Recently went on a week long
family trip to western NSW, with three nights at Kinchega NP, two at White
Cliffs and 2 at Broken Hill. Travelling
with three kids (and the in-laws) reduced some bird-watching time but did get
some
time alone, and ended up seeing some good birds. 114 species record and the
highlight was obviously the pair of Grey
Falcons, but Cinnamon Quail-thrush was a new subspecies tick and tracked down a
few other good species including Rufous Fieldwren and Redthroat. Many spring
migrants were back or possibly
given the good season never went away.
Below
is a very quick summary of the itinerary (with locations visited) and then a
species list with notes on significant (to me) sightings. Most are threatened
or migratory species, but
I have also included species recorded in Kinchega (K) and Paroo-Darling (PD)
National Parks – at the latter most (but not all) were recorded in the time
spent at Peery Lake. The date of the
first sighting (between 4th and 11th of July) is also
included and an asterisk indicates only seen at one location. Species missed
included Chats (other than
White-fronted), Mulga Parrot, Banded Lapwing, Yellow-rumped Thornbill and any
quails.
One final point as a reminder to
all travel in remote NSW – check the weather. We left White Cliffs with a few
showers present, but nothing really to worry about. By the time we got to the
Mutawintji NP turnoff this had turned into a heavy fall and we then had to bolt
to Broken Hill – the Subaru spent a fair bit of the way sideways but we did get
through (thankfully). Broken Hill did
end up with 31mm all up, but I suspect only about 10 had fallen where we were.
Luckily it was only Mitchell Grass Plains (rather than black soil) so we weren’t
completely stuck.
4/7 – Mildura-Wentworth-Popiltah
Lake-Broken Hill-Kinchega NP (Woolshed area)
5/7 – Kinchega NP (Woolshed
& Old Homestead area)
6/7 – Kinchega NP (Woolshed area
and Cawndilla Regulator)
7/7 – Kinchega NP-Menindee-Wilcannia-White
Cliffs (Underground Motel)
8/7 – White Cliffs-Paroo-Darling
NP (Peery Lake)-White Cliffs
9/7 – White Cliffs-Mutawintji NP
(aborted)-Broken Hill
10/7 – Broken Hill (Silverton
Road, Living Desert)
11/7 – Broken Hill-Popiltah
Lake-Mildura
Let me know if you would like a copy as a word document or want any further
details on any sightings.Cheers,Peter
1. Emu – 4 K
PD
2. Black
Swan – 7
3. Australian
Shelduck – 5 K*
4. Pink-eared
Duck – 8 PD*
5. Australian
Wood Duck – 4
6. Pacific
Black Duck – 6 K* Amazingly one bird only on the Cawndilla Outlet Channel
7. Grey Teal
– 4 PD
8. Hardhead –
4 PD
9. Australasian
Grebe – 4* Popiltah Lake
10. Hoary-headed
Grebe – 8 PD*
11. Australian
White Ibis – 4
12. Straw-necked
Ibis – 6 K
13. Yellow-billed
Spoonbill – 5 K PD
14. White-necked
Heron – 4 K PD
15. Great
Egret – 4 K PD
16. White-faced
Heron – 4 K PD
17. Australian
Pelican – 4 K PD
18. Little
Black Cormorant – 4 K PD
19. Pied
Cormorant – 5 K
20. Great
Cormorant – 4 K PD
21. Darter –
4 K PD
22. Nankeen
Kestrel – 4 K PD
23. Australian
Hobby – 4* Broken Hill-Menindee Road
24. Brown
Falcon – 4 PD
25. Grey
Falcon – 9* Good views of a pair harassing a Cockatiel to the north of
Mutawintji NP.
26. Black-shouldered
Kite – 4 K PD
27. Black
Kite – 7 K
28. Whistling
Kite – 4 K PD
29. Swamp
Harrier – 9* A single well-marked male seen in atypical habitat west of White
Cliffs (passing through?)
30. Spotted
Harrier – 4 PD The first raptor seen (near Merbein) and two more seen east of
White Cliffs (1 in Paroo-Darling NP)
31. Brown
Goshawk – 5 K* A single female behind the kitchen at Kinchega NP
32. Wedge-tailed
Eagle – 4
33. Eurasian
Coot – 4 PD
34. Black-tailed
Native-hen – 7* A large flock on a roadside swamp south of Wilcannia
35. Masked
Lapwing – 8 PD
36. Black-fronted
Dotterel – 6 K PD
37. Silver
Gull – 4 PD
38. Caspian
Tern – 8 PD* 2 birds at Peery Lake
39. Rock
Dove – 4
40. Common
Bronzewing – 4
41. Crested
Pigeon – 4 K PD
42. Diamond
Dove – 9* 4 seen on the roadside in White Cliffs township
43. Peaceful
Dove – 4 K Heard once at Kinchega and again in Wilcannia township
44. Red-tailed
Black-cockatoo – 5 K A flock near the Old Homestead in Kinchega and another on
the
Menindee-Wilcannia Road. Heard (but not seen) in both Menindee and Wilcannia
townships
45. Galah –
4 K PD
46. Little
Corella – 4 K PD
47. Major
Mitchell’s Cockatoo 8 PD* A pair flying over at Peery Lake were the only one’s
recorded
48. Cockatiel
– 7
49. Australian
Ringneck – 4 K PD
50. Crimson
(Yellow) Rosella – 4 Only near the Murray River
51. Blue
Bonnet – 4 K PD
52. Red-rumped
Parrot – 4 K
53. Budgerigar
– 7 PD
54. Pallid
Cuckoo – 7 Single birds seen on the Menindee-Wilcannia Road and south of Broken
Hill
55. Horsfield’s
Bronze-cuckoo – 8 One heard at Peery Lake, and possible sightings from the car
at White Cliffs and south of Broken Hill
56. Australian
Owlet-nightjar – 4 K* One seen on the road at night near Emu Lake at Kinchega
NP
57. Laughing
Kookaburra – 4 Heard on the Darling at Wilcannia
58. Sacred
Kingfisher – 6 K PD One bird near the Woolshed t Kinchega and two at Peery Lake
59. Brown
Treecreeper – 5 K
60. Variegated
Fairy-wren – 6 K PD
61. White-winged
Fairy-wren – 4 K PD
62. Striated
Pardalote – 4 K
63. Rufous
Fieldwren – 10* A single bird (eventually) seen near the Daydream Mine turnoff
between Broken Hill and Silverton (more were probably calling but weather was
windy and foggy)
64. Redthroat
– 10* A pair of birds in a creekline about 15km west of Broken Hill on the
Silverton Road
65. Weebill –
6 K
66. Chestnut-rumped
Thornbill – 5 K PD
67. Southern
Whiteface – 6 K PD
68. Singing
Honeyeater – 4 K PD
69. White-plumed
Honeyeater – 4 K PD
70. Noisy
Miner – 4
71. Yellow-throated
Miner 4 K PD
72. Little
Friarbird – 4 K* Only seen at Kinchega where common
73. Striped
Honeyeater – 4 K
74. Spiny-cheeked
Honeyeater – 4 K PD
75. Red
Wattlebird – 11* Only seen near Merbein in Victoria
76. White-fronted
Honeyeater – 6 K Surprisingly common at Kinchega NP and another heard at a
roadside stop south of Wilcannia
77. Black
Honeyeater – 8 PD* Three males seen at Peery Lake (probably feeding on
flowering Budda Eremophila duttonii)
78. White-fronted
Chat – 6 K* About four birds feeding behind the woolshed at Kinchega
79. Red-capped
Robin – 6 K PD
80. Chestnut-crowned
Babbler – 6 K PD
81. Chirruping
Wedgebill – 6 K PD
82. Cinnamon
Quail-thrush – 9* A single bird flushed from the road between White Cliffs and
Broken Hill (west of the Tibooburra turnoff) – a new subspecies for my list
83. Rufous
Whistler – 6 K* A single female seen near the woolshed at Kinchega
84. Grey
Shrike-thruah – 5 K PD
85. Crested
Bellbird – 6 K
86. Grey
Fantail – 4 K* Common in Kinchega
87. Willie
Wagtail – 4 K PD
88. Magpie-lark
– 4 K PD
89. Restless
Flycatcher – 7 PD
90. Grey
Butcherbird – 4 K PD
91. Pied
Butcherbird – 4 K PD
92. Australian
Magpie – 4 K PD
93. White-breasted
Woodswallow – 8 One heard in White Cliffs and one seen in Broken Hill (may not
be migratory here?)
94. White-browed
Woodswallow – 7 One seen south of Wilcannia and another at Peery Lake (a high
flock may have contained Masked but the sun was in the wrong spot)
95. Black-faced
Woodswallow – 4 PD
96. Black-faced
Cuckoo-shrike – 7
97. White-winged
Triller – 7 a single male at a roadside stop about 50km south of Wilcannia
98. Little
Crow – 4 PD
99. Australian
Raven – 4 K PD
100. White-winged
Chough – 7 A single flock on the Menindee-Wilcannia Road
101. Apostlebird
– 4
102. Eurasian
Blackbird – 4
103. Common
Starling – 4
104. White-backed
Swallow – 7 K
105. Welcome
Swallow – 4 K PD
106. Tree
Martin – 4 K PD
107. Fairy
Martin – 7 A flock present in Wilcannia
108. Little
Grassbird – 8 PD* A single bird at Peery Lake
109. Rufous
Songlark – 8 PD 2 calling at Peery Lake and many in roadside Mulga near the
Mutawintji NP turnoff the following day
110. Brown
Songlark – 11 A single bird south of Broken Hill
111. Mistletoebird
– 4 K PD
112. House
Sparrow – 4 Present in White Cliffs!
113. Australian
Pipit – 7 PD
114. Zebra
Finch – 7 PD
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