G’day Bird lovers,
As the vast majority of my birding experience has been here in Central
Australia, I’ll have a stab at a Top Ten Centralian birding sites.
Here goes;
1. Alice Poo Ponds – no question. Close to town and the bird list is
approaching 200. Spotting waders and ducks is somehow a whole lot more
thrilling right in the middle of the arid zone.
2. Hamilton Downs Youth Camp Road – The vicinity including Kunoth Bore has much
to offer. Almost any raptor can turn up here and it is among the most likely
areas (this close to town) to produce Bourke’s Parrot, Flock Bronzewing, Grey
Honeyeater, Slaty-backed Thornbill, Banded Whiteface, Crimson Chat, Spotted
Harrier, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Australian Bustard, Little Eagle, and the list
goes on.
3. Owen Springs Conservation Reserve – A great 4wd loop that starts only 50km
out of Alice and has a knack for producing loads of honeyeaters, Little Eagle,
Painted Finch, Spinifexbird, and Dusky Grasswren.
4. Trephina Gorge – Another winner on grounds of proximity and sealed road
accessibility. Just the last couple of kilometres are unsealed and this may be
one of the best sites for Painted Finch, Dusky Grasswren, Spinifexbird, Eastern
Barn Owl, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Grey-headed Honeyeater and Red-browed
Pardalote. A superb spot for an overnight camp just 70kms from town.
5. Glen Helen Resort – Along with the magnificent 2 Mile Camping area in the
Finke river bed this is a great spot for Peregrine, Australian Hobby, Major
Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Dusky Moorhen (hard in Central
Aus), Spinifexbird, and when the desert is blooming, lots of honeyeaters. Great
access to the Mereenie Loop, Redbank Gorge and Tnorala.
6. Deep Well Road – Well known as “The Santa Theresa Rd” and many folks just go
as far as the 32km mark and the ever-reliable “tyre in the pole” site for
Rufous-crowned Emu-wren. The reality is that this road has much more to offer
in the varied habitat that can be found along its length for roadside birding
stops. It is becoming known as one of the closest areas for Cinnamon
Quail-thrush but also produces Orange Chat, Dusky Grasswren, Spinifexbird,
Varied Sittella, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Chestnut-rumped, Yellow-rumped, Inland,
and Slaty-backed Thornbill, Bourke’s Parrot, Pied Honeyeater, Black Honeyeater,
and a bit further along Inland Dotterel is a regular (at the moment!).
7. Old Andado – Follow Deep Well Rd far enough and you reach this desert
hideout. An oasis after decent rains (now!) it loses out by being a bit more
remote and harder to reach. The pay-off is that it produces some hyperspatially
scramfariously cool birds. Yellow Chat, Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Flock
Bronzewing, Nankeen Night-heron, Grey Falcon, Eastern Grass Owl and
Letter-winged Kite are all recent reports and it is about the closest spot to
Alice Springs for fairly reliable Eyrean Grasswrens. I fully expect the first
specimen of Millenium Falcon to be discovered here one day.
8. Kuyunba Conservation Reserve – an unobtrusive little reserve only 10kms out
of Alice Springs on Hatt Rd. It makes up for being tiny by being a great spot
to get most of the local little bush birds. Little Woodswallow are know to
roost here and you also may get Grey Fantail, Hooded Robin, White-fronted
Honeyeater, Mulga Parrot, Tawny Frogmouth, and all of the thornbill species
that we are eligible for in Central Australia.
9. Plenty Highway – I include this as it seems to be an often overlooked route
through to western Queensland. The Barkly Highway has its appeal but the Plenty
can produce many of the few Centralian Brolga sightings each year, Flock
Bronzewing, Bourke’s Parrot, Black-breasted Buzzard, Square-tailed Kite, and it
is among the best drives to find Ground Cuckoo-shrike. For the herps it is one
of the last reasonably regular spots to find the rare Woma Python. My money is
also on the eastern extremities of this road being a likely spot for future
Night Parrot sightings... there, I’ve said it now.
10. Tingkarli (Mary Ann Dam) – 5kms north of Tennant Creek this is getting to
the northern extremities of what I consider Central Australia. It is a great
body of permanent water on the edge of the tablelands and has nearby
populations of Rufous-crowned Emu-wren and Striated Grasswren and can produce a
long list of waterfowl, all of the cormorants (except Black-faced), Australian
Pelican, both the spoonbills, Nankeen Night-heron, all the ibis,
Plumed-whistling Duck, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Spinifexbird, Crimson Chat
and others.
Like any top ten there are a number of notable omissions; Ilparpa Swamp,
Ormiston Gorge, Erldunda, Mulga Park Road, King’s Canyon, Tilmouth Well,
Stirling Swamp, Frewena, Karlwe Karlwe (Devil’s Marbles), Tnorala, Karinga
Creek, Cattlewater Pass, Roma Gorge, Gary Junction Highway, Sandy Blight
Junction Road, Tjukaruru Road, Mt. Gillen, Mt. Sonder, and almost anywhere
along the famous Larapinta Trail are all worthy of mention as great
destinations to find birds.
Best to bring a friend to share the fuel costs, and carbon offsets.
Cheers,
Chris Watson
Alice Springs
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