Northern Adventure Day 16 - Port Augusta to HOME! Full trip species list :-)

Our odyssey has come to an end! We left Port Augusta yesterday morning, first visiting the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, but it might have been a bit early and cold because we didn't see much.

We stopped at Port Wakefield on the way home to look for a few birds in the area that I haven't seen that people were posting photos of on South Aussie Birding (Facebook group). I didn't see the pair of Black Falcons that lives there, but I did find some slender-billed thornbills, along with some other birds - sacred kingfisher, little egret, grey fantail, willie wagtail and others. 

Little Egret, Port Wakefield, SA

Grey Butcherbird, Port Wakefield, SA

Sacred Kingfisher, Port Wakefield, SA

 A bit blurry, but my first ever slender-billed thornbills! 

Slender-billed Thornbill, Port Wakefield, SA

Slender-billed Thornbill, Port Wakefield, SA

We finally arrived home again at about 3:15pm, sad that our trip is over, but happy to be back in our own beds (and back with my precious kitty Luna). On the trip I saw a total of 88 species, including 32 additions to my life list! I posted all of my lists on ebird.org, and the site allowed me to easily keep track of what I'd seen during the trip and also to compile this trip list at the end. I also used ebird prior to the trip, along with tips from other birders, to make a list of birds that I might see, and study up on them so that I could ID them in the field. Special Thanks again to Jim Oatley of Alice Springs Bird Tours who took us out on two days and helped me to see 12 species that I probably wouldn't have seen without him!

TRIP SPECIES LIST

Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
Grey Teal (Anas gracilis)
Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos)              
White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)
White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis moluccus)            
Black-shouldered Kite (Australian) (Elanus axillaris) 
Black-breasted Buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon)             
Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) 
Black Kite (Milvus migrans) 
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus)               
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops)            
Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)           
Rock Dove (Columba livia)   
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)          
Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera)
Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)             
Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera)          
Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata)
Pallid Cuckoo (Cacomantis pallidus)
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx basalis)
Red-backed Kingfisher (Todiramphus pyrrhopygius)               
Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)     
Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)             
Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis)             
Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri)              
Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)             
Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)
Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)  
Bourke's Parrot (Neophema bourkii)             
Western Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius)      
Greater Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster)
Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius)      
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Purple-crowned Lorikeet (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala)
Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata)
Rufous-crowned Emu-wren (Stipiturus ruficeps)      
Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti)   
Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens)
White-winged Fairy-wren (Malurus leucopterus)     
Pied Honeyeater (Certhionyx variegatus)    
Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula)               
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis)        
Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata) 
Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens)      
White-plumed Honeyeater (Ptilotula penicillata)
Grey-headed Honeyeater (Ptilotula keartlandi)        
Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor)  
Black Honeyeater (Sugomel nigrum)
New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
Slender-billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei)
Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa)
Western Gerygone (Gerygone fusca)            
Southern Whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis)        
Banded Whiteface (Aphelocephala nigricincta)         
Grey-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis)
White-browed Babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus)          
Chiming Wedgebill (Psophodes occidentalis)
Chirruping Wedgebill (Psophodes cristatus)
White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)       
Masked Woodswallow (Artamus personatus)           
Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus)
Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)
Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis)      
Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)      
Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor)           
Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae)           
White-winged Triller (Lalage tricolor)             
Grey Shrikethrush (Colluricincla harmonica)
Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris)
Crested Bellbird (Oreoica gutturalis)               
Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)             
Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)    
Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)   
Torresian Crow (Corvus orru)            
Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides)           
Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii)     
Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)        
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)          
White-backed Swallow (Cheramoeca leucosterna)  
Brown Songlark (Megalurus cruralis)
Rufous Songlark (Megalurus mathewsi)
Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)       
Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae)              
Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Northern Adventure Day 15 - Woomera

We set off at about 8:30am this morning and headed to Lake Hart. I saw bluebonnets there on the way up and was hoping for another glimpse, and someone else had reported seeing Major Mitchells there recently which I thought we might find. Unfortunately we missed out on both of those, but I did see some more southern whitefaces, variegated fairy-wrens and white-backed swallows.

A little later we turned off and went up to Woomera to have a look at the historical rocket and armed forces displays. We got to Port Augusta in the early afternoon, and had a little look around town. Planning to re-visit the gardens in the morning!

Northern Adventure Day 14 – Marla to Glendambo

Set off from Marla at about 8:15am this morning, still quite chilly. We stopped at a rest stop after about an hour, but saw nothing. We passed a lot of army vehicles heading in the opposite direction on the Stuart Highway. We stopped at Coober Pedy for lunch, and I had a look around on the outskirts of town for birds and found some white-winged fairy-wrens, a black-shouldered kite which appeared to be bothering some black-faced cuckoo-shrikes, a pair of black kites, and a lone grey teal on a small stream.

We headed south out of town for 10km to the Hutchison Memorial site again, hoping to find chestnut-breasted whiteface. I wandered around for about an hour, and found red-capped robins, white-winged fairy-wrens, zebra finches, ravens, and a couple of kestrels and kites. Smaller birds seemed a bit quiet – perhaps because of all of the raptors and ravens hanging around! Again I was unlucky and didn’t find any whiteface, but a brown falcon seemed to sense my disappointment and cheered me up by letting me get quite close to where it was perched in a tree, and then flew down to give me a better look!

We got to our accommodation for the night at Glendambo at 4:30pm and didn’t bother heading out again after that, except over to the restaurant for dinner, where we had a nice meal.

Northern Adventure Day 13 – Alice Springs to Marla

After the cold weather of the last couple of days it was not as disappointing to be heading home as I would’ve thought – not that it’s any warmer in Adelaide at the moment! We took our time getting ready and left just after 8:30am. We crossed into South Australia early in the afternoon, and stopped off at a rest stop about 20km south of the border so that I could have a look in the surrounding scrub. Turned out we picked a good spot and I saw a few masked-woodswallows, a lot of black-faced woodswallows, one male crested bellbird, a few crimson chats, and a lone black kite circling quite low above the car park.

Black-faced Woodswallow, few km south of SA-NT border.

Black Kite, few km south of SA-NT border

 We got to Marla just before 3pm, and while we waited for our room to be ready we checked out the start of the Oodnadatta Track.

Once we were checked in, we went for a short drive, only two or three km south of Marla and pulled over and I had a look in the roadside vegetation to see if I could find anything interesting. I came across some Splendid Fairy-wrens, including a few females, at least one eclipse male, and one male in full breeding colour who just would not let me get a picture of him! I also spotted a female red-capped robin who was a bit shy, I played the species call from my phone and within seconds the male had come to check me out and hung out for quite a while, allowing me to get a few decent shots.

Splendid Fairy-wren, Marla, SA.

Red-capped Robin, Marla, SA.

Red-capped Robin, Marla, SA.

After a while we headed back, and later enjoyed a delicious meal at the Marla Roadhouse. 

Northern Adventure Day 12 Alice Springs: Cold day out

Our first planned stop for today was the Redbank Waterhole in the Owen Springs Conservation Reserve. As we drove out to Owen Springs it was 6°C, and when we got there, there was no water to be seen! We went for a walk anyway in the freezing wind, and came across a family of seven Grey-crowned Babblers who kept us amused for a while. They are quite noisy, and one of their calls sounds just like a kitten meowing!

Grey-crowned Babblers, Redbank Waterhole, Owen Springs, NT

We went back into town and visited the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens. Again, we had the issue with the cold temperature and the wind and not much was active, but we saw some more babblers and a few other common birds. We were looking for a western bowerbird, as we’d heard that several reside in the gardens. We found one bower, but no bowerbirds!

Bower, Olive Pink Botanic Gardens, Alice Springs, NT.

We decided we probably weren’t going to have much luck anywhere else so just went for a drive around town to see if we could spot any raptors to try and get a photo of. We drove north up to the Tanami Road and back again, and then a few km east out to Emily Gap. We had a look in the trees in the dry Todd River bed near the Ross Highway and found this Whistling Kite.

Whistling Kite, Todd River, Alice Springs, NT.

We ended the day by meeting up with Jim again for a farewell beer, then packed up ready to head home tomorrow! 

Northern Adventure Day 11 – Alice Springs: Trephina Gorge, Alrtunga Historical Reserve, Telegraph Station and Anzac Hill

The weather turned colder today, and it was very windy. Unfortunately this seemed to send all of the birds into hiding! We headed out to Trephina Gorge first. We did the Creek walk first, which the sign promised to have high bird diversity. We saw a mistletoebird, a pair of hooded robins and some zebra finches, but that’s about it. Then we went in the other direction and did the short gorge walk, then walked along the sandy river bed, but saw nothing but a few white-plumed honeyeaters and a black-faced cuckooshrike who refused to sit still long enough for a photo. The gorge looked quite nice, and I would have liked to have seen it in nicer weather to get a better appreciation for it.

Trephina Gorge, NT

Next we headed out to Alrtunga Historical Reserve. The road was terrible, but we made it and were impressed by the informative visitor centre and displays about the gold mining activity that occurred there, and by the ruins of the old buildings where people used to live and work. They have done an excellent job of restoring a couple of the buildings.

New restoration project anyone? Arltunga Historical Reserve, NT

Steam Engine at old Government Battery Works, Arltunga Historical Reserve, NT

Old Police Station, Arltunga Historical Reserve, NT

 A couple of prisoners were caught trying to escape from the prison cell!

Arltunga Hotel: A pub with no beer :( NT

Back in Alice Springs we visited the Telegraph Station and looked through the buildings there. It seems that the people here in the early days might have had it slightly better than the people at Arltunga, but nowhere near what we have today! The buildings have been well restored and have displays inside them as well. A few galahs, crested pigeons and ringnecks grazing on the grass out the front were the only birds I got photos of all day!

Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, NT

Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, NT

Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, NT

Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, NT

Token bird photo for the day: Galahs, Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs, NT

We ended our day out by driving up Anzac Hill to see the memorial and the view over Alice Springs.

Anzac Memorial, Anzac Hill, Alice Springs, NT

It looks like our run of nice weather has come to an end up here, but we’ll keep trying to find some birds here and on the way home.

Northern Adventure Day 10 - Ormiston Gorge, Serpentine Gorge, Standley Chasm & Simpsons Gap

We slept in a bit this morning compared to yesterday, but we were still off and away by 8am. It took a while to get out to our first stop, but it was well worth it! Ormiston Gorge was a short walk to a waterhole, and it is just beautiful! I would rate it higher than Kings Canyon, far higher, and it was far less busy, and more tranquil. While we were there I saw two more lifers: Major Mitchell's Cockatoos (a bit far away for a decent photo), and Spinifex Pigeon. There was a pair of white-necked herons down by the water, and one of them was fishing for its brunch. We also got great views of a very inquistive mistletoebird, and watched a pied butcherbird terrorize a group of white-plumed honeyeaters.

Spinifex Pigeon, Ormiston Gorge, NT

Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - a bit blurry, but I got one!, Ormiston Gorge, NT

Ormiston Gorge, NT

White-necked Heron, Ormiston Gorge, NT

Mistletoebird, Ormiston Gorge, NT 

Rufous Whistler, Ormiston Gorge, NT

We went for a drive to take in the spectacular scenery of the West Macdonnell Ranges.

West Macdonnell Ranges, NT

The road into Serpentine Gorge was very rough, but we were rewarded with a beautiful waterhole at the end. Not many birds around, but a pair of Torresian Crows came close enough for a good look.

Serpentine Gorge, NT

Serpentine Gorge, NT

Torresian Crow, Serpentine Gorge, NT

We ended the day by visiting Standley Chasm and Simpson's Gap. Both nice walks with nice scenery.

Standley Chasm, NT

Standley Chasm, NT

Simpsons Gap, NT

Simpsons Gap, NT