DOCSLIB.ORG

Australia 9 September – 25 November 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Australia 9 September – 25 November 2018 Australia 9 September – 25 November 2018 Rob Gordijn & Helen Rijkes ([email protected]) - http://www.penguinbirding.com Introduction We spend 2,5 month driving around 2/3ths of Australia to see as many new species as possible. Since we had been in Papua just before this trip we didn’t try for the longest list possible, but we did all right seeing 559 species in total. Because this was quite a long trip and the covered area is huge we tried to give some overview below. We visited 11 birding areas (see image below), skipping the Iron Ranges and Western Australia. We decided to drive the entire trip which meant we could only see some additional species along the way that are otherwise hard to reach. Since we are still traveling this is a preliminary trip report with our main findings and a rough annotated species list (counts are incomplete and subspecies indication is missing). Please send us an email if you are looking for specific information and can’t find it in the report. Because this was a long trip in Australia (and part of even longer trip overal) we had some days with some time off for doing laundry or preparing for the next months of our trip. These days are marked by an asterisk. We tried to give the driving times for the long stretches, but there was quite a lot of driving on most days (26.000 km in total for the trip). Itinerary 1 9-Sep Brisbane (Inskip Point) – Rockhampton 2 10-Sep Rockhampton - Eungella 3 11-Sep Eungella – Mission Beach 4 12-Sep 1. Cairns area Mission Beach – Cairns - Kingfisher Park 5 13-Sep 1. Cairns area Kingfisher Park - Mt. Lewis, Mareeba area 6 14-Sep 1. Cairns area Kingfisher Park - Mt. Lewis, Atherton area inc. Hasties Swamp 7 15-Sep 1. Cairns area Kingfisher Park – Artemis Station 8 16-Sep 1. Cairns area Artemis station - Lakefield NP - Cooktown 9 17-Sep 1. Cairns area Cooktown - 7 hr drive overnight at Ravenshoe 10 18-Sep 4 hr drive - Cumberland dam - Karumba 11 19-Sep Karumba – 7 hr drive overnight at McKinlay roadhouse 12 20-Sep 2. Mt Isa 3 hr drive – Lark Quarry NP - Bladensburg 13 21-Sep 2.Winton Mt Isa Bladensburg NP 14 22-Sep 2.Winton Mt Isa Bladensburg NP – Mt Isa (Lake Moondarra) 15 23-Sep 2.&Winton Mt Isa Mt Isa (Mcnamara rd, Pamela st) 16 24-Sep Winton Mt Isa (Pamela st)- Barkly tablelands 17 25-Sep Barkly tablelands – Katherine (Arnhem highway km 8) 18 26-Sep 3. Top end Katherine - Chinaman Creek, Chainman Creek, Edith Falls rd, Umbrawarra gorge – Pine 19 27-Sep 3.(Darwin) Top end PineCreek Creek – Edith Falls rd – Mary river roadhouse – Nourlangie - Jabiru 20 28-Sep 3.(Darwin) Top end Kakadu NP (Bardejildjd, Ubirr, Nourlangie) 21 29-Sep 3.(Darwin) Top end Kakadu (Nourlangie) - Darwin 22 30-Sep 3.(Darwin) Top end Darwin (Buffalo Creek, East Point, Coconut Grove)* 23 1-Oct 3.(Darwin) Top end Darwin (East Point, Buffalo Creek, Coconut Grove)* 24 2-Oct 3.(Darwin) Top end Darwin (various sites) – Katherine (Chainman Creek, Poo Ponds) 25 3-Oct 3(Darwin). Top end Katherine (Arnhem highway) – Victoria Roadhouse 26 4-Oct (Darwin) Victoria Roadhouse – Timber Creek - Dunmarra Roadhouse 27 5-Oct Dunmarra Roadhouse – Alice Springs (Kenneth Bore) 28 6-Oct 4. Alice Kenneth Bore - Alice Springs (Santa Theresa road) 29 7-Oct 4.Springs Alice Alice Springs (Desert Park) - Kenneth Bore 30 8-Oct 4.Springs Alice Alice Springs (Desert park) - Erldunda 31 9-Oct 4.Springs Alice Erldunda - Yulara 32 10-Oct 4.Springs Alice Yulara - Uluru (all day) 33 11-Oct Springs Yulara to Cooper Pedy 34 12-Oct 5. Outback Cooper Pedy (12km south) - Oodnadatta track to Marree 35 13-Oct 5.Tracks Outback Birdsville track - southern part 36 14-Oct 5.Tracks Outback Birdsville track - northern part 37 15-Oct 5.Tracks Outb ack Birdsville track - back to Lyndhurst 38 16-Oct 5.Tracks Outback Strzelecki track 39 17-Oct Tracks Strzelecki track - Flinders Ranges (Stokes Hill) 40 18-Oct Flinders Ranges (Stokes Hill) - Whyalla (Wild Dog Hill) * 41 19-Oct 6. P Augusta Whyalla - Lake Gilles CP - Ceduna 42 20-Oct 6.Nulla P Augustarbor Ceduna - Nullarbor (roadhouse + NP) 43 21-Oct 6.Nullarbor P Augusta Nullarbor NP - Mount Ive Station 44 22-Oct 6.Nullarbor P Augusta Mount Ive Station - Port Lincoln 45 23-Oct 6.Nullarbor P Augusta Port Lincoln * Nullarbor 46 24-Oct Port Lincoln - Crystal Brook 47 25-Oct 7. Mallee area Crystal Brook - Berri 48 26-Oct 7. Mallee area Berri - Murray Sunset - Hattah Kulkyne 49 27-Oct 7. Mallee area Hattah Kulkyne - Little Desert - Mount Arapiles 50 28-Oct Mount Arapiles - Lake Colac - Anglesea area 51 29-Oct 8. Melbourne Anglesea area 52 30-Oct 8.area Melbourne Anglesea - Werribee - Melbourne - Toolangi State Forest 53 31-Oct 8.area Melbourne Toolangi - Bunyip State Forest 54 1-Nov 8.area Melbourne Bunyip State Forest - Dandedong Hills - Heathcote 55 2-Nov 8.area Melbourne Heathcote - Deniliquin 56 3-Nov 8.area Melbourne Deniliquin (Plains Wanderer weekend day 1) 57 4-Nov area Deniliquin (PW weekend day 2) - Wollongong 58 5-Nov 9. Sydney Wollongong Botanical Gardens - Barren Grounds 59 6-Nov 9.area Sydney Barren Grounds - Nowra - Barren Grounds 60 7-Nov 9.area Sydney Barren Grounds – some overnight stop* 61 8-Nov 9.area Sydney Capertee Valley 62 9-Nov 9.area Sydn ey Capertee Valley - Sydney 63 10-Nov 9.area Sydney Sydney Pelagic - Gloucester Tops 64 11-Nov area Gloucester Tops - Old Bar 65 12-Nov Old Bar - Hastings Point 66 13-Nov 10. Brisbane Hastings Point - Lamington 67 14-Nov 10.area Brisbane Lamington - Brisbane (night drive Mount Glorious) 68 15-Nov 10.area Brisbane Brisbane area (Lake Samsonvale - Mt Coot-tha) * 69 16-Nov 10.area Brisbane Brisbane - Yarraman - Southport 70 17-Nov 10.area Brisbane Southport Pelagic - Brisbane 71 18-Nov 10.area Brisbane Brisbane area (Mount Glorious)* 72 19-Nov 10.area Brisbane Brisbane area (Samsonvale - Fisherman's Island, Kedron Brook Wetlands) * 73 20-Nov area Brisbane area - no birding * 74 21-Nov Flight to Tasmania - Hobart (Peter Murrell Conservation Area, night drive) 75 22-Nov 11. Tasmania Hobart (Mount Wellington) - Bruny Island * 76 23-Nov 11. Tasmania Bruny Island * 77 24-Nov 11. Tasmania Bruny Island - Hobart 78 25-Nov Flight Tasmania to Melbourne - onward flight to Santiago de Chili Practicalities Guiding & organised trips. Although most species can be easily found by yourself, there are a few where some help is required. Most of these trips are quite popular, so make sure you book them in advance. About 5 months before our trip we booked a Plains wanderer-weekend with Phil Maher (last seats), a pelagic in Southport (waiting list) and a pelagic in Sydney. We also bought tickets for a trip to Melaleuca for the Orange-bellied Parrot. During our trip we realised It would be very difficult to find Black-eared miners so we organised a guided day birding with Peter Waanders of Bellbirding with some good Malleebirds thrown in as well. Plainswanderer: Phil Maher has been running trips from Deniliquin to see Plains Wanderer since the 80’s, you can for an evening for the Plains Wanderers, or join one or the weekend trips to see some other good species as well. We went along on the weekendtrip and paid 340 dollar per person. See https://www.philipmaher.com for details. Sadly we missed the Plains Wanderers due to the drought, but most people are more lucky.. Pelagics Australia has some worldclass pelagic birding to offer. Regular pelagics are organised from several areas e.g. Southport, Port Stephens, Sydney, Kiama, Eaglehawk Neck, Port Fairy. We used www.sossa-international.com to see an(?) overview of the possible sites and dates of the pelagics. Also note that on the Facebook groups “Seabirds and Pelagics Australia” new trips are advertised and opened spots on full pelagics are shared as well. We were able to fit in two pelegics in our itinerary: one from Sydney and one from Southport (each around 120 dollar pp). Orange-bellied Parrots Orange-bellied parrots winter on the mainland and return to their last breeding site in Melaleuca in the remote South west of Tasmania in October & November. The only way to get there is by plane. Day trips can be booked with www.paravion.com for 599 dollar per person. Make sure you book your trip for your first day on Tasmania as trips are regularly cancelled due to the weather (as we experienced.) In our case it was rescheduled to a time after we left from Tasmania so no Orange-bellied parrots for us. The numbers of wild birds are slowly decreasing, and several release programs and assisted overwintering are being worked on. Black-eared Miner/Mallee specialities. Black-eared Miners are rapidly declining due to hybridization with the more widespread Yellow-throated Miners. A “pure one” (identified by dark moustache-stripe and lack of pale rump) is hard to find these days and requires local knowledge of where still birds hang around. Therefore we contacted Peter Waanders from Bellbirding ([email protected]) who lives in Berri, South Australia close to several Mallee reserves. Peter had already a guest on our preferred date, but luckily, we could join in and split the fee (690 dollar shared among 3 people). Aside from the Black-eared Miner (which we found without difficulty but on a reserve not open to the public) we enjoyed other Mallee specialties such as Rufous-lored Whistler, Mallee Emu-wren and Striated Grasswren.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ORNITHOLOGIST VOLUME 44 - PARTS 1&2 - November - 2019
    SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGIST VOLUME 44 - PARTS 1&2 - November - 2019 Journal of The South Australian Ornithological Association Inc. In this issue: Variation in songs of the White-eared Honeyeater Phenotypic diversity in the Copperback Quailthrush and a third subspecies Neonicotinoid insecticides Bird Report, 2011-2015: Part 1, Non-passerines President: John Gitsham The South Australian Vice-Presidents: Ornithological John Hatch, Jeff Groves Association Inc. Secretary: Kate Buckley (Birds SA) Treasurer: John Spiers FOUNDED 1899 Journal Editor: Merilyn Browne Birds SA is the trading name of The South Australian Ornithological Association Inc. Editorial Board: Merilyn Browne, Graham Carpenter, John Hatch The principal aims of the Association are to promote the study and conservation of Australian birds, to disseminate the results Manuscripts to: of research into all aspects of bird life, and [email protected] to encourage bird watching as a leisure activity. SAOA subscriptions (e-publications only): Single member $45 The South Australian Ornithologist is supplied to Family $55 all members and subscribers, and is published Student member twice a year. In addition, a quarterly Newsletter (full time Student) $10 reports on the activities of the Association, Add $20 to each subscription for printed announces its programs and includes items of copies of the Journal and The Birder (Birds SA general interest. newsletter) Journal only: Meetings are held at 7.45 pm on the last Australia $35 Friday of each month (except December when Overseas AU$35 there is no meeting) in the Charles Hawker Conference Centre, Waite Road, Urrbrae (near SAOA Memberships: the Hartley Road roundabout). Meetings SAOA c/o South Australian Museum, feature presentations on topics of ornithological North Terrace, Adelaide interest.
    [Show full text]
  • PLANT COMMUNITY FIELD GUIDE Introduction to Rainforest
    PLANT COMMUNITY FIELD GUIDE Introduction to Rainforest Communities Table of Contents (click to go to page) HCCREMS Mapping ....................................................................... 3 Field Data Sheet ............................................................................. 4 Which of the following descriptions best describes your site? ................................................................ 5 Which plant community is it? .......................................................... 9 Rainforest communities of the Lower Hunter .................................. 11 Common Rainforest Species of the Lower Hunter ........................................................................ 14 A picture guide to common rainforest species of the Lower Hunter ........................................................... 17 Weeding of Rainforest Remnants ................................................... 25 Rainforest Regeneration near Black Jacks Point ............................ 27 Protection of Rainforest Remnants in the Lower Hunter & the Re-establishment of Diverse, Indigenous Plant Communities ... 28 Guidelines for a rainforest remnant planting program ..................... 31 Threatened Species ....................................................................... 36 References ..................................................................................... 43 Acknowledgements......................................................................... 43 Image Credits ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sericornis, Acanthizidae)
    GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION AND PHYLOGENY IN THE AUSTRALO-PAPUAN SCRUBWRENS (SERICORNIS, ACANTHIZIDAE) LESLIE CHRISTIDIS,1'2 RICHARD $CHODDE,l AND PETER R. BAVERSTOCK 3 •Divisionof Wildlifeand Ecology, CSIRO, P.O. Box84, Lyneham,Australian Capital Territory 2605, Australia, 2Departmentof EvolutionaryBiology, Research School of BiologicalSciences, AustralianNational University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia, and 3EvolutionaryBiology Unit, SouthAustralian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia ASS•CRACr.--Theinterrelationships of 13 of the 14 speciescurrently recognized in the Australo-Papuan oscinine scrubwrens, Sericornis,were assessedby protein electrophoresis, screening44 presumptivelo.ci. Consensus among analysesindicated that Sericorniscomprises two primary lineagesof hithertounassociated species: S. beccarii with S.magnirostris, S.nouhuysi and the S. perspicillatusgroup; and S. papuensisand S. keriwith S. spiloderaand the S. frontalis group. Both lineages are shared by Australia and New Guinea. Patternsof latitudinal and altitudinal allopatry and sequencesof introgressiveintergradation are concordantwith these groupings,but many featuresof external morphologyare not. Apparent homologiesin face, wing and tail markings, used formerly as the principal criteria for grouping species,are particularly at variance and are interpreted either as coinherited ancestraltraits or homo- plasies. Distribution patternssuggest that both primary lineageswere first split vicariantly between
    [Show full text]
  • NSW Vagrant Bird Review
    an atlas of the birds of new south wales and the australian capital territory Vagrant Species Ian A.W. McAllan & David J. James The species listed here are those that have been found on very few occasions (usually less than 20 times) in NSW and the ACT, and are not known to have bred here. Species that have been recorded breeding in NSW are included in the Species Accounts sections of the three volumes, even if they have been recorded in the Atlas area less than 20 times. In determining the number of records of a species, when several birds are recorded in a short period together, or whether alive or dead, these are here referred to as a ‘set’ of records. The cut-off date for vagrant records and reports is 31 December 2019. As with the rest of the Atlas, the area covered in this account includes marine waters east from the NSW coast to 160°E. This is approximately 865 km east of the coast at its widest extent in the south of the State. The New South Wales-Queensland border lies at about 28°08’S at the coast, following the centre of Border Street through Coolangatta and Tweed Heads to Point Danger (Anon. 2001a). This means that the Britannia Seamounts, where many rare seabirds have been recorded on extended pelagic trips from Southport, Queensland, are east of the NSW coast and therefore in NSW and the Atlas area. Conversely, the lookout at Point Danger is to the north of the actual Point and in Queensland but looks over both NSW and Queensland marine waters.
    [Show full text]
  • Recommended Band Size List Page 1
    Jun 00 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme - Recommended Band Size List Page 1 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme Recommended Band Size List - Birds of Australia and its Territories Number 24 - May 2000 This list contains all extant bird species which have been recorded for Australia and its Territories, including Antarctica, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos and Keeling Islands, with their respective RAOU numbers and band sizes as recommended by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme. The list is in two parts: Part 1 is in taxonomic order, based on information in "The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories" (1994) by Leslie Christidis and Walter E. Boles, RAOU Monograph 2, RAOU, Melbourne, for non-passerines; and “The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines” (1999) by R. Schodde and I.J. Mason, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, for passerines. Part 2 is in alphabetic order of common names. The lists include sub-species where these are listed on the Census of Australian Vertebrate Species (CAVS version 8.1, 1994). CHOOSING THE CORRECT BAND Selecting the appropriate band to use combines several factors, including the species to be banded, variability within the species, growth characteristics of the species, and band design. The following list recommends band sizes and metals based on reports from banders, compiled over the life of the ABBBS. For most species, the recommended sizes have been used on substantial numbers of birds. For some species, relatively few individuals have been banded and the size is listed with a question mark. In still other species, too few birds have been banded to justify a size recommendation and none is made.
    [Show full text]
  • Australia ‐ Part Two 2016 (With Tasmania Extension to Nov 7)
    Field Guides Tour Report Australia ‐ Part Two 2016 (with Tasmania extension to Nov 7) Oct 18, 2016 to Nov 2, 2016 Chris Benesh & Cory Gregory For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. The sunset over Cumberland Dam near Georgetown was especially vibrant. Photo by guide Cory Gregory. The country of Australia is a vast one, with a wide range of geography, flora, and fauna. This tour, ranging from the Top End over to Queensland (with some participants continuing on to Tasmania), sampled a diverse set of regions and an impressively wide range of birds. Whether it was the colorful selection of honeyeaters, the variety of parrots, the many rainforest specialties, or even the diverse set of world-class mammals, we covered a lot of ground and saw a wealth of birds. We began in the tropical north, in hot and humid Darwin, where Torresian Imperial-Pigeons flew through town, Black Kites soared overhead, and we had our first run-ins with Magpie-Larks. We ventured away from Darwin to bird Fogg Dam, where we enjoyed Large-tailed Nightjar in the predawn hours, majestic Black-necked Storks in the fields nearby, and even a Rainbow Pitta and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove in the nearby forest! We also visited areas like Darwin River Dam, where some rare Black-tailed Treecreepers put on a show and Northern Rosellas flew around us. We can’t forget additional spots near Darwin, like East Point, Buffalo Creek, and Lee Point, where we gazed out on the mudflats and saw a variety of coast specialists, including Beach Thick-knee and Gull-billed Tern.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Participate in the Fairywren Project
    How to participate in the Fairywren Project Step 1: Log in to eBird Step 2: Choose a participation level and contribute The Fairywren Project is interested in many aspects of fairywren behavior and ecology. We’ve broken down our data-collection into three levels of participation, beginning with the most important way to contribute. Whether you choose to participate at the basic, intermediate, or advanced level, any data you submit to eBird is a significant contribution! Basic Participation: Which plumage types are you seeing? The simplest, but by far the most important way to contribute to the project is to let us know what species and plumage types you’re seeing. We’ve divided plumage into five categories, one for females, three for males, and one for dull birds of unknown sex: Bright Male Plumage (b): A bright bird is one that is in full flashy breeding plumage and does ​ not obviously show any dull feathers intermixed with bright feathers. A species bright plumage is typically the plumage the species is known and named for. Only males exhibit bright plumage. Intermediate Male Plumage (i): Intermediate plumage is a male in any stage between dull (no ​ bright feathers) and completely bright (all bright feathers). An intermediate male may be actively molting, but some species are known to maintain intermediate plumages for months at a time. Dull Male Plumage (d): Dull male plumage is the species typical winter or non-breeding ​ plumage (sometimes referred to as “eclipse” plumage). A male in dull plumage should show no bright body feathers, although some species like Superb Fairywrens often maintain blue tails year-round, even when in dull plumage.
    [Show full text]
  • EPBC Protected Matters Database Search Results
    FLORA AND FAUNA TECHNICAL REPORT Gold Coast Quarry EIS ATTACHMENT A – EPBC Protected Matters Database Search Results April 2013 Cardno Chenoweth 71 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report This report provides general guidance on matters of national environmental significance and other matters protected by the EPBC Act in the area you have selected. Information on the coverage of this report and qualifications on data supporting this report are contained in the caveat at the end of the report. Information about the EPBC Act including significance guidelines, forms and application process details can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/index.html Report created: 01/06/12 14:33:07 Summary Details Matters of NES Other Matters Protected by the EPBC Act Extra Information Caveat Acknowledgements This map may contain data which are ©Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia), ©PSMA 2010 Coordinates Buffer: 6.0Km Summary Matters of National Environment Significance This part of the report summarises the matters of national environmental significance that may occur in, or may relate to, the area you nominated. Further information is available in the detail part of the report, which can be accessed by scrolling or following the links below. If you are proposing to undertake an activity that may have a significant impact on one or more matters of national environmental significance then you should consider the Administrative Guidelines on Significance - see http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/guidelines/index.html World Heritage Properties: None National Heritage Places: None Wetlands of International 1 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: None Commonwealth Marine Areas: None Threatened Ecological Communities: 1 Threatened Species: 57 Migratory Species: 27 Other Matters Protected by the EPBC Act This part of the report summarises other matters protected under the Act that may relate to the area you nominated.
    [Show full text]
  • Australia: from the Wet Tropics to the Outback Custom Tour Trip Report
    AUSTRALIA: FROM THE WET TROPICS TO THE OUTBACK CUSTOM TOUR TRIP REPORT 4 – 20 OCTOBER 2018 By Andy Walker We enjoyed excellent views of Little Kingfisher during the tour. www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | TRIP REPORT Australia: From the Wet Tropics to the Outback, October 2018 Overview This 17-day customized Australia group tour commenced in Cairns, Queensland, on the 4th of October 2018 and concluded in Melbourne, Victoria, on the 20th of October 2018. The tour included a circuit around the Atherton Tablelands and surroundings from Cairns, a boat trip along the Daintree River, and a boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef (with snorkeling), a visit to the world- famous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in southern Queensland after a short flight to Brisbane, and rounded off with a circuit from Melbourne around the southern state of Victoria (and a brief but rewarding venture into southern New South Wales). The tour connected with many exciting birds and yielded a long list of eastern Australian birding specialties. Highlights of our time in Far North Queensland on the Cairns circuit included Southern Cassowary (a close male with chick in perfect light), hundreds of Magpie Geese, Raja Shelduck with young, Green and Cotton Pygmy Geese, Australian Brushturkey, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Brown Quail, Squatter Pigeon, Wompoo, Superb, and perfect prolonged dawn- light views of stunning Rose-crowned Fruit Doves, displaying Australian Bustard, two nesting Papuan Frogmouths, White-browed Crake, Bush and Beach Stone-curlews (the latter
    [Show full text]
  • Grand Australia
    GRAND AUSTRALIA PART II: QUEENSLAND, VICTORIA & PLAINS-WANDERER OCTOBER 12-29, 2020 TASMANIA EXTENSION OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 4, 2020* ©2020 *DATES DIFFER FROM THOSE THAT APPEAR IN OUR 2020 CATALOG This is the second part of our Grand Australia tour; VENT’s finest, most comprehensive tour of Australia. We will travel to several of the most important bird areas on the continent, searching out birds, mammals and wildflowers from the common to the rare and most elusive. We expect the field list from either of these parts to represent close to 50% of the species of Australia, which is half of Australia’s regular birds in two weeks of birding. We have designed all sections to allow flexibility for those who may have already enjoyed a birding trip to Australia, but missed some of the key sites. It also caters to those who have never visited Australia and wish to experience the whole spectrum of this diverse country by taking all three sections. Travelling in Australia is a delight; friendly people, excellent roads and hotels, reliable airlines, plenty of fresh produce and tasty food. You can drink the water and eat the salads! On this tour we make a number of two and even three-night stays and travel in a vehicle that affords excellent viewing and an abundance of seats! Australia’s geographic isolation has resulted in the evolution of a remarkable array of endemic birds and other wildlife. More than 300 species and eight families are endemic (making it one of the richest in the world). Colorful parrots, fairywrens, finches and honeyeaters light up the environment while giant Cassowary and Emu, peculiar bowerbirds and birds-of-paradise make their home down under.
    [Show full text]
  • Australia East Coast 21St September to 10Th October 2018 (21 Days) Tasmania 10Th to 14Th October 2018 (5 Days) Trip Report
    Australia East Coast 21st September to 10th October 2018 (21 days) Tasmania 10th to 14th October 2018 (5 days) Trip Report The beautiful Spotted Pardalote by Erik Forsyth Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Australia Trip Report – RBL Australia - East Coast & Tasmania Extension 2018 2 Top 10 birds as voted by participants for Eastern Australia: 1) Southern Cassowary 6) Pink Robin 2) Tawny Frogmouth 7) Glossy Black Cockatoo 3) Spotted Pardalote 8) Australian Brush Turkey 4) Australian Owlet-Nightjar 9) Red-backed Fairywren 5) Golden Bowerbird 10) Spotted Catbird ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Tour in Detail: The northern tropical city of Cairns is situated almost at the north-east tip of Queensland, huddled along the shoreline of the Coral Sea. For those that arrived the day before, we birded along the Cairns Esplanade, where the incoming tide allowed us to scan the mudflats, which produced a host of eastern migrant waders, including Black-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tattler, Red-necked Stint, Terek and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Whimbrel, Red-capped Plover, Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers and Far Eastern Curlew. Best of all was a Beach (Thick- knee) Stone-curlew, a rare resident. Southern Cassowary by Andrew Sutherland The following morning, after meeting our local guide, Jonathan Munroe, we began birding in earnest by driving to Etty Beach, an area of Coastal Forest and farmlands. Our prime reason for visiting the Etty Beach area was to look for Southern Cassowary, a scarce and highly desired species for all birders visiting this incredible country.
    [Show full text]
  • Birdquest Australia (Western and Christmas
    Chestnut-backed Button-quail in the north was a bonus, showing brilliantly for a long time – unheard of for this family (Andy Jensen) WESTERN AUSTRALIA 5/10 – 27 SEPTEMBER 2017 LEADER: ANDY JENSEN ASSISTANT: STUART PICKERING ! ! 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Western Australia (including Christmas Island) 2017 www.birdquest-tours.com Western Shrike-tit was one of the many highlights in the southwest (Andy Jensen) Western Australia, if it were a country, would be the 10th largest in the world! The BirdQuest Western Australia (including Christmas Island) 2017 tour offered an unrivalled opportunity to cover a large portion of this area, as well as the offshore territory of Christmas Island (located closer to Indonesia than mainland Australia). Western Australia is a highly diverse region with a range of habitats. It has been shaped by the isolation caused by the surrounding deserts. This isolation has resulted in a richly diverse fauna, with a high degree of endemism. A must visit for any birder. This tour covered a wide range of the habitats Western Australia has to offer as is possible in three weeks, including the temperate Karri and Wandoo woodlands and mallee of the southwest, the coastal heathlands of the southcoast, dry scrub and extensive uncleared woodlands of the goldfields, coastal plains and mangroves around Broome, and the red-earth savannah habitats and tropical woodland of the Kimberley. The climate varied dramatically Conditions ranged from minus 1c in the Sterling Ranges where we were scraping ice off the windscreen, to nearly 40c in the Kimberley, where it was dust needing to be removed from the windscreen! We were fortunate with the weather – aside from a few minutes of drizzle as we staked out one of the skulkers in the Sterling Ranges, it remained dry the whole time.
    [Show full text]