Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008, BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61409 763172 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected]

Western Australia birding extravaganza 9 days, June 2021

Following two successful Air Safari birding tours by private adventure (yet fully accommodated), taking us across the vast plane, we’re proud to offer the Western Australia Birding expanse of the western Australian continent in comfort. Expect Extravaganza from Perth to the Kimberley. Targeting all local to see over 200 species, including Western Quail-thrush, specialties, we’ll once again be using our own private Sandhill/Western/Pilbara/Black , Spinifex Pigeon, Grey chartered aircraft for this trip. Visiting iconic birding Grey & Kimberley , Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon, destinations such as Shark Bay, inland WA, the Pilbara, the Buff-sided Robin, Red-headed Honeyeater, many endemics and Kimberley (including Broome) and Mitchell Plateau this a vast array of other exciting . While we may encounter once-in-a lifetime tour is bound to boost your species list chilly mornings, during this time of year the weather is generally significantly. We’ll be using our own private chartered quite pleasant. The accommodation is in comfortable en-suite aircraft for this trip, while ground excursions will be rooms and the rewards will be a great spread of Australia’s delivered by local guides in 4WD’s. This trip is a real western outback bird species!

What to bring: Please travel light; Binoculars, camera, Cost: $14,199* per person including accommodation and all insect repellent, sunscreen, hat. Sturdy footwear meals, based on double or twin-share occupancy. Single supple- recommended. Scopes and heavy suitcases are discouraged. ment of $1100. Not included: drinks, tips & personal expenses.

Clothing: Lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirt, over Bookings: Online at http://www,bellbirdtours.com/bookings or the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. necessary, including a thick jumper or wind-proof jacket.

Group size: Minimum & maximum 8 participants. Only 8 seats available. There is high demand for this tour already.

Tour starts & ends: Essendon airport, Melbourne, Leader: Peter Waanders Vic. Trip reports and photos of previous tours: Scheduled departure date: Wednesday 23 June http://www.bellbirdtours.com/ 2021 *Price based on 8 participants; a surcharge will apply if <8 bookings.

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021

Departs: Melbourne’s Essendon Airport, Main Terminal on June 23, 2021

Cost: AUD 14,199 inc GST per person. Single accommodation surcharge: AUD 1100 inc GST. This price is based on 8 participants. In the unlikely event that we receive less than 8 bookings, a surcharge will apply. In this case, you will be given the option to either pay the extra or withdraw your booking.

Included: - All private charter flights in our aircraft - All ground transport in comfortable and reliable 4WD vehicles - All accommodation on twin share basis, basic but comfortable motel or cabin - All meals (continental breakfast (cooked on occasion), light lunch and a variety of 2 course dinners) - Expert guiding: the tour will be led by Peter Waanders and accompanied by local guides. - Refillable sports drink bottle to reduce plastic water bottle use

Not included: - Travel to & from departure and finish points, pre & post trip accommodation, any meals not mentioned, any drinks, personal expenses, tips, insurance. - Additional activities not included in the program

Bookings: - Please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. We can also arrange your pre and post tour accommodation – please contact us for details.

Reports of previous tours: - As this is a new tour, there are no trip reports available, however, we ran a very successful Great tour in 2016 using the same plane and another very successful Great Northern tour in 2018 using the same plane. We have been running Six and Nine Grasswren tours since 2006 and their trip reports can be found here: http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports/

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021 ITINERARY

Day 1: Wednesday 23 June. Melbourne-Adelaide-Perth. Early morning departure aboard our own comfortable, pressurized private airplane from Melbourne to Perth (WA). If necessary, we stop in Adelaide to pick up participants there. We’ll then fly over the Great Australian Bight providing spectacular views. We’ll stop near here, at Forrest, in the middle of nowhere, for lunch and to re-fuel. We arrive in Perth in time for dinner. Any Perth-based participants can join us here. Accommodation: Country Comfort Motel Belmont, Perth (en-suite motel room; meals; L, D).

Day 2: Thursday 24 June. Perth – Cue. We’ll make an early departure for our short flight to Cue, in inland outback Western Australia. spend the full day birding the area between Cue and Mount Magnet, searching for Sandhill Grasswren and Western Quail-thrush. Another drawcard here is Bourke’s Parrot which we’ve seen on most prior visits. We’ll also spend time looking for other good species of the area, including , Western Bowerbird, Little Woodswallow, Purple-backed Fairy-wren and Slaty-backed Thornbill. Accommodation: Motel in Cue or Mt Magnet (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D).

Day 3: Friday 25 June. Cue-Shark Bay. After some more morning birding we’ll take a short flight to Shark Bay. This World Heritage site is located on the westernmost point of the Australian continent, and its coastal habitats have a number of exceptional natural features, the most well-known of which are its beds of stromatolites (colonies of microbial mats that form hard, dome-shaped deposits which are said to be the oldest life forms on earth). The beautiful remote scenery is home to a population of which will be the main target of our visit. There are also Purple-backed Fairy-wren, Chiming Wedgebill and Rufous Fieldwren here. We’ll stay at the Monkey Mia resort, right on the beach where Indo-pacific Dolphins regularly come in to feed. Accommodation: Monkey Mia Resort, Shark Bay (en-suite hotel rooms; meals: B, L, D).

Day 4: Saturday 26 June. Shark Bay – Newman. Another chance of Spinifex Pigeon, Australian Western Grasswren this morning, and after watching the dolphins come in to Pratincole, Birding, Black-breasted shore, we take a 2-hr flight to Newman, located centrally in the Pilbara and Buzzard, © P Waanders surrounded by millions of acres of spinifex and rocky outcrops. Today’s main

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021 target is the recently-split Pilbara Grasswren (was whitei ssp of Striated) in the rocky spinifex-covered hills just outside the town. Other birds we may see today include Spinifex Pigeon, Spinifexbird, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, , Major Mitchell Cockatoo and after we’ve located the grasswrens we’ll commence the search for Grey Honeyeater, while we also stand a good chance of Painted Finch, Grey-headed Honeyeater and Slaty-backed Thornbill.

Accommodation: Seasons Hotel, Newman (en-suite hotel rooms; meals: B,L,D).

Day 5: Sunday 27 June. Newman-Broome. If needed, another chance for Pilbara Grasswren or any other birds desired but we’d like to make an early departure to nearby bird hotspot Broome. We will visit the famous Broome Bird Observatory we’ll explore famous Roebuck Bay and neighbouring areas in search of waders (with chance of Asian Dowitcher, Broadbilled Sandpiper and who knows: Common Redshank) and other shorebirds, as well as Striated Heron, Eastern Reef Egret, White-breasted and Mangrove Whistler, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Dusky Gerygone, Red-headed Honeyeater, Yellow White-eye and many, many more excellent birds! Accommodation: Kimberley Sands Resort, Broome (basic motel rooms with shared facilities; meals: B, L, D).

Day 6: Monday 28 June. Broome-Drysdale. We’ll bird the morning around Broome and/or the Bird Observatory, then an exciting and scenic flight over the Kimberley awaits us to reach Drysdale Station, centrally located in the remote Kimberley. Arriving at Drysdale, we’ll check into our accommodation and have lunch, then spend the afternoon birding the local area. Species we may encounter here include Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, Long-tailed and Crimson Finch, Northern Shrike-tit, Banded, Bar-breasted, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Silver-crowned Friarbird and more. Accommodation: Drysdale Station (basic motel rooms with shared facilities; meals: B, L, D).

Painted Finch, Rufous-crowned Emu- wren, © G Jones, Gouldian Finch © L Ross

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021

Day 7: Tuesday 29 June. We’ll spend the full day birding around laid-back Drysdale Station with further chances of Kimberley Honeyeater, as well as other good birds such as Crested (Northern) Shrike-tit, Purple- crowned Fairy-wren, Banded, Bar-breasted, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Honeyeater, Long-tailed and Crimson Finch, Silver-crowned Friarbird and more. Accommodation: Drysdale Station (basic motel rooms with shared facilities; meals: B, L, D).

Day 8: Wednesday 30 June. Today we’ll search for . Our plane will take us to the Mitchell Falls airstrip (15min) from where we’ll be helicoptered (15min) to the Mitchell Falls area, enjoying a stunning view of the falls on the way. We’ll spend most of the day exploring the landscape here, with its mix of tall grasses interspersed with huge boulders, and spinifex-clad slopes. Having found the Black Grasswren, we’ll turn our focus to other birds, such as Kimberley Honeyeater, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon, Partridge Pigeon, Buff-sided Robin and more. At the end of the day, we’ll hit the skies again heading east to arrive in Kununurra in time for a well-earned dinner. Accommodation: motel in Kununurra (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D).

Day 9: Thursday 1 July. Our final morning means an early start to go birding the swamps and lagoons and surrounding bush, around Kununurra. We aim for birds including Black-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis, Green Pygmy- goose, Wandering and Plumed whistling-duck, Grey-fronted, White-throated & Yellow-tined Honeyeater, Silver-backed Butcherbird, Northern Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher, Red-collared Lorikeet and much more. And of course there’s always a chance of Gouldian Finches and Yellow-rumped Mannikins! Mid-morning we depart and fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock) of which we’ll have fantastic views from the air. We land here, for lunch, and then continue on to Adelaide to drop any SA-based passengers before reaching our final destination, Essendon airport in Melbourne, at the end of the day. (TOUR ENDS; meals: B, L).

White-quilled Rock Pigeon © P Waanders, Rainbow Pitta © L Ross, Australian Bustard © P Waanders

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021

Uluru © P Waanders, Red-collared Lorikeet © L Ross, Black Grasswren, Black-necked Stork, tour route, Buff- sided Robin © P Waanders

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021

Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2021

Possible species list

Emu Darter Australian Spotted Crake Orange-footed Scrubfowl Little Pied Cormorant Spotless Crake Brown Quail Great Cormorant White-browed Crake Stubble Quail Little Black Cormorant Buff-banded Rail King Quail Pied Cormorant Black-tailed Native-hen Plumed Wistling-duck Australian Pelican Dusky Moorhen Wandering Whistling Duck Great Egret Eurasian Coot Raja Shelduck Intermediate Egret Comb-crested Jacana Green Pygmy-goose Cattle Egret Australian Bustard Magpie Goose White-necked Heron Pied Oystercatcher Musk Duck White-faced Heron Sooty Oystercatcher Black Swan Great-billed Heron Beach Stone-curlew Australian Shelduck Striated Heron Bush Stone-curlew Radjah Shelduck Pied Heron Australian Painted Snipe Australian Wood Duck Little Egret Eastern Curlew Pink-eared Duck Eastern Reef Egret Whimbrel Australasian Shoveler Nankeen Night-Heron Bar-tailed Godwit Grey Teal Black Bittern Black-tailed Godwit Chestnut Teal Little Bittern Black-winged Stilt Pacific Black Duck Black-necked Stork (Jabiru) Red-necked Avocet Hardhead Glossy Ibis Banded Stilt Australasian Grebe Australian White Ibis Red-capped Plover Hoary-headed Grebe Straw-necked Ibis Greater Sand Plover Great Crested Grebe Royal Spoonbill Grey Plover Rock Dove Yellow-billed Spoonbill Lesser Sand Plover Spotted Dove Black-shouldered Kite Pacific Golden Plover Common Bronzewing Whistling Kite Black-fronted Dotterel Spinifex Pigeon Black Kite Red-kneed Dotterel Crested Pigeon Brahminy Kite Oriental Plover Squatter Pigeon Square-tailed Kite Banded Lapwing Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon Black-breasted Buzzard Masked Lapwing White-quilled Rock-pigeon Brown Goshawk Common Sandpiper Pied Imperial-Pigeon Grey Goshawk Wood Sandpiper Diamond Dove Red Goshawk Curlew Sandpiper Peaceful Dove Collared Sparrowhawk Marsh Sandpiper Rose-crowned Fruit-dove Pacific Baza Terek Sandpiper Bar-shouldered Dove Spotted Harrier Common Greenshank Emerald Dove Swamp Harrier Ruddy Turnstone Torresian Imperial Pigeon Osprey Red-necked Stint Banded Fruit-dove Wedge-tailed Eagle Sanderling Tawny Frogmouth Little Eagle Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Spotted Nightjar White-bellied Sea-Eagle Great Knot Australian Owlet-nightjar Brolga Red Knot Large-tailed Nightjar Purple Swamphen Grey-tailed Tattler Australasian Darter Baillon's Crake Little Button-quail

Great Northern 12-day birding tour 2018

Red-backed Button-quail Spotted Pardalote Possible species list Red-chested Button-quail Red-browed Pardalote Chestnut-backed Button-quail Striated Pardalote

Australian Pratincole Pied Honeyeater Barking Owl Crested Tern Singing Honeyeater Rufous Owl Gull-billed Tern Grey-headed Honeyeater Laughing Kookaburra Caspian Tern Grey-fronted Honeyeater Blue-winged Kookaburra Whiskered Tern Yellow-plumed Honeyeater Red-backed Kingfisher White-winged Black Tern White-plumed Honeyeater Azure Kingfisher Lesser Crested Tern White-fronted Honeyeater Collared Kingfisher Silver Gull Blue-faced Honeyeater Forest Kingfisher Nankeen Kestrel Banded Honeyeater Sacred Kingfisher Brown Falcon Rufous-banded Honeyeater Little Kingfisher Australian Hobby Rufous-throated Honeyeater Rainbow Bee-eater Grey Falcon White-gaped Honeyeater Dollarbird Black Falcon Kimberley Honeyeater Rainbow Pitta Peregrine Falcon White-lined Honeyeater Western Bowerbird Galah Little Friarbird Spotted Bowerbird Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Helmeted Friarbird Great Bowerbird Long-billed Corella Silver-crowned Friarbird Brown Treecreeper Little Corella Noisy Miner Black-tailed Treecreeper Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Yellow-throated Miner Superb Fairy-wren Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Bar-breasted Honeyeater Splendid Fairy-wren Cockatiel Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater White-winged Fairy-wren Rainbow Lorikeet Red Wattlebird Variegated Fairy-wren Red-collared Lorikeet Little Wattlebird Red-backed Fairy-wren Varied Lorikeet Crimson Chat Purple-crowned Fairy-wren Purple-crowned Lorikeet Orange Chat Rufous-crowned Emu-wren Regent Parrot White-fronted Chat (Sandhill Grasswren) Eastern Rosella Yellow Chat Crimson Rosella (Adelaide, Black Honeyeater Dusky Grasswren Yellow) Brown Honeyeater Northern Rosella Black-chinned Honeyeater Black Grasswren Aust. Ringneck (Pt Lin-coln, White-throated Honeyeater White-throated Grasswren Mallee, Cloncurry) Brown-headed Honeyeater White-browed Scrubwren Red-rumped Parrot Dusky Honeyeater Weebill Budgerigar Red-headed Honeyeater Western Gerygone Bourke's Parrot White-lined Honeyeater Large-billed Gerygone Red-winged Parrot Yellow-tinted Honeyeater White-throated Gerygone Hooded Parrot White-browed Babbler Mangrove Gerygone Pheasant Coucal Chestnut-crowned Babbler Yellow-rumped Thornbill Koel Grey-crowned Babbler Slaty-backed Thornbill Brush Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chestnut Quail-thrush Buff-rumped Thornbill Fan-tailed Cuckoo Chiming Wedgebill Inland Thornbill Channel-billed Cuckoo Chirruping Wedgebill Southern Whiteface Southern Boobook Varied Sittella Banded Whiteface Eastern Barn Owl Ground Cuckoo-shrike

Great Northern 12-day birding tour 2018

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Possible species list White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Tawny Grassbird

Cicadabird Golden-headed Cisticola Silver-backed Butcherbird White-winged Triller Zitting Cisticola Black Butcherbird Varied Triller Rufous Songlark Australian Magpie Crested Shrike-tit Brown Songlark Grey Fantail Northern Shrike-tit Spinifexbird Arafura Fantail Gilbert's Whistler Silvereye Mangrove Grey Fantail Rufous Whistler Yellow White-eye Northern Fantail Grey Whistler White-backed Swallow Willie Wagtail Mangrove Golden Whistler Welcome Swallow Australian Raven White-breasted Whistler Fairy Martin Little Raven Grey Shrike-thrush Tree Martin Little Crow Sandstone Shrike-thrush Common Blackbird Torresian Crow Little Shrike-thrush Common Starling Restless Flycatcher Buff-sided Robin Mistletoebird Paperbark Flycatcher Mangrove Robin Zebra Finch Leaden Flycatcher Figbird Painted Finch Shining Flycatcher Olive-backed Oriole Red-browed Finch Broad-billed Flycatcher Green Oriole Crimson Finch Kimberley Flycatcher Yellow Oriole Star Finch Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Spangled Drongo Masked Finch Magpie-lark Crested Bellbird Double-barred Finch White-winged Chough White-breasted Woodswallow Long-tailed Finch Apostlebird Masked Woodswallow Gouldian Finch Jacky Winter White-browed Woodswallow Pictorella Mannikin Hooded Robin Black-faced Woodswallow Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Horsfield's Bushlark Little Woodswallow Yellow-rumped Mannikin Eurasian Skylark Dusky Woodswallow House Sparrow Australian Reed-Warbler Grey Butcherbird Australasian Pipit Little Grassbird Pied Butcherbird European Goldfinch

Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008 BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61409 763172 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected] ABN 40 159 352 002

Tour Booking Form

This form contains 3 pages. Please print out and complete each page, and sign where indicated. Scan and email, or send by postal mail, with payment (see last page) to the address above.

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To secure a seat, a deposit of 20% of the tour price is required at the time of booking. Full payment is due 60 days prior to the departure date. Until full payment has been received, Bellbird Tours reserves the right to change the tour price (eg due to changing fuel prices).

Please tick which of the following payment options you will be using to pay the deposit:

Domestic electronic funds transfer: please send funds to the following bank account: • bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000 • account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd • Branch No. (BSB) 015-140 Account No. 206136528 - Please use your surname as the booking reference.

Visa, Mastercard & American Express: through Pin Payments (an easy, secure online payment system). They charge us a fee of 2.95%, which unfortunately we have to pass on to you. Please contact us if you want to use this option, and we’ll email you a link to a secure payment page.

PayPal & other credit cards through PayPal: They charge us a fee of between 2.5-3.5% to receive your money, which unfortunately we have to pass on to you. Please contact us if you want to use this option, and we’ll email you a secure PayPal invoice.

International electronic funds transfer: please send funds in Australian Dollars (+ bank charges or AU$20 bank transaction fee, see notes below) to the following bank account: • international swift code: anzbau3m (no IBAN codes are used in Australia) • bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000 • account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd • Branch No. (BSB) 015-140 Account No. 206136528 - If possible, please use your surname as the booking reference. - If you are required to provide our physical address, this is: 101 Chilton Road, Berri, SA 5343, Australia. - Please specify AU$ as the recipient’s currency, and the correct amount. Select the option for you to incur any charges at both ends; if no such option exists, please add AU$20 to cover the bank fee at the recipient’s end. Any discrepancy between the amount payable and amount received will be added to the final balance, or payable in cash at the start of the tour. Prices and fees are not negotiable.