First day of the trip we were more focused on covering some kms, getting out to where the 'outback' begins than in birding and sightseeing. For the early part of trip we followed the Golden Highway, a fairly recent State Highway that follows a rather pretty route up the Hunter Valley. Black-faced Suffolk Sheep and fields of yellow canola added to the bucolic charm. We stopped beside the river at Nyngan just on dusk and wandered with cameras. Ringneck parrots were settling down in a hollow branch of a eucalypt, and babblers were babbling on the grass and in the low branches of the trees. An emu on the other side of the fence was silhouetted by the setting sun. It was too dark for great images so we went off to have the roast of the day at the RSL club and drove out of town to find a spot to freecamp.
Bird List:
Grey-crowned babbler (pictured above)
Australian Kestrel
Black-winged Kite
Whistling Kite
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Emu
Grey Teal
Australian Wood Duck
Pacific Black Duck
Little Pied Cormorant
Pacific Heron
Eurasian Coot
Purple Swamphen
Peaceful Dove
Crested Pigeon
Ring-neck Parrot
Cockatiel
Red-Rumped Parrot
Galah
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
Eastern Rosella
Apostlebird
White-winged Chough
Australian Raven
Australian Magpie
Restless Flycatcher
Magpie Lark
Pied Butcherbird
White-plumed Honeyeater
Noisy Miner
Willie Wagtail
White-breasted Woodswallow
We camped around 40 Kilometres west of Ningan that night along the Barrier Highway beside what we thought was a disused railway track. After setting up our tents and enjoying a night cap we settled into our sleeping bags for the night. Around 12.30 AM we were awakend by the sound of a fast approaching goods train. As it passed beside us we were deffened by the noise as the train seemed to pass through the middle of our camp. The disused rail track turned out to be the main link to to the port for the mines in the Cobar District.
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