Around Oz Part 15: Wyndham

Gouldian Finch

Following our visit to Kununurra (see last two posts) we headed off through the savannah to Wyndham, Western Australia’s northern-most town, for a two-night stay in Wyndham Caravan Park.

Croc footprint - Wyndham mangroves

The first afternoon, I searched mangroves near the town wharf. It was high tide and I was walking 3-5 metres inside the mangroves when suddenly I saw a very large Saltwater Crocodile on the mangrove edge just 10 metres in front of me. Before I had a chance to get my camera act together, it disappeared into the water with a huge splash. I’m not sure what would have happened if it had other intentions. Plenty of fresh slide marks and crocodile foot prints in the mud.

White-breasted Whistler

I found a female White-breasted Whistler, a species I have not seen for a very long time.

Mangrove Fantail

Other birds in the mangroves included Mangrove Fantail, Mangrove Gerygone and Yellow White-eye.

Gouldian Finch

The caravan park backs on to some nice rocky savannah and has a couple of rock pools behind it. Visitors here included Gouldian Finch on several occasions, along with Double-barred, Long-tailed and Masked Finches.

Red-browed Pardalote

Other birds about the park included Red-browed Pardalote and Plumed Pigeon.

View east from Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham

Sunset at Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham

We visited Five Rivers Lookout, which offers stunning views in all directions over the vast salt flats surrounding Cambridge Gulf to the distant mountain ranges of the Kimberley; truly breath-taking stuff.  We returned to the lookout for beers at sunset.

Cambridge Gulf, from Wyndham

A repeat visit to the mangroves produced several more White-breasted Whistlers, all females or juveniles, along with a couple of Mangrove Golden Whistlers. I also saw a bird I was quite sure was a Dusky Honeyeater, about 500m west of the jetty in mangroves. I didn't take much notice at the time as I am very familiar with this species at home, and thought it commonplace in northern mangroves. It was not until later that I saw that the species may not have been recorded from WA. This record therefore requires confirmation, but I am quite certain I saw a Dusky and not a female Red-headed Honeyeater.

Mangrove Golden Whistler female

Wyndham mangroves

Fresh crocodile foot prints were seen in mud under the town jetty, not far from where I saw my reptile; I learned from locals that a 5m male crocodile has made its territory along that stretch of mangrove (above).

Gouldian Finch

We visited the town’s interesting historic museum and pioneer cemetery. Late in the afternoon, another nice procession of Gouldian and other finches came in to drink at the camping ground pools.

Around Oz Part 14: Mirima and Lilypond Lagoon, Kununurra

Sandstone Shrike-thrush

After pottering around Lake Kununurra (see last post) we visited Mirima National Park, an area of  delightful sandstone gorges on the outskirts of town.

Mirima National Park

Chesnut-breasted Mannikin juvenile

I spent a good deal of time checking out the mannikins around Lake Kununurra. I believe I found just one pair of Yellow-rumped Mannikins among many hundreds of Chesnut-breasted Mannikins, mostly juvenile, like the bird above.

Yellow-rumped Mannikin

Nice birds around Lily Pond Lagoon, the offshoot of Lake Kununurra where we camped, included White-browed Crake, and more Green Pygmy Geese.

White-browed Crake

Green Pygmy-Goose

Before leaving Kununurra, I again checked out the irrigation channels along Ivanhoe Road in the early morning, seeing plenty of Star and Crimson Finches, and quite a few Red-backed Kingfishers on the overhead wires.

Star Finch

Crimson Finch

Red-backed Kingfisher

After leaving Kununurra, we headed for Wyndham, the northern-most metropolis in Western Australia.

Savannah between Kununurra & Wyndham

We called in to the Grotto, a nicely carved waterhole in the otherwise rugged sandstone terrain. Some nice savannah on the drive between Kununurra and Wyndham.

The Grotto

Around Oz Part 13: Kununurra & Victoria River

Victoria River

Following our week in Darwin (see last three posts) we drove south-west along the Victoria Highway for an overnight stay at the Victoria River Roadhouse camping area.

Along Victoria Highway

This is a pleasant enough place with a bar and good burgers. More importantly, it is located amid some splendid scenery, with sandstone cliffs glowing in the late afternoon sun lining the Victoria River. Barking Owls again serenaded us during the night.

Purple-crowned Fairy-wren

Early the next morning, I checked out dense cane grass in the vicinity of the boat ramp, just west of the camping ground, and located several parties of Purple-crowned Fairy-wren, managing a snap of sorts of a male in dim light. 

Victoria River

We continued west through some fine-looking countryside, with steep sandstone  ridges rising above the sprawling savannah plains. Birds along the way included Masked Finch, Black-tailed Treecreeper and plenty of Diamond Doves. At the Western Australian border, we were forced by border control to part with our supply of fruit and vegetables; WA apparently is trying to remain fruit fly-free.

Lake Kununurra

We arrived at Kununurra for a three-night stay at the Lakeside Tourist Park.  Our camp overlooked the lovely Lily Pond Lagoon, park of Lake Kununurra. A smattering of Freshwater Crocodiles of various size could be seen from our camp.

Freshwater Crocodile

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater

Honeyeaters about the camping ground included Yellow-tinted, Rufous-throated and White-gaped. Again, a pair of Barking Owls was in attendance

The door to the amenities block was adorned with a sign warning the door to be shut to keep cane toads - recent arrivals in the town - out of the showers. The Western Australians will eventually get used to these pests (and I expect it will not be long before the crocodiles are all gone).

Star Finch

Star Finch

Our first morning saw us out on the Ivenhoe Road, just west of town. There was plenty of dense grass by the roadside and in the vicinity of irrigation ditches, where Star Finch proved to be common.

Crimson Finch

Long-tailed Finch

Long-tailed, Crimson and Double-banded Finches were also about.

Black-faced Woodswallow

Brown Falcon

Other more common species included White-winged Triller, Brown Falcon and Black-faced Woodswallow.

Australian Bustard

A pair of Bustards was feeding in an irrigated field, while Red-backed Kingfishers perched on overhead wires.

Buff-sided Robin

Near the Discovery Tourist Park on the shore of Lake Kununurra, I called up a nice Buff-sided Robin in a small patch of dense monsoon scrub.

Around Oz Part 12: Farewell to Darwin and a look at East Point

After checking out old haunts such as Holmes Jungle around Darwin (see last post), we visited East Point, a leafy Darwin suburb with a scenic shoreline and plenty of relics from the World War II bombing of the city. A group of Yellow White-eyes and a Mangrove Golden Whistler were seen on the mangrove board-walk.

Yellow White-eye

 Other birds at East Point included Eastern Reef-Egret, five tern species - Crested, Lesser Crested (outnumbering the latter species 5:1), Whiskered, Little and Gull-billed - along with a gathering of overwintering waders - Pacific Golden Plover, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tattler, Mongolian Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Red-necked Stint.

Lee Point

Evening relaxation

A favourite time of day is early evening, when an ale or two are called for.

Azure Kingfisher

I visited Buffalo Creek where I had seen Chesnut Rail many moons ago but not this time. A cracker of an Azure Kingfisher showed, however. Other birds about included Black Butcherbird, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Mangrove Gerygone, Large-billed Gerygone, Striated Heron and Eastern Reef-Egret.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Orange-footed Scrub-fowl are ever present around Darwin - always a delight. Less delightful is the fact we were in Darwin for the culmination of celebrations for Territory Day. Fireworks all night long, all around the city's tinder-dry outer suburbs in the middle of the dry season. Needless to say, there were fires all over the place this morning; they continue burning tonight. (The NT is the only jurisdiction that allows unlimited use of recreational fireworks.) 

Around Oz Part 11 : Darwin - Botanic Gardens, Holmes Jungle

Black Butcherbird

After arriving in Darwin and visiting a few favoured old haunts (see last post) we called in on the city's nicely laid out Botanic Gardens. A highlight here was a Black Butcherbird catching a fair-sized dragon in the tree tops and struggling to subdue it, though ultimately prevailing.

Black Butcherbird with dragon

Darwin CBD

We did a bit more touristy stuff around Mindil Beach, Fannie Bay and the CBD Esplanade area. I remain gobsmacked at the huge transition in the city since I lived here, or even since I last visited.

Mindil Beach

Radjah Shelduck

Radjah Shelduck is all over the place, even at sea.

Sunset Lee Point

 I've always been fond of Darwin sunsets. We enjoyed this one at Lee Point, just up the road from where we are camping.

Sunset Lee Point

I called in on another favourite old haunt - Holmes Jungle, a nice mixture of grassland, savannah and monsoon rainforest.

Golden-headed Cisticola

 I saw in the grassland Horsfield's Bushlark, Zitting Cisticola and Golden-headed Cisticola.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

 Plenty of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos about, always a joy.

Crimson Finch male

Lovely also to have plenty of Crimson Finches up close.

Crimson Finch female