24 October to 2 November see South Australia

3 November

We decided to spend our last night back at Hattah-Kulkyne to catch up with a couple of birds we didn’t have time for on our way up. We drove around the Mournpall, Bitterang and Boolungal tracks looking for Chestnut-crowned Babbler and found them on the Boolungal Track.

Back in the Mornpall Campground at lunchtime a couple of Regent Parrots flew in to rest during the heat of the day in the trees above our campsite. Two Pink cockatoos also came in the rest. The usual parrots could also be seen around the campground Little Corella, Yellow Rosella and Mallee Ringneck.

4 November

We wanted to see a Mallee Emu Wren on our last morning and settled on searching an area about 300m past the entrance sign on the main access road to the park, we read they had been seen here recently. The site looked promising with lots of mature Triodia under Mallee. It is an easy site to access and being near a road it is difficult to get lost, the telephone wires and sound of traffic make it easy to find the way back to the road.

We searched for some time, listening for high pitched calls; although there was lots of bird activity no emu-wren could be heard. We saw Rufous Songlark, Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo, White Winged Triller, White-fronted Honeyeater and one of the bluest male Splendid Fairywren I’ve ever seen. When heading back to the car to try another area we heard emu-wren calling from close range and managed to catch sight of a male and female as they skirted around us.

We decided to end our trip with this highlight and packed up camp to head down the Calder Hwy to home. We couldn’t resist a final stop at the intriguing Sea Lake and were rewarded with a Victorian sighting of Black-faced Woodswallow and also a small party of Rufous Fieldwren. No time to search for Orange Chats though so we reluctantly climbed back in the car and headed home.

Hattah Trip List

Flinders Ranges Trip Report 22 October to 4 November 2011

22 October

Our first stop on our journey northward was lunch beside the Avoca River at the Charlton rest stop just off the hwy in the centre of town. Birds riverside were Sacred Kingfisher, Little Friarbird, and Rufous Songlark.

Heading up the Calder Hwy we noticed some Eremophila flowering on the roadside and decided to make a short detour to a small ‘known’ patch of bush land at Gama on the Sunraysia Hwy in the hope of finding Black Honeyeater. Initially the bush seemed quiet, after searching around for a bit we found some Eremophila flowering and heard the calls of Black Honeyeater, it took some searching to find these tiny flighty birds but we finally had a good look at a male and female. While searching we were surprised by a flock of around 50 budgies. Another surprise was a Brown Quail heard calling from the undergrowth. Other interesting birds present were White-fronted Honeyeater, Rainbow Bee-eater (these were seen at almost every stop as we travelled northwards), White-winged Triller and Masked and White-browed Woodswallow.

Gama Trip List

The first night we camped beside Lake Mournpall at Hattah-Kulkyne NP. There is plenty of water in the lakes at the moment, we managed to spy a White-necked Heron on the lake and around the lakes edge groups of Black-tailed Native Hen were nervously feeding. It was difficult to see many other birds on the lake as it was obscured by a thick layer of River Red Gum saplings growing around the edge of the lake. There seems to be an eruption of Native hens at the moment, many groups were seen beside the road from Lake Mournpall to the park entrance. Each time we visit there is always an Emu hanging round the camp at Lake Mournpall and it didn’t disappoint us this time either. Other interesting birds at the campground were a Sacred Kingfisher calling constantly from the saplings around the lake, Rainbow Bee-eater, a flock of around 10 Regent Parrots and a Barn Owl heard calling on the wing at night.

23 October

The next day we took an early morning drive along the Konardin and Nowingi tracks. The Mallee is thriving at the moment, a big difference from our visits a few years ago during drought. Some sections of the Mallee were flowering which had attracted Yellow-plumed and White-fronted Honeyeaters. Birds were flying up out of the bush in front of us, there were small flocks of budgies in a few areas and we had a great view of a Crested Bellbird perched in a tree. Cockatiel gave us fleeting glimpses while flying over along the top section of the Nowingi Track and Pink Cockatoo were heard flying over.

After leaving Hattah we headed up the Calder Hwy to our next stop Yarrara Flora and Fauna Reserve. Just after Ouyen Paul cleverly spotted our first Red-backed Kingfisher for the trip, sitting in a tree at the side of the road.

By the time we arrived at Yarrara it was the middle of the day and very hot so we did some drive by birding, slowly driving along some of the tracks and stopping where we heard birds calling. Few birds could be seen but we caught a view of a Splendid Fairywren in full breeding plumage and finally saw a couple of White-browed Treecreepers which are a feature of this reserve.

We spent the night at Renmark to give us time to stock up on fresh food. We stayed at an overpriced caravan park next to the river but the bed was good so it was sort of worth it.

Hattah Trip List

24 October to 2 November see South Australia

We stopped for a night in the Ouyen Hotel on our recent North-Western Victoria trip. Major Mitchell's Cockatoo was on our 'wanted list' for the trip but we weren't expecting to see them until we reached Wyperfeld. Resting in our room before dinner we heard the creaky door call of the pink cockatoo, on investigation we found a pair of the cheeky birds munching on pine cones in an exotic pine tree behind the BP petrol station, located on the Hwy. Not really what we were expecting!!

Ouyen Bird List

Sand dunes at Snow Drift

We intended to spend most of our visit to Wyperfeld National Park in the southern section but there was a forecast for storms so we decided to book some accommodation at Pines Plains lodge . Being a last minute decision we knew little about the place but after booking we were excited to find that it was situated right in the middle of the northern section of Wyperfeld National Park. The lodge itself is a unique building which is constructed of native pine, with the quirky rustic feature of being able to see through the walls in some places, where there were small gaps between the logs. In every other way the lodge is lavishly decorated and very comfortable. The lodge is owned by Susan O'Sullivan and Adrian Meehan. The O'Sullivan family have owned the 300 acre Pines Plains since the 1920's at which time they also leased part of the area which is now Wyperfeld to breed horses. The lodge itself was built in the early 1990's.

The garden surrounding the lodge is well manicured and only contained some of the more common species such as Yellow-throated Miner, Crested Pigeon, Mallee Ringneck and Grey Butcherbird. However the view from the back veranda looks out over an open plain with sand dunes in the distance. From here we spotted a large family of grazing emu, a Spotted Harrier (which spent most of an afternoon patrolling low over the grassland), Little Eagle and a small flock of Cockatiel which sailed by on the first afternoon, but where not seen again. Interior of Pines Plains Lodge

A few kilometers from the lodge are some large vegetated sand dunes. The track to the dunes is 4 wheel drive only so we decided to walk out there on foot. We saw a couple of raptors on the way but not many other birds till we reached the well vegetated 'Snow Drift' picnic ground. A Horsfield's Bronze cuckoo on the dues was attracting the attention of a number of irate thornbill species and a Splendid Fairywren, who in turn drew our attention. After watching for a while we heard and then saw some Major Mitchell Cockatoo in the native pines and then best of all on the walk out of the picnic ground we spotted a Black-eared Cuckoo.

During our stay at the lodge Adrian managed to drag us away from bird watching for a while and took us on a tour around Wyperfeld, during which, he showed us one of the 400+ canoe trees he has located in the park. We also had an opportunity to view some interesting footage of Mallee Fowl digging their nesting mound and also laying an egg, that was filmed by Adrian's friend at Wathe. All in all our visit to the Pines Plains was fascinating and one of the highlights of our trip.

To top this off we travelled down to the southern section of Wyperfeld on our last morning to do some birding on the Discovery Walk, which we have been told is the best place to find a Red Throat. We searched patiently for Red Throats in the most likely spots and stood vigilantly where we thought we could hear them, but none appeared. Our patience paid off though because we had two sightings of Shy Heathwren and a great view of a pair of Southern Scrub-robin quietly preening on the edge of some broombush thicket.

Brown Treecreepers calling shortly before dusk at the Mopoke Hut, Murray-Sunset National Park, in the Victorian Mallee region. Recorded 10 September 2010.

Other birds that can be heard include Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, and in the background Crested Bellbird, Southern Whiteface, White-crowned Babbler, Australian Magpie, amongst others.