Trip Report – Part 2 – Flinders Ranges. 14/8/07 – 19/8/07.
Stayed at self-catering cottages at Arkaba and Wirrealpa stations
with daily forays to nearby birding and scenic locations.
Weather conditions were variable but generally rather cold with
moderate winds and one day of light rain - only a few flies and
mostly no dust. The heavy rain and flooding several months earlier
has left some of the roads in the gorges of the Southern Flinders
somewhat scarred. The country around Wirrealpa is very dry with less
than average rain for the past 20 years and no recent heavy falls.
The pastoralists are desperate for some decent rain. Manpower
shortages due to the mining boom are adding to their woes. Birdo s
are much appreciated as eco-tourists particularly if they share their
observations and expertise with the locals.
Deciding if and when to stop when driving to a designated place has
always been a problem for us. Do we stop at a selection of likely
looking habitats, ecotones, picnic spots, viewing spots, watering
points etc or do we stop whenever we see some birds? On this trip we
tended to stop whenever we saw even a single bird of interest, as
bird sightings were rather infrequent in many areas.
Raptors seen from the car included: Wedge-tailed Eagle (many),
Nankeen Kestrel (many including a very brief copulation), Black Kite,
Brown Falcon, Hobby, Black shouldered kite, Whistling Kite, Little
Eagle.
14/8/07. Arkaba Station, Bunyeroo Valley, Brachina Gorge, Moralana
Scenic Drive, Arkaba. Full day with lunch in Brachina Gorge. Cold
winds encouraged birding in sheltered areas. Some sections of the
gorge with small volume of flowing water. Light traffic in Brachina
Gorge but no contact with other birdos.
White-backed Swallow, Tree Martin, Hooded Robin, Red-capped Robin,
White-browed Babbler, Chirruping Wedgebill, Zebra Finch, Yellow-
plumed Honeyeater, Weebill, Striated Pardalote, Richards Pipit, Red-
rumped & Ring-neck Parrot etc.
15/8/07.AM Arkaroo Rock walk. Many shrubs in flower and a few small
pools of water in the creek bed. Moderate numbers of honeyeaters –
Spiny-cheeked, Grey-fronted, White-eared, White-fronted, Brown-
headed, and Tawny-crowned, Also Weebill, Inland and Chestnut-rumped
Thornbill, Striated Pardalote, Rufous Whistler, Grey Butcherbird,
Mallee Ring-neck Parrot, Chirruping Wedgebill, Southern Whiteface,
Hooded Robin, etc. A very pleasant sheltered walk with interesting
vegetation and many birds seen over about 2 hours. Only six other
people seen during this walk (non birdos)
15/8/07.PM Stokes Hill Lookout. Strong cold wind and thickening cloud
– rain imminent. Spent about 1 hour searching the area designated by
John Barkla and others. Heard a few rather indistinct calls over the
wind but failed to get even a glimpse of any grasswren. Retreated to
the track into Appealinna Ruins where we spent another hour in more
sheltered Spinifex but dipped again on the Short tailed Grasswren.
16/8/07. Arkaba – Wilpena Pound. Light rain and very cold. Small
flock of Elegant Parrot near entry gate to Arkaba Station to which we
were alerted by our hostess Lizzie Rasheed who has a very keen
interest in the birds on their large property. The weather remained
cold and wet for the rest of the day and no other special birds were
seen. Heard a Fantailed Cuckoo on the walk into the Pound.
17/8/07. Arkaba – Blinman – Wirrealpa Station.
Significant improvement in the weather but still no luck with the
Short-tailed Grasswren on a last visit to the road into Appealinna at
a site recommended by John Barkla. About 10k before Blinman stopped
to investigate a flock of Dusky Woodswallows and saw a few Masked
Woodswallows, a pair of Crimson Chats, several White-winged Trillers,
plus Southern Whiteface, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Red-capped Robin,
Richards Pipit, Singing Bush-lark, Rufous Whistler and Willie
Wagtail. The sun was shining and there was almost no wind and the
temperature went above 14 for the first time on the trip. We were
able to enjoy using the spotting scope to scan this very active mixed
flock.
Good lunch at the Blinman Hotel before passing through extremely dry
country to the cottage on the edge of the 1600sq km Wirrealpa
station. The dry creek bed near the cottage is home to White-winged
fairywrens, Chirruping Wedgebills, White-browed Babblers, Common
Bronzewing Pigeons, Weebill, Grey Butcherbird (nesting), Spiny-
cheeked, White-plumed & Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters etc.
18/8/07. Wirrealpa Station. Warm and sunny with only a slight breeze.
Drove along station tracks to scenic creek beds and rock formations.
Years of well below average rainfall have impacted on the bird
population and no new species were added to the trip list.
Magnificent sunset from the cottage living room.
19/8/07 Wirrealpa – Parachilna via Blinman. During breakfast had
wonderful views of Mulga Parrot and Ring-necked Parrot, White-winged
Wrens etc drinking at the open squatters tank next to the cottage. (A
photographer’s paradise but none in our group). Resolved to come
again after significant rain.==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
=============================
|
