Having decided to bite the bullet and blow the frequent flyer points, I've
just returned from a 4 day/3 night mad dash around WA. Leaving home at
4.15am Sat morning and returning at12.45am Tues morning, it was hard to
focus on work on Wed.
I won't detail klms flown and driven for fear of repercussion, but let me
say I picked up both the crake and the gull. Just for good measure,I added
another two ticks with Long-billed Black Cockatoo and what Dools refers to
as the silliest twitch in Australia, Mute Swan at Northam.
All in all it was 4 ticks at a cost of $382.96 each. This was a lot cheaper
than Javan Pond Heron (no ff points) and certainly dearer than Grey-headed
Lapwing (no flying at all). Just for interest it was $16.47 per species for
the trip.
I just hope that the next twitch is a way off so I can gather a whole heap
more points, and that it too coincides with a long weekend as we can't all
be retired...... and if I keep spending like this I may never be.
For interest, the itinerary looked something like:
Sat: 8.30am arrive Perth, 9.30 am see Long-billed Black Cockatoos on the way
to Piersse Grosse, 4.10pm arrive Karratha, see Spinifex sub species,
Red-backed Kingfisher, Grey-tailed Tattler,
Sun: 8.30am arrive Whim Creek. See Red-legged Crake immediately. Take lots
of photos. 4.40pm leave Karratha.
Mon: Get distracted by 150+ flock of Short-billed Black Cockatoo on highway
in heathland. Seemed to have possibly been put up by a wedgie. Too awestruck
to take pictures. Arrive Geraldton 11am. 12 noon see Black-tailed Gull fly
past Parry's Beach. Track it back to Fishermans Wharf where it was snoozing
on the pipe jetty. Take lots of photos and feed it leftovers from previous
nights dinner just to get some action. 2pm leave Geraldton. Stop O/N at
Morawa as the next stop was too far.
Tues: Arrive Northam at 12noon. Find Mute Swans by looking for visitor
centre to ask them where to search. More photos. 18.40 depart Perth airport.
Exhausted. Arrive Melbourne 11.45pm.
Cheers
Joy Tansey
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