Hi all,
This a trip report to Sturt National park. The country is an absolute
picture. There are no gibber plains in Sturt NP, everything is under
Mitchell Grass and there is water everywhere.
Dates: 12th- 25th May
Route Central Coast-Coonabarabran- Narrabri- Lightening Ridge- Bourke-
Wanaaring- Tibooburra- Broken Hill- Hay- Forbes - Home
Birding highlights
13/5 Warrumbungles - Turquoise parrot (16 + 8). 16 at woolshed and 8 along
main rd back toward Camp Pincham. Speckled Warbler, Yellow-tufted
Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, White- eared Honeyeater, Brown Treecreeper
14/5 Sawn Rocks(Narrabri) - Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Yellow-tufted
Honeyeater, Double- barred Finch, White -naped Honeyeater.
15/5 Walgett Weir- Red-tailed Black cockatoo(15) plus lots of White- necked
Heron and Great Egret fishing below Weir.
16/5 Gundabooka National Park- White-browed Treecreeper, Crested Bellbird,
Red-capped Robin, Striped Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, Chestnut-rumped
Thornbill, Yellow thornbill, Inland Thornbill, Varied Sittella
17/5 Bourke- Red-tailed Black cockatoo, Yellow -billed Spoonbill, Royal
Spoonbill, Blackbird
18/5 120km West of Wanaaring- Grey Falcon, Bourke's Parrot(5),
Budgerigar(30), Pink Cockatoo, Chirruping Wedgebill, Chestnut-browed
Babbler, Rufous Songlark
18/5 Bullo Overflow- Red-chested Button quail, Buff banded Rail, Australian
Crake, Orange Chat, Red-kneed Dotterel(lots) Pink eared Duck, Australian,
Hoary Headed and Great Crested Grebes, Black Tailed Native Hen, Gull-billed
and Whiskered Terns, Glossy Ibis plus lots of more.
24/5 Lake Cargelligo Sewage Treatment Works- Little Grassbird, Australian
Shelduckl
19/5 Sturt National Park Gibber Chat (3)(about 1km outside of park on
Wanaaring Rd, Bourkes Parrot (7), Brown Songlark (Gorge Lookout), Cinnamon
Quail Thrush (Mt Olive), Australian Crake(8), White -winged Fairy Wren,
Swamp Harrier (South Meyers Tank)
20/5 34km into SA from Camerons Corner- Eyrean Grasswren, Banded Whiteface,
Crimson Chat, Singing Bushlark , White backed swallow, Pink eared Duck,
Australian Shoveler
Raptors The mice plague is providing food for lots of raptors. Nankeen
Kestrel was the most common bird seen on the trip- we saw 100's.
Interestingly we saw no Black Shouldered Kites out west. We saw some around
Lake Cargelligo. Normally I would expect to see them in equal ratio. Brown
Falcon (very Common), Wedge-tail Eagle -common in Sturt National Park. We
saw a few elsewhere. Spotted Harrier.- First one seen around Broken Hill but
more common on Hay Plains, Swamp Harrier-we saw 4 or 5. Black Falcon 1
chasing budgies 90 km south of Tibooburra. Hobby - saw 3 at various places.
Peregrine Falcon 1 at Gum Swamp Forbes. Grey Falcon- 1 as note above.
Collared Sparrowhawk(3), Brown Goshawk(1)
Please contact me if you want more details
Footnote- I ran into a birder in Bourke who was returning from Bladensburg
in Qld. He was told the Letter-winged Kites are breeding strongly in
Diamantina National park (in an area not open to the public) in response to
the Log-haired Rats breeding up. We may get an irruption similar to the
event in the early 1990's.
Best Regards
Allan Benson
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