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Australia's Top TRIP REPORT: AUSTRALIA’S TOP END – CUSTOM TRIP DATES: 5-10 OCTOBER 2011 GUIDE AND PHOTOS: NICK LESEBERG From the outset I knew this trip was going to be a challenge; with such a short amount of time, so many birds, and such a large area to cover, it was always going to be tough to fit everything in. Luckily though, it was one of those trips where the birds just fall into place. Nearly everywhere we stopped the birds leapt out at us, and with plenty of rain early in the year followed by a long dry spell, conditions were set for the perfect Top End birding trip. The birding highlights were frequent, and it’s difficult to narrow them down. In the end we couldn’t decide on a top spot, with the result a hard fought battle between a gorgeous pair of Rainbow Pittas, an extremely rare Red Goshawk standing guard over its chick in the nest, and that avian icon of the Northern Territory, the incomparable Gouldian Finch. Throw in with all the fantastic birds the impressive Victoria River escarpments, the clouds of wildlife on the Yellow Water billabong and the gorgeous sunrises over Arnhem Land, it was easy to see why the Top End is one of my favourite places to go birding in Australia. The beautiful Victoria River Escarpment, just some of the Top End’s impressive scenery. www.tropicalbirding.com Page 1 of 21 Day 1: Wednesday, 5 th October 2011 – Arrival in Darwin. After a late afternoon meeting at the airport in Darwin we had just a couple of hours to fill, so it was off to Knuckey’s Lagoon, a fantastic wetland not far from the city. While we would see most of the birds here again, there were a couple of waders we needed to connect with before pressing on the next day. With the wet season yet to arrive, and a long dry season behind them, most of the ephemeral waterholes in the area have dried up by this time of the year. That leaves just a few of the deeper lagoons such as Knuckey’s with any water, and they attract literally thousands of birds. The most obvious are the Magpie Geese , large black and white waterfowl whose constant coming and going is accompanied by raucous honking. Other common ducks around the edge included Plumed and Wandering Whistling-Ducks , a few pairs of Radjah Shelducks , plus the gorgeous little Green Pygmy-Goose . A steady stream of Pied Herons departs Knuckey Lagoon at dusk, leaving the Magpie Geese and whistling-ducks behind for the night. On the muddy edges there were quite a few waders foraging, with Sharp-tailed Sandpipers the most common, but careful examination soon had two of our targets in the ‘scope, both Wood and Marsh Sandpipers . Each year they are regular migrants to Australia, but not always easy to pick up. In the nearby paddocks a couple of Australian Pratincoles were running around, while another of our targets put in a brief appearance as a small flock of Little Curlews circled overhead. Before calling it quits we managed to add one last bird to our list, as a shy White-browed Crake poked its head out of the nearby reedbed. With the list off to a good start, we headed home for the day as Torresian Imperial-Pigeons passed overhead and Whistling Kites lazily wheeled on the last of the light breeze. Dinner and a beer down at Stokes Hill Wharf is a Darwin culinary experience not to be missed, so to celebrate the start of our trip, we enjoyed laksas and stir-fries while watching the sun set over Darwin Harbour. www.tropicalbirding.com Page 2 of 21 Day 2: Thursday, 6th October 2011 – Darwin to Mary River via Pine Creek. Our first full day saw us heading out to Buffalo Creek at dawn, in an effort to pick up a few local specialties. First cab off the rank was a Large-tailed Nightjar which started calling from the gloomy light of the monsoon forest, and after a little chasing finally gave good views as it perched briefly overhead. We moved on to the creek itself, where watching the muddy edges for Chestnut Rail also allowed us to pick up a few other good birds; flocks of Red- winged Parrots flew over, while several Grey-tailed Tattlers foraged on the opposite bank. A Little Bronze-Cuckoo called but couldn’t be enticed into the open, then an Azure Kingfisher darted by, soon followed by its smaller and rarer cousin, a Little Kingfisher . These were only brief views, and we were left wanting better later on. With no rails coming out we returned to the monsoon forest, getting some good birds right along the edge. A beautiful male Red-headed Honeyeater was seen easily, while a small party of Australian Yellow White-eyes passed by. A diminutive Green-backed Gerygone was pished out, while a Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove called from the canopy but frustratingly couldn’t be found. Green Orioles gurgled from the forest and we soon had one in the ‘scope, but while concentrating on this bird we nearly missed a Rainbow Pitta skipping quickly across the trail. Not to worry, we would get better looks later. With time getting on we tried the creek one last time, hearing a pair of Chestnut Rails giving their braying call from deep in the mangroves, but they remained well hidden. Moving on to nearby Lee Point, the birds kept coming. The treat here was a large flock of gorgeous Rainbow Lorikeets which were enjoying the water spraying from a sprinkler head. We also picked up a small group of the dainty Varied Lorikeet feeding quietly in the nearby trees. There were a few more additions to our list of honeyeaters, with White-throated , Rufous-banded , White- gaped and Brown Honeyeaters all finding their way into our bins. A cute little Arafura Fantail also paid a visit, while a Grey Whistler foraged quietly in the edge of the forest. A rattling trill alerted us to a pair of deep blue Forest Kingfishers that looked to be preparing a nest in a nearby termite mound, while the nesting theme continued as we spied a pair of Long-tailed Finches moving The beautiful Varied Lorikeet is a blossom nomad that roams the Top End looking for back-and-forth to a ball of grass that was flowering eucalypts. slowly taking shape. www.tropicalbirding.com Page 3 of 21 Moving out to the beach we added a few more waders to our list, with both Lesser and Greater Sandplover , Red-capped Plover and a Beach Thick-knee foraging on the low tide. A few large groups of Great Knots , recently arrived from the northern hemisphere were still showing signs of breeding plumage, while Red-necked Stints and Bar-tailed Godwits were also common. A Brown Booby was spotted resting on the water, and amongst the terns loafing on the beach, one Lesser Crested was found amongst the Great Crested , Little and Gull-billed Terns . Leaving Lee Point, we had one final stop to make in Darwin before we headed south. A quick visit to the Leanyer Sewage Ponds produced a couple of very good birds, with two Eastern Yellow Wagtails – a rare Australian migrant – being the highlight. In the mangroves around the edge of the ponds we were able to call in a pair of very confiding Mangrove Robins , while a female This very cute pair of Mangrove Robins looks to have Black-tailed Whistler was another been nest building – you can see the cobwebs on the good find. Having done well, it second bird’s bill. was time to move on, and we were soon on our way south, with only a stop at Adelaide River for a roadside Wedge-tailed Eagle before lunch. After waiting for things to cool down a little, we spent the afternoon birding around Pine Creek. Our first stop was at Fergusson River, where a brief downpour sent us scurrying back to the car, before we were really able to get out and have a look around. After the rain passed things were fairly quiet, with a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters showing well, and a party of Red-backed Fairywrens moving through the long grass. We got brief views of a pair of elusive Northern Rosellas flying by, but better looks at a large group of majestic Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos which flew over then alighted nearby. Moving back to Pine Creek we had one target bird, Hooded Parrot . Our first stop at Copperfield Dam didn’t produce any parrots, but we did pick up the sometimes difficult Bar- breasted Honeyeater . A Paperbark Flycatcher was another good bird, but the lack of parrots had us moving on, scaring a small party of Antilopine Wallaroos off the roadside on the way. Driving slowly around Pine Creek township soon had us onto a pair of female parrots which didn’t hang around, but following them soon lead us to the jackpot; we found a large flock of Hooded Parrots feeding in an open park, including a couple of sensational males. After soaking up one of the Top End’s best birds and one of its only true endemics, www.tropicalbirding.com Page 4 of 21 we called it quits for the day and left for our accommodation at Mary River, right on the edge of Kakadu National Park. We found this party of more than twenty Hooded Parrots feeding quietly in an open field near Pine Creek.
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