AUSTRALIA ROAD TRIP 2024 – Part 3: Southern Northern Territory & South Australia

 

Western Grasswren

Heading further south through the Northern Territory, we left behind the savannah woodlands of the Top End for more arid environs, camping at the Tennant Creek Caravan Park overnight. In the afternoon I checked out the nearby Mary Ann Drive and Dam - a hotspot for Dusky Grasswren. I had heard they can be difficult here but within an hour I heard several birds and saw 3, including one grasswren that was quite co-operative.

Dusky Grasswren

Little Crow was common but not much was seen further south other than some Black Honeyeaters before we hit Alice Springs for a 2-night stay in the Alice Springs Tourist Park.

Little Crow

This town was my home for 8 months in the late-1970s. During that time I discovered Grey Honeyeater at Kunoth Bore, north of Alice Springs. That has since been a key go-to site for this rare and strange species.

MacDonald Range near Alice Springs

Dusky Grasswren habitat near Tennant Creek

I was keen to connect with the bird again. They are now known from sites much closer to town. I first visited the Alice Springs Tourist Park and eventually spotted a single Grey Honeyeater among the thornbills. The next day saw me at the nearby John Flynn Memorial Park. Here I found a pair of the honeyeaters that were shy but reasonably co-operative. Their behaviour indicated they were almost certainly nesting.

Grey Honeyeater

We headed south of Alice Springs to camp at Stuart’s Well Roadhouse. I visited the nearby Cannonball Run Monument and found another photo target – Banded Whiteface. A pair of the birds kept their distance but showed well enough.

Banded Whiteface

The next overnight camp was at Desert Oaks. Red-capped Robin and Splendid Fairywren were among the few birds seen.

Desert Oaks

Red-capped Robin

Splendid Fairywren

The following night was at Kulgara behind the pub, then it was on to Tody’s Bush Camp, north of Marla. Another Banded Whiteface was spotted. Chiming Wedgebill was another photo target and they obliged here. The species proved to be common throughout southern NT and northern SA, its call resounding seemingly at every stop.

Chiming Wedgebill

We had a couple of nights at Coober Pedy, a shabby but interesting spot with its labyrinth of underground homes and attractions of various kinds. Around the William Hutchinson Monument south of town I had Pied Honeyeater and White-fronted Honeyeater, but here and elsewhere I failed to find another target: Thick-billed Grasswren. We then camped at the Bon Bon Rest Area. I’d seen and photographed Chestnut-breastedWhiteface before but hoped to reconnect it with it here or elsewhere, but none were seen. We had another overnighter at Woomera. A few Red Kangaroos were about but were nowhere near as common as expected.

Red Kangaroo

 

Coober Pedy's underground

Plains south of Coober Pedy

Habitat near Marla

Then it was on to the town or Iron Knob. I hoped to find another target grasswren here – Western – but that had to wait. I did have fine views of Slender-billed Thornbill, Redthroat and Rufous Fieldwren.

Redthroat

Rufous Fieldwren

Slender-billed Thornbill

We moved on to Streaky Bay - a favoured destination from our trip around Australia in 2014 - for a few days. Then it was off to the bottom of Eyre Peninsula for 2 nights at Taylor’s Landing Camp in Lincoln National Park. I’d hoped to photograph White-bellied Whipbird here. Several birds around the camp were vocal and I saw them on 4 occasions – including one located with my thermal imager – but no photograph of this notoriously shy species.

Taylor's Landing

Streaky Bay

More obliging were the many Spotted Scrubwrens around the camp, Southern Scrub-Robin and Western Yellow Robin.

Southern Scrub-Robin

Spotted Scrubwren

Western Yellow Robin

We headed north to Whyalla for a couple of nights and I checked out the extensive bluebush flats on the western fringe of the city, where Western Grasswren had been reported. I soon had a pair of the birds that appeared to be seriously curious about this human interloper, approaching closely. This was my 13th and last photo tick for the trip, while I missed 4 targets. I photographed 4 of 5 grasswren targets.

Western Grasswren

We had a night in the interesting town of Burra and then camped overnight on the Murray River near Renmark, our final evening in South Australia.

Wildflowers were abundant throughout the arid centre