birding-aus

Preliminary RFI - Darwin & Top End for July visit

To: Tom and Mandy Wilson <>, birding aus <>
Subject: Preliminary RFI - Darwin & Top End for July visit
From: Gary Wright <>
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2012 15:32:57 +0930
Hi Tom

Darwin and top end is a great birding spot.  I had to go there a bit for
work over the last few years so managed to catch up on some that I had
missed.

Arafura fantail-buffalo creek on seaward side of corner just before you
come to carparks parallel to beach-hope that makes sense-there is a big s
bend just before you get there and it was on the left when going towards
carpark.  seen in same place two visits

little kingfisher-one of my bogey birds-eventually got it at creek with
boardwalk(8) in McCrie and watson for casuarina coastal reserve.   I found
this area a wonderland for birds both hospital side of mangroves and
beachside of mangroves

rainbow pitta-East point go past toilets from carpark into woodland

banded fruit dove-gubara in Kakadu (Mc Crie and watson)

Not much use to you but I have seen great billed heron and buff sided robin
on Katherine river while on bushwalk with Willis's walkabouts, but not
accessible without carrying your pack.  Also approx 40 hooded parrots on
same walk.  Don't have info for around Pine creek but I am sure someone
will.

suffice to say McCrie and Watson indispensable.

Gary



On 1 April 2012 13:46, Tom and Mandy Wilson <>wrote:

> Hi All
> I will be spending about 10 days in the Darwin/Kakadu/Katherine region in
> early July - the reason this RFI is so far in advance is to help with my
> trip planning.  This will be my second visit (almost 20 years after my
> first in September 1992) and I am looking for a few species I missed that
> time and tidying up a few sightings which, in retrospect, were perhaps not
> as good as I would accept now. I have already raided the birding-aus
> archives, read my (old) Thomas & Thomas and Bransbury looking at sites, but
> would be interested in some perhaps more up to date info/sites for the
> species listed below.  I'm trying to track down a copy of Niven McRie's
> book, but the only copy in the NSW public library system seems to be in the
> State Library, so I'm now probably going to purchase one if I can.
>
> We will be camping for a week and then have a couple of days in Darwin
> itself to finish off, with the route running (roughly) Darwin - Kakadu
> (Ubirr or Jabiru/Cooinda/Gunlom) - Katherine - Litchfield park - Darwin .
> Plans already include a stop at Adelaide River, Yellow Waters and Katherine
> Gorge Cruises, visiting Territory Wildlife Park and visit to Fogg Dam.  (As
> this is a family trip, a visit to Leanyer Sewage works probably not on the
> cards!  A diversion toward Victoria River is also highly unlikely.)
>
> Looking forward to seeing a load of species I've not seen for some time,
> but the specific target list, together with possible sites noted so far, is:
> - Great Billed Heron (Buffalo Creek, Adelaide River. Yellow Waters; Darwin
> Hbr - Middle Arm)
> - Red Goshawk (along Arnhem Hwy; Mataranka/Katherine areas - keep eyes
> peeled as July is when they start displaying?)
> - Chestnut Rail (Buffalo Creek; Charles Darwin NP; Darwin Hbr - Middle Arm
> - aware that I need to get the tide conditions right)
> - Red backed Button Quail (Holmes Jungle; Leaning Tree lagoon)
> - Chestnut Backed Button Quail (areas around Ubirr, Nourlangie)
> - Chestnut Quilled Rock Pigeon (Gunlom, Katherine up on the tops)
> - Banded Fruit Dove (sandstone outcrops at Ubirr, Nourlangie etc)
> - Hooded Parrot (Pine Creek but better info sought on specific
> site/Katherine areas)
> - Rufous Owl (Botanic Gardens; Howard Springs?; Waterfall Creek Gunlom)
> - Little Kingfisher (Yellow Waters, Buffalo Creek)
> - Rainbow Pitta (Monsoon Rainforest - Howard Springs, Fogg Dam; East Point)
> - White Throated Grasswren (Gunlom - are they still there?)
> - Green Backed Gerygone (seem to be common in several habitats - not sure
> how I missed these in 1992)
> - Buff Sided Robin (riverine woodland; Yellow Waters; Waterfall Creek
> Gunlom)
> - White Breasted Whistler (mangroves - Buffalo Creek etc - anywhere I'd be
> looking for Chestnut Rail presumably)
> - Mangrove Golden Whistler (mangroves (duh!) - esp. Adelaide River)
> - Arafura Fantail (monsoon rainforest pockets as for Rainbow Pitta;
> paperbark swamps - varied habitats)
> - Mangrove Grey Fantail (mangroves (duh again!) - Buffalo Creek)
> - Star Finch (bit light on info on this and the next 2)
> - Yellow Rumped Mannikin
> - Pictorella Mannikin
> - Gouldian Finch (around Pine Creek but better info sought on specific
> site; Bird Billabong)
> - Zitting Cisticola (swampy grasslands)
> - Yellow White Eye (mangroves, monsoon thickets)
>
> I was wondering whether it is worth lugging my scope and tripod with me -
> as I assume that lots of waders will be up north breeding but there may be
> a reasonable overwintering population to be seen at East Point, Lee Point
> etc, so would be interested in thoughts on that front.
> Also, is there a site other than Eremaea where NT sightings are discussed?
> I see my trip coincides with Arnhem Land bird week - hope all the birds
> aren't being paid to be over there for the bird week punters!
> Cheers
> Tom Wilson
>
>
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