If you would like to contribute 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, Bush Heritage, 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.
19/11/2025
It was 5.30am when Melanie and her husband from South Africa arrived at Lake Herdsman, we were soon making our way eastward and it wasn’t long before a Buff-banded Rail was found foraging in the grasses by the reed bed. Throughout the morning we added most of the possible ducks, two families of Tawny Frogmouths, one at the usual spot and the other near the visitor centre. The Rainbow Bee-eaters were also obliging. The bird I couldn’t find for them was the Wandering Whistling Duck that’s been here for a while now. I found it last week when I did my recon, but no sighting today. We hopped into the car and drove up to Victoria Reservoir and walked down to the rest area adding the likes of Splendid Fairywren, Western Spinebill and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. We walked back up to the car and had a late lunch then back Perth.
21/11
We set off at 5am to pick up Melanie and headed out to Collins Rd Westdale, where everyone else is finding Western Shrike-tit except me, and I couldn’t find them again, despite spending quite a few hours there. We did find Varied Sitella, Sacred Kingfisher and the usual Yellow-plumed Honeteaters and Rufous Treecreepers. Over to Falcon Rd dam Boyagin NR for lunch. It was pretty quiet with a lone Brown Honeyeater at the dam. Along our stroll we found some Western Yellow Robins, Scarlet Robin and Red-capped Robin. It was then back to Perth.
23/11 148km
After lunch I dropped Bev off at Andrew’s and headed down the Brookton Hwy until I found some dirt roads I could map and spent the rest of the afternoon driving them. At one stage I had to move a fallen log off the road and disturbed an Owlet Nightjar that flew to a nearby tree and looked disapprovingly at me. Inevitably my last track ended up at a locked gate, but they hadn’t quite blocked the exit off, so like some others before me I used it to get onto the main road. I don’t see the point in having a locked gate at one end of the track and not the other. There were a few showers during the afternoon and a stiff wind ruffling the trees at the Mt. Dale picnic area where I camped for the night. The picnic area was pretty sheltered though. I have put some stuff that we’ll need later onto the roof in a half size rooftop bag. I hadn’t tested the weight and found I couldn’t just push the roof up like I usually do, but I eventually got it up.
24/11 179km
I awoke at dawn with a thick cloud around me. By the time I’d got up it was already lifting and cleared to a mild mostly sunny day. I drove the short distance to the West looking lookout just below the summit of Mt Dale, then spent the day steadily making my way east getting my quota of tracks mapped for Hema. I stopped for lunch at a waterhole on Beryl Rd and got a Baudin’s Black Cockatoo. I found three feeding groups through the day. I ended the day in Wandoo NP on Beekeeper Trk at 15.30 and relaxed in the shade until I felt something crawling up my leg. It was an enormous tick, I flicked it off. I was cooking my dinner when a second tick started crawling up my leg. I usually have to take refuge in the car from the weather or mosquitoes, this is the first time for ticks.
25/11 189km
I was up at dawn and off after breakfast to map more of the tracks in the park and surrounding forests. I had just started Piggery Rd skirting around some big bog holes that were dry, went through a smaller one that still had a bit of mud and decided that I couldn’t go much further with the track overgrown and a bigger muddy pool, so I reversed back slowly and got stuck in the small muddy patch I’d just driven through, my diff-locks were of no help. My first attempt at winching was off too small a tree, as I started to move the tree rather than me, I’d moved about 6inches, so I packed sticks into my wheel ruts and tried to drive, but no I was still stuck. There was a bigger tree a bit further away within winching distance that proved substantial enough. So with the ruts now packed with sticks I gave it what for in reverse and made it back through. Lost time, about 1/2hr. I had lunch at Catchment Rd Wandoo NP and thought I heard a Western Shrike-tit, but it was a brief call, it didn’t call again and I couldn’t find it so thought I should leave it off the list. I camped at Perimeter Track in the far east of Wandoo NP and noticed that the fridge temperature was too high and was not running. This can’t be good. I then saw that the charge indicator didn’t budge when I started the car. This is even worse. I had a quick look around but my knowledge of electrics is about zero. I had some phone coverage so looked up a local auto electrician in Brookton and booked my car in for the morning. Turned everything off just in case it was the alternator and had an early night.
26/11 203km
I was off at dawn which is about 5am. It took me an hour and a half to get out of the forest down Catchment Rd, I then had enough time to wind my way along back roads I could map to just short of Brookton, arriving at 8am. The first thing he found was that although the fuses hadn’t blown they’d been hot enough to melt the plastic, so he replaced all the fuses in the house battery compartment and one fuse holder, but that didn’t fix it. He figured out that the charger wasn’t switching from the solar input to the vehicle input, suspecting the switcher. He had another look in the engine bay and found a wire had come undone. That fixed it. The connector was a bit dodgy so he replaced that. Total time about two and a half hours, cost $257. There goes all the money I’ve made mapping the tracks. So it was 11am by the time I was back on the road with a dozen fresh farm egs that he gave me. I mapped a few of the roads in the area being around the 9 Acre Rock area then into Brookton, did some shopping then mapped out to Dale River York-Williams Rd for lunch then mapped my way back south and into Perimeter Trk Lupton CP to camp for the night.
27/11 225km
There is still a smattering of flowers on the forest floors and bushes, so took a few shots for inaturalist. Finished the survey with 15sp including Baudin’s Black Cockatoo. I’ve been seeing quite a few flocks of the species over the last few days. Mapped some tracks in Youraling SF then some more in Lupton CP , then did mostly rural dirt roads for the rest of the day. Lunch was taken at Codjatotine rest area, where there weren’t many birds. I camped at Thornbill Rd Boygin NR and added Restless Flycatcher to my trip list. At the back of my car I found a freshly dug small hole, so come dusk I sat quietly in my chair and waited to see what if anything came out. What came in was one of the Rainbow Bee-eaters that had been hanging aound the area, it was their breeding hole.
28/11 182km
It was well past dawn and into sun up and I was listening to what birds were around when a Western Shrike-tit moved down the valley calling, By the time I got up and dressed it was long gone, and although I headed in its direction I couldn’t find it, but I heard this one clearly so I can count it on my list which had 24sp by the time I set off at 7.20 to map out Boyagin reserve. It took me most of the day and about 100km of driving, I got most of it done. I then mapped a few back roads to get to Eagle Track Tutanning reserve for the night. My site is in old regrowth on flat land, but I still had 7sp by dusk, but only one or two of each species.
29/11 217km
Ended the survey with 18sp including a fly by of a Collared Sparrowhawk. I spent the next few hours on the overgrown tracks until I’d had enough of scraping the sides and roof of the car. Taking the back roads down to Kerr Rd Wickipin for the expected Yellow-throated Miners, Magpies and Australian Ringnecks. The dam was too low for any ducks. More back roads south to Toolibin NR where the scungy looking lake had some Grey Teal. By the banks were some Yellow-rumped and Inland Thornbills. I picked up fuel and food in Narrogin, did my survey of the RSL Park there and headed north to Yornaning Dam for the night.
30/11 230km
Got 24sp here including Shining Bronze Cuckoo, Brown-headed Honeyeater and a Striated Pardalote had a nest hole not far from where I was parked, but they zip in and out so fast I wasn’t even going to try and get a photo. I found a feral proof fence in the far eastern part of Dryandra NP, so did an impromptu fence check as I mapped the perimeter. It was 10am when I got to the main body of the national park and started driving the roads. I had lunch at my spot on Tomingley Rd where it was too hot for the birds so only got 3sp. It got to 31C late in the afternoon, the hottest it’s been for a while. My usual camping spot at Congelin Campground now has fees, so I drove on to Williams River Boraning to camp in the parking area there and had 14sp by dark.
1/12 295km
There wasn’t that much traffic on the road during the night, but I was woken a few times. There was a Boobook Owl calling last night and a farm dam nearby had Slender Treefrog calling. Added a few more birds to the list and set off at 5.50 after getting up early due to the steadily increasing traffic flow on the road. I tracked a few roads around Dardadine then up Taylor’s Rd. I found a track heading off east at one stage and found myself in someone’s yard deep in the forest, I wanted to know where the boundary was so went and knocked on the door and ended up having a nice chat with the owners. I took my leave and finished the road marking it as private, and headed into Lane Poole forest for the rest of the day mapping forest roads. I had lunch in the shade on the corner of two tracks in 30C heat deep in the forest. It managed to get to 36C a bit later. Summer is here. I headed up Yourdamung road hoping to get to a lake to camp, I’d had a feeling it wouldn’t be there and sure enough the track ended at farmland. I’d seen a sign pointing to water so headed up that and near the end found a dam with water in it. Camp time. I parked in the shade and sat overlooking the dam in Lane Poole Reserve, getting 12sp by dark, including a pair of Baudin’s Black Cockatoo.
2/12 249km
Around dusk a Motorbike Frog started calling every now and then, I waited for more to start up, but by 20.00 it had gone quiet and no one else had joined him, so I didn’t get a recording for FrogID. Had a bit of a sleep in this morning, I’m getting a bit tired. It was a peaceful night’s sleep with the only interruption being a Boobook Owl. Ended the survey with 20sp despite a good walk around this morning which is a bit low. Did a few of the tracks in Muja SF then did my survey at Varis Rd Bowelling, which had an insistent Golden/Western Whistler so I took a photo. Down to Bennelaking which is usually a good birding spot. I had lunch then found some Regent Parrots, which with a bit of careful stalking I managed a few shots after gaining their trust somewhat. Mapped some roads around Gordering and westward to camp at Jayes Bridge on the Blackwood River. I was soon in the water which was surprisingly warm for the first two feet then it got cold. I had a good soapless scrub down, and feeling reasonably clean I relaxed in the shade whilst watching a pair of White-breasted Robins hawking from a nearby bush.
3/12 190km
There was quite a good dawn chorus this morning, best I’ve heard for a while, so I lay in a bit listening to it. I ended with 35sp including a Barn Owl last night and some Western Rosellas in the morning, the adults were hiding up in the trees, but one of the juveniles was quite bold so I managed a shot of it. I spent the morning mapping some of the roads in Wilga SF, there’s a myriad of tracks through here so I only got a few of the main ones done including the one to my site at Boliogup Brook Grimwade Rd. I walked in to Woop Woop (it’s an old logging camp site, nothing left here now. It’s where the saying comes from. Apparently the workers used to walk the 11km into Wilga on a Saturday night for the dance, and asked where they came from it was of course Woop Woop which was a long walk away) then skirted around the farm to my site at rail at Camelup Rd for lunch. Found a dirt road getting me close to my site at Glen Mervyn Dam, then up the bitumen road to Minningup Pool on the Collie River, finding Scarlet Robin and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, both of which haven’t been seen much. After dark I went out in search of frogs and found some calling by the bridge, where the river has flooded an area. On the way back I heard a Boobook Owl.
4/12 180km
19sp was the tally for the site, all apart from a large flock of Tree Martins in low numbers. Headed through Collie and mapped some tracks in Harris River SF up to a gate put in by Alcoa blocking me off from my Hoffman’s Mill camp site. I can’t bear to think of what they’re doing to the forest in the area, but it sure ain’t good. At one gate their sign was full of expletives inked by irate campers who can’t get into the site… for a very long time. Down out of the hills I came to get to Trotter Rd Yarloop, then mapped a few more dirt roads to get to Coolup and stopped for the day at 12.30 at Lake McLarty west. Had lunch then headed up the lake’s shore to the north. The lake is still very high, so there are no waders and I got my boots wet trying to get views through the shrubs of what birds were there. Each time I poked my head out the nearby waterfowl took flight and so did everything else within 100m or so. Back for a rest in the mid afternoon and I ventured out again late in the afternoon in my gumboots. The water level though was so high that I still couldn’t get past the shrubs out into what should by now be grassland, but is still gumboot high water. I struggled through the paperbark woodland brushing endless Christmas Spiders off me whilst wading through their communal webs. I was not having a good time. Still I ended up with 47sp including Nankeen Night Heron and Regent Parrot. After dinner I only had to go down to the shore to record a few Motorbike Frogs calling under a full moon shining across the lake.
5/12 182km
I waded out into the lake in my gumboots again but didn’t add anything and headed off at 6.30 to Tamworth Hill reserve Baldivis which is a swamp. The track was still under water at the west end with only a few Slender Treefrogs calling, 21sp with no surprises. Lake Walyangup had a Tiger Snake, my first sighting of a snake for a while. I spotted it when I was only 2ft from it. I stopped and slowly backed up, it didn’t move, probably still not warmed up. The lake was still high with nothing using it, so I only got a few bush birds in the tall trees by the road. On the way back I found the snake again, it hadn’t moved far. Baldivis ponds had 16sp including an Australian Hobby which had a successful attack as I watched, but couldn’t see what it carried off for breakfast. At Attwell Park the lake was still high with 14sp including a flock of 200 Little Corellas feeding on the grass. I then drove in to Perth to where Bev was staying at Andrew’s place and had a welcome shower. At 17.00 we went to the Duke of George Hotel in Fremantle to watch Dave Hole play his unique brand of rock and roll. We sat right at the front and enjoyed the music coming blasting at us. Lucky I’m not doing any bird surveys tomorrow. It was 23.30 when we got to Emma and Jim’s for the night. We now have a few months of house sitting before we head out again.
If 25/12/2025
If we looked beneath the crust of human pie
I wonder what we'd find
A cup or two of inequality
More than a pinch of racism
A bag or two of selfishness
If the truth was revealed
Would it make any difference
Normality is a fallacy
If you strive for normality
You'll never be great
Truth is an asterisk
Be inquisitive
If the march of climate change isn't stopped
We'll surely suffer the cost
As the world slowly spins down to die
Are we not in a world of pain already
If all we live for is tar and cement
What will our lives have ever meant
If we'd choose kindness over conflict
If our bodies weren't beholden to hormones
Ruled by our wayward emotions
Geared down our insatiable greed
Would peace finally break out through this crime scene
If you have a voice
Why do you sit in silence
If I look left there are noisome destructive jerks
If I look right there are noisome destructive jerks
If I look up or down there they all are
If we're all human
What does it matter what we look like
What does it matter where we come from
What matters is what we do
If the scumbag in the alley wants your money you're dead
If the scumbag in the suit wants your money you're skint
Either way the mongrels have got the weak and poor
If perchance we met at the crossroads
Could we agree on the way forward
If Christ is left out of Christmas
It's just a pagan ritual
If we ignore the true nature of God
Then religion becomes divisive
If Satan is the creation of man's fear
How does he rule the world with an iron fist
If God is love
We have all but forgotten him
Or worse he has forgotten us
Abandoning us to our aggressive nature
If we were'nt so blind to humanity's depravities
If we weren't so insistently belligerent
This world could be a kinder place
If only
6/1 271km
Today is the last day of our house sit at Brigadoon in the hills north of Perth. The day starts with feeding and watering the chickens, then feeding the two dogs, breakfast then relaxed until I got notification that the owners had landed, so I jumped in their car and went down to the airport and after a short wait went and picked them up and brought them back home. It was 13.30 when we departed, winding our way north to Clenton Rd then east to my site at Dumbarton bridge Toodyay for lunch. The Avon river doesn’t run this time of year, but the pool east of the bridge usually has some waterbirds. It was too hot for many bush birds but I got the Sacred Kingfisher that I usually get here, might even be the same one returning each year. We found as many dirt roads to map as we could, zig-zagging our way north to Dalwallinu to camp for the night.
7/1 441km
There was a Barn Owl that gave a short screech not long after dark last night and later a Boobook Owl briefly called. The highlight though was a Little Eagle briefly seen above the woodland. Over to the other side of town to Dalwallinu sewerage pond for the usual Black Duck, Grey Teal and Wood Duck. There were a few eucalypts in flower with some White-fronted Honeyeaters. On the Gunyidi-Wubin Rd we found an unmarked picnic spot at Miamoon Reserve so marked it and had a look around. The gnamma watehole was dry but I found an Australian Hobby which I was well happy finding. We mapped the track that runs along the west side of Yarra Yarra lake. We were mapping Bell Rd north of Morowa when I flushed some Banded Lapwings off the road. They went just into the paddock nearby. We did a survey around them, but even though they were less than 100m away the ground was so hot that the heat haze made photographing them impossible. When we showed ourselves around a bush, they flew around but still landed too far away still. We did a survey at Canna dam finding some Grey Currawongs. A few more dirt roads got us to The Waterfalls Six Mile Ck, just north of Mullewa for the night.
8/1 439km
The waterfalls are dry with a few pools in the creek that had Black-fronted Doterrel and Pied Stilt. On my walk around I had some Budgerigars fly overhead with bush birds such as Southern Whiteface and Black-faced Woodswallows in the grassy woodland. I found another Hobby here too. We found a dirt road that ran nearly parallel to the Geraldton-Mount Magnet Rd eventually getting in to Geraldton to pick up food at Coles and fuel at the Atlas Fuels servo on the main Hwy that was cheaper than in Perth. There were no dirt roads getting us in the right direction so we headed straight up the highway. Lunch was taken at Galena camp on the Murchison River. Again the river doesn’t run this time of year but there was still plenty of water here, finding Black-tailed Native Hen and Australian White Ibis, which is irruptive here. It was too hot in the afternoon so my site at Rest stop NE Kalbarri NP was birdless and the Nerren Nerren rest stop had a lone Zebra Finch. With the airconditioning keeping us cool and my Spotify music list keeping us entertained we headed in to Hamelin Station getting there just a bit later than planned. We met Gilly the manager and settled in to the apartment here which will be our home for the rest of the month as we volunteer at the Bush Heritage property.
Some shots from Hamelin Station
17/1
It’s the weekend, we don’t work on the weekends so we headed off not long after dawn towards Denham. First stop was Shark Bay Rd Park bay. It was very windy making hearing the birds difficult as the wind whistled in my ears, but the call of Chiming Wedgbills is quite strident, I followed the call and found a pair with the male singing from the top of a bush. There were also Variegated/Purple-backed, Splendid and White-winged Fairywrens, but not much else. At Shark Bay Rd claypan all I got was the wind whistling in my ears. The rainfall this year has been okay but there were a lot of dead shrubs here, so the habitat looks stressed. Fowler’s Bay camp didn’t have much around. The tide was out but there were no shorebirds just a lone Caspian Tern. Little Lagoon north of Denham was looking in poor condition and I failed to find the Western Grasswren again. We then found a few unmapped dirt tracks around the area before going in to town to pick up some supplies. It was now lunchtime and we settled on the Shark Bay Cafe for fish and chips and an almond croissant each. $96! It was a large meal with three pieces of locally caught Snapper, great chips with the chef’s home made seasoning and fresh salad. There was enough that we took the croissants back for dinner (where we still didn’t eat much) It’s much cooler here by the coast but also much windier with a howling wind coming in off shore. Despite it still being school holidays the town was quite quiet, the most common vehicle being rental Hilux campervans heading up in to Peron NP. We turned back south mapping a few tracks on the way. To the west of the highway is a track that seems to run most of the way right on the coast, it’s a little used 4wd track. We mapped in a few access tracks to it, mapped it a bit then back to the highway each time, until we found another track running back to the coast. There is no free camping allowed which is a pity with some marvelous secluded bays along the way. It was then back to Hamelin Station getting back late in the afternoon.
30/1 505km
We rose at about 6.00, showered breakied and cleaned our little flat, this all took until 9.00 when we drove up to say goodbye to Gilly. It’s been a hot month, with many days over 40C including a 48C, so we did our work mostly in the mornings, a different job each day, fixing, cleaning, sorting etc. It was now time for us to be on our way, so we headed down the highway to Butchers Tk north of Billabong where it was already warm and found only 2sp. Nerren Nerren rest camp had 4sp. They had some rain here recently which we missed out on at the station, so I found some Zebra Finches hanging around some water pools. Rest stop NE Kalbarri NP only had a Willy Wagtail. We had lunch at Galena camp where there was plenty of water in the non-flowing river, finding White-necked Heron and the Black-tailed Native Hens. There were a lot more Grey Teal but less Black Swans than on the survey on our way up. We took the back road to get to Geraldton stopping at Protheroe Rd Nabawa for 3sp. Shopping and filled up the tanks at Maisey’s Fuels, a card only servo, then down to Cape Burney Greenough River were there wasn’t much on a windy late afternoon, the highlight being a Spotted Harrier flying on by. We got in to Indoon Lake camp at 19.00 and found Pink-eared Ducks and lots of Pied Stilts foraging along the shoreline of the lake.
31/1 264km
Only 18sp which is a bit disappointing, not many bush birds to be found. We headed east along as many un-mapped dirt roads as we could find, stopping at Tathra NP 1 where I couldn’t find a bird at all. More dirt roads found us at Alexander Morrison NP where we stopped to photograph some colourful bushes Melaleuca pulcherrima that flower this time of year and had some Brown Honeyeaters enjoying the flowers. Coalara Rd Watheroo NP had more Brown Honeyeaters and a lone Silvereye and Dambadgie Rd Dandarangan was birdless. We camped at Koojan Salmon Gum Reserve on a blustery late afternoon and found a lone Western Corella calling.
1/2 444km
The wind continued to howl over the tops of the trees making them wave their boughs manically. The forest was dense enough though that little wind made it to us so the night started out hot and sticky. The wind made listening for night birds fruitless, so the tally for the site was 12sp. More dirt roads mapped to get us to Regan’s Ford Moore River where there were a few more Western Corellas. In to Yanchep to get supplies for our first week at Yanchep NP where we will be camp hosts for February.
Some photos from Yanchep Lake
1/3 81km
Our time at Yanchep has come to an end. Our work was about an hour of cleaning in the morning and checking people in to the small campground in the afternoon. I ran my bird walk in the morning, running 13 walks and finding 53sp all together, with the best having 35sp. We had to wait for the incoming hosts to arrive and show them the ropes since it’s the long weekend and the volunteer coordinator doesn’t work on the weekends. So it was midday before we were on our way. We headed up to Two Rocks beach where there was lots of sea grass on the beach with a few Sanderlings and a Common Sandpiper. We had lunch just down the road at The Spot Two Rocks where I couldn’t find a single bird, not even a gull on the beach. Down to Joondalup Lake for 12sp, not a single duck or swan on the lake, lots of White Ibis and an Australian Hobby. To my friend’s place at Herdsman Lake for the night. I went out late to record the frogs but there were none calling. Tomorrow we start a few months of house sitting then we have a short holiday in Nepal in April.
9-15/5 2051km
I spent a few days mapping tracks around Jarrahdale SF including re-opened areas of the Alcoa strip mining area. It was easy to see the areas that they’ve mined with replanted forest a few years old now. With the area having been blocked off from public usage it means that the illegal gathering of firewood was stopped in the area, so the approximately 50% of forest that they didn’t destroy looked in better nick than the areas that have remained open to the public. This is just my observation. It would be interesting to have studies done to see if there is any difference. After I got bored of forest tracks I moved out into the back roads spending a few more days mapping all the dirt roads east of Beverley township. That also gets boring after a few days so I then spent a few days resurveying my bird sites in the region using as many dirt roads as possible to move between them. The sites surveyed for the trip in order were Jarrahdale POW camp, Brookton Hwy NR, Beverley Cemetery, Yenyening Lakes NR, Wamenusking Sportsground, Kwolyin Camp, Mooranoppin NR Mission Rd, Kununoppin Cemetery, Eaglestone Rock Camp, Talgomine Rock Reserve, Goldfields Rd Merredin, Buller Rd Bruce Rock, George Rock Picnic area, Boddington Cemetery.
7-13/6
I headed off at about 8.30 and got onto the freeway. Just as I was going past the first exit I realized I had not put my binoculars and camera in, so had to restart the trip. My first stop was at Collins Rd Westdale. I met another birdo there and we had a search around but the Shrike-tits refused to show themselves again. Camped early at Catchment Rd Wandoo NP. In the morning it was off to Beverley cemetery then on to St.Jacks Rd Balkulling for lunch, and camped at Minnivale camp not long before we had some showers come through and the evening came, so I didn’t get much birding done on a cold windy late afternoon. I did a loop through Lake Koombekine east Koombekine around to Oak Park picnic area which had lots of water, but the birds weren’t much in evidence. Lunch was at dam west of Koorda and another early camp at Mollerin Rock camp where I found Elegant Parrots and a very vocal Redthroat. In the morning it was over to Datjoin Rock camp, then once again an early stop at Billyburning rock camp. Here there was a pair of Redthroats having a singing competition, so things are starting to set up for spring already. I read an article in the evening about a Black-headed Gull in Geraldton, after a bit of deliberation I decided to go do a twitch for it. At night I found and recorded Humming Frogs calling in a pool a bit away from the rock along with lots of Crawling Toadlets. In the morning things looked gloomy. I wanted to do a run up Bimbidjy Tk, I had just done my survey at Karroun Hill NR Bimbidjy Tk when the rain started. I got to the homestead and got enough info to decide to retrace my steps rather than risk getting rained in. The rain never let up all day. The car was the dirtiest it’s been after all the local roads I drove along. There was only one road shown as dry weather only, and indeed for the most part the roads are quite solid in the wet. I stopped for lunch at Collier Dam Scotsdale Rd where the water collectors off the rock were doing their job funneling water into the dam, but only Brown Honeyeaters were active in a lull in the rain. I camped at Yarra Yarra Lakes CP after dark, so did my survey here in the morning. There were lots of frogs calling in the area but they were all on private land too far away for the most part to record, though I managed a faint recording of Wheatbelt Frogs. The rain stopped overnight and the day dawned mostly sunny. The roads though were still wet with one road I wanted to go down being closed with an obscure little creek running high over Bunney Rd, forcing me down Robinson Rd. I stopped twice along the road to record frogs calling in the early morning. It was 11.00 when I got to Geraldton Town Beach and found the spot where the gull was supposed to be by noting the people with binoculars. The bird wasn’t there. They said it had flown off at 9.30. So I waited, and I waited, and went for a look around, and waited, had my lunch, and waited, and sat and waited and had a look around, and waited. At 16.30 I gave up, swapping phone numbers with Pauline who was staying overnight. I drove down to Cape Buley Greenough River and endured the noisy locals as they hooned around the sand, no wonder there are no birds breeding on what looks like a good sand bar blocking the river getting to the sea. I had not long arrived when Pauline texted me to say that the bird had turned up briefly. When I left I’d reasoned that the bird had gone elsewhere so wasn’t going to go back, so it was good thinking to have swapped phone numbers with her. I was up pre-dawn and back to the beach, getting there at 7.00. I met a young chap who found the bird in a puddle in the carpark just by the beach, so I got my 707th Australian bird. I started heading home travelling the back roads surveying Bootenal Rd Bootenal, Table Top Rd Allanooka Springs Rd, Depot Hill reserve which has had a fire scorch the hillsides, Yandanooka, and my final survey at Alexander Morrison NP. I must have come pretty close to running out of fuel by the time I got to the servo at Regans Ford, then a run home in the dark
5/7
I’m off again. After breakie and packing the car I was on the road at about 8.30, filled up the tanks at the Vibe servo on Thomas Rd Oakford and headed out to Collins Rd Westdale, still can’t find a Western Shrike-tit here. Over to Dale River York-Williams Rd which had plenty of water but not a single duck, though there were a few bush birds including a compliant Dusky Woodswallow. Camped at Bulyee Hall for the night. As usual with these trips now I’m driving mainly dirt roads, mapping them for Hema Maps. I had done around 100km when the app spat me out and I lost all my data for the morning, not happy! At one point I found my usual dead end road and on the way back stopped at a good looking marsh and was rewared by a few Quacking Frogs calling in the mid afternoon. What a cracking frog the Quacking Frog is! This trip is also to help the Mallefowl Recovery Group ground proof nests that have been detected by Lidar. We all met up in Narembeen where we had dinner in the pub. I had a good if expensive at $30 classic hamburger. The others are all staying in the caravan park, I found a spot by the lake. Next morning we were out to Welsh Nature Reserve where we spent the next few days bush bashing our way to each and every nest. Some were old abandoned nests but we got 16 nests that showed definite recent activity which is a good number, quite a few others were possible activity. Once we’d finished that reserve we moved to an un-named reserve on Soldiers Rd and again found a few nests that showed recent activity on the much smaller reserve. We finished on the Thursday so I headed up to Holleton and found a clay pan at Holleton 3 to camp next to that at this time of year is a small lake. I was disappointed to not hear a single frog call all night. Checked out Holleton 2 then Holleton 1 along the track that runs through the forest. Then headed to Mt Hampton reserve for the night. In the morning I tried to head out the King-Ingram Rd but it was too boggy, I didn’t want to get stuck out here on a road that no one else was using so I turned back and headed home.
Bird list for the trip (% is of the 125 surveys done, B is for breeding)
- Emu
Dromaius novaehollandiae
4 (3.20%)
Blue-billed Duck
Oxyura australis
1 (0.80%)
Pink-eared Duck
Malacorhynchus membranaceus
1 (0.80%)
Black Swan
Cygnus atratus
5 (4.00%) (B)
Australian Shelduck
Tadorna tadornoides
16 (12.80%) (B)
Hardhead
Aythya australis
4 (3.20%) (B)
Australasian Shoveler
Spatula rhynchotis
2 (1.60%)
Pacific Black Duck
Anas superciliosa
24 (19.20%) (B)
Grey Teal
Anas gracilis
15 (12.00%)
Musk Duck
Biziura lobata
1 (0.80%)
Australian Wood Duck
Chenonetta jubata
21 (16.80%) (B)
Stubble Quail
Coturnix pectoralis
1 (0.80%)
Australasian Grebe
Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
7 (5.60%)
Hoary-headed Grebe
Poliocephalus poliocephalus
1 (0.80%)
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus
2 (1.60%) (B)
Rock Dove
Columba livia
6 (4.80%)
Spotted Dove
Spilopelia chinensis
2 (1.60%)
Laughing Dove
Spilopelia senegalensis
7 (5.60%)
Common Bronzewing
Phaps chalcoptera
10 (8.00%)
Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps lophotes
17 (13.60%)
Diamond Dove
Geopelia cuneata
7 (5.60%)
Peaceful Dove
Geopelia placida
1 (0.80%)
Black-eared Cuckoo
Chalcites osculans
1 (0.80%)
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
Chalcites lucidus
4 (3.20%)
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Cacomantis flabelliformis
1 (0.80%)
Tawny Frogmouth
Podargus strigoides
2 (1.60%)
Australian Owlet-nightjar
Aegotheles cristatus
6 (4.80%)
Buff-banded Rail
Hypotaenidia philippensis
1 (0.80%)
Purple Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
14 (11.20%) (B)
Dusky Moorhen
Gallinula tenebrosa
3 (2.40%) (B)
Black-tailed Native-hen
Tribonyx ventralis
2 (1.60%)
Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra
9 (7.20%) (B)
Australian Pied Oystercatcher
Haematopus longirostris
1 (0.80%)
Pied Stilt
Himantopus leucocephalus
10 (8.00%)
Red-capped Plover
Charadrius ruficapillus
2 (1.60%)
Black-fronted Dotterel
Elseyornis melanops
6 (4.80%)
Banded Lapwing
Vanellus tricolor
1 (0.80%)
Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles
6 (4.80%)
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis
1 (0.80%)
Sanderling
Calidris alba
1 (0.80%)
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
1 (0.80%)
Silver Gull
Larus novaehollandiae
10 (8.00%)
Black-headed Gull
Larus ridibundus
1 (0.80%)
Pacific Gull
Larus pacificus
4 (3.20%)
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
1 (0.80%)
Greater Crested Tern
Thalasseus bergii
3 (2.40%)
Australian Pelican
Pelecanus conspicillatus
7 (5.60%)
Nankeen Night-Heron
Nycticorax caledonicus
4 (3.20%)
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
12 (9.60%)
White-necked Heron
Ardea pacifica
2 (1.60%)
Great Egret
Ardea alba
2 (1.60%)
White-faced Heron
Egretta novaehollandiae
22 (17.60%)
Eastern Reef Egret
Egretta sacra
1 (0.80%)
Australian White Ibis
Threskiornis moluccus
21 (16.80%)
Straw-necked Ibis
Threskiornis spinicollis
8 (6.40%)
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Platalea flavipes
4 (3.20%)
Little Pied Cormorant
Microcarbo melanoleucos
8 (6.40%)
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
1 (0.80%)
Little Black Cormorant
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
8 (6.40%)
Great Pied Cormorant
Phalacrocorax varius
4 (3.20%)
Australasian Darter
Anhinga novaehollandiae
3 (2.40%)
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
1 (0.80%)
Black-shouldered Kite
Elanus axillaris
2 (1.60%)
Square-tailed Kite
Lophoictinia isura
1 (0.80%)
Little Eagle
Hieraaetus morphnoides
2 (1.60%)
Swamp Harrier
Circus approximans
5 (4.00%)
Spotted Harrier
Circus assimilis
1 (0.80%)
Brown Goshawk
Accipiter fasciatus
4 (3.20%)
Collared Sparrowhawk
Accipiter cirrocephalus
7 (5.60%)
Whistling Kite
Haliastur sphenurus
5 (4.00%)
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
10 (8.00%)
Southern Boobook
Ninox boobook
12 (9.60%)
Rainbow Bee-eater
Merops ornatus
20 (16.00%) (B)
Sacred Kingfisher
Todiramphus sanctus
6 (4.80%)
Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
29 (23.20%)
Nankeen Kestrel
Falco cenchroides
3 (2.40%)
Australian Hobby
Falco longipennis
6 (4.80%)
Brown Falcon
Falco berigora
3 (2.40%)
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus banksii
15 (12.00%)
Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo
Zanda baudinii
6 (4.80%)
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo
Zanda latirostris
13 (10.40%)
Galah
Eolophus roseicapilla
45 (36.00%)
Long-billed Corella
Cacatua tenuirostris
1 (0.80%)
Western Corella
Cacatua pastinator
3 (2.40%)
Little Corella
Cacatua sanguinea
11 (8.80%)
Regent Parrot
Polytelis anthopeplus
3 (2.40%)
Mulga Parrot
Psephotellus varius
7 (5.60%)
Red-capped Parrot
Purpureicephalus spurius
3 (2.40%)
Western Rosella
Platycercus icterotis
2 (1.60%)
Australian Ringneck
Barnardius zonarius
64 (51.20%)
Elegant Parrot
Neophema elegans
5 (4.00%)
Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus moluccanus
13 (10.40%)
Budgerigar
Melopsittacus undulatus
1 (0.80%)
Rufous Treecreeper
Climacteris rufus
10 (8.00%) (B)
Variegated Fairy-wren
Malurus lamberti
3 (2.40%)
Splendid Fairy-wren
Malurus splendens
25 (20.00%)
White-winged Fairy-wren
Malurus leucopterus
6 (4.80%)
Brown Honeyeater
Lichmera indistincta
29 (23.20%)
New Holland Honeyeater
Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
21 (16.80%)
White-eared Honeyeater
Nesoptilotis leucotis
1 (0.80%)
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Melithreptus brevirostris
3 (2.40%) (B)
White-naped Honeyeater
Melithreptus lunatus
4 (3.20%)
Western Spinebill
Acanthorhynchus superciliosus
1 (0.80%)
Crimson Chat
Epthianura tricolor
5 (4.00%)
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Acanthagenys rufogularis
15 (12.00%)
Western Wattlebird
Anthochaera lunulata
2 (1.60%)
Red Wattlebird
Anthochaera carunculata
37 (29.60%)
Singing Honeyeater
Gavicalis virescens
30 (24.00%)
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
Ptilotula ornata
12 (9.60%)
White-plumed Honeyeater
Ptilotula penicillata
11 (8.80%)
White-fronted Honeyeater
Purnella albifrons
4 (3.20%)
Yellow-throated Miner
Manorina flavigula
13 (10.40%)
Spotted Pardalote
Pardalotus punctatus
2 (1.60%)
Striated Pardalote
Pardalotus striatus
51 (40.80%) (B)
Western Gerygone
Gerygone fusca
39 (31.20%) (B)
Weebill
Smicrornis brevirostris
51 (40.80%)
Redthroat
Pyrrholaemus brunneus
2 (1.60%)
White-browed Scrubwren
Sericornis frontalis
16 (12.80%)
Southern Whiteface
Aphelocephala leucopsis
2 (1.60%)
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Acanthiza chrysorrhoa
19 (15.20%)
Inland Thornbill
Acanthiza apicalis
11 (8.80%)
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Acanthiza uropygialis
5 (4.00%)
Western Thornbill
Acanthiza inornata
2 (1.60%)
White-browed Babbler
Pomatostomus superciliosus
7 (5.60%)
Varied Sittella
Daphoenositta chrysoptera
1 (0.80%)
Ground Cuckoo-shrike
Coracina maxima
1 (0.80%)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Coracina novaehollandiae
13 (10.40%)
White-winged Triller
Lalage tricolor
6 (4.80%)
Rufous Whistler
Pachycephala rufiventris
31 (24.80%)
Golden Whistler
Pachycephala pectoralis
12 (9.60%)
Grey Shrike-thrush
Colluricincla harmonica
30 (24.00%)
Crested Shrike-tit
Falcunculus frontatus
1 (0.80%)
Crested Bellbird
Oreoica gutturalis
2 (1.60%)
Chiming Wedgebill
Psophodes occidentalis
4 (3.20%)
Grey Currawong
Strepera versicolor
3 (2.40%)
Australian Magpie
Gymnorhina tibicen
44 (35.20%) (B)
Pied Butcherbird
Cracticus nigrogularis
12 (9.60%)
Grey Butcherbird
Cracticus torquatus
22 (17.60%)
Dusky Woodswallow
Artamus cyanopterus
3 (2.40%)
Black-faced Woodswallow
Artamus cinereus
5 (4.00%)
Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys
50 (40.00%) (B)
Grey Fantail
Rhipidura albiscapa
45 (36.00%)
Little Crow
Corvus bennetti
8 (6.40%)
Australian Raven
Corvus coronoides
73 (58.40%)
Restless Flycatcher
Myiagra inquieta
2 (1.60%)
Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca
35 (28.00%)
Scarlet Robin
Petroica boodang
13 (10.40%)
Red-capped Robin
Petroica goodenovii
15 (12.00%)
Western Yellow Robin
Eopsaltria griseogularis
3 (2.40%)
White-breasted Robin
Quoyornis georgianus
5 (4.00%)
Mistletoebird
Dicaeum hirundinaceum
4 (3.20%)
Zebra Finch
Taeniopygia castanotis
10 (8.00%)
Australasian Pipit
Anthus novaeseelandiae
7 (5.60%)
Rufous Songlark
Cincloramphus mathewsi
3 (2.40%)
Australian Reed-Warbler
Acrocephalus australis
1 (0.80%)
Fairy Martin
Petrochelidon ariel
2 (1.60%)
Tree Martin
Petrochelidon nigricans
22 (17.60%)
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
24 (19.20%)
Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
28 (22.40%)