Hi all,
I recently had the opportunity to visit Coffin Bay and Lincoln National
Parks on the Eyre Peninsula while on a work trip. I had some good sightings
that I thought would be worth sharing.
At Coffin Bay NP we surveyed Gunyah Beach and found 90 Sanderlings, some
Red-necked Stints and many Sooty and Pied Oystercatchers. A highlight for
me was also a Southern Giant Petrel cruising among the breaking waves. On
Long Beach we another survey turned up a flock of 50+ Pied Oystercatchers,
and we found a beach washed Cape Petrel in excellent condition (apart from
being dead that is).
In Lincoln NP I had a few chances to get out, and was able to catch up with
some great mallee birds. Sightings aren't necessarily in chronological
order:
At Pillie Lake (a salt pan), I had numerous heard records of Western
Whipbird (never saw one though), and on the walking tracks near the car park
there had Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Western Yellow Robin and Tawny-crowned
Honeyeater. Further down the track towards Taylor's Landing I had some
Southern Scrub-Robins running around my feet.
Further down the road at a small car park on the north side of the road near
Woodcutter's Beach I had good luck with Blue-breasted Fairy-Wren and more
Purple-gaped Honeyeaters.
At Surfleet Cove on the walk between there and Spalding Cove I had very good
looks at Southern Scrub-Robin, and Black-faced Cormorant.
At September Beach and the roads leading up to it I had great views of Rock
Parrots, with flocks of up to 7 flying around in the late afternoon.
And at Taylor's Landing I heard more Western Whipbirds, and found Brush
Bronzewing, Blue-breasted Fairy-Wrens, and Brown-headed Honeyeaters. Up the
beach a bit I had a pair of Hooded Plovers.
Another couple of birds of great interest to me were Laughing Kookaburras
and Western Gerygones in the Sugar Gum woodlands near Port Lincoln. In both
cases some bird field guides don't show them being on the Eyre Peninsula.
The locals tell me that the Kookaburras are probably introduced. The
Western Gerygone has a small population recorded in the Atlas of Australian
Birds. And finally the Brown subspecies of the Grey Currawong was amazing,
very easy to see and get good looks at, very different in behavior to their
shy cousins in the Victorian Mallee.
In all a good set of birds for a short time birding.
Regards,
Chris
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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