Return to trip reports.Australia was not at the top of my list of priority world birding locations. That is reserved for the Phillipines, Madagascar, SE Brazil, or East Africa where habitat and species are vanishing at an alarming rate. But when I had the opportunity to accompany a client for work there I couldn't and no longer even try to resist the urge to see the birdlife of this or any island continent. A week of work obligations in Melbourne and Sydney turned into a month in Australia when I added on birding destinations. Life is short, and there are many birds.
In isolation since separating from Gondwandaland some 20 million years ago (best estimate) Australia's many species of nectar and flower eating birds, parrots, pelagic and shorebird species, egg laying mammals, and marsupials have caught my imagination most of my life. Including Tasmania, which separated from Australia some recent 20,000 years ago (best estimate) there are over 750 species throughout the two islands.
Travelling in Australia was easy. Accommodations are clean and civilized with automatic tea kettles and muesli in the rooms of every motel. Most roads are sealed. Unsealed roads are passable most of the year during the dry season. Habitat is accessible in a land mass the same size as the U.S. but with less than 10% of the population and less than 10% of the noise and disturbance of habitat. I enjoyed long drives with no one for hours, and trails and habitat empty of homo sapiens.
Hazards included venomous spiders and snakes (there are more venomous snakes in Australia than anywhere) and the intense heat in the North. Crocodile warnings were posted in the Cairns and Darwin area near any body of water. Box jellyfish were just starting to come into the coastal areas in the North making swimming in the beautiful white beaches impossible. There's also the possibility of getting lost in the outback especially at night. The snakes seem to respond to vibration and are mostly nocturnal. I only saw one species and that one infrequently. I never felt threatened but checked the ground often.
I chose nine locations and habitat all in Eastern Australia:
Almost all species were new for me which kept me in amazement most of the time.
International flights were on a United Air Lines free ticket (75,000 miles) Internal flights on a boomerang pass on Qantas ($1,062US for flights Sydney-Brisbane-Sydney-Cairns-Darwin-Sydney-Melbourne-Hobart-Sydney).
Accommodations ranged from expensive (O'Reilly's Guesthouse at $140US/person including meals for small room with shared bathroom) to inexpensive ($40AU/person).
Exchange rate was around .66 AU dollars for each U.S. dollar so we divided by three and substracted one third from all prices.
Guides were expensive at $150AU/day to $250AU/day but affordable if shared and well worth it. Most guides preferred not to use tape which was frustrating sometimes.
Rental vehicles were expensive, especially in Darwin where unlimited mileage is not available and distances are great. Many credit card companies do not cover collision deductibles in Australia. It pays to check before you go. Driving is on the left but roads are uncrowded.
Tipping is not customary in Australia although 10% for outstanding service especially in restaurants is becoming the norm.
Taxis were reasonable especially from Sydney and Melbourne airports to Center City.
Companions: Joseph Brooks for Brisbane, Sydney, pelagic from Sydney; Joseph Brooks and Edward Craven for Cairns, Darwin, Kakadu.
References:
We flew straight from Los Angeles to Brisbane and were met by All-state Scenic Tours for the 2 hour ride to Lamington National Park and O'Reilly's Guesthouse. We stopped halfway at a pond for waterbirds and continued up the mountain to arrive around 2 pm at O'Reilly's where we met Glenn Threlfo, resident guide who would be our private guide for the next two days ($200AU/day). Glenn was on his way to remove a Red-bellied Black Snake from the cabins, and we watched him handle the venomous six-footer carefully, letting the venom drain out in bites into his removed shoe. This certainly woke us from our jet lag and let us know we were in Australia. Seasoned birders though we may be, we couldn't help but join the busloads of tourists on the front lawn of O'Reilly's to witness the trees full of King Parrots, Satin Bowerbirds, Crimson Rosellas and stunning Regent Bowerbirds that looked for raisins in outstretched hands.
Glen ushered us down a trail quickly to see an Owlet-Nightjar roosting in a tree hole, and the cry of a Victoria Riflebird led us off trail to a metal tower which we climbed for a view of a male displaying on a thick limb, our first bird of paradise. We watched each cry in fascination, bird bent forward, wings spread overhead in a circle. The calls of Eastern Whipbirds (exactly as it sounds reminding us of Screaming Piha with the windup but whipcrack instead of scream for the pitch) were everywhere but the birds skulked. We finally got a look at one and began to separate the male and female calls.
Glen took us to a Southern Boobook owl roost in a Grass Tree where we enjoyed good looks, and we searched for Glossy Black Cockatoos in the cashuarina trees but didn't find any. They would remain a myth. We stopped by Glen's amazing house on a ridge to see his Carpet Python before collapsing exhausted in our room at the end of a long day.
Early a.m. we were awakened by the calls of Laughing Kookaburas outside of our room. We practically waded through padymelons (small wallabies) on the hillside to get to the trail where we found Logrunners, White-browed Scrubwren and a Brown Cuckoo-dove on our own before Glenn joined us and heard the soft call of a Rose Robin high in the canopy, finally sighted with craned necks. We hiked high to the Antarctic Beech Forest, tucking our pants into our socks so we could see the leeches working their way up our socks. Mosses and ferns replaced the understory in this altitude, and we looked for the rare and declining Rufous Scrub-bird. Glen had been filming them for O'Reilly's and knew four locations. We tried them all, playing tape. The birds would answer once or twice, but basically pay no attention and stay hidden in the understory. They run like mice under cover and can only be glimpsed if they happen to cross a log or run through a valley, but these birds either didn't move or just kept going where they were going. Later we found out that Phoebe Snitzinger and Tony Clarke had been there the day before to see the bird, and had also used tapes. Perhaps they were taped out. A lame excuse for why we didn't see them, but at least we didn't have to look at our own birding skills or luck. It was the first time Glen had been there without seeing one in four years. We were compensated later in the day by views of the Eastern Bristlebird which has become rare in that park, and by great views at that altitude of Olive Whistler, Golden Whistler and Crested Shrike-tit enjoying the song almost as much as the look. At night, we found a pair of Marbled Frogmouths with the help of a tape and a tourch on Duck Creek Road.
Dinners were fancy at O'Reilly's, and we met other birders who had come for rarities - the Rufous Scrub-bird and Albert's Lyrebird. We finally saw Albert's Lyrebird on the last morning. We had heard them calling in the evening as they returned to their roosts in trees but hadn't had a look yet. Early, early, early one morning we hit the trail and glimpsed a mother with chick running away from us. Glenn took us to the area where he had filmed George displaying, and there was George, a male Albert's lyrebird. Scratching through the leaf litter, long tail behind him. Later Glenn showed us the footage of Glen displaying while shaking branches on the trail, spreading his white, lacy tail feathers and dangling them in front of his face like a veil, shaking them and peering through them while calling and shaking the limbs in rhythm. His rufous tail feathers and lyre like feathers visible from the back only. We signed up for a copy of the tape from O'Reilly's when it was duplicated. As good or better than Life of Birds.
All species new and mindboggling.
Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)
Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius)
Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
Maned Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
Gray Teal (Anas gracilis)
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
White-eyed Duck aka Hardhead (Aythya australis)
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Great Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Cattle Egret (Threskiornis molucca)
Australian Ibis aka Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)
Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)
Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
Australian Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa)
Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea)
White-headed Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)
Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
Brown Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia phasianella)
Crested Pigeon (Phaps chalcoptera)
Wonga Pigeon (Leucosarcia melanoleuca)
Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)
Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)
Galah (Eolophus roseicapillus)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) (common)
Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus)
Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)
Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus)
Australian Owlet-Nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus)
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)
Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor) (amazing)
White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaeus)
Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)
Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti)
Rufous Scrub-bird (Atrichornis rufescens) HEARD
Green Catbird (Ailuroedus crassirostris)
Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus)
Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus)
Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)
Spotted Pardalote (Pardalotus punctatus)
Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus)
Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus)
Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis)
White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis)
Large-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis magnirostris)
Buff-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza reguloides)
Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)
Striated Thornbill (Acanthiza lineata)
Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki)
Brown Honeyeater(Lichmera indistincta)
Red-headed Myzomela aka Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta)
Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops)
White-naped Honeyeater (Melithreptus lunatus)
White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
Noisy Friarbird (Philemon corniculatus)
Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)
Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)
Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)
Rose Robin (Petroica rosea)
Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)
Crested Shrike-tit (Falcunculus frontatus)
Olive Whistler (Pachycephala olivacea)
Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
Gray Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
Logrunner (Orthonyx temminckii)
Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)
Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
Gray Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)
Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)
Black-faced Monarch (Monarcha melanopsis)
Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula)
Torresian Crow (Corvus orru)
Paradise Riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus)
Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)
Australiasian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) (common throughout the trip)
Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)
Magpie Lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) (common throughout)
Olive-backed Oriole (Oriolus sagittatus)
Green Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis)
Olive-tailed Thrush aka Bassian's Thrush (Zoothera lunulata)
Russet-tailed Thrush (Zoothera heinei)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) (the most commonly seen bird on the trip)
Tree Martin (Hirundo nigricans)
Fairy Martin (Hirundo ariel)
Silver-eye (Zosterops lateralis)
Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis)
Australiasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae)
Mistletoe Bird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)
We left Brisbane for Sydney and found our hotel that had been recommended by one of those books for budget birders, The Challis Inn. We rang the bell and a voice beckoned us up through the door and up the hall. The hall stank of garlic and the manager opened the door to his 8 x 8 foot room with hot plate for a stove. He was wearing a robe that fell open to reveal support stockings and dirty underwear. I looked away and asked about the room. It's the garden apartment he told me, would you like to see it? Yes, I replied and found my way to the alley where the garbage cans were stored - the garden. The small room with a shared toilet outside wouldn't do, but I could have a suite for a little more. The suite had mosquitos and faced the street. A person with bleach on his hair and a razor in his hand kept darting across the end of every hallway, following me. I felt like I was in a bad Roman Polanski movie. We bolted and found something better down the street with a French name and a view of the harbor and room service. Sure it would cost a little more but at least I wouldn't be murdered in my sleep.
The next morning we boarded our boat in Rose Bay Harbor along with twelve other eager birders from the States, Australia and South Africa. Since one of the pelagics had found an Amsterdam Albatross in the Tasman Sea, all birders have been wanting to see that rarity that breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the Indian Ocean. Luckily I had booked the passage in January with Tony Palliser (palliser@zip.com.au; our trip report is posted at their website).
As we left the harbor, someone on top of the boat saw a pair of Little Penguins swimming, but they didn't surface again. Where did they go?
We sailed out of the harbor into the seas, which were not bad, only about 4 ft swells. And sunny.
The color immediately drained out of Joseph's face even though we had both applied the scopalomine patch and brought pretzels to chew. As he grew sicker I tried to comfort him and thought how lucky I was. We finally began to see shearwaters about two miles out and then albatrosses. We pulled upside a group of albatrosses perched on the water, and the folks on board netted one, measured the beak and feet, took pictures of the open beak, perhaps a blood sample and then let it go. It was possible that it was an Amsterdam Albatross, which cannot be distinguished from a juvenile Wandering Albatross in the field. We are still waiting for the results, although a recent email from Tony indicates that most of the juvenile Amsterdam Albatrosses are banded, and since this one wasn't banded it's a good chance that it was a juvenile Wandering, but there is more information to come from the French ornithologists studying the alabatross, so there's still hope. The bobbing of the ship as we observed the albatrosses began to take its toll, and step by step I climbed down to the rear deck, lay down on the uncomfortable aluminum bench on the starboard side and finally heaved over the rail. I could look up only to see the Sperm Whale that swam in front of the boat, a pelagic rarity. Anything else would have been missed by me as I wanted only to die or sleep. Luckily for me there were few birds on that trip, many less than normal.
As we await the results of the identification process on the albatross, we once again vow never to go on another pelagic voyage, but we've made that promise before.
Wandering Albatross
Black-browed Albatross
Amsterdam Albatross (possible)
Cape Petrel
Providence Petrel
Great-winged Petrel
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
Fluttering Shearwater
Hutton's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Australian Pelican
Silver Gull
Caspian Tern
Arctic Skua
The next morning we went to Royal National Park and had a walk on dry land happily with Andy Burton (andyburton@s055.aone.net.au). We walked along the River Hocking and then ascended to the heath habitat. We wanted to see a few birds before our 1 p.m. flight to Cairns. We did. We saw:
Little Pied Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Black Swan
Maned Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Great Egret
Brown Goshawk
Dusky Moorhen
Spotted Dove
Brush Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Wonga Pigeon
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Rainbow Lorikeet
Laughing Kookaburra
Collared Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Superb Lyrebird
Green Catbird
Satin Bowerbird
Superb Fairywren
Variegated Fairywren
Southern Emuwren
Yellow-throated Scrubwren
Large-billed Scrubwren
Chestnut-rumped Hyacola (Heathwren)
Brown Thornbill
Brown Gerygone
Lewin's Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater
Little Wattlebird
Red Wattlebird
Yellow Robin
Rufous Whistler
Willie Wagtail
Australian Raven
Gray Butcherbird
Australasian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Magpie-lark
Common Starling
Welcome Swallow
Andy Anderson (birdo@internetnorth.com.au), our guide, met us at the airport Our friend Ed Craven from Houston was supposed to have joined us in Sydney for the flight to Cairns. This made us a bit worried, but Andy informed us that he left a message that he would join the next day.
Andy's car was unexpectedly small for four people and luggage, so we had to rent a larger car the next day. Andy didn't particularly like to use tapes, so we missed some species which we might have seen if he had tapes.
We stopped by some mangroves near the airport. It was hot and muggy, and little midges started biting immediately. We only saw a Collared Kingfisher but were hoping for a Mangrove Robin which we would see later near the Esplanade.
Andy drove us to the Esplanade and showed us a roosting Rufous Night Heron (formerly Nankeen Night Heron and changing back to that name) and drove us through a cemetary where there were several Bush Stone Curlews calling their mournful call and sneaking around like undertakers in long tails.
We would return to the Esplanade every day we would get near to Cairns as the waders were magnificent. One time we had both Curlew Sandpiper and Broad-billed Sandpiper standing next to each other in the scope for comparison. During our three trips to the Esplanade we saw:
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)
Nankeen Night-Heron aka Rufous Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
(The name of this bird was recently changed to Rufous then back to Nankeen
by a vote in the
magazine of the Australian Royal Ornithological Society which has also
been renamed Australian Birds I believe.)
Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) (formerly Sacred Ibis)
Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)
Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)
Australian Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt)
Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) (in the grass at the Esplanade)
Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis)
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Terek Sandpiper (Tringa cinerea)
Gray-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes)
Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris)
Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)
Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
Broad-billed Sandpiper (Limicola falcinellus)
Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius)
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus)
Mongolian Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
Greater Sandplover (Charadrius leschenaultii)
Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae)
Gull-billed Tern (Sterna nilotica)
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)
Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida)
Torresian Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephala)
Australian Swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae)
Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)
Brown Honeyeater (Lichmera indistincta)
Varied Honeyeater (Lichenostomus versicolor)
Yellow Honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavus)
White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides)
Mangrove Robin (Eopsaltria pulverulenta) (in the mangroves at the end
of the Esplanade)
White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)
Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)
Green Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis)
Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica)
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
On one visit we missed the Beach Stone Curlew by about four minutes according to birders who delivered my least favorite words - "it just flew."
The next morning we spent at Cassowary House (sicklebill@internetnorth.com.au) in Kuranda in the rainforest above Cairns, where we saw no cassowaries but did see a beautiful young male Victoria's Riflebird at the feeder. The female was eating the butter from a dish on the breakfast table. We waited at the Cassowary House while Andy went to pick up Edward at the airport.
U.S.Birders Sedated After Rampage
Mission Beach, Queensland, Australia
October 14, 1999Two U.S. citizens were in stable condition after sedation at the Mission Beach hospital in SE Queensland. The two men from Los Angeles, Garry George and Joseph Brooks were taken from the Mission Beach Cassowary Preserve screaming "where are they, where are they" repeatedly and jumping up and down. The Mission Beach Fire Department finally used tranquilizer darts on the pair of birdwatchers.
According to witnesses, the older of the two (but not by much) had told a story to a passerby that they had been looking for cassowary for the last seventy two hours. Cassowary are large birds that are highly endangered, with estimates of around 800 individuals remaining in SE Queensland. They stand over six feet tall and can be agressive. They are fairly common in some small areas in Queensland where residents frequently see them in the backyard or on the streets.
The pair had spent 12 hours at Cassowary house near Cairns, a location where the birds are seen daily. Phil and Sue Gregory, the owners of that establishment remembered the pair.
"The two men came here in the morning around 6 am. The cassowaries always come into the garden here around 7 am, 11 am and then again around 1 and then again around 3, as regular as clockwork they are. For some reason, the cassowaries avoided us that day. First time in months that has happened."
The proprietor of the Del Rio apartments in Mission Beach where the pair stayed the next night also remembered them.
"Nice blokes. They came here and sat in the garden for hours waiting for those damn birds. It was the only day the birds haven't come into my garden in months. I don't know why."
Rangers at the Mission Beach Cassowary Preserve also recalled seeing the pair.
"We've been seeing the Cassowaries in a clearing at the preserve every morning at 7 a.m. and the two U.S. birders were seen entering the preserve at 6:30 a.m. But for some reason, the cassowaries didn't come in that day. The next thing we knew we heard screaming at around 9 a.m. and found the two men foaming at the mouth and muttering obscenities on one of the trails, tearing up photos and drawings of cassowaries. They wouldn't listen to reason or respond, so we called the Fire Department to have them removed. They were scaring the children."
The U.S. birders are being observed for signs of sanity but so far none have been seen. One of them uttered "I really wanted that twitch" while unconscious. Puzzled Australian officials were trying to decipher the meaning of the word "Twitch."
Anyway, we managed to see:
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)
Red-necked Crake (Rallina tricolor) (sometimes comes to calls of "cheese"!)
Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus)
Superb Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus superbus)
Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (Opopsitta diopthalma)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
Forest Kingfisher (Todirhamphus macleayii)
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis)
Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki)
Dusky Myzomela (Myzomela obscura)
Graceful Honeyeater (Meliphaga gracilis)
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater (Meliphaga notata)
Macleay Honeyeater(Xanthotis macleayana)
White-throated Honeyeater(Melithreptus albogularis)
Pale-yellow Robin (Tregellasia capito)
Rufous Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha)
Chowchilla (Orthonyx spaldingii)
White-eared Monarch (Monarcha leucotis)
Spectacled Monarch (Monarcha trivirgatus)
Pied Monarch (Arses kaupi)
Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus)
Victoria's Riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae)
Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi)
Green Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis)
Yellow-eyed Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina lineata)
Varied Triller (Lalage leucomela)
Silver-eye (Zosterops lateralis)
Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis)
Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
From Cairns we drove into the Atherton Tablelands for a stay at Chambers Rainforest Lodge and one night at the world famous Kingfisher Lodge where we didn't see the Lesser Sooty Owl since one of us (no names) was awakened by the call at 3 a.m. but turned over and went back to sleep without seeing the bird or notifying the others! Not very hard core birder if you ask me. We also visted Yungaburra, Longlands Gap State Forest, Hasties Swamp, Bluff State Forest and the Athertonshire Pumping Station on the Barron River where we spent the end of a day watching a Duck-billed Platypus surface from time to time in a pond. We covered Tinaburra Waters, Lake Tinaroo, Henry Hannam Driver, Emerald Falls State Park, Mareeba Golf Course, Mary Farms, the Mary River, Mount Carbine and Mt. Lewis. There are a lot of fantastic birding destinations in this area. During that time we saw:
Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos)
Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Australian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)
Plumed Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni)
Wandering Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata)
Green Pygmy-goose (Nettapus pulchellus)
Cotton Pygmy-goose (Nettapus coromandelianus)
Gray Teal (Anas gracilis)
Paciic Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)
White-eyed Duck (Aythya australis)
White-aced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Paciic Heron (Ardea paciica)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis alcinellus)
Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)
Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)
Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)
Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)
Australian Kite (Elanus axillaris)
Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis)
Gray Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)
Brown Goshawk (Accipiter asciatus)
Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) seen by everyone but me
Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
Australian Kestrel (alco cenchroides)
Orange-ooted Scrubowl (Megapodius reinwardt)
Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)
Brown Quail (Coturnix ypsilophora)
Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa)
Eurasian Coot (ulica atra)
Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
Australian Bustard (Ardeotis australis) in full display which is quite a
sight.
Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea)
Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius)
White-headed Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus)
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)
Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela)
Brown Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia phasianella)
Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Crested Pigeon (Geophaps lophotes)
Squatter Pigeon (Geophaps scripta)
Peaceul Dove (Geopelia placida)
Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magniicus)
Topknot Pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus)
Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)
Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)
Little Lorikeet (Glossopsitta pusilla)
Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)
Malayan Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx minutillus)
Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae)
Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus)
Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Australian Swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae)
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)
Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)
Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus)
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis)
Green Catbird (Ailuroedus crassirostris)
Tooth-billed Catbird (Ailuroedus dentirostris)
Golden Bowerbird (Prionodura newtoniana)
Great Bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)
Red-backed Fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus)
Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus)
Fernwren (Oreoscopus gutturalis)
Yellow-throated Scrubwren (Sericornis citreogularis)
Atherton Scrubwren (Sericornis keri)
Mountain Thornbill (Acanthiza katherina)
Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris)
Fairy Gerygone (Gerygone palpebrosa)
White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea)
Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris)
Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki)
Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii)
Bridled Honeyeater (Lichenostomus renatus)
Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus)
Macleay Honeyeater (Xanthotis macleayana)
White-throated Honeyeater (Melithreptus albogularis)
Little Friarbird (Philemon citreogularis)
Noisy Friarbird (Philemon corniculatus)
White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris nigra)
Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)
Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala)
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher (Microeca lavigaster)
White-browed Robin (Poecilodryas superciliosa)
Gray-headed Robin (Heteromyias cinereirons)
Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera)
Gray Whistler (Pachycephala simplex)
Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
Ruous Whistler (Pachycephala ruiventris)
Ruous Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha)
Bower's Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla boweri)
Gray Shrike-Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
Gray-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis)
Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)
Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)
Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
Gray Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)
Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura ruirons)
Black-faced Monarch (Monarcha melanopsis)
Spectacled Monarch (Monarcha trivirgatus)
Pied Monarch (Arses kaupi)
Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula)
Satin Flycatcher (Myiagra cyanoleuca)
Yellow-breasted Boatbill (Machaerirhynchus laviventer)
Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus)
Torresian Crow (Corvus orru)
Victoria's Rilebird (Ptiloris victoriae)
Dusky Woodswallow (Artamus cyanopterus)
Gray Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)
Australasian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)
Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina)
Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)
Green Figbird (Sphecotheres viridis)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae)
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina papuensis)
White-winged Triller (Lalage tricolor)
Varied Triller (Lalage leucomela)
Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
Fairy Martin (Hirundo ariel)
Silver-eye (Zosterops lateralis)
Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)
Tawny Grassbird (Megalurus timoriensis)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis)
Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii)
Black-throated Finch (Poephila cincta)
Chestnut-breasted Munia (Lonchura castaneothorax)
Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae)
Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis)
and
Duck-billed Platypus
Long-eared Bandicoot
Brown Bandicoot
White-tailed Rat
Musky Rat Kangaroo
A morning on a boat ride on the Daintree River with Chris Dahlberg yielded:
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos)
Australian Darter (Anhinga novaehollandiae)
Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana) flying down the channel landing on shore
Rufous Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) flying across the channel in
front of us and perching
Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)
Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata)
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt)
Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis)
Torresian Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa)
Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephala)
Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus)
Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis)
Australian Swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae)
Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea)
Forest Kingfisher (Todirhamphus macleayii)
Large-billed Gerygone (Gerygone magnirostris)
Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides)
Brown-backed Honeyeater (Ramsayornis modestus)
Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto)
Green Oriole (Oriolus flavocinctus)
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
Furthermore, a colony of thousands of Spectacled Fruit Bats that we saw on the boat ride on the Daintree River. Amazing creatures with a wingspan of about 3 feet and leather wings. They were mostly roosting in the early morning but there were some active, and there was a nursery of young hanging in one area away from the adults.
Another 12 hours in Mission Beach looking for Cassowary yielded us one new bird:
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus regina)
We should have gone back to Cassowary House where they were there three times that day, but that's birding!
Darwin is right up there in the top of Australia. They call it the TOP END. It's across the Timor Sea from the island of Timor, part of Indonesia, which is why the United Nations troops are stationed there. It's hot and muggy and the bay is surrounded by mangroves and rocky shoreline.
We spent three of the days in Kakadu National Park, driving South from Darwin and stopping and staying in the park. Hot, dry, schlerophyll forest with sandstone outcroppings on one side. The outcropping have gullies worn down in them and monsoon rain forest grows in the gullies. You have to climb over the sandstone rocks to get to the rainforest. The whole park has a wet season and a dry season. During the wet season the rivers overflow and create small ponds of water - billabongs.
We arrived in Darwin, and after hassling with the rental car company over unlimited mileage (there isn't any) collision damage waiver (most credit card companies don't cover it) and insurance coverage on unsealed roads (there isn't any) and three break-downs of our car before we got a new one, we went right to Buffalo Creek Road, but the mosquitos were too intense, and we were too late to see anything although just as we were leaving a Large-tailed Nightjar put on a show for us. We didn't want to stay in the motel Andy had arranged for us but found another one by chance (all the hotels in town are booked by the media) just next to the Botanical Gardens (+61 889460300 phone). We walked the gardens early in the morning and found nothing new except Rufous-banded Honeyeater. Back to Buffalo Creek Road and the mangroves where we ran into a Field Guides tour and chatted with the leader. Around the mangroves and riverbanks and lagoons and East end rocky shores we found:
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Pacific Reef-Egret Egretta sacra Great Egret Ardea alba Pacific Heron Ardea pacifica Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus Osprey Pandion haliaetus Black Kite Milvus migrans Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt F Little Curlew Numenius minutus Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Terek Sandpiper Tringa cinerea Gray-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata Bush Thick-knee Burhinus grallarius F Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris White-headed Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus F Australian Pratincole Stiltia isabella Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica Great Crested-Tern Sterna bergii Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis F Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris Sacred Kingfisher Todirhamphus sanctus Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus F Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronotus F Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta F Red-headed Myzomela Myzomela erythrocephala F White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides F Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster Gray Whistler Pachycephala simplex F Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris F Broad-billed Flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis F Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus Gray Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca Green Figbird Sphecotheres viridis Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor Varied Triller Lalage leucomela F Australian Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis F Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis F Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
F = new lifer for me
We stopped in Howard Springs at the end of the day for easy looks at dusk of
F Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris
We ended up at Humpty Doo Motel that night where we had cabins but had to eat in a big open air wooden table beer pit filled with bikers and their biker chicks. Right out of Road Warrior it was. But close to Fogg Dam where the next morning we watched new species among the lotus including:
F Pied Heron Ardea picata F Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus killing a Brown Gerygone F White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus F Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
We drove to Nourlangie Rock where the aboriginal rock paintings distracted us from birds for a while, except for the family of Brown Quail that ventured out from behind the rocks into the grass. The mimi spirits had painted alien creatures on the rocks, creatures that create the universe or light up the sky. Stick figure/people/animal morphs that represent the beginning of life or fire or a rainbow serpent. The flies were horrendous and flew up our nose and into our eyes, so we cut branches from the trees and swatted them best we could. We also went to Ubirr rocks and happened upon new birds including:
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
F Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon Petrophassa rufipennis
crossing the road in front of us for good long looks
F Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris
Dusky Myzomela Myzomela obscura
F White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata
Yellow Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavus
White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
F Little Woodswallow Artamus minor
high in the sky above the red rocks
and
Rock Wallaby
Northern Nail-tail Wallabee
Dingo
Red Kangaroo
Blue Tongue Lizard
Frilled Lizard
Goana
After a night sleeping at Coinda we drove to Mary River stopping at Gunlom campground where we climbed the long hot trail to the limestone outcroppings and swam in the clear pools at the top. Each of us drank two gallons of water to keep from becoming dehydrated. We never saw any of the specialities of the area although we saw a six foot water snake catch a frog in the water and eat it. The next morning we planned to go back but the rangers were shooting feral pigs in the area until 7 a.m. so we decided to hike through Yurmikmik instead to look for Banded Fruit-dove and the other sandstone specialties. We never found them, although Andy saw a Fruit-Dove while he was coming to get us.
We decided to drive the long drive straight through back to Darwin, and we shared driving until we arrived just in time to go to our favorite restaurant again.
Our last morning was spent in the hot smelly mangroves of Charles Darwin Park where I managed to find a path cut through by a surveyor. As I was slogging through the mud to the waterline, Joseph lagged back to rest and saw
F Chestnut Rail Eulabeornis castaneoventristhat we were pursuing. He whistled our "come here" whistle but by the time I got there it was gone back into the mangroves with a flick of a tail. We had to leave the mangroves to catch our flight back to Sydney for Joseph's last night in Australia.
We flew to Sydney from Darwin and this time stayed in the NW part of the city to be closer to some new habitat for new species before Joseph's 1 pm flight back to Los Angeles and my 1 pm flight to Melbourne.
Andy Burton (andyburton@s055.aone.net.au) picked us up at 5 a.m., and we drove to Pitttown and the adjacent lagoons, Cattai National Park and then to Pennant Hills Park, then to Sydney airport.
Species included:
Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
Black Swan Cygnus atratus
Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata
Gray Teal Anas gracilis
F Chestnut Teal Anas castanea
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
F Australian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis
White-eyed Duck Aythya australis
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa
Crested Pigeon Geophaps lophotes
Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida
Australian King-Parrot Alisterus scapularis
F Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius
F Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus
F Powerful Owl Ninox strenua
a family of four at roost
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
F Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
F Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea
Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki
Scarlet Myzomela Myzomela sanguinolenta
Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops
F Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops
F White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus
Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus
F Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys
Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
F White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos
Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Gray Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula
Australian Raven Corvus coronoides
Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus
Black Butcherbird Cracticus quoyi
Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Pied Currawong Strepera graculina
Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel
Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
Silver-eye Zosterops lateralis
Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis
Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis
F Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
F = lifer for me
Joseph went back to LA and I went on to Melbourne. Luckily, I was invited to go to the Werribee Sewage Ponds for a trip on the 22nd with a local birder and two birders from Britain. This was done through "birding-aus," the Australian BIRDCHAT. I eagerly met Tania Ireton at 7 a.m., and we drove to Werribee. It was hard explaining to my business associates why I would be interested in going to sewage ponds and why that would be an invitational event, but I think they are getting used to it.
It took eight hours to drive around the many sewage ponds and coastal bay habitat. During the day a front came in with high winds and freezing cold rain, and we watched the storm cell pass over from the car.
During the very long day we saw:
F Hoary-headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus F Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis F Musk Duck Biziura lobata Black Swan Cygnus atratus F Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata Gray Teal Anas gracilis Chestnut Teal Anas castanea Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Australian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus White-eyed Duck Aythya australis White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus F Swamp Harrier Circus approximans Brown Falcon Falco berigora Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa F Black-tailed Native-hen Gallinula ventralis Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea F Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva F Red-kneed Dotterel Erythrogonys cinctus Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles F Pacific Gull Larus pacificus Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Great Crested-Tern Sterna bergii Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa F White-fronted Chat Epthianura albifrons
F = new lifer for me
Then we drove to some small mountains near Werribee called the You Yangs. Dry schlerophyll forest. Galahs were building a nest in a hole in a eucalypt as we arrived. We only spent a short time on a trail but managed to see:
F Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides F Painted Buttonquail Turnix varia F Purple-crowned Lorikeet Glossopsitta porphyrocephala White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
October 29, 1999. I'm sitting in the Peppin Motor Inn in Denilquin, NSW, Australia about 3 1/2 hours Northwest of Melbourne on the border of Victoria and New South Wales. They call this area the Riverine because the Murray River flows through it. Most of it is dry flat plains, but some patches of native saltbush still remain where sheep haven't eaten it and agriculture hasn't replaced it. The tree-lined rivers and creeks stand in sharp relief to the grazed introduced grasses. Lakes and ponds fill and empty depending on the season which are two - wet and dry. It's 7:30 pm and I've just had dinner to celebrate four days of the most extraordinary birding with Phil Maher of Austalian Ornithological Services (mahert@patash.com.au).
Denilquin is known for the Peppin Merino, a breed of sheep that was well known before the wool business crashed about four years ago. But among birders it and Phil are known for the only location to see the Plains Wanderer. This strange bird looks like a buttonquail stuck on a wader. The female is brightly plumaged (white-spotted black collar above a rufous breatband) as in buttonquails, but the bird has long yellow legs with a hind toe and a long slender neck which buttonquails don't have. The legs look like a wader. On top of the long neck (unlike buttonquail) is a head with a yellow beak and nasal opening that extends the entire length of the beak. When the bird looks directly at you the face is more like a kiwi. This buttonquail/wader/kiwi bird is so unusual, and so little is known about it that ornithologists have never known where to put it, and subsequently gave it its own family - Pedionomus - and it is the only species in that family. And as far as I know, Phil is the only person in Australia who knows where they are.
We saw the Plains Wanderer finally around 11:30 Tuesday night. We had heard it calling (a loud, eerie call) in our original location, about 2 hours outside Denilquin in a pasture, but it didn't respond to tape, and we couldn't find it after searching the pasture for about three hours. So we decided to search another pasture.
The Plains Wanderer is best seen at night because it is too secretive during the daylight hours when raptors might discover it and eat it. It compresses during the day and runs in the grass invisible to the eye, slouched. But at night it will freeze if discovered by light, and not run.
We saw one female frozen in the spotlight. She wore a black and white neck, and beautiful scalloped black and yellow feathers on the back and wing, a chestnut color on the throat, and thick yellow legs. Her bill was yellow and had a long nasal opening, unusual for waders as well as quail. When she faced you straight on, she had a cross-eyed kiwi kind of look. She stood there in the light before she crept off crouching into the grass. We were thrilled. There were four of us. The Morrisons from the UK almost gave up as the night got cold and late, and we were driving around in circles, but I was determined not to miss this bird, and Phil was confident.
On the way to the Plains Wanderer site we stopped in some reeds and in one hour with the help of Phil's tapes had great looks at:
F Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla F Australian Crake (formerly Spotted) Porzana fluminea F Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis
F = new lifer for me
This was my introduction to the amazing skills of Phil Maher.
On the drive to the site and at the Plains Wanderer site where we had tea while waiting for dark we found:
F Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
A mother with 12 chicks, all running through a field
F Stubble Quail Coturnix pectoralis
F Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
F Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus
F Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus
F Inland Dotterel Peltohyas australis
F Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor
F White-winged Fairywren Malurus leucopterus
F Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens
F Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis
Gray-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis
F White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosternus
F Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus
F Brown Songlark Cincloramphus cruralis
F Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi
F Australasian Bushlark Mirafra javanica
All this in one afternoon/evening starting at 1 p.m.! One of the great days of birding for me.
I spent four days with Phil, two of them shared with the Morrisons and two with just Phil and I. On the two last days after stopping at a pond in Denilquin to see a pair of the prehistoric-looking Freckled Duck we drove three hours to Wandown Reserve and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and the mallee habitat of stunted eucalypt (which burns periodically for regeneration) in red sandy soil. We stayed overnight in Ouyen at the Malleeview Motel. We searched four mounds but never found an active one nor the rare Malleefowl. However, we were lucky to get good looks at a Striated Grasswren running between bushes and perching just off the ground, several pairs of Mallee Emuwren, and a Southern Scrub-robin. Phil played the tape for Chestnut Quail-thrush in an area where he had seen them, but no response. As we were walking back to the car, I thought I heard a faint rhythmic call that seemed very similar, but not quite the same as the tape. Probably not a Quail-thrush but worth a look. As we approached a dense area the call got louder, and finally we located a male Chestnut Quail-thrush perched about five feet off the ground singing away! Eventually it flew to the ground and resumed it's terrestial lifestyle, but I felt I had witnessed something seldom observed in a quail-thrush. And I'd seen all the bird in all it's glory. Far more glorious colors and marking than illustrated in the field guides.
Seen in the mallee habitat of Wandown Reserve and Hattah-Kulkyne NP:
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides
Brown Falcon Falco berigora
Australian Kestrel Falco cenchroides
Crested Pigeon Geophaps lophotes
F Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus
F Mallee Ringneck Barnardius barnardi
Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans
Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus
F Mulga Parrot Psephotus varius
Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
huge flocks of hundreds of them
Galah Eolophus roseicapillus
Pink Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri
Long-billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris
F Red-backed Kingfisher Todirhamphus pyrrhopygia
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
F Splendid Fairywren Malurus splendens
the all blue stunner
Variegated Fairywren Malurus lamberti
F Mallee Emuwren Stipiturus mallee
F Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus
F Shy Hylacola aka Shy Heathwren Hylacola cauta
Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides
F Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis
F Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis
Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris
Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis
F White-eared Honeyeater Lichenostomus leucotis
F Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus ornatus
F White-fronted Honeyeater Phylidonyris albifrons
F Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula
Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata
F Southern Scrub-Robin Drymodes brunneopygia
Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
F Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis
F Chestnut Quail-thrush Cinclosoma castanotus
Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea
Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta
Little Raven Corvus mellori
White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus
Gray Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
F Gray Currawong Strepera versicolor
Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca
White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosternus
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel
On the way back to Denilquin we stopped at a sight for Chestnut-crowned Babbler, giving me three of the four Pseudobabblers found in Australia.
I left Denilquin reluctantly and drove back to Melbourne, stopping at a turnoff to Mt. Ida 5 km before Heathcote and easily saw
F Speckled Warbler Chthonicola sagittata
Complete list for four days in Inland Australia:
F Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Hoary-headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni Musk Duck Biziura lobata F Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa Black Swan Cygnus atratus Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata Gray Teal Anas gracilis Chestnut Teal Anas castanea Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia Pacific Heron Ardea pacifica Great Egret Ardea alba Rufous Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus Black-backed Bittern (HEARD) Ixobrychus novaezelandiae F Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia F Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes Black Kite Milvus migrans Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides Brown Falcon Falco berigora Australian Kestrel Falco cenchroides F Stubble Quail Coturnix pectoralis F Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla F Australian Crake Porzana fluminea F Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa Black-tailed Native-hen Gallinula ventralis Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea F Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus White-headed Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus F Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus Red-kneed Dotterel Erythrogonys cinctus F Inland Dotterel Peltohyas australis F Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica Rock Dove Columba livia Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera Crested Pigeon Geophaps lophotes Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida F Superb Parrot Polytelis swainsonii F Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus F Mallee Ringneck Barnardius barnardi Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans F Bluebonnet Northiella haematogaster Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus F Mulga Parrot Psephotus varius F Blue-winged Parrot Neophema chrysostoma F Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus Galah Eolophus roseicapillus F Pink Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita F Long-billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris F Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis F Black-eared Cuckoo Chrysococcyx osculans Australian Owlet-Nightjar Aegotheles cristatus Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii F Red-backed Kingfisher Todirhamphus pyrrhopygia Sacred Kingfisher Todirhamphus sanctus Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaeus Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus F White-winged Fairywren Malurus leucopterus Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus F Splendid Fairywren Malurus splendens Variegated Fairywren Malurus lamberti F Mallee Emuwren Stipiturus mallee F Striated Grasswren Amytornis striatus Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus F Speckled Warbler Chthonicola sagittata F Shy Hylacola Hylacola cauta Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides F Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis F Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris F Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca F Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis F Black Honeyeater Certhionyx niger F Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens F White-eared Honeyeater Lichenostomus leucotis F Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus ornatus White-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus F Brown-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis F White-fronted Honeyeater Phylidonyris albifrons F Painted Honeyeater Grantiella picta F Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula F Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata White-fronted Chat Epthianura albifrons F Jacky-winter Microeca fascinans F Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii F Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata F Southern Scrub-Robin Drymodes brunneopygia Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera Crested Shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus F Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis F Gilbert's Whistler Pachycephala inornata Gray Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla harmonica Gray-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis F White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus F Chestnut-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus ruficeps F Chestnut Quail-thrush Cinclosoma castanotus White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta F Little Raven Corvus mellori F Masked Woodswallow Artamus personatus F White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus Gray Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen F Gray Currawong Strepera versicolor Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor F White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosternus Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Tree Martin Hirundo nigricans Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel F Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus F Brown Songlark Cincloramphus cruralis F Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi F Australasian Bushlark Mirafra javanica House Sparrow Passer domesticus F Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton F Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae 160 species
and Western Gray Kangaroo
This was one of the most exciting birding experiences of my life, and I highly recommend Phil and this area to anyone travelling to Australia.
November 1, 1999. "Inala" is an aboriginal word meaning "place of peace."
That's where I am.
It's a flight from anywhere in Australia to Hobart, Tasmania, an hour drive to a ferry, a forty minute ride, then an hour drive to Inala on S.Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia. If I drive down the road to one of the many beaches and face south, I am looking at Antarctica 2500 miles away, about the distance of LA to NY.
Dr. Tonia Cochran and her husband bought Inala some years ago. Tonia's degree in marine biology got her a research job in Antarctica but also gave her an interest in life and nature. When she found a colony of the endangered Forty-spotted Pardalote on her property, she learned first hand about conservation for wildlife and now rents out the cabin to nature obssessives like me who don't mind freezing their butts off to see a little winged critter. A large part of the proceeds go to conservation of habitat which is the only way to preserve the diversity of species, without a doubt.
Tasmania separated from the continent of Australia about 20,000 years ago when the polar ice caps melted and the land bridge now known as the Bass Straits covered in water. Australia separated from Gondwandaland some 20 million years ago (best estimate!) but that is another story entirely. In isolation on an island a species evolves in the most interesting ways in comparison to the relatives on the mainland. All of the endemic species of birds on Tasmania, and there are twelve, can be seen on Bruny Island, and all of them on Inala.
I've just taken off all of my layers of insulation. Turtleneck polypropylene, t-shirt, sweatshirt, polarfleece, knit cap all lie on a chair. Another log went on the fire. I've just returned from a wonderful experience.
Bruny Neck State Park is Bruny Island's narrowest point. There's room only for the road with beach and water on both sides. The South side of the road is sand dunes, saltgrass and other grasses. The locals have built a staircase up and over the saltgrass that leads to the sand that leads to the beach. It is here that the show begins in the evening. At around 8 p.m. in October and November the Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) begin circling after a long day at sea. Screaming and laughing like Peter Lorre they fall and crash into the saltgrass bushes and crawl into their roosts for the evening. It's Tasmania's spring and they are mating. Peter Lorre on nitrous oxide. The male climbs on the females back, both screaming and wheezing, and the male places his beak first to the left side of her face then to the right then back and forth faster and faster while both are screeching. In six weeks chicks and soon thereafter the adults leave Bruny Island for their trip N. to Japan, E. to U.S., N. to Alaska, W. to Siberia, then back across the ocean to S. America then West across the bottom to Australia. In only one year. A big figure eight. Four weeks after the adults leave the juveniles leave. How do they do that? But this is just the opening act.
When the shearwaters have climbed into their burrows or under their bushes, the parade begins. Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) come out of the ocean and walk across the sand to roost in the dunes as well. It's dark, and the only way to see them is with a flashlight covered with red cellophane to protect their sensitive eyes. They are less than a foot tall with little yellow feet and de-evolved wings that hang limply by their sides, used only for swimming now, as they shuffle across the sand and stand in shock in the red spotlight. How amazing that such a creature exists, and how lucky am I to be here on this night sharing the same sand, the same corner of the planet, mirroring the same shock and surprise between species. I was so ecstatic as I left that I hallucinated that the lights from Hobart were the borealis until I realized I was looking North.
But Bruny Island has been like that. Today I spent twenty minutes watching an echidna dig in the roadside for ants. With a 4" nose like a Yakuza little finger cut blunt at the end they root and tear the ant nest apart. Back covered with spines and fur to protect against predators, face softened with two little elfish smiling eyes, hind feet that face backwards so they can pull them in if they have to turn into a prickly ball to avoid being eaten, they are a strange creation. Smaller than a football and light tan (juvenile), and I wanted to take it home in my overnight bag.
Terrestrial orchids and sun orchids are just starting to bloom in the fern gully we walked through looking for Scrubtit. We picked leeches off of our white socks which we put outside of our pants but we didn't mind. Antarctic beech trees, banksia and lots of blue gums and eucalypts and casharinas blanket the hillsides. We drove for six hours here and there and passed one car the entire time. That's one thing I love about Australia and Tasmania. It's as big as the U.S. with less than 10% of the population. No waiting in lines in the bush. No crowd forest.
It's time for sleep for this homo sapiens. The nocturnal Brushtail Possums are waking up and making a racket outside disturbing the Tasmanian Native Hens. I'm not going to see a Tasmanian Devil because they are difficult to see except behind a hotel in Northern Tasmania where they come to dinner scraps in the floodlights while the tourists drink and cheer. Not what I would call a pure experience of nature but acceptable if you're desperate to see Tasmanian Devil. I'll settle for the birds and the bays of Bruny Island.
F Little Penguin Eudyptula minor
F Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora
seen at seawatch behind lighthouse at southernmost tip
Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus
Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris
F Australian Gannet Morus serrator
seen from the ferry
F Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens
seen from the ferry
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Swamp Harrier Circus approximans
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Brown Falcon Falco berigora
F Tasmanian Native-hen Gallinula mortierii
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris
F Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus
F Hooded Plover Charadrius rubricollis
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Pacific Gull Larus pacificus
F Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
Great Crested-Tern Sterna bergii
F Fairy Tern Sterna nereis
Rock Dove Columba livia
F Green Rosella Platycercus caledonicus
Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius
F Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus
F Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna
reliable at the Hobart airport parking lot
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus
F Forty-spotted Pardalote Pardalotus quadragintus
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
F Brown Scrubwren Sericornis humilis
F Scrubtit Acanthornis magnus
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla
F Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii
Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
F Yellow-throated Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavicollis
F Black-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus affinis
F Strong-billed Honeyeater Melithreptus validirostris
F Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera
New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
F Yellow Wattlebird Anthochaera paradoxa
White-fronted Chat Epthianura albifrons
F Scarlet Robin Petroica multicolor
F Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea
F Pink Robin Petroica rodinogaster
F Dusky Robin Melanodryas vittata
Olive Whistler Pachycephala olivacea
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Gray Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Gray Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
F Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus
Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus
Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis
F Black Currawong Strepera fuliginosa
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
Tree Martin Hirundo nigricans
Silver-eye Zosterops lateralis
F Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella
Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
F = new lifer for me
71 species