7/4/2001
Up 5.30 after playing cards till 12.00 last night, packed and off by 7.30. My brain is obviously not in gear as I drove right by the Northern Hwy turnoff, so took the Wandin turn off and as I got back on the Northern Hwy I saw that the police had blocked it off to the south, so I’d probably done myself a favour. Then I missed the turn off the Mc’Ivor Hwy and had to follow the Campaspe to Elmore, from there I made no more navigational errors. Bought some fruit and vegies in Echuca, I couldn’t find a greengrocer so got them at the supermarket. Once I got off the main hwy I started doing some bird surveys, the first at Kidman Way S was full of parrots, the second was on Billabong Ck Hillston Roto Rd which had a heap of waterbirds and Brown Quail, which rather than explode from my feet I spotted sneaking through the grass like a mini giraffe, and the third by a small range which had Grey-crowned Babblers, Roto-Yathong Rd Dundooboo range. Camped near a little rocky hill at Roto-Yathong Rd Marooba range, cooked dinner on a small campfire. It’s as dry as a bone out here, but I still managed to attract a mozzie that got in to my tent, she didn’t last long. As I’m trying to get to sleep there are incessant crickets outside, one is particularly loud.
8/4
Up 7.00, walked up the fence line to the top of the ridge, to find it was the top of an escarpment with a wide valley below me, a very nice view. Drove through Yathong Nature Res, doing Merrimerriwa range Yathong nature reserve S and Merrimerriwa Yathong nature reserve N. The grasslands in the south were filled with birds, as was the bushland in the north at Yathong Nature reserve N. Through Cobar to Kidman Way N and filled up in Bourke and headed to Hungerford, there was a flooded grassland 45k out of Bourke with more than 500 Pink-eared Ducks and other waterfowl at Bourke Hungerford Rd south. At Greens Ck Bouke Hungerford Rd there was a field full of Brolgas. The setting sun saw me short of Hungerford so I stopped at a creek that seemed to have a lot of birds at Bourke Hungerford Rd north, but they turned out to be mostly Miners and White-plumed Honeyeaters. The moon is about full and looks stunning out here as it rose, but the mozzies are here again, so it wasn’t long before I retreated to my tent.
9/4
Up with the sun and explored the creek line, finding Red-winged Parrot and Striped Honeyeater, both new for me. Crossed in to Qld at Hungerford and stopped in Currawyna NP but didn’t have much luck with the birds. Had a look at the mud springs Buloo developement Rd which were underwhelming compared to NZ ones, just a hump with a bit of mud in the hole. By now it was 30deg. I arrived at Lake Bindegolly for lunch and went for a walk in the heat. Chatted with a lady briefly, and just as I was withering from the heat a cool change came through, found Spotted Bowerbird which is new for me, also Glossy Ibis, and a good variety of other birds, with water in it, it’s a nice environment. Filled up in Thargominda, then tried to follow the back road to Eromanga but ended up coming back across the Bulloo R at Soonah crossing and camped by billabong Soonah crossing a few kilometres north of it.
10/4
Beat the sun up today and off by 7.30. My milk, though not quite off was lumpy, so I drank 1½ L of warm lumpy milk, not very yummy. Stopped at Goorie Goorie Ck for Splendid Fairywren, Diamantina development Rd, and Cooper Ck Diamantina development Rd where there were stack upon stack of Black Kites and Whistling Kites working the river. Got some more milk in Windorah along with petrol at $1.05cpl. Stopped at Ferrar’s Ck channel w for what looked like Bourke’s Parrot but turned out to be Diamond Dove, which is still a new bird. Not far from there an open tank at Diamantina development Rd N had Plumed Whistling Duck another new bird. Then it was a long drive across the plains to Astrebla NP, the track in was rough, as the light was fading I had poor looks at Gibberbird and Australian Pratincole. Arrived at the camp on dusk and set up camp, cooked tea and ate with my next door neighbours, then went spotlighting and had good looks at Gibberbird and Little Button Quail, both new birds, back at 23.00.
11/4
It was well after sunrise when I struggled out of the tent, and after some procrastination set out with David, Rick and Bob to search for Plains Wanderers, but the track was indistinct and David wasn’t happy to go cross-country, we followed where the track should have been only to come to a bore overflow with too much water to cross, just as I’d suggested that there would be, So Bob and I sat under a shady tree for a few hours as David had to go back. It was a stinking hot day at 15.00 getting to 43deg. we headed back for dinner then out spotlighting. Got a good look at Long-haired Rat, Letter-winged Kite food, and Bob managed to find a Stubble Quail. The others got a Kowarri but they let it go before we got there.
12/4
Down to 25deg overnight. Today there was nothing to do, David had decided that Astrebla was not the place to be, so had gone to Diamantina Lakes just up the road with the intention that the rest of us would go tomorrow, so we sat around and yarned and yarned all day. Glen got a call via Maureen’s satellite phone from his girlfriend that she missed him and was on her way from Mackay in a lowered Commodore, which isn’t an appropriate vehicle out here, so after a bit of thinking it was decided that Glen would go, but Maureen has narcolepsy, so can’t drive, so I volunteered to drive them to the nearest airport 187k away in Bedourie, we left at 16.30. Along the way we saw Australian Pratincole and Bustard. On the way back in the dark I nearly collected a Bustard, and arrived back at 23.30.
13/4
As we were coming in last night I’d seen someone heading out, it had been Doug and Peter looking for Bilbies, but they hadn’t seen any, it was 4.00 when they got back. We went to the No1 bore and got Spotless Crake, another new bird. Went to Green Hut tank where we had lunch at a nearby Creek bed then surveyed Diamantina NP SW and Diamantina NP SE, after we’d made camp I was soon in the muddy watered Papapatcheri waterhole, in the heat of the day it was wonderful to have a good scrub in the middle with no soap, in the middle it was only belly-button deep. Spent the rest of the arvo chatting, cooked dinner with the flies and finished eating just as the mozzies attacked, I retired to my car, squishing the one that followed me in, I was doing some reading when I noticed they seemed to be going out spotlighting, so I called up on the UHF, and I was right, no one had bothered to inform me. I went with Maureen and in the course of the evening we saw Spinifex Hopping Mouse, Fat-tailed Dunnart and Red-chested Button Quail.
14/4
Up with the flies, just closing the book quickly kills three of them, bludged at Peter and Doug’s camp all day only coming back to my little patch of the lakeside for lunch and dinner, then sat around Bill and Heny’s campfire till it was time to go out spotlighting, at one point Peter and Doug had taken apart my spotlight and fixed a connection, and at lunch time I fixed my interior light. I drove Maureen’s car with Bill, Heny and Lizzy. Saw Little Button Quail and Spinifex Hopping Mouse, so nothing new, bed 23.30.
15/4
Instead of bludging all day today Bill and Heny took us to their swimming hole further down for a swim, the water was deeper and colder, but the air temp is around 40deg, so it’s nice to walk around in a wet shirt. After lunch sat chatting with Peter and swatting the odd mozzie till tea time. For our spotlighting tonight we went back towards Green Hut tank and had a couple of possible sightings in the group including one ourselves, and were getting pretty bored with driving around in circles, we met at the gate for a break then immediately after the break Bob’s car got the target bird: Plains Wanderer, it looks like a juvenile female, it had taken us a combined total of 200km over several nights to find one bird, so they are thinly spread. Back to camp and bed at 23.30.
16/4
I was still dozing when Maureen came by and wanted to borrow my funnel, she also informed me that the survey was finished and that people were heading off. Indeed the others were all well packed. I tipped Maureen’s petrol in to her tank for her and had a quick brekkie in between saying goodbye to the others as they came by. Packed and headed off to Green Hut tank with Peter, Doug and Lizzie. It was somewhere along the way that I discovered that I didn’t know where my wallet was, I had a quick search of all my usual spots in the car. After I closed the gate to the Nat. park, I had a more extensive search but still couldn’t find it, I was thinking of how I could approach the others to borrow money off them, and was embarrassed at the prospect. At the tank we stopped to check out some juvenile Australian Grebes and I had another search and found it in my usual spot under my seat, what a relief! Did some surveys in creeks and got Spotted Harrier in one, and Orange Chat and Grey Fantail at Coorabulka Rd and a good look at a Bustard on another. surveyed Diamantina development Rd W as we crossed it on our way south and camped on a private road on the edge of lake Machattie in time to watch the sun go down over the lake and spent a balmy evening with only the odd mozzie attempting to ruin it. At one stage when Doug coughed there was a sound like breaking waves as 2,000 Hardhead took fright and moved away from the sound.
17/4
Over night the hopping mice had chewed through Peter’s thongs. It was an effort to leave such a pleasant spot. Stopped at Lake Machattie Rd N and Lake Machattie Rd S then on to Cuttaburra Creek Eyre development Rd between L Machattie and L Koolivoo. There was a stench of rotting fish and a huge number of birds both in the water and in the trees. The highlight was Pied Herons 1,000km south of their normal range with juveniles, a new bird for me. Drove into Birdsville and put some fuel in the car, a cold drink into me, and a sticker for the car then went down to the Diamantina River to camp. The mozzies bit hard tonight, so after learning that we’d be allowed in to Pandieburra bore tomorrow I hit the sack. At one of my bird surveys today I found the skin of a 3-4ft snake, I got some of it out to show the others then put it on my passenger seat. Later I was at another survey when something exploded out of a Lignum bush, it turned out to be a Sand Monitor, but just for a moment it looked like a snake, as I got back into the car I spotted the snake skin and just for a moment again it looked like a live snake, I discarded it before I gave myself a heart attack.
18/4
Up before it got light this morning and got a good look at a Cinnamon Quail-thrush. Surveyed Birdsville track sandhill site North and Birdsville track sandhills South, then drove to Clifton Hills Sta and to Pandieburra Bore which we measured the temperature of at 87deg, after walking all the way around the bore we eventually found Yellow Chat on the west side, the bore feeds quite an extensive reed wetland. We then drove round to Koonchera waterhole and met two girls having the day off from a university expedition, they had a huge amount of gear, we chatted with them for a while and spent the arvo sitting waiting for a Grey Grasswren to appear, but I dipped out on that one. Had a look around later and also explored the dune above the waterhole without any luck, cooked dinner and ate in the car to escape the ravening mozzies, and went to bed after deciding to go home tomorrow.
19/4
Through the night the dingos howled, one got quite close to camp. They don’t sound as enchanting as American Coyotes, but they do sound good nonetheless. Said my goodbyes and hit the road at 8.00 and drove till 19.00 and got to 18km short of Jamestown, and drove up a small dirt road into the hills, there are no trees but importantly no mozzies, apart from one that I accidentally transported, and she didn’t last long once I discovered her.
20/4
Another long drive, to arrive home, 4563km for trip.
Bird list for the trip. % is of the 30 surveys done. B is for breeding
- Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 4 (13.33%)
- Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni 1 (3.33%)
- Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus 4 (13.33%)
- Black Swan Cygnus atratus 2 (6.67%)
- Hardhead Aythya australis 2 (6.67%)
- Australasian Shoveler Spatula rhynchotis 1 (3.33%)
- Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 4 (13.33%)
- Grey Teal Anas gracilis 5 (16.67%)
- Musk Duck Biziura lobata 2 (6.67%)
- Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata 4 (13.33%)
- Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophora 1 (3.33%)
- Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae 4 (13.33%)
- Hoary-headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus 3 (10.00%)
- Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 1 (3.33%)
- Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera 1 (3.33%)
- Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 11 (36.67%)
- Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata 1 (3.33%)
- Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida 3 (10.00%)
- Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites basalis 1 (3.33%)
- Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio 1 (3.33%)
- Black-tailed Native-hen Tribonyx ventralis 3 (10.00%)
- Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 4 (13.33%)
- Brolga Antigone rubicunda 3 (10.00%)
- Black-winged Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus 3 (10.00%) (B)
- Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops 2 (6.67%)
- Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles 4 (13.33%)
- Painted Button-quail Turnix varius 1 (3.33%)
- Little Button-quail Turnix velox 1 (3.33%)
- Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae 1 (3.33%)
- Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 1 (3.33%)
- Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus 4 (13.33%)
- Nankeen Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus 1 (3.33%) (B)
- Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 1 (3.33%)
- White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica 5 (16.67%)
- Great Egret Ardea alba 2 (6.67%)
- Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 1 (3.33%)
- Pied Heron Egretta picata 1 (3.33%) (B)
- White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae 7 (23.33%)
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta 2 (6.67%)
- Australian White Ibis Threskiornis moluccus 1 (3.33%)
- Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis 4 (13.33%)
- Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes 2 (6.67%)
- Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia 3 (10.00%)
- Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 3 (10.00%)
- Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos 3 (10.00%)
- Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 2 (6.67%)
- Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 3 (10.00%)
- Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 3 (10.00%) (B)
- Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris 3 (10.00%)
- Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax 2 (6.67%)
- Swamp Harrier Circus approximans 1 (3.33%)
- Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis 1 (3.33%)
- Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus 1 (3.33%)
- Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus 5 (16.67%)
- Black Kite Milvus migrans 1 (3.33%)
- Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides 1 (3.33%)
- Australian Hobby Falco longipennis 1 (3.33%)
- Brown Falcon Falco berigora 5 (16.67%)
- Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus 2 (6.67%)
- Galah Eolophus roseicapilla 6 (20.00%)
- Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri 1 (3.33%)
- Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea 1 (3.33%)
- Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus 3 (10.00%)
- Red-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus 5 (16.67%)
- Blue Bonnet Northiella haematogaster 5 (16.67%)
- Mulga Parrot Psephotellus varius 2 (6.67%)
- Australian Ringneck Barnardius zonarius 6 (20.00%)
- Spotted Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus maculatus 1 (3.33%)
- Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus 4 (13.33%)
- Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti 1 (3.33%)
- Splendid Fairy-wren Malurus splendens 2 (6.67%)
- White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus 5 (16.67%)
- Striped Honeyeater Plectorhyncha lanceolata 1 (3.33%)
- White-eared Honeyeater Nesoptilotis leucotis 1 (3.33%)
- Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis 3 (10.00%)
- Orange Chat Epthianura aurifrons 1 (3.33%)
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis 7 (23.33%)
- Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata 1 (3.33%)
- Singing Honeyeater Gavicalis virescens 4 (13.33%)
- White-plumed Honeyeater Ptilotula penicillata 11 (36.67%)
- Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala 3 (10.00%)
- Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula 13 (43.33%)
- Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus 2 (6.67%)
- Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca 1 (3.33%)
- Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris 3 (10.00%)
- Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis 1 (3.33%)
- Yellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa 3 (10.00%)
- Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana 1 (3.33%)
- Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis 2 (6.67%)
- Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis 1 (3.33%)
- Buff-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides 1 (3.33%)
- Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis 2 (6.67%)
- Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera 1 (3.33%)
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 4 (13.33%)
- Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cinclosoma cinnamomeum 1 (3.33%)
- Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica 7 (23.33%)
- Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis 1 (3.33%)
- Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 9 (30.00%)
- Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis 3 (10.00%)
- Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus 7 (23.33%)
- White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus 1 (3.33%)
- Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus 5 (16.67%)
- Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 12 (40.00%)
- Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa 2 (6.67%)
- Torresian Crow Corvus orru 2 (6.67%)
- Little Crow Corvus bennetti 2 (6.67%)
- Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 16 (53.33%)
- Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta 3 (10.00%)
- Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca 15 (50.00%)
- White-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos 2 (6.67%)
- Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea 7 (23.33%)
- Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii 2 (6.67%)
- Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans 1 (3.33%)
- Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum 1 (3.33%)
- Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata 8 (26.67%)
- Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae 3 (10.00%)
- Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica 1 (3.33%)
- Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis 1 (3.33%)
- White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosterna 1 (3.33%)
- Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel 1 (3.33%)
- Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans 1 (3.33%)
- Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena 3 (10.00%)
- Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 2 (6.67%)
If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.