Hey all,
Lucy and I couldn't resist the temptations of Bowra so headed up for an
extended weekend, leaving Canberra on the 3rd and getting back on the 7th of
July.
Traveling north, we reached Bourke by sundown having spent the afternoon
watching several groups of Cockatiels, Red-rumped Parrots, Little Corellas,
some Major-mitchell Cockatoos and Bluebonnets. One Red-winged Parrot was
briefly spotted in a tree, oddly our only one for the trip. We settled into a
cabin in Bourke to discover some Little Crows roosting in the tree beside it.
An early departure the next morning saw us stop for a flock of over 50
Major-mitchell Cockatoos by the roadside, whilst the rest area north of Bourke
had Grey-crowned Babblers building a next and Mallee Ringnecks courtship
feeding. As we continued north and hit the grasslands around the Qld border,
the number of raptors increased rapidly, and soon we'd picked up Brown Falcon,
large numbers of Australian Kestrels, Black-shouldered Kites, Black Kites,
Little Eagles, Whistling Kites, Wedge-tailed Eagles, and several nicely
plumaged Spotted Harriers. Our first Black-faced Woodswallow was encountered,
our only woodswallow species for the trip!
We traveled to the flock bronzewing site north of Cunnamulla, where we were
rewarded with a large flock of Diamond Doves, but little else. Onto Bowra,
where a pair of Australian Bustards were seen repeatedly near the entrance
gates, Crimson Chats were common along with thousands of Zebra Finches and
Diamond Doves. A Crested Bellbird was found in a thicket of trees, along with
a Spotted Bowerbird. Once settled into the quarters, we headed out to try our
luck on the Bowra specials in the last few hours of daylight, the highlights
being a group of Chestnut-crowned Babblers, Splendid Fairy-wrens and several
hundred Plumed Whistling-ducks along the river. A pair of Mulga Parrots was
also located behind the shearer's quarters, and Lucy (relaxing in the hammock)
had two Major-mitchell Cockatoos land in the tree above her when coming into
drink at the wetlands behind the accommodation.
The next day was spent further exploring the property, heading towards the back
paddock, seeing some Stubble Quail and a flock of Budgerigars on the way. In
the back paddock itself were numerous raptors, and we added Brown Goshawk,
Hobby, Swamp Harrier and Black Falcon. A group of Black Honeyeaters were also
found. Heading back for lunch, we stopped in an area full of zebra finches and
with some persistance, managed a pair of Plum-headed Finches amongst them.
That afternoon yielded a nice group of Bourke's Parrots roosting in a tree, two
pairs of Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush and two groups of Hall's Babblers. We
also stopped in some good looking quail habitat, which rewarded us with
extended views of a Little Button-quail. Unfortunately, we couldn't manage any
of the Ground Cuckoo-shrikes which were recently seen. The late afternoon was
spent chasing Stubble Quail around the property and watching four
Major-mitchell Cockatoos coming into drink alongside Galahs and Black-winged
Stilts. That evening I finally figured out the strange noise of birds flying
over, realising they were large groups of Plumed Whistling-ducks calling as
they flew.
Early the next morning we headed off for Lake Bindegolly, but didn't get as far
as the front gate before stopping for a trio of Grey Falcons roosting in a tree
giving us magical views of a pair and one of their young begging for food. A
little further on, near the airport, we had three Australian Bustards fly over
the road (in bomber squadron formation), that, along with numerous Emus, being
the highlight of the drive west. Lake Bindegolly had plenty of water, so we
put on our hats and packed some food and water for a long walk around (choosing
to walk from the rest area rather than drive in). We saw several groups of
White-winged Fairy-wrens, some Singing Honeyeaters, and some elusively calling
Pied Honeyeaters. Once in the park itself a small lizard was seen in the
distance (our only reptile for the trip!), before a mixed group of Pied
Honeyeaters and Black Honeyeaters was found. The walk to the lake was
uneventful, with only a small group of uncoloured Orange Chats found.
Thousands of ducks and swans are currently present, mostly comprising of Grey
Teal. A quick drive to the southern parts of the lake, where few birds were
present, though a large group of Yellow-billed Spoonbills and some Red-necked
Avocet were a welcome sight.
An early departure the next morning saw us dodging and weaving large numbers of
birds on the road until we came across a group of 25 or so Flock Bronzewing
which alighted and landed in a nearby field. A quick walk in the rather cold
breeze from the on-coming rain front confirmed their ID, and also flushed
another Little Button-quail. The bronzewings were approximately 80kms south of
Cunnamulla on the road to Bourke, about 1km before the road narrows into an
older section of road.
All in all a very successful and rewarding trip, with 10 species of parrots and
12 species of raptors (reminiscent of South Africa!) seen. However, in over
2500kms we didn't manage to come across a single group of Ground Cuckoo-shrike.
Banded Lapwings were also very notable in their absence, however it was great
to see such good numbers of raptors present.
Cheers,
Damien
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