Kooragang Island

After his surgery I have to keep Thommo away from playmates, water and sand so I'm back at the wasteland on Kooragang Island. All the familiar little birds were there, and terns and gulls on the river. A young sea eagle flew over directly overhead carrying something that was trailing ribbons - hard to tell just what from the photos.

I snapped a few photos of him, but concentrated on 'action' shots of the wagtails. I got a few nice images of fanned tails, but I like this shot of its characteristic scolding pose.

The willie wagtail is one of Australia’s most common birds, but one of our most charming. It is in almost constant motion feeding or defending its territory. During feeding it will give sudden flicks of its wings to startle insects which it then catches with a fast agile flight, similarly it will startle insects on the ground into flight. I remember as a kid being told that their song was them saying ‘sweet-pretty-creature’ but they have a range of calls including a loud metallic chatter when annoyed. Then tend to scold the dogs, and will even fly down onto their backs, pecking at them. They are quite aggressive and will attack predators far larger than themselves that come near their nests.

Interestingly, it can expand its white eyebrow to show its emotions, so the eyebrow can change from being almost invisible to being quite conspicuous.

Blackbutt Reserve

Blackbutt Reserve has a number of distinct areas and the Richley Reserve - entrance via Freyberg Street, New Lambton - is usuallybetter for getting away from the school groups and picnickers that tend to stay around the caged birds and animals at the main entrance.

I only had an hour so I hung by the ponds training my lens on the ducks, however there were lots of bush birds in the nearby trees. The whistlers, in particular, were very vocal, with some splendid golden males offering some excellent photo opportunities.

Bird list:

Eastern Yellow Robin (pictured above)
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Galah
Little Corella
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Rainbow Lorikeet
Superb Blue Fairy Wren
Eastern Whip Bird
Willy Wagtail
White Faced Heron
Australian Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Pacific Black Duck
Hardhead Duck

Black Swan
Straw necked Ibis
White Ibis
Black Faced Cuckoo-Shrike
Welcome Swallow
Laughing Kookaburra
Little Black Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Australasian Grebe
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Grey Butcher Bird
Grey Fantail
Spotted Turtle Dove
Australian Raven
Magpie
Magpie Lark
Striated Pardalote
Silvereye
Noisy Miner

Rufous Whistler

Golden Whistler

Yellow Thornbill

Hunter Estuary National Park

Stockton Sandspit has a new sign. The Hunter Estuary National Park includes the sandspit, Hexham Swamp, the Wetlands Centre and part of Ash Island.

Today a large number of Tasmanian Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis lateralis) were enjoying the banksia in the early morning light.

Bird Journal

Version 1.3 of Bluebird Technologies Bird Journal includes Christidis and Boles taxonomy, making it now more relevant to Australian Birders. It won't replace that Spirex notebook, but will add a whole new dimension to birding records.

Francis Street

I live in a rather leafy suburb, and my bit of it has especially large, old trees so sometimes I can do my birding from the couch. Today I was treated to a group of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos who were systematically removing the branches from a flowering tree. Occasionally they gave the flowers a nibble, but for the most part they seemed to be just biting off branches and dropping them on the ground.

Goolawah State Park

Variegated Fairywren - male in breeding plumage

Variegated Fairywren - male, non-breeding

If this blog had more than its three readers, I would not mention Goolawah here, as one of its major attractions is that so few people seem to know about it. New South Wales eleventh, and newest, state park, it encompasses significant coastal lands, stunning beaches, wetlands, littoral rainforest and swamp sclerophyll forest. It is proposed that the Park will eventually include a beach walking track along the spectacular coastline from Port Macquarie to Crescent Head. But for the moment there is little in the way of human interference to the natural landscape. Camping is primitive, with cold outdoor showers and composting toilets the nearest thing to an 'amenity'.

Dogs are allowed off-leash on the beach, and on-leash in the camping areas and on the bush tracks so it is a perfect spot for a short getaway around three hours north of newcastle.

Among the animals identified within Goolawah State Park are swamp wallabies, kangaroos, bandicoots, echidnas, possums, dingos, sugar gliders and many species of bats. Birdlife includes shorebirds and raptors along the beach, waders and waterfowl in the wetlands, and many species of honeyeaters, seedeaters and insectivorous birds living in the forests.

We were only going to stay a couple of days, but the weather was perfect, we found nesting Osprey, and usually had the beach entirely to ourselves, so we ended up being there for the working week.

Bird List:

Variegated Fairywren (pictured above)
Black Swan
Australian Wood Duck
Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Australian Pelican
White faced Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Australian White Ibis
Straw necked Ibis
Osprey
Black shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite
Brahminy Kite
White bellied Sea Eagle
Nankeen Kestrel
Purple Swamphen
Silver Gull
Gull billed Tern
Crested Tern
White fronted Tern
Rock Dove
Brown Cuckoo Dove
Crested Pigeon
Yellow tailed Black Cockatoo
Galah
Rainbow Lorikeet
Scaly breasted Lorikeet
Laughing Kookaburra
Superb Fairywren
Variegated Fairywren
White browed Scrubwren
Yellow rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill
Striated Thornbill
Red Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Noisy Miner
Magpie-lark
Grey Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Spangled Drongo
Black faced Cuckoo shrike
Figbird
Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Australian Raven
Australian Pipit
Welcome Swallow

Crescent Head

A pair of Osprey are raising two chicks in a nest on top of a Norfolk Island Pine in the Crescent Head Caravan Park, on the New South Wales mid-north coast.

Osprey nests are built up each year, sometimes for decades, from sticks, seaweed, branches and driftwood, and can weigh up to half a ton. The female incubates the eggs for around 35 days, depending on the male to feed her. Both birds then feed the young. The chicks take their first flight around 55 days after hatching.

Its specific habitat requirements have contributed to its decline in NSW, where it is officially listed as vulnerable.

Threats:

• Removal of large trees near the coast that could be used as nest sites.
• Disturbances to water quality that increases turbidity in feeding areas.
• Ingestion of fish containing discarded fishing tackle.

The locals were very proud of their Osprey, with many people pointing out the nest to me. Most though, thought it was a small Sea Eagle that couldn't fish properly - diving into the water, rather than snatching fish on the surface.

Stockton Channel

I took the pups to Stockton this morning, catching the sunrise over the beach and then walking along the river. Gulls, terns and ravens on the beach and silvereyes, thornbills, and wagtails by the river. Another beautifully sunny day, but the wind had picked up overnight. A white-faced heron caught some early rays.

Galgabba Point

Maureen and I took advantage of a perfect Newcastle winter day to visit Galgabba Point, Swansea. A great place for a leisurely walk, often rewarding the effort with good numbers of birds, the point has an interesting history. Sharon McCarthy's leadership in restoring this site is a great example of what one person can achieve.

The eucalypts had almost finished flowering, but there were sufficient blossoms to attract friarbirds, and keep smaller honeyeaters busy. The wattles were starting to flower and little birds were hunting insects in their branches.

We saw a large group of adult male mistletoebirds but like most of the birds they stayed high in the canopy and we managed only shots of their bellies from directly underneath. Thornsbills occupied us for a while as we convinced ourselves that, if we perservered, eventually one would sit still, on an exposed branch, for long enough for the lens to focus on it.

Coffe and cake at Maccas completed a morning that was a lot of fun, even if it didn't produce large numbers of photos.

Bird List:

Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana (pictured aboce)

Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen

Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca

Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus

White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra

Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus

Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus

Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis

White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis

Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys

Gray Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys

Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris

Myuna Bay

No spectacular birds at Myuna Bay this morning, but large groups of swallows swooping past us at ground level, and many heron, egrets, terns, gulls, pelicans and swans on the lake. Lorikeets, miners, honeyeaters, magpies and butcherbirds in the trees.

It was a fairly mild morning, and sunny until 11:00 so the dogs enjoyed a romp in the water. It is an interesting walk for all of us, to take the lakeside track down to the water outlet from Eraring power station. The warm water must provide conditions for fish to flourish, and birds gather there as a result.

Bird list:

Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena (pictured above)
Great Egret Ardea alba
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Striated Heron Butorides striata
Black Swan Cygnus atratus
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra
Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus

Hi Fert

Back from a wonderful few weeks in the Northern Territory, visiting my sister and attending a Higher Education Conference, and doing some birding on the side. Our brother joined us for a motorhome tour of the National Parks, and I connected with Flickr friend Maureen whose visit overlapped with mine. I managed good images of sixty-seven new bird species - leaving some for the next trip up to the Top End.

Great to see Thommo and Dusty again. We went to the strip between Hi-Fert and the river which is a favourite walking spot of theirs, as they can chase hares, run free, and swim.

Pulling up I was quick enough to get a good capture of a hobby on the wires. The usual fairywrens, finches, doves, scrub-wrens, fantails, and honeyeaters were there, as well as the gulls, pelican and cormorants on the river.

The early moring light was beautiffully soft after the harsh light of the tropics, though I prefer the morning temperatures of the past weeks.

Bird list:

Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus (pictured above)
Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis
White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis
Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana
Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Gray Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Australian Hobby Falco longipennis
Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena
Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae

Shoal Bay

After our gardening of the last few days we had a load of clippings to take to the re-cycling centre. I took the camera along in case there were raptors, as is often the case at disposal centres. I wasn't disappointed with a large number of black, square-tailed and whistling kite circling above.

I was suprised, however, to see a flock of around fifty plus pied heron fly in.

Bird list:

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus (pictured above)
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura
Pied Heron Ardea picata
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca

Technorati

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Palmerston

Today's walk took us to the Palmerston area, Elizabeth River, Channel Island and Marlow Lagoon Reserve. We took the track from the boat ramp parking area at Elizabeth River and were passed by a first response team and a police vehicle - they didn't advise us of axe murderers or chemical spills, so we continued along. The mangroves seemed to be full of red-headed honeyeaters, hard to photograph as they buzzed around, but great to see. When we reached the electricity pylons at the river's edge, two more were perched on the barbed wire.

Channel Island was an interesting spot. Large numbers of terns fished and perched on buoys far out in the water. The lemon-bellied flycatcher sang in the car-park. Red-winged parrots flew overhead. It was a very high tide so there were no shore birds, but it would be worth a re-visit at low tide.

Marlow Lagoon was a wonderful choice for a picnic spot. A very pretty park filled with birds. Lots of bee-eaters, a good number of egrets, geese, ducks, ibis, lapwings ... and honeyeaters, trillers, magpie larks and kingfishers. A grey goshawk circled above. We sat on a bench by the water and watched the bee-eaters buzzing the water while we ate our sandwiches. It was cool, for Darwin, and a beautiful restful spot.

Bird List:

Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii (pictured above)
Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata
Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus
Darter Anhinga melanogaster
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Great Egret Ardea alba
Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica
Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
Torresian Crow Corvus orru

Stokes Hill Wharf

We had brunch at Stokes Hill Wharf. Some way out to sea lots of large fish were jumping out of the water and had collected an audience of herons, gulls and terns for their performance. The birds would swing past the wharf from time to time, allowing me to practice capturing flight shots.

Bird list:

Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica (pictured above)

Eastern Reef-Egret Egretta sacra

Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae

Crested Tern Sterna bergii

Charles Darwin National Park

This is a great spot almost in the middle of the city - and giving great views of the city and harbour. Not a large area, but covering a number of habitats including woodland, mangroves and the lawns and shrubs of the picnic area.

In the car park were two big groups of red-tailed black cockatoos and an equal number of red-collared lorikeets. Honeyeaters were feeding on eucalypt blossoms, and raptors soared overhead.

Not a good photo day, the birds for the most part stayed high in the canopy behind clumps of leaves, But it was a beautiful day to be out, and the military history in the park the new growth after a bush fire the number of trees in blossom and the wealth of birds made for a great walk.

Bird List:

Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula (pictured above)

Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura

Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea

Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus
Northern Rosella Platycercus venustus

Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides

White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala

White-winged Triller Lalage sueurii
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela

White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchus

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Finding Birds

Only a couple more days in the Northern Territory, so I'd like to mention a fabulous book that enabled me to photograph over sixty new birds this trip and see many more.

Niven McCrie's Finding Birds in Darwin, Kakadu & the Top End is a must-have for any birders travelling to this part of the world. It is available at Dymocks Casuarina and Angus & Robertson in the city, or online at Birds of the Northern Territory

Nightcliff Foreshore

A short walk along the foreshore before brunch at Parliament House, we came across a rather harried pair of honeyeaters and their big, surly foster-child.

Bird List:

Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus (pictured above)

Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis (pictured above)

White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

East Point Reserve

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor

White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis

Grey-headed Honeyeater Lichenostomus keartlandi

Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavescens

Heading out to the end of the Reserve Maureen and I came across a drinking fountain with a blocked drain. The resultant pool attracted a constant stream of birds to drink and bathe, so we set up the camp stools and waited.

Mt Bundy Station

The last night in the motorhome we spent at Mt Bundy Station. A perfect end to the trip. We arrived at dusk as birds were gathering at the troughs for an evening drink. A large flock of galahs caught the last rays of the sun from the power lines. Figbirds whistled in the banyan fig under which we parked. Ducks and other water birds fringed the edge of the dams. Black and whistling kite came in to roost in the trees.

A walk next morning brought finches, flycatchers, whistlers, mistletoe birds, and pardalotes, and swallows swooping above the water and perching on the wires.

Bird List:

Black-headed Pardalote Pardalotus striatus uropygialis (pictured above)
White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica
Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis
Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris
Grey Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti
Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii
Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata
Masked Finch Poephila personata
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Nitmiluk National Park

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Nitmiluk is owned by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people and jointly managed with the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. It has two fairly separate areas, Edith Falls and Katherine Gorge.

Edith Falls campground was wonderful with beautifully planned camping areas where we could pull the motorhome up beside our own private lawn. The staff were friendly and helpful - noticing my lens and binocs one asked if I was a birdwatcher then told me where to find a bowerbird's bower and suggested I move the sprinkler to our patch of lawn and turn it on to attract red-winged parrots to play in its spray. We inadvertently took the long way to the top pool for a swim, with great bowerbirds and brown honeyeaters on the way, but I was too busy watching my footing and gasping for breath to do any serious birding. An evening walk around the campgrounds saw black cockatoos, galahs, red-collared lorikeet and corellas feeding on the lawns and flowering shrubs. The bowerbirds were at their bower, and the lorikeets came to play in the sprinkler. Pardalotes searched for lerps, thornbills darted among the leaves.We watched a magnificent sunset.

In early morning walk to the creek brought some familiar honeyeaters and two new species, the rufous-throated and the bar-breasted, and a little brown bird I have yet to identify. My brother, Peter, coming back from a swim, asked what the two big birds were that he passed on the path - they were bush stone-curlew standing obligingly still peering into the bush.

Off to Katherine Gorge where great bowerbirds and blue-faced honeyeaters were almost tame, hovering about the campers on the lookout for scraps. Woolybutt and other flowering eucalypts attracted the large nectar eaters, including friarbirds. On the walk along the river were several finches, another bower with several attendant bowerbirds, red-winged parrots and more honeyeaters. On the cruise we were lucky enough to see a great-billed heron fly across our bow and wander along the edge of the water. Lots of small birds could be heard in the patches of vegetation as we passed but exposed rocks kept our guide to the middle of the stream.

The gorge is incredible, particularly in the early morning or late evening light.

Bird list:

Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis (pictured above)

White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Bush Stone-Curlew Burhinus grallarius

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii
Galah Cacatua roseicapilla
Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea

Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus

Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus

Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus

Silver-crowned Friarbird Philemon argenticeps

Bar-breasted Honeyeater Ramsayornis fasciatus

Rufous-throated Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

Great Bowerbird Chlamydera nuchalis

Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii

Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton

Yellow Water

On Monday 29 June, Cooinda seemed almost town-like after a few days of intermittant electricity, web access and phone coverage. All the comforts of the big city.

Yellow Water is a billabong that floods each wet season to join other bodies of water. Located at the end of Jim Jim Creek, a tributary of the South Alligator River, it is home to crocodiles, wild horses, buffalo and other wildlife including millions of birds, including jacana, egrets, jabiru, sea-eagles, magpie geese, ducks and many other native species. Paperbark forests, pandanus and fresh-water mangroves line the shore, and the water is dotted with beautiful pink and white waterlilies. Yellow Water is one of Kakadu National Park’s best known landmarks, and the cruises are deservedly popular. We had booked in advance for the dawn cruise - understandably the best for seeing the birdlife.

The evening brought honeyeaters, trillers, flyctachers, orioles and corellas to the trees and shrubs at the resort, and a hobby and goshawks cruising by. Night presented us with barking owls obligingly perched near the camping area.

The dawn cruise was a fantastic experience. Our guide, Jake, was observant and knowledgeable - locating even small birds on the banks, and giving interesting background information. He told us that the nankeen night-heron is known by the local Aboriginal people as the "Love myself a lot bird" for it's habit of staring motionless into the water. And also said that the Aboriginal reports of whistling kites picking up burning sticks from a fire and dropping them in an area with prey species, had been confirmed by a scientific study.

The boats were able to glide very close to perched sea-eagles, usually shy grebes and the wonderful jacanas. Magpie geese and whistling ducks flew overhead in a repeated v-formations. During the Dry season they congregate in thousands on the edges of Yellow Water. Groups of burdekin ducks congregated on the banks. Darters sunned themselves on low branches.

Walking back to the resort from the cruise dock extended the experience and gave good views of a number of woodland birds.

Bird List:

Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea (pictured above)

Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata

Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah
Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus

Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

Darter Anhinga melanogaster

White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Pied Heron Ardea picata
Cattle Egret Ardea ibis
Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus

Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia

Black-necked Stork Ehippioryhnchus asiaticus

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster

Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida

Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica

Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea

Barking Owl Ninox connivens

Little Kingfisher Alcedo pusilla
Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea

Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus

Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis

White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor

White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis

Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophila albogularis

Rufous-throated Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster

Broad-billed Flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis

Paperbark Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta nana

Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus

South Alligator River

As tourists we did the obligatory jumping crocodile cruise, and while it was interesting to see the crocs up close and amazing to see how fast and far they can move when tempted by the promise of food, the highlight of the cruise was the kites and sea-eagle that flew so close they were almost impossible to capture - though I used a good part of a card trying. I was thrilled with some of the images I managed with my ancient reflexes.

On to Aroura Kakadu where we set up camp, then wandered over to the beer garden where a large flock of corellas made it hard to think and impossible to talk. Refreshed and fed, we took the torches out for a walk watching a colony of Black Flying Foxes going about their business. An owl flew over which may have been a barn owl, barking owls barked, and unseen things skittered around in the undergrowth. I'm not very good at spotlight walks.

Next morning, early, we did the Gungarre Walk which starts and ends at the resort. Around 3k in length, it passes through monsoonal vine forest, across a floodplain beside a billabong and through fringing woodland in a loop. The combination provided a good range of birds, and some excellent photo opportunities. The bee-eaters at the billabong were fascinating, flying low over thewater and returning to their perch - a loud clack indicating a catch. Kookaburras sounded as though they were trying to laugh, but couldn't quite get it. Dozens of fig birds and orioles were feeding in the trees. The billabong was covered with water lillies and water birds. Tiny terns cruised the far bank, staying out of camera range.

A bench seat at the edge of the water looked inviting, despite the crocodile warning signs.

Bird list:

Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii (pictured above)

Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt

Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus

Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata

Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca

Black-necked Stork Ehippioryhnchus asiaticus

Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata

Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolour

Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus
Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris
White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres viridis
Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus

Fogg Dam

We arrived at Fogg Dam at around 2:00 am on Sunday 28 June. The noise was incredible, and mostly unidentifiable, other than the 'woof woof' of Barking Owls. After some mostly ineffectual waving of a spotlight around the tree tops I tucked in for a couple of hours sleep.

At first light we set off for a walk across the dam wall, only to find that it was closed to walkers because of a large salt-water crocodile in the area. So I snapped a few photos of the first light through the fog and early morning flocks of birds flying across pastel skies, and headed back to the van to drive to the other side.

Both sides of the wall were teeming with water birds: egrets, storks, herons, cormorants, ducks, geese, ibis ... The Pandanus Lookout provided wonderful views of the Dam - I'd recommend it as a perfect spot to watch the sunrise. The parking area trees held honeyeaters, fairywrens, whistlers, cuckoo-shrike and finches. Peter and Fran cooked a full breakfast while I tried to capture as many of the birds as possible, and we picnicked surrounded by the incredible natural beauty. A crow sat beside us expectantly, only to be disappointed when we cleared our plates.

Breakfast over we did the Woodlands to Waterlily Walk - 2.2 k of boardwalk through the fringing forest and the wetlands. Along the walk we added a number of bush birds to the tally. The water lillies were in full flower in white and purple, the bugs were at an acceptably low level, and it was hard not to think that this was a little piece of paradise.

Bird list:

Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata

Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata
Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni
Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah
Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus

Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa

Grey Teal Anas gracilis

Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

Darter Anhinga melanogaster

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius

White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Pied Heron Ardea picata
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Great Egret Ardea alba
Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia
Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus

Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia

Black-necked Stork Ehippioryhnchus asiaticus

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides

Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea

Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus

Barking Owl Ninox connivens

Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea

Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii

Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus

Rainbow Pitta Pitta iris

Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster

Grey Whistler Pachycephala simplex

Broad-billed Flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis

White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis

Torresian Crow Corvus orru

Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton

Litchfield National Park

We picked up the motorhome at around 10:30 on Friday June 26th, chuffed to have been given a complimentary upgrade to a deluxe model with microwave and multi-function monitor, and headed for Litchfield National Park.

The first stop was to inspect the large cathedral anthill and the field of magnetic antillls and wonder at the complex lives of these creatures. From what I remeber from the signs (and David Attenborough) termites like a constant temperature, and most (as in the cathedral anthills) go underground in the heat and cold, but magnetic termites build on floodplains, so they can't dig too deep or they'll hit water, so they align the mound so it faces east and west - it catches the early morning and late evening sun full on, but only a little of the hot midday sun, which helps to keep the temperature reasonably constant. Brown Honeyeaters were calling from the shrubbery but it was too hot to investigate. I gave a bottle of water to a young woman who was cycling with a full pack, and had underestimated how hot and thirsty the ride would be. We chatted for a moment, and I was impressed at how widely she had travelled by herself, on a bicycle. South America was next.

We walked out to the viewing platform on the gorge rim overlooking Tolmer Falls, which is one of three major waterfalls along the western face of the tabletop range. Tolmer was apparently the son of a French abbot, who arrived in South Australia where he joined the police force and was active in apprehending bushrangers. We saw no bushrangers, or any sign of the areas other notable species - the rare Orange Horseshoe Bat and the endangered Ghost Bat - which inhabit the many caves and crannies in the rockface. Brown Honeyeaters were the dominant bird species here with one posing obligingly for a portrait.

On to Wangi Falls (pronounced 'Wong-eye' - the Aboriginal name for the area around Wangi Station, not the falls, but the name has stuck.) We set up camp, made a list of the items that we had forgotten and would need to purchase on the road, and set off for a swim in the pool at the base of the twin falls. This is one of the most popular areas in the park, and justifiably so. A short (1.6 k) walk into the rainforest leads to a set of steps that climb up the escarpment to a viewing platform in the canopy of the rainforest. We sat here on the seats looking out into the forest canopy until the mosquitos suggested we keep moving. The trail goes on to the escarpment and winds back down to the pool. We finished the day with what was to become a ritual - a cold drink watching the sunset.

Next morning on the way out of the park we were again looking for a spot to swim, and headed for Buley Rockhole which is a series of pools and small cascades along Florence Creek as it rushes down a hillside.

Bird list:

Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus (pictured above)

Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus

Australian Hobby Falco longipennis

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii

Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita

Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus

Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii

Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta

White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolor

Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis

White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis

Varied Triller Lalage leucomela