Hi all,
With all this discussion about missing trip reports, I thought I post my
latest report on to Gregory National Park, the Victoria Hwy and Nitmiluk
National Park on Birding-aus. If you would like to see the full report with
images, see http://tim-dolby.blogspot.com.au. Always appreciate any
positive feedback or corrections (perhaps with the latter, contact me
personally :-). Hope it brings back some memories or inspires a trip to
Australia’s fantastic Top End.
Cheers,
Tim Dolby
Gregory NP, Victoria Hwy & Nitmiluk NP (Nothern Territory)
This report covers a recent trip to the southern part of the Top End. A
superb birding area - it's a Mecca for finches for instance - these are the
places ~300 to ~500 km south of Darwin. This report covers a trip I did
there in late October (the end of the dry season) in 2015. For ease of
reading, my report's divided into three parts: 1. Gregory (Judbarra)
National Park, 2. Victoria Hwy and 3. Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National
Park.
Here's the scenario. Fly out of Melbourne (Victoria) at 6:00am. Arrive in
Darwin (Northern Territory) at 11:00am. Pick up hire car and supplies.
Drive 600 km to the Victoria River Roadhouse in Gregory National Park near
the Western Australian border. Arrived in time to drink a cold beer under
the shade of a flowering Desert Bloodwood (Corymbia terminalis) that's full
of Varied Lorikeet and honeyeaters such as Banded and Double-barred
Honeyeater, all flittering about its blossoms. How good is that! As you can
imagine, I slept well that night.
1. GREGORY (JUDBARRA) NATIONAL PARK
So, where to begin. I had several aims while visiting Gregory National
Park. My first was to track down some full-breeding plumage Purple-crowned
Fairy-wren. A stunning bird, I'd seen them before, but never in
full-breeding plumage. After that, I wanted to explore the region for a
couple of days, look for the some of the escarpment birds such as
White-quilled Rock-Pigeon, visit a few birding sites a bit further west,
and see some of the regions wonderful finches, such as Gouldian and Star
Finch and Yellow-rumped Manikin.That's not asking too much.
Some Background Notes and Where to Stay
First, a bit of background to Gregory National Park. It's ~160 km west of
Katherine on the Victoria Hwy and covers 1.3 million ha, which is big. It’s
was described to me by a friend of mine, Tim Bawden, as the most beautiful
place in Australia. This becuase it featuring open woodlands that are
dissected by fantastic rugged escarpments and deep gorges. The magnificent
Victoria River carves and weaves its way through the top end of the park.
To me, it reminds me of the area around the Lawn Hill in north-west
Queensland. Indeed, there are a lot of parallels in terms of plants,
animals, birds and the landscape generally. In my opinion, Tim B was right,
Gregory National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Australia!
At Gregory, I camped at the Victoria River Roadhouse. In October, and the
late dry generally, staying at the roadhouse was a good option. They had
some large trees that provided permanent shade, and showers. The average
temperature was around 38 d, so the order of the day was cold showers.
There are also basic cabins here. Note, another option for camping is at
Sullivan Creek, located on the banks of a permanent waterhole, 17 km east
of the Victoria River Roadhouse. It's small, but not a bad campsite. Ther's
also a caravan park at Timber Creek, and a range of campsite in the south
end of the park.
My hire car for the trip was a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander, which proved a
perfect car. Being AWD, it can travel all the roads in the places I’ve
mentioned. In addition, the new Outlander is designed so you can sleep full
length in the back.
A final thing to note. When packing your bags for the Top End don't bother
packing warm cloths, such as jumpers, warm long trousers, etc. You'll never
wear them. For example, to give you an example of the heat, while
showering, I never used the hot water, the cold water was always warm to
hot.
Plants of Gregory National Park
Here's a quick rundown on the plants at Gregory National Park. It's an
extremely remote area, and features tropical and semi-arid plant life.
There are a number of iconic trees in the park.
The Boab (Adansonia gregorii) is widely recognised icon of the Kimberley
and Victoria River Regions. It's an interesting species in terms of
phytogeography, representing ecological link between Australia, Madagascar
and continental Africa. It was extremely culturally significance to the
local Ngarinyman Aboriginal people. Some trees are sacred sites, while
other have carvings dating to pre-European contact period. European
explorers carved names and dates on Boab trunks, the most famous of these
being the 'Gregory Tree', which marks the site of the base camp of the
North Australian Exploration Expedition lead by Augustus Gregory in
1855-56. Ferninand Von Mueller was a member of this expedition. Von Mueller
is one of Australia’s greatest botanists. For instance, as the director of
the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, he pioneered an appreciation for the
importance of Australian native plants. Von Mueller named the tree
Adansonia gregorii in honour of the expedition leader.
Another of the iconic trees of the park if the Victoria River Palm
(Livistona victoriae). It's confined to sandstone range country where it
grows in escarpment gullies and along streams where there's permanent
seepage water available for its roots. When you first drive into Gregory
National Park the sheer majesty of these trees is one of the first things
you notice. The height of the trunk up to 18 m high. The fruit was an
important food source for the local Aboriginal people, and the fronds were
useful as place mats and for covering food in bush ovens.
Aside from those two trees, the two most prominent woodland tree species
were Small-fruited Bloodwood (Corymbia dichromophloia) and Northern White
Gum (Eucalyptus brevifolia). While the plateau side slopes and valley are
dominated by Darwin Box (E. tectifica) and Desert Bloodwood (C. terminalis)
woodland with a tussock grass and Curly Spinifex (Triodia bitextura)
understorey. In the open-woodlands, you also find Jigal Tree (Lysiphyllum
cunninghamii) and Turpentine (Acacia lysiphloia).
Along the ephemeral creek line and the banks of the Victoria River, there
were Northern Swamp Box (Lophosyemon grandiflorus), Durin (Terminalia
platyphylla), Ghost Gum (C. papuana), Broad-leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca
leucadendra), Canary Cheesewood (Nauclea orientalis), River Red Gum (E.
camaldulensis) and the iconic Boab (Adansonii gregorii).
In addition, it's here that you'll find River Pandan (Pandanus aquaticus),
Leichhardt Tree (Nauclea orientalis), Freshwater Mangrove (Barringtonia
acutangula), and grasses such as River Grass (Chionachne cyathopoda), Grass
(Mneisthea rottboellioides), Black Speargrass (Heteropogon contortus) and
Dardy's Oats (Arundinella nepalensis). The grasses are important, as they
hold the banks together when the river floods and, they are of course the
favoured habitat of spectacular Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.
One of the most interesting vegetation habitats at Gregory is known as
"karst vegetation". These plants occur in the caves and under the huge red
sandstone cliff faces that tower over the foothills. These were the areas
used for human shelter and for rock paining. Although the karst surface is
often barren, plants are able to tap the subsurface moisture by sending
roots deep into the ground, or rely on seeping or dripping water. The
vegetation is usually safe from fire and includes species such as Figs that
normally associated with remnant rainforest or monsoon vine thickets. This
is the habiatat that the Victoria River Palm occurs, as well as plants such
as Celtis (Celtis australiensis), Xanthostemon (Xanthostemon psidioides),
Swamp Satinash (Syzygium angophoroides), Smooth Chastetree (Vitex glabrata)
and Cluster Fig (Ficus racemosa). Another intriguing plant found here is a
fern called Dicranopteris linearis. Known locally as Ngabujbu, it occurs
prefers moist shady conditions where there is water seepage. From a birding
point of view it's interesting because it one of the favoured roosting
sites for White-quilled Rock Pigeon. The pigeon create a network of tunnels
throughout the fern thickets, providing ideal shelter from predators.
If you have time to look, there's a few rare species limited to the park.
Eucalyptus gregoriensi, first noticed in 1996 and only named in 1998 is a
white stemmed, small tree that's known from four places on the sandstone
plateau in the west of the Park. Melaleuca triumphalis was also first
discovered in 1996 and is only known from the Victoria River Gorge in the
eastern sector of the Gregory National Park. In the Northern Territory
Grevillea miniata is found exclusively in the Park, while the rare wattle
Acacia stipulosa occurs around the Paperbark Yard camp. There are also
several small woodlands of Lancewood (Acacia shirleyi), the most westerly
recorded for this wattle species.
The main weed problem in the park is Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum
procumbens), a native to South Africa. The dried plant are capable of
working their way into the mouths and hooves of the larger mammals, causing
injury and discomfort. As a result, each year the park hosts the “Devil’s
Claw Festival”, an eradication program run by Park staff and volunteers.
Now that's a great idea. A public festival to eradicate weeds! Perhaps an
idea for other national parks in Australia to think about.
Animals of Gregory
The main macropods I saw while visiting Gregory were Common Wallaroo
(Macropus robustu), Antilopine Wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus) and Agile
Wallaby (Macropus agilis), the latter very common around the Victoria
Roadhouse. Northern Nailtail Wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera) also occur at
Gregory National Park, and amongst the rocks look for Wikins' (formerly
Short-eared) Rock Wallaby (Petrogale wilkinsi) - a species that's easy to
see at Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu. The incredibly cute Spectacled
Hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) is also patchily distributed in
the Gregory.
Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps), like Wikins' Rock Wallaby, is another
species that may be a new species, known as the Northern Sugar Glider (see
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-10/researchers-may-have-stumbled-on-new-species-of-gliding-possum/6686056),
being spit from the Sugar Glider species found in southern Australia.
Other native animals include Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), Dingo (Canis
familiaris). While smaller mammals include Common Planigale (Planigale
maculata) Stripe-faced Dunnart (Sminthopsis macroura), Water-rat (Hydromys
chrysogaster), Forrest's Mouse (Leggadina forresti), Delicate Mouse
(Pseudomys delicatulus), Western Chestnut Mouse (Pseudomys nanus), Common
Rock-rat (Zyzomys argurus) and Long-haired Rat (Rattus villosissimus) -
this being the favoured food source of Letter-winged Kite. The Kimberley
Pebble-mound Mouse (Pseudomys laborifex), once thought to be restricted to
the Kimberley, has recently been recorded at several sites in Gregory
National Park. It occurs mainly on stony and gravelly hill slopes and is
interesting because it builds mounds of stones and pebbles around the
burrows in which it sleeps. While Black Flying Fox and Little Red Fly Fox
are common there too, not to mentioned over a 15 species of bat.
There's nine introduced fauna species are recorded for Judbarra including
Donkey, Feral Horse, Feral Cattle, Water Buffalo, Camel, Wild Pig, Rabbit,
Cat, Black Rat and, of course, Domestic Mouse.
There is a fantastic array of reptiles at Gregory National Park, with 76
species recorded. The waterways are home to large numbers of both Estuarine
Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and Freshwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus
johnstoni). In terms of lizards, there's 13 Gecko species and approx. 30
skink species. Monitors to look for Ridge-tailed Monitor (Varanus
acanthurus), Pygmy Mulga Monitor (V. gilleni), Long-Tailed Rock Monitor (V.
glebopalma), Pygmy Rock Monitor (V. kingorum), Yellow-spotted Monitor (V.
panoptes), Sand Goanna (V. gouldii) and Merten's Water Monitor (V.
mertensi). Many of the Monitors are considered vulnerable because of their
propensity to eat Cane Toads and die from the ingested toxins.
Interestingly Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) has been recorded at Judbarra,
representing the northern extension of its range. Other lizards to look for
include Slender Blue-tongued Lizard (Cyclodomorphus melanops), Common
Blue-tongued Lizard (Tiliqua. scincoides) and Centralian Blue-tongued
Lizard (T. multifasciata), as well as Two-Lined Dragon (Diporiphora
bilineata) and Gilberts Dragon (Lophognathus gilberti).
There's three species legless lizards including Hooded Scaly Foot (Pygopus
nigriceps), Burtons Legless Lizard (Lialis burtonis) and Sharp-snouted
Delma (Delma nasuta). Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), the only
living member of the genus Carettochelys, has also been recorded in the
Victoria River.
In terms of frogs, one of the fauna highlights of Gregory National Park is
the Magnificent Tree Frog (Litoria splendida). First described in 1977,
it's a large impressive frog, mostly restricted to the Kimberley, but
extending eastwards as far as Timber Creek, Jasper Gorge and Joe Creek.
While the Victoria River contains healthy populations of Barramundi,
Salmon, Black and Silver Bream, which explains why many of the people who
visit this area are fishermen.
Birds of Gregory
Gregory has a wide selection of key target species, most notable
Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, White-quilled Rock-Pigeon and Sandstone
Shrike-thrush. While it is also a brilliant place for Australia's most
spectacular finches such as Gouldian and Star Finch and Yellow-rumped and
Pictorella Mannikin. Other species to think about while birding is
Chestnut-backed Button-quail, Pale-vented Bush-hen and Varied Lorikeet.
Both Victoria River and Gregory National Park also seem to generate more
than their fair share of Grey Falcon sightings. Interestingly Masked Owl is
also known to occur on the Gregory National Park, but little is known this
population.
The Roadhouse
While staying at the Victoria River Roadhouse (as mentioned in the
introduction) there was a flowering Desert Bloodwood in the campground.
When these trees flower, the nectivorous go crazy! Like a tree flowering
along the Victoria Hwy (discussed below), it was full of lorikeets, both
Varied and Red-collared Lorikeet, as well as some honeyeaters such as
Banded Honeyeater and Little Friarbird. Purple-crowned Fairy-wren occurs
around the Victoria River Crossing Bridge next to the roadhouse. I had a
brief look, without any luck.
Typically, Great Bowerbird was a common campground bird, as were
Red-collared Lorikeet, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Little and Silver-crowned
Friarbird. Aside from that, birds I saw around the campground included
Red-backed Kingfisher, Pheasant Coucal, Red-winged Parrot, White-breasted
Woodswallow, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Spangled Drongo, Paperbark
Flycatcher and Crimson Finch. An unusual sight was seeing Blue-winged
Kookaburra hunting insects at night at the street lamp near the campground.
At night I heard Large-tailed Nightjar, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Barking
Owl and Southern Boobook. Also In the campground I saw Northern Delta,
while Agile Wallaby were everywhere.
Victoria River Boat Ramp
The Victoria River Boat Ramp is probably the most accessible sites for
seeing Purple-crowned Fairy-wren in the Northern Territory. Living in small
family groups, they display a distinct preference for the narrow band of
Pandanus and cane grass along the riverbanks. As mentioned, one of the main
reasons I was at Gregory National Park was to see Purple-crowned Fairy-wren
in full breeding plumage. I'd seen them before, but in eclipse plumage.
They're an interesting species amongst fairy-wren, and birds generally.
Most species when they go into an eclipse phase during non-breeding plumage
simply revert to a dull grey form of their original self. Purple-crowned
Fairy-wren, by contrast, completely changes into another bird. Their
plumage is almost as interesting in eclipse as in full breeding plumage.
However in full-breeding plumage they are spectacular!
As one of the national park signs said, Purple-crowned Fairy-wren has high
tastes for real estate, with a preference for river frontage. This is
certainly true. In fact, if you think about the places they're found
(Victoria River or Lawn Hill), these are some of the most specular and
sublime places you ever visit.
I concentrated my search near the Victoria River Boat Ramp, which is
located about 1 km south of the Victoria River Roadhouse. To get there,
turn south down the boat ramp access road (located 500 m west of the
roadhouse). I got there early, and found the best place to look was the
cane grass around the carpark, and the cane grass between the carpark and
the boat ramp. Indeed, I heard them calling almost immediately within in
the first few metres of the walk to the boat ramp (here -15.630781,
131.133018).
There was a nice selection honeyeaters in the trees around the boat ramp
including White-gaped, Rufous-throated, White-throated, Brown, Blue-faced
Honeyeater and Little and Silver-crowned Friarbird. In addition, there was
Pheasant Coucal and Dollarbird. Down near the boat ramp itself Azure
Kingfisher huntered for fish, and Crimson Finch were common. It's worth
noting that a range of uncommon species have been recorded along the river
here, such as Pale-vented Bush-hen (in grassy fringes), Black Bittern, Star
Finch and Yellow-rumped Mannikin.
Escarpment Walk and Around the Carpark
There are two main things to do when you get to the Escarpment Walk (3 km
return), accessed from the Victoria Hwy 2 km west of Victoria River
Roadhouse.
Firstly, before heading up the escarpment, stop and bird the grassy areas
around the carpark. I found the best time here was immediately after dawn.
Later in the day (around 10am), it becomes quiet. This carpark is a
surprisingly good spot for birding. In fact, it can be fantastic. I visited
there a few times, and each time I've had several flocks of Yellow-rumped
Mannikin feeding in the grass. In addition, there were Crimson, Masked,
Long-tailed and Double-barred Finch, Golden-headed Cisticola, a few Ground
Cuckoo-shrike, some very friendly Rainbow Bee-eater, and several Pheasant
Coucal who bashed around the bushes lookng for grasshoppers. I got the
impression that it's the sort of place where anything can turn up. For
instance, previously others have recorded Gouldian and Star Finch and
Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.
Secondly, head up the escarpment walk, about 3 km return. Again, best in
the morning, so you'll have to drag yourself away from birding around the
carpark. There are two main escarpment specialties at Gregory National
Park, White-quilled Rock-Pigeon and Sandstone Shrike-thrush, and you may
also see Short-eared Rock-Wallaby. I saw a White-quilled Rock-Pigeon about
three quarters of the way up, with the bird flushing from rocks before me.
This was near an area with a large rocky overhang, pictured in the image
above. I didn't see Sandstone Shrike-thrush here, but did hear them calling
in the distance - calling their wonderful melodic call that echoed of
distant rock faces. Other birds I saw here included Grey (Silver-backed)
and Pied Butcherbird, White-throated Gerygone, Silver-crowned Friarbird,
Yellow-tinted, Banded and Blue-faced Honeyeater, and Black-faced and Little
Woodswallow.
Nawulbinbin Walk and Joe’s Creek Picnic Area
It's worth having lunch beneath the towering foothills and escarpment along
the Nawulbinbin Walk, a 1.7 km loop. It starts from the Joe’s Creek Picnic
Area located off the Victoria Hwy 10 km west of Victoria River Roadhouse.
The Nawulbinbin Walk leads from the picnic area up a steep rocky slope to
the base of the escarpment where you will see fantastic examples of
Aboriginal rock art, masses of striking Victoria River Palm on the scree
slopes and the intriguing Ngabujbu Fern. As said, it's a good spot to do
around lunchtime because it isn't until the afternoon that the sun reaches
the walk due the shade created by the large cliffs. The walk is a good spot
to look for White-quilled Rock-Pigeon and Sandstone Shrike-thrush, and it’s
a great place to see Northern Fantail. Listening to their call, they sounds
remarkably like Western Gerygone. On the road into Joe’s Creek there was a
couple of the white-bellied of Spinifex Pigeon, the only place I saw this
species at Gregory.
Timber Creek and Policeman’s Point
>From the Victoria River Roadhouse, I headed west to the township of Timber
Creek. While stopping for lunch, birding around the grassy area in front of
the shop was quite good. This spot has become famous because Gouldian Finch
occasionally feed on the lawn and drink at the sprinklers at Timber Creek.
There weren't any Gouldian’s when I was there, but it was quite active.
Spotted Bowerbirds were very tame, and harass me for food scrap. Indeed I
lost half a salad roll, snatched from my table when I went to the car to
get my drink bottle! Large numbers of Red-collared Lorikeet called from the
trees, and several Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater called in the
gums on the south side of the hwy.
West of Timber Creek, I specifically wanted to visit Policeman’s Point
(here -15.630144, 130.476565). It's a well-known spot for finches, and it
didn't let me down. The birding here was superb! It's reach via track that
proceeds north off the Victoria Hwy 4 km west of the township.
Parking at the end of the track, between the carpark and the river there's
a small area of scrubs. These shrubs provided the vantage point for finches
and honeyeater to roost before they'd fly down to the river for a drink.
How's this for a list of finches congregated in one group. Star, Masked,
Long-tailed, Crimson and Double-barred Finch, Pictorella and
Chestnut-rumped Mannikin! Not bad! No Gouldian Finch or Yellow-rumped
Mannikin unfortunately, but hey, you can't see everything. There was a nice
selection of honeyeaters drink with the finch, including Banded,
Yellow-tinted, White-gaped and Rufous-throated Honeyeater. Another pleasant
surprise was a Caspian Tern hawking up and down the Victoria River. I
always get a bit of a birding shock when I these tern far inland along the
large watercourses.
The woodland along the track to Policeman's Point was quite birdy. Here I
saw Australian Bustard, Red-winged Parrot, Black-tailed Treecreeper,
Northern Rosella, Brown Quail, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Masked and
White-browed Woodswallow, Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater,
Northern Fantail, and I managed to flush a Spotted Nightjar.
Stopped briefly at the Timber Creek Airfield, 6 km west of the township.
another known site for Gouldian and Star Finch and Yellow-rumped Mannikin.
However, it was mid-afternoon, the heat of the day had become oppresive,
and it was very quiet.
At the start of the Buchanan Hwy (the road down to Jasper Gorge), I visited
several sites for finches. The waterholes along a small, unnamed creek 4.5
km from the Victoria Hwy is known to attract Pictorella Mannikin and
Gouldian Finch. All I saw, however, was Masked, Long-tailed and
Double-barred Finch. Skull Creek, a further 9 km south, attracted similar
species. Although I didn't see one, the Buchanan Hwy is also a reliable -
if that's the right word - place to see Grey Falcon.
Jasper Gorge
Note if you have time, head down to Jasper Gorge. Here there's a a
permanent waterhole at the gorge. The creek lines here hold a good number
of finch, with a remarkable 10 species on Jasper Gorges list including
Painted, Gouldian and Star Finch, Yellow-rumped and Pictorella Mannikin.
Sandstone Shrike-thrush, Spinifex Pigeon, and White-quilled Rock-Pigeon
(its southernmost limit) also occur. Also keep an eye open in the grassy
woodlands around the gorge for Northern Nailtail Wallaby.
2. VICTORIA HWY
After visiting Gregory National Park, I travelled back east along the
Victoria Hwy, stopping at a few spots on route to Nitmiluk National Park.
It’s a fascinating drive, typical outback, with a pleasant range of
features and habitats along the way. It reminded me of the section of the
Savanah Way between Normanton and Atherton in Queensland.
While driving the Victoria Hwy, I tended to stopped and look in any
flowering tree. At one spot there was Desert Bloodwood (Corymbia
terminalis) that was flowering prolifically. Like the tree at the Victorian
Roadhouse, it proved a magnet for nectar feeding honeyeaters and lorikeets.
The list of species in this one tree was outstanding. How this for a list!
Varied and Red-collared Lorikeet, Little Friarbird, Banded, Bar-breasted,
Yellow-tinted, Rufous-throated, White-throated, White-gaped and Brown
Honeyeater, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Varied Sittella (race leucoptera,
the ‘White-winged Sittella’) and Rufous Whistler. That’s basically the fool
gambit of northern woodland honeyeaters all in one tree! Beautiful.
About half way along the Victoria Hwy, (I didn’t take note of the location)
there’s a large farm dam. This was a drinking site for the largest flock of
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo I’ve ever seen. There must've been at least 1000
birds in one spot!
173 km from the Victoria River Roadhouse (21 km west of Katherine) I
stopped at Chinaman Creek. I looked for the rare Chestnut-backed
Button-quail in the grassy savannah woodland on the northern side of the
highway about 500 m west of Chinaman Creek (here -14.606594, 132.143024). I
specifically searched in the taller spear grass, ~ 1 m high. I reckon this
time of year (mid-Oct) is the perfect time to look. The grass is tinder dry
and was consequently very easy to walk through. My basic technique for
searching was to walk quickly and directly through any tall grass trying to
flush a bird. After about 30 minutes I luckily flushed an attractive female
Chestnut-backed Button-quail.
Button-quail are bit like Ground Parrot, flushing the bird is only half
your luck. The other half is hoping that it lands somewhere nearby so you
can have a decent look! Then, perhaps, just perhaps, you might get a decent
photo. Fortunately for me, my bird landed about 10 m away and I was able to
walk with the bird for for about 5 min. In birding terms, it doesn’t get
any better than that!
>From Chinaman Creek, I travelled a further 4 km east to visit a series of
pools known as Horse Hole. This is another highway crossing of the Chinaman
Creek (here -14.571294, 132.178172). (If you’re coming from Katherine, it
is 16.3 km west of Katherine.) The water holes are reached via a small
track that leads north of the Hwy for ~100 m. I parked near the old
Victoria Hwy. Horse Hole is a well-known site for Gouldian Finch, Hooded
Parrot and Chestnut-backed Button-quail. By the time I reached there, again
the heat was oppressive, around 40 degrees, and bird life was very low. I
did manage to see a several Crested Shrike-tit. This is the northern race
whitei, known as the 'Northern Shrike-tit', a bird that's considered a
possible separate species. It’s worth noting that Black Bittern have also
been recorded here, a bird that tends to move to the waterholes along
inland creek lines during the dry.
Out of interest, it 18 km west of Katherine there’s a large truck stop
(here -14.587850, 132.159911). This is also a known as a spot to look for
Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot particularly mid-morning. I stopped for a
bit of a look, but, to be quite honest, as truck stops often are, it’s a
bit of rubbish dump.
Finally, the Victoria Hwy is good for raptors so, while driving, keep your
eyes peeled. Along the way I saw a couple of Black-breasted Buzzard,
Spotted Harrier, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Australian Hobby and Brown Falcon.
Interestingly Brown Falcon were surprisingly uncommon in this part of the
Top End.
3. NITMILUK NATIONAL PARK
Nitmiluk National Park has some spectacular sandstone valleys. It's also
one of the best places in Australia to see Gouldian Finch and Hooded
Parrot! There are two main sections of the park: Edith Falls (Leliyn) in
the north, and Katherine Gorge in the south. Access Leliyn is by turning
off the Stuart Hwy 42 km north of Katherine (48 km south of Pine Creek),
with the falls a further 19 km down Jatbula Rd. The park has really good
camping facilities, so I camped for a couple of days at Edith Falls.
Plants at Nitmiluk
Basically Nitmiluk consists of the following habitat types: sandstone
plateau heath, open woodlands, open forest, sandstone monsoon forest and
riverine. Each of these have there own collection of plants.
On the sandstone plateau Scarlet Gum (Eucalyptus phoenicea), with bright
red flowers, and Variable-barked Bloodwood (Corymbia dichromophloia) grow
in areas where the soil is deep enough, and there is a range of Grevillea
such as Fern-leafed Grevillea (Grevillea pteridifolia) and Dryander's
Grevillea (Grevillea dryandri) and Turkey Bush (Calytrix exstipulata)
scattered across the higher areas. The sandstone landscapes offer
protection from fire and therefore for fire-sensitive species such old
growth Curly Spinifex (Triodia bitextura) and Pityrodia pungens, the local
food sources for the spectacular Leichhardt's Grasshopper.
Interestingly Leichhardt's grasshopper likes to stick to the same kind of
food. At Keep River it eats Pityrodia ternfolia, at Nitmiluk it eats
Pityrodia pungens while at Kakadu National Park it eats Pityrodia jamessii.
The open woodlands in Nitmiluk are dominated by the Bloodwoods (Corymbia
foelscheana, C. porrecta, and C. bleeseri) and Salmon Gum (Eucalyptus
tintinnans), Ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys), Billygoat Plum
(Terminalia ferdinandiana) and Green Plum (Buchanania obovata). The Salmon
Gum is an important habitat tree, especially for the Gouldian Finch, which
nests in them. Annual Spear Grass (Sorghum spp.) are found in these area,
serving as food for the Gouldians.
The open forests are dominated by Darwin Stringybark (Eucalyptus
tetrodonta) and Woollybutt (E. miniata), and I noticed occasional patches
of Arhnem Cypress Pine (Callitris intratropica). There was also Fern-leafed
Grevillea (Grevillea pteridifolia) and Broad-leaved Paperbark (Melaleuca
viridiflora) with occasional patches of Swamp Banksia (Banksia dentata).
There are occassional small patches of monsoon rainforest, particularly in
sandstone gorges where they are protected from fire and have access to
permanent water seeping through the sandstone. Rainforest trees tend to be
tall and provide almost complete shade for ferns and flowering shrubs like
the beautiful Native Lassiandra or Blue Tongue (Melastoma malabathricum).
The rainforest canopy includes Native Apples (Syzygium Gaertn) and Milkwood
(Alstonia actinophylla).
The sandstone plateau drains into the lowlands through watercourses such as
Seventeen Mile Creek and the Katherine River. Along the creeks and rivers
there's lush bands of riparian vegetation growing alongside them. There's a
nice example of this habitat type at Edith Falls. The species I noticed
growing here include native apple trees including Chalky Apple (Syzygium
forte), Leichhardt Tree (Nauclea orientalis), River Pandanus (Pandanus
aquaticus), Northern Swamp Box (Lophostemon grandiflorus), Freshwater
Mangrove (Barringtonia acutangula), Fishnet Vine (Flagellaria indica),
native figs (Ficus spp) and paperbarks (Melaleuca spp) and some introduced
Passionfruit (Passiflora foetida).
Animals of Nitmiluk
Just briefly, here's a bit of a rundown of the animals that you need to
look out for at Nitmiluk. The main macropods you'll see are Agile Wallaby
(Macropus agilis), Euro (Macropus robustus), Antilopine Wallaroo (Macropus
antilopinus), which were all fairly easy to see in the park. In the rocky
escarpments you might find Black Wallaroo (Macropus bernardus), Spectacled
Hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus), Northern Nailtail Wallaby
(Onychogalea unguifera) and Short-eared Rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis).
The Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) has apparently disappeared from
most of its former range in the Northern Territory and south-east and
south-west Kimberley. They do occur in very low numbers at Nitmiluk.
Considered Endangered because of a serious population decline (at least 50%
over the last 10 years) probably due to the effects of habitat degradation,
Cane Toad and introduced predators.
While also look for Sandstone Antechinus (Parantechinus bilarni), Common
Planigale (Plangale maculata), Kakadu Dunnart (Sminthopsis bindi),
Red-cheeked Dunnart (Sminthopsis virginiae), Common Brushtail Possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula), Rock Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus dahli) and
Sugar Glider (Petaurus brevicep), Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus
aculeatus) and Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus), Water Rat
(Hydromys chrysogaster), Forrest’s Mouse (Leggadina forresti), Common Rock
Rat (Zyzomys argurus), Grassland Melomys (Melomys burtoni), House Mouse
(Mus musculus), Delicate Mouse (Pseudomys delicatulus) and Western Chestnut
Mouse (Pseudomys nanus). I won't list them here, but there's 78 species of
reptiles, including 53 lizard, 22 snake and 3 turtle species. A full list
can be found here -
http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/10169/nnps4_values.pdf.
Birds of Nitmiluk
I was really looking forward to birding around Nitmiluk for a couple of
reasons. Firstly, its probably the best place in the world to see Gouldian
Finch and Hoodded Parrot! Secondly, given the heat of the day, reaching the
high 30's around 10am, I could go for a swim in the large natural pool at
Edith Falls any time I wanted. Indeed, while there, the order of the day
was as follows: get up and go for a swim. Go birdwatching. Go for another
swim. Go birdwatching. To cool down for the evening, go for another swim.
You get the picture. What a wonderful way to spend the day! I highly
recommend it. Especially when the birds you are birdwatching is Gouldian
Finch. So, where the best place to go birdwatching.
A creek line 5.6 km from the Stuart Hwy (here -14.186700, 132.082345) is
definitely the first place to go after you've had your pre-dawn swim :-)
Here's there's a small creek line 5.6 km from the Stuart Hwy. Birdwise, the
late dry is the perfect time of year to visit Nitmiluk. Late in the dry
season several small isolated waterholes form along the creek just north of
the road. As a result, early in the morning, a mass of birds come into
drink and wash at the waterholes. Making sure I was there at dawn each day,
I parked in the circular turn-in that travels north for ~100 m.
The first birds to come in was several Northern Rosella along with a nice
selection of honeyeaters - Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Banded, Rufous-throated
and Rufous-banded Honeyeater. Then a couple of Hooded Parrot arrived. Very
nice! A small bevy of Brown Quail walked down a small track to the pool.
Next to come in was the finches! The first to arrive was several Crimson
Finch - they inhabited the Pandanas just up the creek. Then mixed flocks of
Masked and Long-tailed Finch. Then I noticed a large flock of birds
swirling in the air about 100 feet above me. For a fraction of moment I
thought they were European Stirling, as the birds were flying around in a
acrobatic mass, Starling-like. Hang on. There aren't any Starling in this
part of the Northern Territory. That murmuration of birds above me was an
enormous flock of Gouldian Finch! Whow! Wow! Put simply, this was one of my
most memorable birding moments ever! Over the next hour or so, the birds
came in to drink, darting back and forward from a bush located next to one
of the pool. Once they'd finished drinking, they headed south into the
surrounding hills to feed (here -14.189787, 132.081487). I followed, and
birdwatched around the hills, I'd occasionally find myself surround by
Gouldian Finch, often perched in small chattering flocks in Salmon Gum.
Another spot I saw Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot was at the Edith River
crossing. It's located on the Stuart Hwy immediately north of the turn-off
to Edith Falls (here -14.183807, 132.032805). I scramble down the ridge to
where there was a large pool. Over the course of an hour mixed flocks of
finch, mostly Long-tailed and Masked Finch, but several individual Gouldian
Finch, plus Hooded Parrot, drank at the waterhole
Birding around the Edith Falls campground was also very pleasant. The
common birds were Northern Rosella, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Lemon-bellied
Flyrobin (formally called Lemon-bellied Flycatcher), Little Shrike-thrush,
Yellow Oriole, Australian Figbird, Pied Butcherbird and Great Bowerbird,
plus a range of the more common honeyeater. While along the Leliyn Trail, a
2.6 km circuit that leads up the Middle and Upper Pools, I saw Crested
Shrike-tit (northern race whitei), as well as Little Woodswallow, Little
Shrike-thrush, Banded and Bar-breasted Honeyeater.
I also travelled down to the road to Katherine Gorge to check out Donkey
Camp Weir. A reliable place to see Great-billed Heron, Tthe entrance to the
weir is 10 km from Katherine (500 m past the Kumbidgee Tea Rooms). I parked
at the pumping station and walked down to stream to the weir. No
Great-billed Heron, but did flush a Black Bittern from some clumps of River
Pandan, the second time I saw this species on this trip. Seeing itmade me
think of the first Black Bittern. When I was 17, Dad and I saw a bird along
Carnavon Gorge in central Queensland. Some of the other birds seen near the
weir included Nankeen Night-Heron, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Northern
Rosella, Red-winged Parrot, Black-tailed Treecreeper, Striated Pardalote,
Northern Fantail, Little Woodswallow, Crimson Long-tailed and Masked Finch.
>From Nitmiluk I headed up to Jabiru in Kakadu for a couple of weeks. I to
running some guided bird tours as part of Kakada Bird Week. But that's
another story!
Cheers,
Tim Dolby
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