After a year's planning and months of frustrating waiting as others got a
chance to get out to Jupiter Well as see the PP's, Jack and finally got onto 4
after spending almost a week in that magnificent country east of the Canning
Stock Route.
Specifically, they were 9 sand dunes to the south of the 44km east of Jupiter
Well site....about 1.3 km's south of 22 45 32 126 58 19 at 1800 on the 29th
Sept 09. We had spent the 2 previous days mainly around the outstation site and
Jupiter Well itself...stacks of great honeyeaters and awesome lizards but no
PP's. We then moved camp to the 44km site made famous by Jon King and family.
Fortune smiled on us when a large Brown Goshawk (probable female) crusied
between dunes a couple of dunes away to the south. We were on the highest dune
with the large dead Dune Coolibah and large dead mistletoe in it (a bit of a
landmark when you are there). We actually said to each other that it'd be great
if she could kick up a PP for us. Seconds later she disturbed 4 whilst we had
binos focussed on the goshawk!... amazing......They flew up about 10 metres and
appeared to land again out of site behind the dune. We quickly crept up to the
area (which took about 5 mins I think). When got there, we could see the
grasses and tracks that they had been feeding on but ,alas, no close up views.
Our diagnostic views were for only about 5 seconds at most and about 400m away
I think. Next morning we went back to the same area with poor old Karen Blake
(who had run out of dune-walking puff the previous afternoon) and failed to
relocate them.
Special thanks to Don Hadden, Greg Little, Ian May, Frank Pierce, Don Kimble,
Alan Stuart and others that I may have forgotten for passing on information
regarding such a spectacular and elusive parrot.
A couple of points potential birders must consider before embarking on this
type of trip.....It is remote, about 800km west of Alice Springs....about 1.5
days if you are lucky. Although well water is fine at Jupiter and the 70km east
bore, carry lots. It got to 38deg on one day. The GJR varies from good 80 km/hr
sand driving to rutted 40km/hr gravel. There are hundreds of shredded tyres
along the road, so good 4WD drive tyres are essential, plugger kits, repair
gear and spares are required. Driving senibily and a bit of luck meant that we
only suffered one flat tyre on gthe whole trip. The communities of Kiwirrkurra,
Papunya and Kintore are hundreds of km's apart and would be of little
assistance should you suffer a major breakdown. Fuel varies from 175 cents at
Papunya to 280 cents at Kiwirrkurra. We carried 200 litres all up including
jerry cans and only needed fuel at Papunya. EPIRP, UHF and Satellite phones are
advisable. We took a day or 2 longer than planned and my wife in Bundaberg had
just contacted the police to put in a missing persons alert as we drove into
Alice......so best to allocate enough time but it was good to see that our
pre-planned rescue plan would have worked if necessary. Each day we saw 1 or 2
vehicles but as Mike Carter will attest, there can be long periods of no
outside contact especially approaching summer. We took a camper trailer with a
diesel landrover discovery which was great apart from the kitchen falling off
the hinges! (which required rewelding in Alice later on). All in all, 8000km
for a 5 second view was worth it.....of course there are heaps of great
reptiles and other avifauna, along with some of the most fantastic arid
environments anywhere on the planet to enrich travellers on that journey.
Back to work today....I could do a Jon King and go back to thye PP's instead
though!
Cheers,
Bill
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