Our last day was essentially driving back to Melbourne via some
good birding spots. First we checked out the railway line again [still 1/3]
then off to Lake Tyrell and its Asian tourists. Rufous Fieldwren was seen from
the car, a flock of a dozen Orange Chats flew past and we saw 5 Blue-winged
Parrots on a fence line. Breakfast in Sea Lake then further east to Goschen
where Pied Honeyeaters had been seen reliably over the previous few days.
Goschen is a great place. Black Honeyeaters, a mixed flock of over >100
White-browed and Masked Woodswallows hawking overhead then landing in a
flowering etc to gorge on nectar, Hooded robins ... but no Pied HE. It was
still pretty windy; we moved on, visited Lake Tutchewop [1,400 Grey Teal and a
few Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers], had a look in at the Ibis Rookery at
Middle Lake [1,400 Straw-necked Ibis and some Grey-crowned Babblers] and our
final destination in the Inglewood Nature Conservation Reserve. A Shy Heathwren
wasn't, a Little Eagle was seen, yet another Pallid Cuckoo and a smattering of
thornbill species.
The total number of species for the trip exceeded 160. Ethan saw
17 of the potential 23 parrot species, Andrew saw almost everything he wanted to except a
Crested Bellbird and I had a great time.
I can't speak too highly about our guide Simon Starr. He knows his birds and
localities and geography just oh so well. We had a great time.
Pallid Cuckoo Cocomantis pallidus
Rufous Fieldwren Calamanthus campestris
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus
White-backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosterna
White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus
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