Around Oz Part 27 - Bunbury to Beautiful Margaret River: Red-eared Firetail, Red-winged Fairy-wren, Huge Waves

White-breasted Robin

After our stay in Dryandra Woodland (see last post) we headed to the coastal city of Bunbury for an overnight stay at the Bunbury Glade Caravan Park. About 20km west of Collie there was a large flock of Baudin's Cockatoo by the road. The length of the bill was quite evident compared to the Carnaby's Cockatoos seen earlier - see here for pics.

Baudin's Cockatoo

Baudin's Cockatoo

Then it was onwards south, following the coastal road through the top end of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. We visited the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse, Bunker Beach and Sugarloaf Rock; very nice coastal scenery. I had seen Red-tailed Tropicbird here many years previously but apparently now the colony is abandoned.

Cape Naturaliste

Sugarloaf Rock

The first White-breasted Robins of the trip were seen at Cape Naturaliste.

White-breasted /Robin

And Western Rosellas were common. Other birds about included more Baudin's Cockatoos, Brush Bronzewing and Purple-crowned Lorikeet.

Western Rosella female

Western Rosella male

We moved on to the pretty town of Margaret River, giving the camper trailer a break for a three-night stay in the Margaret River Hotel to coincide with Glenn's birthday. We walked some of the wooded tracks around the town, through beautiful groves of marri and jarrah along the Margaret River. Western Spinebill was feeding on flowering kangaroo paw in the town centre.

Some very attractive scenery about Margaret River and the nearby beachside town of Prevelley, where the size of waves being surfed by a small army of surfers were impressively large.

Margaret River near its mouth

Waves at Prevelly

 In the thick shrubby vegetation behind the dunes at Prevelley, a family of Red-winged Fairy-wrens was nice.

Red-winged Fairy-wren

We visited an old friend of mine from Perth, Robyn, who I had not seen for 33 years, and her partner Manfred in their very nice refuge in the marri forests south of Margaret River.

Robyn & Manfred

In their garden was a Red-eared Firetail, a surprise indeed and is a much-sought after SW WA endemic.

Red-eared Firetail

We visited some more coastal sites in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park nearby. Among the birds were several parties of the south-west race of Splendid Fairy-wren.

Splended Fairy-wren: south-west race, male in eclipse plumage