AUSTRALIAN ROAD TRIP 2024 - Northern Territory Top End

 

Chestnut Rail

After crossing the Queensland-Northern Territory border we overnighted at the Barkly Homestead campground heading west, where birds included large numbers of Diamond Dove, Masked Woodswallow and Little Crow. 

Diamond Dove

Masked Woodswallow

The following morning saw us head north on the Tablelands Highway, a narrow road in poor condition that took us two days to negotiate, taking it slowly. We camped half-way, by the Brunette Creek North. The Mitchell grass plains were in fine form and again, wildflowers were everywhere.

Mitchell Grass Plains

Tablelands Highway

Large numbers of waterbirds were about on the shrinking areas of water with big flocks of Pelican a stand-out. Raptors were in abundance, including Black Falcon and Wedge-tailed Eagle. A few Flock Pigeons were drinking at a bore.

Black Falcon

Australian Pelican

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Flock Pigeon

The star of the show was Yellow Chat, a bird I’d long wanted to photograph (having failed multiple times at Port Alma on the coast). Several birds were in vegetation around two pools at the Kennedy Creek crossing, with an estimated total of 12-15 individuals.

Yellow Chat

We next camped at Cape Crawford, a pub called Heartbreak Hotel at the junction of the Tablelands Highway and the Carpentaria Highway. Birds included Red-collared Lorikeet, Great Bowerbird and White-quilled (Blue-faced) Honeyeater. Then it was westward for an overnight stay at Daly Waters and north to Mataranka, a favourite spot from visits past, for a couple of days.

Great Bowerbird

Red-collared Lorikeet

White-quilled Honeyeater

We pushed further north for a pleasant few days at Manbulloo Homestead west of Katherine by the Katherine River. I searched the Victoria Highway unsuccessfully to the south for Chestnut-backed Buttonquail. Birds about the place included Green-backed Gerygone, Blue-winged Kookaburra, quite a few Australian Bustard and Northern Fantail.

Australian Bustard

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Green-backed Gerygone

Northern Fantail

I hooked up with local birding identity Dan Ashdown, who was most helpful in steering me to various sites, including a colony of Northern Bent-winged Bats in Katherine. 

With Dan Ashdown in Katherine

Northern Bent-winged Bat

At the local sewerage ponds we had a Wood Sandpiper along with Pied Heron and a few Freshwater Crocodiles.

Freshwater Crocodile

Pied Heron

Heading further north I searched a hotspot on Central Arnhem Road, where I failed to find Northern Shrike-tit. I did see Banded Honeyeater.

Banded Honeyeater

Further north still we overnighted at Pine Creek, where the Hooded Parrots were in their usual haunts in the town centre and Yellow Oriole was vocal. I ventured into deserted caves along Chinaman Creek Road, finding a big colony of Ghost Bat but getting lost in the process. With an overwhelming stench of ammonia and tunnels heading off in all directions, I was fortunate to eventually spot a flicker of daylight which led me to the outside world. A lesson learned.

Hooded Parrot (female, male below)

Yellow Oriole

We next had a superb week in Kakadu National Park, kicked off with Silver-backed Butcherbirds putting on a show at the park entrance.

Silver-backed Kingfisher

Our first 3 nights were at Mardagul Camp, a favourite spot during our last visit to Kakadu 10 years ago. One of the first birds was a fine Great-billed Heron at the boat ramp which allowed close approach. Saltwater crocodiles were present. A colony of Northern Cave Bat was present in the same spot as a decade ago, under the road bridge.

Great-billed Heron (above and below) 

Mardugal Camp

Northern Cave Bat

A vocal Rainbow Pitta put on a show in the vine scrub in front of our camp. 

Rainbow Pitta

Other birds in the scrub included Large-tailed Nightjar, Arafura Fantail, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin and Arafura Shrike-thrush. 

Arafura Fantail

Arafura Shrike-thrush

Lemon-bellied Flyrobin

Rufous Owl performed splendidly in the evening, as it did during our last visit.

Rufous Owl

We undertook a day-long trip to Jim Jim Gorge, closed during our last visit but open this time. It’s a long, jarring road in but this is one of Australia’s natural landscape showpieces. The road prevented us from bringing the caravan in to stay at Kamamarr Camp, so I opted not to try for White-throated Grasswren images. Patridge Pigeons around Kamamarr had to make do.

Partridge Pigeon

Jim Jim Gorge & entry road (below)

Next was a single night at Muirella Camp, where Barking Owl was vocal. 

Barking Owl

From there I checked out Nourlangie Rock. I failed to snare Banded Fruit-Dove either there or the next day at Kubara Pools – a surprising dip. Sandstone (Helmeted) Friarbird and White-lined Honeyeater were common. Brown (Grey-headed) Whistler was at Kubera.

Kubara

Sandstone Friarbird

Brown Whistler

Nourlangie Rock

We then had 3 nights at Merl Camp in northern Kakadu. Cahill’s Crossing on the East Alligator River nearby offered spectacular sightings of about 20 large Saltwater Crocodiles lined up below the causeway at high tide as barramundi and other fish washed over the road.

Croc line-up at Cahill's crossing

Saltwater Crocodile catches a barramundi

The scenery at Ubirr was stunning. Eastern Short-eared Wallaby here was easy to see, as were numerous Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon, another species on my photo tick target list.

Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon

Eastern Short-eared Wallaby 

Ubirr (above and below)

A delightful Sandstone Pseudantechinus was located at the turnoff to Ubirr that evening. Nearby on the Bardedjillidji Walk at night, a pair of Rock Ringtails was a fine sight - another I’d not enjoyed for many years.

Sandstone Pseudantechinus

Rock Ringtail

 Bardedjillidji

Plenty more rock-pigeons were here during the day along with Sandstone Shrike-thrush and Masked and Long-tailed Finches. Common Sheathtail Bat and Ghost Bat were in a cave on the walk.

C ommon Sheathtail Bat

Ghost Bat

Long-tailed & Masked Finches

Sandstone Shrike-thrush

Leaving Kakadu we stopped by the South Alligator River. A huge Saltwater Crocodile (5m+) was present on the opposite bank. Less intimidating were Yellow White-eye and Broad-billed Flycatcher.

Broad-billed Flycatcher

Saltwater Crocodile (very big)

Yellow White-eye

We overnighted at the Bark Hut Camp on the Mary River, where birds included Crimson Finch and Radjah Shelduck. Agile Wallaby was abundant here, as elsehwere, and very tame.

Agile Wallaby

Crimson Finch

Radjah Shelduck

We headed north to Darwin for a 4-night stay at the Lee Point Caravan Park, with relatively little birding. The sunset markets at Mindl Beach were excellent. 

Mindl Beach

Rufous-banded Honeyeater was common in the park. I had arranged with local Christopher Spooner to take me up Buffalo Creek in his boat, I site where I had seen Chestnut Rail several times when I lived in Darwin in the early-1980s. The birds are easier to see these days and we had 4 close to the boat at different spots, with 2 more heard. This was the 700th bird on my Australian list that I had photographed. 

Chestnut Rail

Other birds included Red-headed Honeyeater and Orange-footed Scrubfowl.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Red-headed Honeyeater

Leaving Darwin and heading south we camped at the King River Rest Area near the above-mentioned shrike-tit hotspot on Central Arnhem Road. Again no luck, though I saw a pair of Chestnut-backed Buttonquail, which failed to co-operate with the camera.

Australia Road Trip 2024 - Part 1: Queensland

Carpentarian Grasswren

We embarked on June 22 this year on a 78-day journey with the caravan through outback Queensland, much of the Northern Territory, bits of South Australia, and southern and north-east New South Wales. Our first evening was the free camp at Bowenville near Dalby - always a favourite spot but the -3 morning temperature was a chilly start. Best birds were loads of Plum-headed Finches. 

Bowenville camp

The next night at Morven was just as cold; it wasn’t until we got to Ifracombe that the weather started warming up. A Red-backed Kingfisher at the back of the pub put on a show.

Red-backed Kingfisher

 We moved on to Winton for a couple of nights, staying at the dusty Raceway Camp. Red-browed Pardalote was about the town cemetery and Plum-headed Finches were again common. Pink-eared Duck was on the sewerage ponds. One reason for this trip was that a succession of good wet seasons accounted for an unusually green landscape with plenty of water about along with carpets of wildflowers, thick grass and vigorous vegetation in all directions. 

Pink-eared Duck & Grey Teal

Plum-headed Finch & Zebra Finch

Red-browed Pardalote

That was the case for the whole of the trip. With that came loads of parrots with large flocks of Galah, Cockatiel and Budgerigar being frequently encountered. 

Budgerigar flock

Galah flock

Our next stop was a couple of nights at the Discovery Caravan Park at Cloncurry. Chinaman’s Creek Dam was the hotspot here with the main target – Pictorella Mannikin – found easily. A pair with 4 young were about during several visits.

Pictorella Mannikin juvenile

Pictorella Mannikin adult

Spinifex Pigeon was common and the rocky hills resounded with the calls of Golden-backed Honeyeater.

Golden-backed Honeyeater

Spinifex Pigeon

Varied Lorikeet was numerous, feeding on the many luxuriously flowering eucalypts. Purple-backed Fairy-wren was approachable and a few Green Pygmy-Goose were on the dam, where a Freshwater Crocodile was seen distantly. A fly-by Grey Falcon was an unexpected sighting - but no image. 

Varied Lorikeet

Green Pygmy-Goose

 

Purple-backed Fairy-wren

Purple-necked Rock-Wallaby was easy to see on the ridge tops. Cloncurry Parrot was common in Cloncurry (and everywhere else in the region). 

Cloncurry Parrot

Purple-necked Rock-Wallaby (above and below)

Moving a little further west we camped in the now deserted town of Mary Kathleeen, once the base for Australia’s biggest uranium mine. The now closed mine was checked out for the regional endemic - Kalkadoon Grasswren. Two females and a male obliged in the early morning, allowing close approaches. I’d missed photographing this species during a trip to the area last year. 

Kalkadoon Grasswren (female)

Kalkadoon Grasswren (female, male below)

Mary Kathleen mine

Next stop was Moondarra Caravan Park outside Mt Isa – good not to have to stay in the town. Plenty of birds around the lake with Grey-fronted Honeyeater the most common species. An unusually red Wallaroo was spotted. A feral population of Indian Peafowl has lived for many years by the lake, but the debate about whether they are tickable is unresolved. 

Lake Moondarra landscape 

Grey-fronted Honeyeater

Indian Peafowl

Wallaroo

 We moved on the World War II rest area north-west of Mt Isa for an overnighter. I’d searched here unsuccessfully last year for Carpentarian Grasswren (others in our group saw it briefly). This time I had more success, though it took 8 hours of searching over 2 days. I saw one bird briefly before a second grasswren put on a superb display, perching and singing for a couple of minutes. Probably the bird of the trip. I’d not seen this species since 1982 near Borroloola in the NT, where it is now believed to be extinct. 

Carpentarian Grasswren

 Other birds about the grasswren site included Spotted Bowerbird, Little Woodswallow, Crested Bellbird and loads of Black-tailed Treecreepers. Spinifexbird was seen briefly.

Black-tailed Treecreeper

Crested Bellbird

Little Woodswallow

Spotted Bowerbird

On to the Northern Territory.

Carpentarian Grasswren site north of Mt Isa 

The endangered Black-breasted Buttonquail and the dilemma that is the exotic weed lantana

 

Black-breasted Buttonquail female

Here is a dilemma in need of urgent attention. For 20+ years I have been observing a healthy population of Black-breasted Buttonquail near Imbil, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It is arguably the most important site we know of for this endangered species. The area is mixed open forest-vine scrub with considerable growth of the exotic weed lantana. The birds feed in both vine scrub and lantana here. The images in this post were taken at the site.

There is a good deal of work presently underway in this region being undertaken by land care volunteers from various organisations - most of it highly desirable - in revegetating depleted and cleared native vegetation, and in creating the pleasant Mary Valley Rail Trail connecting the towns of Imbil and Brooloo.

Along the Mary Valley Rail Trail

During a recent visit to the site, I noticed that lantana had been removed from an area favoured by the buttonquail. In its place was a profusion of other weeds that had burst forth in the newly exposed soil, and piles of dead lantana. No buttonquail were about.

Black-breasted Buttonquail male

Those who cleared the lantana doubtlessly had good intentions: to restore the native vine scrub – which is in fact critically endangered subtropical lowland rainforest - in all its glory, without exotic weeds. I dislike exotic weeds as much as anyone, but I think we need a raincheck here.

Weed regrowth in area cleared of lantana

Many sites that continue to harbour Black-breasted Buttonquail are heavily infested with lantana. I believe there is a reason for that. While the birds happily feed in both vine scrub and lantana, they shelter in the much denser lantana thickets. I think this helps protect them from predatory foxes and cats. 

At Inskip Point, the species could be reliably seen for many years near the point’s northern end until the birds disappeared quite suddenly. It is likely that one or more feral cats discovered the site and learned there were easy pickings there. Buttonquail are rarely seen at the site these days.

Dead lantana piled at the site

As well, lantana likely provides feeding habitat in marginal areas where other native forest has been largely cleared. This is new territory but worth exploring, and in the current case, something needs to happen now before more lantana at the Imbil site is removed. In my view, there is a solid argument for leaving lantana alone in areas where we know there are well-established Black-breasted Buttonquail populations.

Black-breasted Buttonquail feeding in lantana