birding-aus

Kimberley Trip

To: Birding Aus <>
Subject: Kimberley Trip
From: Sue & Phil Gregory <>
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:17:48 +1000
Just back from a trip to the Mitchell Plateau, my first visit there and a few surprises, not least being the great state of the previously notorious Gibb River Road, now just a few corrugations and no major dramas. It took us about 4.5 hours from Kununurra to the Kalumburu turn off, an hour to Drysdale Station, an hour and a half to the Mitchell Plateau turn-off, and then about 2 hours to drive the 80 km there to the camp site. Two punctures were a reminder to have two spares however..... Black Grasswren was of course the main objective and it was hard, it took us about 8 hours on the first day before we found them opposite the rock art shelter just before Big Mertens Falls. A male showed very nicely in the end, and another bird was calling in the rocks out of sight. Chris Eastwood was not with us for this one, so we had to repeat it again for him later, this time getting onto an obliging male in the Thomas and Thomas site just over the creek by the campsite en route to Little Mertens falls- thanks to Don for finding it initially and giving us a call so we could track it down later. Kimberley Honeyeater was scarce, I was impressed by how different the voice is to White-lined and we managed to get good looks at a couple of birds, my second lifer of the trip. Other notable were Southern Boobook and Barn Owl, Partridge Pigeon (just 1 of the yellow facial skinned taxon), lots of White-quilled Rock-Pigeon, the very distinctive Kimberley Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Chestnut-backed Buttonquail (I), Green-backed Gerygone, Bar-breasted Honeyeater. We had a Black-breasted Buzzard en route too, near the El Questro turn-off, and quite a few Spinifex Pigeon along that route, plus a flock of about 70 Pictorella Mannikin at the lookout west of the Pentecost River crossing

Thanks to Don Hadden for sharing info and fixing a flat for us (it blew as we entered Kununurra Don!), and to George Swann (who was another lifer for me) for more gen, cool beers and a great Bradshaw rock art shelter. Also to Dave and Chris for the chance to make the trip.

Phil Gregory
www. cassowary-house.com.au
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