Hi All,
Just finished a mamoth road trip from melbourne to Karratha. 6000km in 8
days.
I saw all the SW endemics except the shriketit. Here are some of the
highlights.
Nullabour qauil-thrush-2: About 2km west of the Nullabour road house. They
just flew over the road in front of the car. managed to get some decent
flight views after stopping.
Western Whipbird: Adjacent powerpole 107 on cheynes beach road. An absolute
classic sighting. I was sitting in the car comisserating about dipping at
fitzgerald river bridge. 40knt winds were blowing. I thought i was going to
be hard pressed getting onto any of the skulkers let alone the whipbird. I
heard an unusual call just near the car (didn't have the tape on me) i
crepted out of the car took a few steps toward the calling bird and was
surprised to see a whipbird sitting ontop a hakea bush in full song. It
jumped down into the bushes (a small island of bushes) and i watched it run
like a road runner in the undergrowth until it paused at the base of a
shrub.
Noisy scrub bird: Again 40knt winds blowing, but birds still calling around
the cheynes beach caravan park. Managed untickable views of one there and
then crippling views of one on dusk calling from 1m off the ground.
Western bristlebird. Easy at dawn the following day at powerpole 102.
Awesome views in the rising sun.
Rock parrot: cape leewuin light house 30+. Took a while in 40knt winds
again.
Red eared firetail: After talking to some visitors about there sightings of
red eared firetail i saw one perch on the powerline out the front of the van
park.
Black breasted buzzard: 40km south of billabong road house along with little
woodswallow and 5+ pied honeyeaters.
Spinefexbird (a few calling, one showed very well at dawn): On NW HWY
roadside 40km nth of Onslow turnoff.
Thick billed grasswren: Nice bird, almost too easy in the monkey mia
carpark.
Red breasted whistler: In mangroves beside backbeach in Karratha. Along with
dusky gerygone, yellow white eye, mangrove robin, mangrove
kingfisher, mangrove fantail and lesser crested tern nearby.
Now just one tick off the 600 mark! I want it to be rufous crowned
emuwren...
A fantastic trip. Great birds among other herps and mammals.
Cheers
Nathan Waugh
Karratha, WA
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