Hi all.
Allan Benson, Alan Morris, Rob Benson and I have have just had a very
enjoyable but unsuccessful search for the Princess Parrots in the Kings
Canyon and Uluru areas.
We travelled from Kings Canyon up the Mereenie Loop Road to around the
north west extreme of the road. As has been stated, the country was
alive with flowering plants, Black and Pied Honeyeaters, Little Button
Quail, White-winged Trillers and Rufous Songlarks in profusion. We also
encountered some Grey Honeyeaters, a new bird for most of us, near the
transmission tower at the NW corner of the Mereenie Loop.
We found Bourkes Parrots and Spotted Harriers close to Kings Canyon and
had brilliant close and extended views of a pair of Dusky Grasswrens
near the beginning of the Kings Canyon walk inside the Canyon, as well
as Spinifex Pigeon and Western Bowerbird in the car park.
Woodswallows, mostly Masked were seen in most places, Little
Woodswallows seen at the Kings Canyon and the Olgas. Crested Bellbirds
were everywhere. We only saw one group of Grey Crowned Babblers.
We had brilliant views of Black-breasted Buzzards on the road out of
Kings Canyon as well as in a number of other places. A pair of Major
Mitchells were a delight.
We then left the area and travelled to Uluru and further west on the
Docker river Road. We travelled about 50Kms along this before deciding
that the country was too dry and not improving and not nearly as good as
that around the Mereenie Loop. We saw Grey-headed Honeyeaters at Ayers
Rock and the Olgas.
We also checked the area around Curtin Springs and stopped many times in
likely looking habitat.
The best area by far is that around the Mereenie Loop and were sorely
tempted to head west from there on the track to the closest Princess
Parrots.
We all hope that the Princess Parrots will breed up and become
accessible rather than disappear back into the Gibson Desert.
Happy birding.
--
John Reidy
Sydney
Phone 02 9871 4836
Fax 02 9871 2616
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