The final result was well over 300 species of bird, 54 lifers, hundreds of photos and wonderful memories. So here they are on paper (or computer screen!). I hope you enjoy the journey too!
August 6th - Taking the "red-eye" to Perth is not my favourite past-time, but the possibility of pickimg up eleven endemics around the Perth region meant that I was keen to make the most of the day and a half I had available to me prior to a school conference I was attending kicked off. I was met at the airport by Peter Taylor, an excellent bird-guide, who loaded me into his 4x4 and away we went. No mucking about - let's get into the birding! The weather was cool, but clear and the promise of good birding was in the air.
First stop was Victoria Dam, located south of the airport. We parked just past the turn-off to the dam and went for our first walk. We were soon into it, with three endemics showing themselves very readily. Western Thornbill, Swan River Honeyeater and Western Spinebill (now one of my favourite birds) came out to greet us, along with fly-overs from Square-tailed Kites, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and Red-capped Parrots (a WA endemic I had seen a few years earlier). A great start - three down, eight to go! Peter was brilliant, knew the calls and helped with diagnostic identification.
We then wandered down to the stream that flows out at the base of the dam, and I was stoked to spot a Red-eared Firetail flitting amongst the low scrub near the water. It didn't stay around very long which was a shame, because it is a very pretty little bird. After some searching we also found a White-breasted Robin, which is probably one the duller species of Robin in Australia, but a tick nevertheless! The new lens took some getting used to and the inital photos were fairly average, but I was slowly getting the hang of it. No sign of the Red-winged Fairy-wren, so we headed off to check out some of the other sites. Five down, six to go!
By lunch we had racked up a very good list (including Western Rosella, another WA endemic I had seen previously), but no new lifers, so we (well Pete!) determined that we should head out to the Northam region in search of the Mute Swan (which is now a protected species in WA even though it is feral!), Western Corella, Baudin's and Carnaby's Black Cockatoos, and Western Wattlebird. We arrived in the town of Northam and immiedately found the Mute Swans on the river. Not the most authentic tick in the world, but I reluctantly took it! We also had Laughing Dove (another introduced species found in WA that I had already ticked) nearby, and the overall trip list continued to grow.
Peter then took us out onto the country roads around Northam, checking local homesteads for the Corella, and it wasn't long before we came across a large flock grazing on the ground and also roosting in the nearby trees. And then, as we were travelling, Peter decided to pull over to let a car pass, and we heard a Black Cockatoo call from the tree next to the vehicle. We leapt out to find a small flock of Baudin's Black-Cockatoos sitting about five metres above our heads. JOY!! To finish off, we stopped at a small reserve to search for Western Wattlebird. We heard them pretty quickly, but they proved rather elusive. We ventured into the thick undergrowth and got very close to the calls that we could hear ringing out, but still couldn't get a look at the things. Eventually, we went back to track and, as is often the case with birding, two Wattlebirds decided to come over and visit us and we got great views. Nine out of eleven and I was a very happy chappie. No sign of the Fairy-wren or Carnaby's Black Cockatoo, but Peter gave directions to another site that was a good birding prospect for the next day. So, after a most eventful day, Peter dropped me back at the airport where I picked up a hire car and headed for the conference venue. Peter was invaluable and I highly recommend him to anyone wishing to see the WA endemics. Thanks mate!
The next day dawned - miserable weather! I oscillated in my mind whether to go or not for about five seconds and then jumped into the car and headed to Wungong Dam and Bungendore Park. I had heard mixed reports about these places, with some saying that they were heavily degraded, but I decided to have a go anyway. Glad I did!! I got out of the car at Wungong, following the instructions I had down-loaded from the Net. First bird was a Red-winged Fairy-wren (!!) who obligingly sat on a branch near me and posed for photos. I also had wonderful views of White-breasted Robins and Splendid Fairy-wrens. After about an hour I headed over to Bungendore and the birds came out to play! As did the sun! I had Swan River Honeyeaters, Red-capped Parrots and Western Spinebills flitting above my head, while Western Thornbills, Western Gerygones, Western Yellow Robins, Western Wattlebirds, along with Scarlet Robins, Ringneck Parrots, Common Bronzewings and many other birds filling the bush with colour and sound all around me. Fantastic birding!
I eventualy had to drag myself away as I needed to pick up some of my staff at the airport so I reluctantly climbed back into the car. Ten out of the eleven targets seen, with only Carnaby's eluding me. Ah well, I need to get down to Cheyne's Beach at some stage to see the WA skulkers, and Peter assured me that Carnaby's is certainty down there, so it just means planning another trip!! Part 1 completed and Mike was a happy boy! I had seen three Aussie lifers between January and the end of July, and now I had added ten in a day and a half. On to Queeensland!!
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