Hi all
I have (fairly) recently returned from a 11 day trip to Darwin area, with 7
days out in the national parks and 4 in Darwin and closer by. Many thanks to
everybody that replied to my RFI a while back and particularly the
recommendation to purchase the McRie & Watson book (hereafter M&W), which I
heartily endorse. Also thanks to those who offered advice or even to catch
up for a trip - unfortunately my planning and preparation was slightly
stuffed up by having to go overseas for work the week before, so I didn't
get time to print out some stuff that I meant to take (and didn't remember
this until we were in the air over western NSW). As is usually the case with
my family holidays, I can do a lot of birding providing it fits in with the
wider trip. In this case it meant that extended waterhole stakeouts for
Gouldian Finches and ploughing across spinifex covered rock piles looking
for White Throated Grasswrens were not likely to be popular options.
We hired a 4WD with camping equipment for the first week and then had a
regular car for the time in Darwin. Our route took us Darwin / Howard
Springs / Jabiru / Ubirr / Cooinda / Nourlangie / Gunlom / Katherine Gorge /
Litchfield Park / Darwin (inc Berry Springs and Fogg Dam). All up I saw or
heard about 180 species, but with minimal waders found (I didn't get further
northwards up the Darwin foreshore than East Point, so they could have been
at Casuarina or Lee Point/Buffalo Creek) I think that was good going.
Highlights, with dates, as follows:
30 June - 1st bird of the trip arriving at airport was not something mundane
like a House Sparrow or Magpie Lark, but a Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, which
I saw as a good start. Nothing special today as we headed to pick up our
transport, load up with provisions and make sure that we had mastered
setting up the tent before it got dark. By the time we'd done all that,
there wasn't much time for any birding, although there were plenty of birds
around the Howard Springs CP so I did sneak a few sightings as we set up
camp, so the first of many sightings of Little and Black Faced Cuckoo
Shrikes, Varied Triller (everywhere), Blue faced, White Throated, White
Gaped and Brown H/Es and Yellow Bellied Flycatchers.
1 July - breakfasting provided good views of a cloud of woodswallows (Black
faced, White Breasted) over the CP and an Orange Footed Scrubfowl, plus
Yellow Oriole, and loads of Little Friarbirds. A small pond beside the road
between the CP and Howards Springs shops (looking for better tent pegs than
the puny ones that came with the tent) provided a horde of egrets (no Cattle
but plenty of Littles and some Greats and Intermediates), White Necked Heron
and two Black Necked Stork. We stopped at Adelaide River to watch the
jumping crocodiles and saw a Paperbark Flycatcher (new) just outside the
cafe. Also Red Headed Honeyeaters here and the first of many frustrating
encounters with White Gaped Honeyeaters (what's that unusual call? Oh, it's
a White Gaped H/E making a different noise again) when looking for Mangrove
Golden Whistlers, which I didn't find or hear.
Stopped at Bird Billabong - as well as the usual water birds, I managed to
flush a roosting Barking Owl, plus saw plenty of honeyeaters (Bar Breasted,
Rufous Banded, a single Yellow Tinted), Red Browed Pardalote and a
Sparrowhawk. No sign of Gouldian Finches, although I later realised they had
been sighted near the gate, not along the billabong track itself. As my
first proper bush and wetland stop on the trip, the site yielded a number of
good "trip" birds such as Pied Heron, 3 Glossy Ibis and Australian
Pratincole, plus there were 4 or 5 crocs cruising about in the billabong. A
quick stop at Mamukala provided a gang of Grey Crowned Babblers (plus a bus
load of them too!), Crimson and Double Barred Finches. Decided not to push
through to Ubirr as it was nearly dusk and stayed at the Kakadu Lodge CP in
Jabiru, where amongst the peaceful and Bar Shouldered Dove were several
Diamond Doves, and juvenile Masked Finches in the grass next to our tent.
2 July - after a night serenaded by Barking and Boobook Owls and Bush Thick
Knees (which fired up after the Territory Day firework extravaganza
eventually finished), headed north and enjoyed the art site at Ubirr. I
looked for sandstone species, but no luck. However, while watching the
kites cruising about over the floodplain from the top lookout, a new raptor
was seen very purposefully crossing the sky. As it came closer I could see
that it had a reddish hue and a paler head and the underwings had similarly
reddish coverts and pale underwings with barring running along rather than
across the wing and a darker trailing edge. As it passed, there was a long
straight tail with barring across it. The bird kept going after it had
passed - but I am pretty sure that I saw Red Goshawk on a mission. It did
not look or fly like anything that I saw before or after that sighting.
After a scout at the Ubirr car park toilet block for the Chestnut Quilled
Rock Pigeons that had been reported as hanging around there (but not today),
we walked the Mangarre Walk, where I saw a pair of Arafura Fantails (new) -
great little birds and (I think) different looking to my local Rufous
Fantails - the red seems different and the other markings seem much better
defined. We also had a look at the upper crossing, where we saw a Black
Breasted Buzzard but bailed on the sandstone walk as it was the middle of
the day and we had to do some emailing in Jabiru before heading down to
Mardugal to camp. Checked out the boat ramp here and saw a Brush Cuckoo and
Shining and Leaden Flycatchers and walking along to the Billabong found
plenty of small birds, Kookaburras yakking and settling down for the night
and as we settled won at our camp, calling Owlet Nightjars and barking Owls.
3 June - did the Yellow Waters dawn cruise - plenty of ducks and egrets.
Several quick but good views of a Little Kingfisher crossing the billabong
but we could never find it in the trees, although there were Azure and
Sacred Kingfishers showing well. Two parties of Brolgas seen, several Black
Necked Stork and some good crocs too. Returned from Yellow Waters cruise
and visited Nourlangie Rock art sites, where I also looked for Banded Fruit
Dove (new). I finally found a single bird, which was seen high up the
escarpment sitting on on a dead tree - sighted from Gunwarddehwardde lookout
looking back to the rock. It was approx 11 am, but the tree was in good
shade. (Given noisy visitors to art sites, I thought pigeons may have moved
higher up the escarpment to the cooler side - that was a good thought!)
There was a possible Chestnut Quilled Rock Pigeon high up too but no clear
view - and that was as good as my CQRP sightings got on the whole trip. Many
Spangled Drongo in the wooded areas near the art sites and Silver Crowned
Honeyeaters very visible and noisy. Headed from Nourlangie down the Kakadu
Highway to Gunlom, where we spent a very bouncy 40kms heading into the site.
4 July - after camping overnight at Gunlom, we climbed to the top. The
family swam in the pools and I had about an hour to head upstream into the
sandstone country (and get back). There were Masked & White Browed
Woodswallows hawking above the stream and rocks and I saw at least 20 each
of both species mixed in a big flock of woodswallows about 300 metres
upstream on the right hand side (if looking upstream) that included adults
and juveniles. While watching Rufous Throated and Banded Honeyeaters plunge
bathing in stream I flushed a Common Bronzewing too. After cutting away from
the stream, I spent some time picking my way back to the upper falls in a
zig-zag pattern, but there was no sign of White Throated Grasswren or other
sandstone specialist species when working over the rocks. (Not sure if
there have been any recent WTGW reports from here, but it was my one and
only chance so I thought I'd give it a shot anyway). We left Gunlom very
late morning and headed for Katherine, which we reached late afternoon after
an unsuccessful scout around Pine Creek for Hooded Parrots. Jus south of the
town a party of 5 slender parrots crossed the road and then flew parallel to
us for about 100 metres before veering off. They weren't lorikeets or
cockatiels and looked bluey green, so I think they were Hoodeds. Luckily,
another small group crossed the road closer to the car about 15kms further
on and I got a much better and closer look; still not the close look of a
perching bird that I wanted.
5 July - Did an early cruise up Katherine Gorge in the morning and then
walked up to one of the lookouts across a plateau strangely devoid of birds.
We came down to the river and I walked along the path under the cliff face,
which provided great views of a Sandstone Shrike Thrush. On the way back,
found a Great Bowerbird displaying at his bower built around one of the
campsite standing taps - decorated with little white shells and gravel -
which may have been filched from the building site next door! We went round
to Edith Falls in the afternoon, where we enjoyed the pool and lots of
Little Woodswallows. I tried the Edith Falls Creek site from M&W on the way
home. Had a little while to check out the riverbanks - not a particularly
scenic site to ask the family to hang around for three hours while I waited
for the sun to set! I saw a pair of Long Tailed Finches and a little gaggle
of Masked Finches but no Gouldians. At the settling pond(?) close to the
rail crossing I saw another and bigger mixed flock of Long Tailed and Masked
Finches. Two different looking birds also shot through as I was looking at
the finches but I couldn't get onto them fast enough - just hope they
weren't Gouldians...
6 July - An early walk out the back of the campsite in Katherine turned up a
small covey of Brown Quail, some Variegated Wrens and a group of Grey
Crowned Babbler. On our way north tried out the two Fergusson River sites
from M&W in another (futile) attempt for Gouldians. The road rest area
yielded a little group of Red Winged Wrens and the river, which looked very
inviting, was already occupied by somebody camping and getting to the water
elsewhere looked tricky - I had "sold" it as a morning tea stop and bashing
through grass was not on the agenda, so I moved on. Still no Hooded parrots
at our second stop at Pine Creek, but there was a Square Tailed Kite just
north of the town. Lunch at Adelaide River provided a Little Bronze Cuckoo,
Bar Breasted HEs and a pair of Wedge Tailed eagles circling high above. Got
to Litchfield Park, where a Red Backed Kingfisher was sitting on top of one
of the magnetic termite mounds. Had a late walk and swim at Wangi Falls,
where we saw a family party of feral pigs and an Emerald Dove in the
rainforest.
7 July - an early walk in the bush near Litchfield Safari Camp turned up
several Shining Flycatchers, a Large Billed Gerygone and a pair of dingoes.
We headed back to Darwin to swap the truck over to the car and find our
accommodation. Went up to East Point and did the mangrove boardwalk, then
watched the sunset - no waders on the rocky areas that I could see and no
birds offshore either but did see both white and grey phase Reef Egrets and
a Brahminy Kite.
8 July - although based in Darwin, we headed out of town, but not before
enjoying the early Woodswallow show - the arm of the construction crane
visible from our bedroom must have had nearly 400 White Breasted
Woodswallows camped on it and watching them get going for the day was very
interesting. First stop for the day was the Territory Wildlife Park.
Amongst the exhibits were wild birds, although perhaps fewer that I
expected. Nonetheless, I managed to find a Green backed Gerygone (new)
which was a great relief as it was one of those "how have I not seen one of
these yet?" species. Then (like buses), after waiting for ages I saw three
more! We had lunch and a swim at Berry Springs and then cut across to Fogg
Dam, which was a great spot in the late afternoon. We crossed the dam wall
in the car (walking was banned due to a croc in the area) and observed the
birds from the tower on the far side. After a group of three flew in there
were at least 6 Brolga on the wetland along with usual collection of egrets,
herons and Burdekin and whistling ducks. There was a pair of Rose Crowned
Fruit Doves at the car park showing really well.
I then drove very slowly back across the dam wall, looking at the smaller
birds. Not far from the tower was a large group of small birds feeding in
tall grass on the "high water" side. There were definite Chestnut Rumped
Mannikins in there but also birds that looked completely different, with a
"solid" look to them and brown back, with noticeably contrasting pale grey
head and pale tails, which I ID'd as Yellow-Rumped Mannikins. There were
some browner birds with very black faces too, but not Chestnut bib; I think
these were Pictorella Mannikins. As I was watching the finches, I also had
an eye on the cisticolas that were closer to the water's edge. After
looking at some very golden birds, a cisticola was seen with a very pale
washed out grey plumage but noticeable streaking. None of the birds were
calling, so that diagnostic was not available. The bird was noticeably
different to the Golden Headed ones present - Zitting Cisticola are on the
Fogg Dam list so I took it to be one of those.
I walked the Woodland to Waterlilies walk where, on my return I found a
Rainbow Pitta (New), which was foraging at base of cabbage tree palms just
before track turns right to head for wetland. I'd seen a Horsfields Bronze
Cuckoo, two Arafura Fantail and two Grey Whistlers in the small trees on
edge of wetland as well. I did come away from Fogg Dam with a good
collection of sand fly bites - despite my attempts to cover up with
repellent. However, I think that the Pitta was worth a bit of subsequent
discomfort.
9 July - as we were doing city based activities, I had a bit more time in
the morning so I went to the mangroves at Stoddart Drive, off Tiger Brennan
Drive. What a great site - a nice path where one can look down onto the
muddy margins and over the top of the mangroves. I was there from about
6:50 to 8am, and I got a solid (10 sec!) view of a single Chestnut Rail
(new) just before sunrise (approx 7am) on edge of mangroves about 1/2 way
along path - just before reaching the big outlet pipe. (Despite all the
advice on the best conditions to see the rails, the tide was rising at time,
approx 2 1/4 hours before full tide; but I also suspect the being early
helped greatly and I may have been at the site before any dogs went past on
the rather busy footpath. Once it was aware it was being watched the rail
tiptoed back into the mangroves and was not seen again). A party of 4
Mangrove Grey Fantails (new) was seen deeper in mangroves but they responded
to being squeaked at and came much closer to edge so I got good looks at
them. They looked daintier and had different calls to Grey Fantails seen
elsewhere (although noting the Top End Grey Fantails also have a little
double note piping call that I don't hear in NSW). Also a pair of Black
Butcherbirds were here and a small group of Yellow White Eye. I heard a
Mangrove Robin calling but it wouldn't respond/come closer. Spent the day
at the Botanic Gardens (no Owls), NT Museum (Mangrove Kingfisher not far
from the Fannie Bay Yacht Club) and Crocosaurus Cove (no birds!) and then
dinner out.
10 July - nothing of note apart from good views of a Reef Egret at AquaScene
and a Pipit at the airport...and that was it and I was homeward bound
Thanks again to all those who helped - any questions on the sites or
sightings, please drop me a line.
Cheers
Tom Wilson
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