Sunday, September 22, 2013

Reedy Lakes, Kerang

Brown Treecreeper

Headed west along the Murray River we stopped at a picnic area on Middle Reedy Lake near Kerang. Middle Reedy is recognised as the largest breeding ground in the world for ibis, and in spring more than 100,000 birds gather here to breed. It would be great to see the sunrise/sunset flight to or from the roosts. There is an elevated hide, walking tracks and good facilities. But in mid-winter there were no waterbirds.

The shrubs around our picnic table however brought in a good number of bush birds.

Striated Pardalote

White-plumed Honeyeater

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Leeton

Spotted Crake
Leeton is actually a top spot, I discovered on my first visit. Walking/cycling tracks run for miles, there are great little coffee shops and restaurants, excellent state parks and wonderful landscapes and two Ramsar listed wetlands of international importance. Best visited in the warmer months when thousands of migratory birds call the area home, even in the middle of winter there was plenty to see (although this winter was unusual as there was still quite a lot of water after last years floods, the wetlands can be dry at this time).

The facilities at  Fivebough and Tuckerbill Swamps suffered quite a bit of damage during the floods but the walking tracks, hides, and seating have been rebuilt. It was woolly hat cold when I was there but the walks were pleasant in the morning sun.








Bird list:
Brown Quail
Black Swan
Australian Wood Duck
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Pacific Black Duck            
Australasian Grebe
Rock Dove
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Peaceful Dove
Australasian Darter
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Australian Pelican
White-necked Heron
Eastern Great Egret
White-faced Heron
Little Egret
Australian White Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Black-shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite
Swamp Harrier
Little Eagle
Nankeen Kestrel
Brown Falcon
Purple Swamphen
Australian Spotted Crake
Black-tailed Native-hen
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Red-capped Plover
Black-fronted Dotterel
Red-kneed Dotterel
Masked Lapwing
Caspian Tern
Silver Gull
Laughing Kookaburra
Superb Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Yellow Thombill
Yellow-rumped Thombill
Striated Pardalote
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Noisy Friarbird
Rufous Whistler
Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Grey Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Australian Raven
Magpie-lark
Silvereye
Common Starling
Zebra Finch


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Winton to Clermont

Red-backed Kingfisher
From Winton I headed east along the Capricorn Highway through towns where I spent my childhood. In Aramac, where my grandparents lived I came across this Kingfisher outside the little tramways museum. In Barcaldine I camped at the Showground where every evening the trees filled with Cockatoos, Corellas and Lorikeets.

Little Corella

Rainbow Lorikeet
I camped outside Clermont at the Theresa Creek Dam, built since I moved south to provide water for the Blackwater and Blair Athol mines. Whistling Kites soared and called, Pale-headed Rosellas and Rainbow Lorikeet came down to drink, and good numbers of Egrets, Ducks, Coots, Native Hens, Morehens and Swamphens edged the water. Comb-crested Jacana walked on the water lillies, and Apostlebirds and Grey-crowned Babbler fussed around in the shrubs.

Comb-crested Jacana
Grey-crowned Babbler

Apostlebirds
Blue-faced Honeyeater

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Winton, Qld

Australian Bustard

Bladensburg National Park

There are a number of mapped and captioned self-drive routes out of Winton, and we took the Route of the River Gum south. With Dusty in the car we were unable to stop in the National Park but it was an interesting drive with mesas or Jump-ups interrupting the broad plains, and vegetation changing from Mitchell Grass to Spinifex, open woodlands of Bloodwood and Mulga, and Lancewood on the escarpments.

A group of Halls Babbler crossed the road in front of us, and at a creek crossing Cockateil flew up into the trees as we passed. Mixed groups of Woodswallow gathered near Mistake Creek. Emu, Brolga and Australian Bustard kept their distance from the road.

Brolga

Woodswallows

Cockatiel





Winton

Long Waterhole

Cockatiel
The Winton Visitor Information Centre publishes a useful guide to bird watching locations in the shire so armed with this we set off for the Long Waterhole, about 2k out of town on the Jundah road. There were a good number of people camping here but the birds were still plentiful.  It was good to abandon my problem camera and just sit and watch: Spinifex Pigeon, Budgerigar, Zebra Finch, Australian Pratincole, Brown Falcon, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Crested Pigeon.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Brown Quail

Emu

White-necked Heron

Pelican Waterhole

The settlement was originally at Pelican Waterhole, but was moved as the danger of flooding became apparent. The only pelican was a commemorative statue, but there were good numbers of Black-faced, White-browed and Masked Woodswallows, and a group of half-a-dozen Brolga, plus Jacky Winter and White-plumed Honeyeater.
Jacky Winter

Masked Woodswallow
Brolga

Cooling Dams

Near the Showgrounds are a series of ponds where the artesian water is cooled for town use. 

Galah

White-plumed Honeyeater

Black-fronted Dotterel

Monday, May 13, 2013

Winton

Crested Pigeon
We checked into the Matilda Country Tourist Park, where we were given a great spot under a group of trees, and set up our 'big camp', a screened gazebo under which we could have a little tent for sleeping, Dusty's crate, a kitchen table, and a chair and coffee table. It was HOT, and flies were BAD, so we were the envy of those who had to choose between the caravan and the open.

Birding was good from the gazebo with Yellow-throated Miners, White-plumed Honeyeaters, and Inland Thornbills foraging in and under the trees, and a dripping tap attracting a steady stream of birds.

Apostlebird
Of an evening birds gathered on the powerlines to bath in pools left behind by the sprinkler.

Black-faced Woodswallow

Diamond Dove

White-plumed Honeyeater

Zebra Finch

Galah

White-breasted Woodswallow

Lens



My lens is getting more frustrating - producing great images for a while and then refusing to give me anything other than an overexposed blur for minutes or hours. These two were taken immediately one after the other.

Blackall to Winton






Road kills lines all of the roads out here. Primarily kangaroos and wallabies, but also feral pigs, foxes and small furry things. These attract raptors, so inevitably many of them become roadkill themselves. I can't understand how people can plow through them, just slowing down as you approach gives them time to take to the air. The birds were primarily Black Kite, but there were good numbers of Wedge-tailed Eagles including one pair that were feeding a young bird in a nearby tree.