Three Greys Trip _ 02

Oops. Got out of synch.

Banded Whiteface Aphelocephala nigricincta

Santa Theresa Road, Alice Springs

Grey-fronted Honeyeater Ptilotula plumula

Santa Theresa Road, Alice Springs

Mulga Parrot Psephotus varius

Santa Theresa Road, Alice Springs

Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus
Alice Springs

Slaty-backed Thornbill Acanthiza robustrirostris
Alice Springs

Spinifexbird Megalurus carteri
Ewaninga

Dusky Grasswren Amytornis purnelli
Stuart Highway, Barrow Creek

Black-chinned Honeyeater (Golden-backed)  Melithreptus glares laetior

Fork-tailed Swift  Apus pacificus
Barkly Highway

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
A resident at Barkly River Homestead

Phaesant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Barkly Highway

Broome 2017 _ Wave The Waders Goodbye _ Day 03

The third day at Broome started with an early morning, rising-tide Mangrove Walk at Little Crab Creek towards the southern end of Roebuck Bay. The walk into the mangroves ends at a "lookout" facing mudflats giving relatively close views of the usual suspects and the few birds of Australia's only known Common Redshanks colony. We didn't see them but on our way back to the vehicle, we saw that the entire bird population of the bay appeared to disappear or be in a total panic. Had to be a raptor somewhere. We scanned the skies for about a minute until a Peregrine Falcon was spotted crossing the bay about a kilometre offshore. I happened to get some images that were in-focus and it was later identified as one of the two migratory northern hemisphere forms of the Peregrine Falcon; Falco peregrinus japonensis. The other is calidus. That was exciting.

The usual afternoon wader watch at some of the roosts near the BBO showed Sooty Oystercatchers. These are the northern race Haematopus fuliginosus ophthalmicus which has a bright yellow ring around the eye.

Day 03

Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonians juvenile. Probably the same bird as Day 1

White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus calidus

Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus ophthalmicus

and friends...
Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris
Bar-Tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica both in breeding and non-breeding plumage
Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris
Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Yellow JX was a pretty interesting bird. We discovered it whilst wader watching and soon were aware it was not behaving normally; just standing on the rocks doing ... well, nothing really, unlike every other Whimbrel in the bay. A few photos soon showed it had a radio transmitter on it. Later we found out that Chris Hassell's team had caught the bird the previous evening and placed a transmitter on it, a sort of backpack arrangement. I guess the bird found it uncomfortable or was just recovering from the capture  or both. Anyway, the bird remained there for several hours into dark but was gone the next morning and the transmitter was found on it's way to the northern hemisphere within a short time. This shows that us amateurs can contribute to projects by being observant, noting when things aren't right and telling the people in charge. Fortunately, all involved had tea together that evening!!

Wandering Dutchman meets a crake-quake

After the You Yangs it was off to the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee for lunch and a good dose of birds. We stayed until dark getting about 60 species of birds but special highlights included ...

• The sheer number of duck species and ducks numbering into the thousands. Pacific Black, Grey Teal, Chestnut Teal, Australian Shelduck, Australian Shoveler, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead, Australian Wood Duck, Freckled Duck, Blue-billed Duck and Musk Duck.
• A Peregrine Falcon seeing off a Swamp Harrier.

Not the best photo ever taken of a Peregrine Falcon but somehow,
for these two pictures, the camera was set to shutter priority at 1/400 sec.
Way too slow for the action.

• A fabulous flyby close-up of an immature and moulting Brown Falcon.

• The setting sun throwing beautiful colours on the ponds and paddocks.

Towards sunset, we drove to the Crake Pond, an area where three species of crake had been seen over the last few weeks. We stationed ourselves on the sunset side to the pond with excellent views of the reeds about 30 metres or so away. We spotted a Baillon's Crake [lifetick x 2]. After a little while, we decided to drive around to the other side of the reeds and see what was going on there. Around we went. We parked by the reeds which were much closer than the other side, about 2 metres away! But to the east [the reeds were to the west into the setting sun] was a pond with a heap of birds on it. Swans, White- and Straw-necked Ibis, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpipers, Red-necked Stints, Common Greenshank [identified by Robert as we approached from their calls -- a common species in The Netherlands] and Marsh Sandpiper, a small version the Common Greenshank with a needle thin beak.

Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank

So we "oo-ed" and "aah-ed" over the birds and open and closed the car door getting the scopes and the bird guides out and generally forgetting about the crakes behind us on the other side of the road. Once finished, we turned around and had a look at the reeds and there was, not one, not two but three species of crake, unconcernedly going about their business within five metres of the car and where we were standing. Australian Spotted Crake, Spotless Crake and Baillon's Crake. Just amazing. Three life ticks for Robert and one for myself. What a day.

Baillon's Crake

Australian Spotted Crake

The Spotless Crake was just a bit too quick and dark for our cameras.

So as darkness enveloped us we set off for Drouin and home having done about 900 kms in the first two days of Robert's stay!