Just one final comment. I've looked at photos and guides and decided
to tick the Pilotbird. The only other possible that it could have been
was the Origma, and it differed in the tail, by being broader, longer
and pointed ended on individual feathers. The Origma has rounded tail
ends. Well, I put some work into that tick, 18 months at least! And I
live in their range! Either they're elusive or I'm a hopeless birder.
EB
On 7/21/08, Evan Beaver <> wrote:
> Birders,
>
> In a moment of madness recently, Steve and I decided that we should
> try and to the Grose Valley 2-day walk in a day, and for extra hippy
> points we decided to take the train there and back. 27k's later and I
> can hardly type, and walking is only a distant memory. But, it allowed
> access to some sensational habitat and brilliant views of some
> cracking birds.
>
> We caught the train up to Mt Vic, then made good time down to Victoria
> Falls. First 6k despatched in 1hr40, we were making good time and
> thought we'd do it easily. Heard my first Pilotbird calling from up on
> the lookout and became certain that after 18months of searching, today
> would be the day when I'd finally see one of these noisy little
> buggers. Mt Vic falls are spectacular; an improbable shelf of iron
> rich sandstone, cantilevered out over a rubbishy shale cave, dumping
> water into space from about 30m above the pool. No time for scenery
> though, still 20k to go.
>
> From here we followed the creek downstream to where it joins the Grose
> River. Plenty of Lyrebird activity was seen, though only one calling
> bird was heard all day. One area in particularly had been heavily
> modified by Lyrebird scratching around activity, probably the female
> we saw near by. There was a section of shale and rock hillside, with
> loose rocks piled at the bottom of the hill, clearly tumbled down by a
> foraging bird. I was surprised at the carnage one bird could cause!
>
> The track rolls on along beside the Grose for 7k, passing through
> numerous habitats, some changing abruptly. Vine and turpentine giving
> way to grasses and dry sclerophyl, melaluca forests bordering acacia
> forests and the iconic Blue Gum Forest. Bird wise most of the classic
> Blueys bush birds were heard at least, some seen. Fan-Tailed cuckoos
> were calling, WB Scrub Wren and Brown Thornbills were positively
> common. We had a great look at a family of 3 Glossies, feeding noisily
> and calling quietly in some Alocasurina by the river. I had a possible
> Pilotbird sighting down near the Blue Gum forest; a rusty brown bird,
> bigger than an Origma, with a broad fan tail with a saw-tooth end.
> Virtually couldn't have been anything else, if we were at Barren
> Grounds I'd call it a Bristlebird, so maybe it was. I'm not convinced.
> Later I chased a calling bird down near the river only to lose it in
> the undergrowth. Some dodgy attempted calls from me didn't elicit a
> response, except from a very interested Spotted Pard. It came right
> down in the tree next to me, looking fairly quizical.
>
> No time for smelling the roses though. It was 2pm before we reached
> the junction for the turnoff up Perry's Lookdown, with the crux still
> in front of us. The climb up from the Blue Gum Forest is a renowned
> widow maker, and I wasn't feeling in the best shape. My knee was
> locking into the open position every time I stopped, much like a Tin
> Man in the rain. Codeine and Voltaren didn't make much of a dent, so I
> just vowed to not stop walking and deal with the consequences later.
> 600m of stair climbing would surely sort it out. No real birdy
> highlights on the way out from here, except when I flushed a Grey
> Shrike Thrush from next to the track. It really wasn't happy to see
> me. Onward and upward then we pushed on, the whingeing increasing with
> the altitude. Topped out around 4pm, with a foreboding mist rolling
> into the Valley. There we stood in triumph, shaking our fists at the
> Grose, asking "is that all you've got!". Little did we know that the
> 5k stroll back along the road to Blackheath was actually closed to 8,
> and would virtually kill both of us. First the sun went down, then the
> rain started falling and still we walked, along this ridiculously long
> straight road, where a passing car could be seen for minutes as it
> pottered along in front of us.
>
> Wobbled onto Blackheath Station at bang on 6, 10 hours walking with no
> more than a 15 minute break at any time, for roughly 27k and a net
> loss of 100m, but more like 800m down and 700m back up. A good walk
> though, and thoroughly recommended, but I'd do the car shuffle next
> time and avoid the 12k from trackheads to stations. Today I'm so weak
> I can hardly type. I'm going to spend some time looking at Pilotbird
> descriptions and pics today to check if I got enough distinguishing
> features. it could still be on the lilst before the end of the day.
>
> EB
>
> --
> Evan Beaver
> Lapstone, Blue Mountains, NSW
> lat=-33.77, lon=150.64
>
--
Evan Beaver
Lapstone, Blue Mountains, NSW
lat=-33.77, lon=150.64
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