BARADINE & WARRUMBUNGLES NP CAMP-OUT 18-20 OCTOBER 2005
21 members and friends of the Central Coast Group, Birding NSW, gathered at
Camp Cypress, Baradine for a 3 day camp 18-20 October 2005 organised by
Carole & John Carpenter. Camp Cypress provides cabin units with en-suites
and a shared kitchen for each 4 sets of cabins, in addition to facilities
for caravans, camper-vans and tents. The site is also adjacent to the local
showground & rodeo facilities and with plenty of Bimble Box and White
Cypress Pines for shade, is a great birdwatchers' camp-ground. There was
good bird-watching to be had in the camp itself, as the area was full of
courting and nesting White-winged Trillers, a pair of Masked Woodswallows
had made their home around the old "Hills Hoist" clothes line, Fairy Martins
were nesting in the grandstand and Noisy Friarbirds in the box trees. 47
species were located in the campsite of which 10 species were found nesting!
Boobooks called at night and Cockatiels, Ringneck & Red-winged Parrots
visited us each day and both Diamond & Peaceful Doves were present.
Our first day, which followed about 25 mm of rain, was spent in the
Warrumbungles NP to give the back roads around Baradine a chance to dry out.
So the first morning was damp and heavily overcast, and birding was a bit
slow. Never-the-less wherever we went, we saw and heard Trillers and Sacred
Kingfishers, Rufous Songlark, Rufous Whistlers, Noisy Friarbirds, Rainbow
Bee-eater & White-throated Gerygones. At Nandi Park, Coonabarabran there
were Dollarbirds and Wood Ducks with ducklings; at Timor Rock, we saw
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Wedge-tailed Eagles and a Peregrine; and at
Whitegum Lookout in Warrumbungles NP we saw nesting White-throated
Treecreeper and Brown Treecreeper, Leaden Flycatcher & Cicadabird. We
managed to see a few Emus in the Park, but they were very scarce, while at
Camp Pincham we found the resident Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, as well as
Restless Flycatcher, Shrike-tit, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater and White-browed
Babbler. Our lunch spot was the Woolshed, still looking pretty blasted as a
result of the drought, which had caused most of the large River Oaks in
Wambelong Creek to die. However here we had Grey-crowned Babbler, Pallid &
Fantailed Cuckoo, Brown Honeyeater, Peaceful Dove & Common Bronzewing. We
made our way back to Baradine to meet with local David Johnston who took us
to see the nest of the Square-tailed Kite on the eastern side of the town
along Baradine Creek. The nest was easy to see into and one of the adults
was brooding a chick. Some of our members had also seen another
Square-tailed Kite’s nest in Coonbarabran, where the adult was also seen
feeding a chick. Our final stop for the day was Trapyard Dam, in Merriwindi
SF where were found 6+ Painted Honeyeaters, a pair of Turquoise Parrots, and
nesting Choughs, Willy Wagtail, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike & Rufous Whistler.
Saturday found us heading out to Carmel and Terridgerie Lagoons, where among
the many water birds at the former, we also saw a Whistling Tree Duck, Blue
Bonnets, Shoveler, Hoary-headed Grebe & White-necked Heron, while at the
latter were a pair of nesting Whistling Kite and single Yellow-billed
Spoonbill and Red-kneed Dotterel. We headed off to Coonamble, stopping to
bird along the way and seeing Red-capped Robin, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo
and Singing Honeyeater en route and lunched beside the Castlereagh River
where we found Shining Bronze-Cuckoo and Blue-faced Honeyeater. We then made
a pilgrimage to the Coonamble STW, and after long walk and two locked gates,
managed to find plenty of birds including Glossy Ibis, Pink-eared Duck,
Black-tailed Native-hen, Hobby, Black Kite, Brown Goshawk, 20+ Red-kneed
Dotterels and a pair of Whistling Tree-Duck. We returned to Baradine via Mt
Tenandra and Goorianawaa Gap. Our last stop for the day was a Spotted
Bowerbird’s bower on the Tooraweenah Road, located by Janice. This active
bower, was heavily decorated with a number of red objects, but also silver
keys, roofing nails, sheep and cattle tags etc.
Our final day was spent looking at some sites in the Pilliga Forest. In the
morning we checked out O’Dells Crossing in Wittenbra SF and found 6+
Turquoise Parrots, Golden Whistler, Weebill, Leaden Flycatcher, and more
Fantailed & Shining Bronze-Cuckoos. In the afternoon, Schwagers Bore and
Cumbil Crossing, the latter site yielding more Painted Honeyeaters! Enroute
to the Camp a pair of Major Mitchell Cockatoos were seen at Mow Creek (well
east of their normal range) and Zebra Finches east of Coonabarabran.
Overall we had a great social, enjoyable and relaxed bird watching camp in
which 151 species were seen, most of the Baradine Bird Routes checked-out,
and many sites atlassed for Birds Australia and the NSW Bird Atlasses. (Alan
Morris)
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