland Reserve and the Murray
Sunset National Park, Northern Victoria
Hi all,
Over the long weekend Birds Australia held its annual Victorian Easter
Campout at Ned's Corner in Northern Victoria. Day trips were organised
around the Murray-Sunset National Park, Lindsay Island and Yarrara
Bushland Reserve. Many of the migratory land birds were absent (such as
the cuckoos), however the campout produced some excellent birding, with
a wide selection of species recorded. Some of the interesting birds
seen included Red-lored Whistler, large numbers of Striped Honeyeater
(seen at every site we visited), several large flocks of Banded
Lapwing, Inland Dotterel, White-backed Swallow, White-browed
Treecreeper, Chestnut-crowned Babbler and Orange Chat.
At Ned's Corner Striped Honeyeater was common in the River Red Gum and
Black Box woodland along the banks of the Murray, as was Blue-faced,
Spiny-cheeked and White-plumed Honeyeater. White-winged Fairy-wren was
regularly encountered in the saltbush and lignum of the low-lying
floodplains ? for example a resident family lived in the area
immediately behind the shower block. Also seen at Ned?s were several
large flocks of Banded Lapwing, with separate parties of 20,10 and 5. A
single Inland Dotterel was seen (at 4:00 am in the morning!) on the
road into Ned's ? 13 km in from the main entrance. There were several
happy families of Chestnut-crowned Babbler in the floodplain, and large
numbers of Blue Bonnet were seen along the roadside into Ned's. Along
the Murray River and on Lindsay Island Caspian Tern, Great Egret,
Darter, Red-kneed and Black-fronted Dotterel were recorded as well as
the expected large numbers of the yellow phase Crimson Rosella.
Birds were in abundance in the Murray Sunset National Park, with
several day trips organised along South Settlement Road and Pheenys
Track. Birds recorded at Murray Sunset included examples of both dark
and light phase Brown Falcon, Blue Bonnet, Australian Ringneck, Regent
and Mulga Parrot, a pair of Spotted Nightjar (flushed during the day),
Australian Owlet Nightjar (again flushed), Peaceful Dove, Splendid and
Variegated Fairy-wren, 'yellow-rumped' Spotted and Striated Pardalote
(sometimes on the same tree branch), good views of Shy Hylacola,
Inland, Chestnut-rumped, Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Buff-rumped
Thornbill, and Southern Whiteface. There was also large numbers of
honeyeater: including Yellow-throated Miner, Striped, Spiny-cheeked,
Singing, Yellow-plumed, Purple-gaped, White-eared, White-fronted (in
good numbers) and Brown-headed Honeyeater. A small party of Orange Chat
was seen in farmland next to South Settlement Road, and we also
recorded good numbers of Red-capped and Hooded Robin, White-browed
Babbler, Chestnut Quail Thrush, 'black-capped' Varied Sittella, Crested
Bellbird, Gilbert's Whistler, Masked, White-browed and Black-faced
Woodswollow, Little Crow, 'black-winged' Grey Currawong, Apostlebird,
and there were single recorded of both Zebra Finch and White-backed
Swallow. Several members of the group also recorded Red-lored Whistler.
Yarrara Bushland Reserve is a wonderful Pine-Belah woodland. Located
between Ned's Corner and the Murray-Sunset, it produced some excellent
bushland birding. Made up of predominately Belah, Buloke, and Slender
Cypress Pine, this remnant vegetation reserve is an excellent site to
see the rare White-browed Treecreeper. Also seen at Yarrara were Hooded
and Red-capped Robin, Splendid Fairy-wren, Crested Bellbird, Gilbert's
Whistler, Striped Honeyeater and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, and perhaps
surprisingly the most common honeyeater was Singing Honeyeater. There
was also Blue Bonnet, Australian Ringneck, Mulga Parrot, and Chestnut-
rumped and Inland Thornbill.
Cheers,
Tim Dolby
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