15/8/2016 128km
The dawn chorus at Adels Grove woke me with the usual suspects, first the last call of a Barking Owl, and shortly after the disjointed calling of Blue-winged Kookaburras, with a Channel-billed Cuckoo in there also. Then the first of the many Brown Honeyeaters called and was echoed by 30-40 of its neighbours, soon there were another 10 or so species calling, it was time to rise. After a hasty breakky it was the short stroll down to meet the morning’s participants for my 2-3hr walk in the vicinity. We steadily added birds, with highlights being Northern Rosella, the resident Black-chinned Honeyeater, Zebra Finches which only turn up occasionally and the first of the Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoos for the season. We made it back for morning tea which always has a few yummy treats for the staff to tuck into, then spent an hour packing and headed off at 11.30. My first stop was at the MMG mine rd site for 8species (sp), then I stopped on the edge of a woodland/grassland for lunch at Savannah alt way 1 for lunch and 10sp. By the time I got to the valley south of Kingfisher camp it was 15.40 and time to stop, and had only 9sp by dark. The track has been slow but easy, though it’s unsuitable for 2wd because of the deep crossing at Lawn Hill Ck. It had got to 32 degrees on a calm day with no cloud. The highlight of the day was left over black forest cake that Bev had made for my 60th birthday the other day, like all good cakes it’s getting better with age.
16/8 258km
Overnight a Spotted Nightjar, Boobook Owl and Owlet Nighjar all signaled their attendance in the survey, a walk down the track to the dry creek bed saw 12 Masked Finches which saw the tally reach 22sp. My site on the Nicholson river near Kingfisher Camp was dry, but had 26sp, a flowering Bauhina had three sp of honeyeater in it. When I got to the other end of the track at the main hwy I saw that Kingfisher Camp had put a road closed sign at this end. The main hwy was in good condition with only the odd slow patch. Stopped at Walford Ck for 14sp with a single Masked Finch, and a pair of Long-tailed Finches. Settlement Ck main road in NT was in poor condition with the creek bed badly cattle fouled and the surrounding area overeaten, but still had 19sp with White-faced Heron, Darter and Great Egret putting up with the cattle. Middle Ck W of Hells Gate was dry and only had 4sp. There can’t be too many highways in the world with the number 1 that you can spend 20mins birding then have about half an hours lunch without a single vehicle going by in either direction. Headed down the Calvert Rd which started off rough and slow with gates, but once past the homestead the road got easier, though at one spot I took the wrong line through a bull dust hole and filled my right wheel well full of the stuff. Not far past the homestead I stopped in some nice looking woodland at Calvert Rd 1 and got some Sitellas, a Black-chinned Honeyeater and a few others in a feeding group, tagging along were some Long-tailed Finches, then I saw that one of them had a green back, Star Finch I thought, wrong habitat, it wasn’t till I got back to the car and got my field guide out and saw that juvenile Gouldian Finches are very similar, still learning! 50Km up the road at Calvert Rd 2 it was a different story, in nice looking woodland it was only with 2mins to go in the 20min survey that a lone Jacky Winter flew into the survey area. Just after some roadworks I pulled in to Calvert Rd 3 gravel pit to stop for the night and got 15sp before night fell. There was a constant stream of Torresian Crows that ended up with over 140 birds passing south along the road.
17/8 370km
Had Owlet and Spotted Nightjars again, but no Boobook overnight. On my walk I added a few more to end with 18sp. Not too far down the road I had a flock of 30 Bustards and a few km further on I caught up with last night’s Crows mixed up with a huge flock of Black Kites all milling around like a dark cloud over the road, there was no roadkill, so perhaps something had died off the road that I couldn’t see. Calvert rd 4 only had 4sp on the edge of what looked like reasonable woodland, but the understorey was in poor condition from the cattle. At the Tablelands Hwy I turned south and did an old site at 181km N of Barkly Homestead for 4sp. At ephemeral wetlands 146k at the floodway had some road kill with Wedge-tailed Eagles, Black Kites and Whistling Kites, 3 Emus wandered in to sight, so what looked like desiccated country had 7sp. The rest area 148km N of Barkly Homestead a bit further south had a Hobby Falcon, there was water in a tub under the tap attracting Zebra Finches, all up 8sp. I took the Ranken road that went through endless empty grassland, what an awful landscape. Even Connells Lagoon CP was mostly grassland, but the site had a few shrubs that housed Red-backed Fairywrens. The next site at Ranken rd 1 had a few trees and had 7sp but the site Ranken rd 2 at the grid had no birds, though there were some flowers in bloom to break up the grassy vista. Stopped at Bell Waterhole which had a large pool attracting a wide variety of birds, so in the few hrs before dark I had 37sp.
18/8 363km
The Owlet Nightjar had called in the late afternoon, so I added no new night birds, ended with 40sp, a nice spot, though the surrounding habitat is compromised by all the cattle coming in to drink at the waterhole and munching as they come and go. Just north of the Barkly Hwy Ranken rd 3 site was not bad looking shrubland and had 14sp with a Diamond Dove on a nest. They’ve had quite a lot of rain recently here, and so the grasslands are still quite green. At an old Telstra site on the Barkly Hwy there were 30 Australian Bushlarks larking around, though when a lone Brown Falcon flew by there was a deathly quiet, um apart from the road-trains and the endless stream of caravans. Filled up at the Puma petrol station in Camooweal at $1.40cpl only to find it at $1.38 just down the road 100m. Got a loaf of bread, three mandarins and three pears for nearly $15 and took the back-road to Gregory, it’s a pleasant road, a bit slow in spots through some nice woodland in spots, my site at the 120m mast Gregory Rd however shows the paucity of wildlife in our compromised grasslands with a Kestrel and a Yellow-throated Miner in a shrub, nothing using the grasslands at all. My old site at Thornton River only had 16sp, with very little using the large pool here. My spot on the Gregory Downs road had some flowering Bloodwood and had 13sp with Banded and Black-chinned Honeayeaters. The spot at the O’Shannasee River provided the excitement of the day with my first sighting of Painted Finch for probably 30 years, there were also Pictorella Mannikins as well as the usual suspects here. The Gregory River crossing was a bit quiet with 14sp but with Purple-crowed Fairywrens seen every time here it’s a nice spot to bird. The road in to Adels Grove is getting quite rough with a lot of tyre tearing rocks, so good tyres are essential.
Bird list for the trip. % is of the 26 surveys done. B id for breeding record
- Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 1 (3.85%)
- Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 1 (3.85%)
- Grey Teal Anas gracilis 1 (3.85%)
- Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae 1 (3.85%)
- Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 4 (15.38%)
- Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata 10 (38.46%) (B)
- Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida 10 (38.46%)
- Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis 3 (11.54%)
- Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae 1 (3.85%)
- Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites basalis 1 (3.85%)
- Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis 1 (3.85%)
- Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argus 2 (7.69%)
- Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus 3 (11.54%)
- Brolga Antigone rubicunda 1 (3.85%)
- Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops 1 (3.85%)
- Little Button-quail Turnix velox 1 (3.85%)
- Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 1 (3.85%)
- Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus 1 (3.85%)
- White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica 1 (3.85%)
- Great Egret Ardea alba 2 (7.69%)
- White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae 3 (11.54%)
- Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis 1 (3.85%)
- Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos 2 (7.69%)
- Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1 (3.85%)
- Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 1 (3.85%)
- Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius 1 (3.85%)
- Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 2 (7.69%)
- Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax 1 (3.85%)
- Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides 1 (3.85%)
- Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus 6 (23.08%)
- Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus 3 (11.54%)
- Black Kite Milvus migrans 9 (34.62%)
- Barking Owl Ninox connivens 1 (3.85%)
- Southern Boobook Ninox boobook 1 (3.85%)
- Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus 1 (3.85%)
- Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus 1 (3.85%)
- Red-backed Kingfisher Todiramphus pyrrhopygius 2 (7.69%)
- Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii 4 (15.38%)
- Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides 1 (3.85%)
- Australian Hobby Falco longipennis 1 (3.85%)
- Brown Falcon Falco berigora 3 (11.54%)
- Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus 4 (15.38%)
- Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii 3 (11.54%)
- Galah Eolophus roseicapilla 3 (11.54%)
- Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea 2 (7.69%) (B)
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 4 (15.38%)
- Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus 2 (7.69%)
- Northern Rosella Platycercus venustus 1 (3.85%)
- Varied Lorikeet Psitteuteles versicolor 6 (23.08%)
- Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus rubritorquis 1 (3.85%)
- Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus 8 (30.77%)
- Great Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis 2 (7.69%)
- Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris melanurus 3 (11.54%)
- Purple-crowned Fairy-wren Malurus coronatus 2 (7.69%)
- Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti 5 (19.23%)
- Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus 1 (3.85%)
- Silver-crowned Friarbird Philemon argenticeps 1 (3.85%)
- Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis 1 (3.85%)
- Banded Honeyeater Cissomela pectoralis 5 (19.23%)
- Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta 10 (38.46%)
- Black-chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis 6 (23.08%)
- Rufous-throated Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis 6 (23.08%)
- White-gaped Honeyeater Stomiopera unicolor 4 (15.38%)
- Singing Honeyeater Gavicalis virescens 4 (15.38%)
- Grey-fronted Honeyeater Ptilotula plumula 3 (11.54%)
- Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Ptilotula flavescens 9 (34.62%)
- White-plumed Honeyeater Ptilotula penicillata 2 (7.69%)
- Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula 5 (19.23%)
- Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus 1 (3.85%)
- Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus 7 (26.92%)
- Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris 9 (34.62%)
- Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis 5 (19.23%)
- Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera 1 (3.85%)
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 2 (7.69%)
- White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis 3 (11.54%)
- White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor 3 (11.54%)
- Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris 7 (26.92%)
- Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica 3 (11.54%)
- Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis 1 (3.85%)
- Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 2 (7.69%)
- Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis 4 (15.38%)
- White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus 1 (3.85%)
- Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus 6 (23.08%)
- White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus 1 (3.85%)
- Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 13 (50.00%)
- Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa 1 (3.85%)
- Torresian Crow Corvus orru 1 (3.85%)
- Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 3 (11.54%)
- Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta 5 (19.23%)
- Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca 8 (30.77%)
- Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans 3 (11.54%)
- Buff-sided Robin Poecilodryas cerviniventris 1 (3.85%)
- Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum 3 (11.54%)
- Pictorella Mannikin Heteromunia pectoralis 1 (3.85%)
- Painted Finch Emblema pictum 1 (3.85%)
- Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton 2 (7.69%)
- Masked Finch Poephila personata 2 (7.69%)
- Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauda 5 (19.23%)
- Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata 10 (38.46%)
- Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii 8 (30.77%)
- Gouldian Finch Chloebia gouldiae 1 (3.85%)
- Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae 2 (7.69%)
- Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica 2 (7.69%)
- Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi 1 (3.85%)
If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.