[Birding-Aus] Preliminary RFI - Darwin & Top End for July visit
Tom and Mandy Wilson
I will be spending about 10 days in the Darwin/Kakadu/Katherine region in
early July - the reason this RFI is so far in advance is to help with my
trip planning. This will be my second visit (almost 20 years after my first
in September 1992) and I am looking for a few species I missed that time and
tidying up a few sightings which, in retrospect, were perhaps not as good as
I would accept now. I have already raided the birding-aus archives, read my
(old) Thomas & Thomas and Bransbury looking at sites, but would be
interested in some perhaps more up to date info/sites for the species listed
below. I'm trying to track down a copy of Niven McRie's book, but the only
copy in the NSW public library system seems to be in the State Library, so
I'm now probably going to purchase one if I can.
We will be camping for a week and then have a couple of days in Darwin
itself to finish off, with the route running (roughly) Darwin - Kakadu
(Ubirr or Jabiru/Cooinda/Gunlom) - Katherine - Litchfield park - Darwin .
Plans already include a stop at Adelaide River, Yellow Waters and Katherine
Gorge Cruises, visiting Territory Wildlife Park and visit to Fogg Dam. (As
this is a family trip, a visit to Leanyer Sewage works probably not on the
cards! A diversion toward Victoria River is also highly unlikely.)
Looking forward to seeing a load of species I've not seen for some time, but
the specific target list, together with possible sites noted so far, is:
- Great Billed Heron (Buffalo Creek, Adelaide River. Yellow Waters; Darwin
Hbr - Middle Arm)
- Red Goshawk (along Arnhem Hwy; Mataranka/Katherine areas - keep eyes
peeled as July is when they start displaying?)
- Chestnut Rail (Buffalo Creek; Charles Darwin NP; Darwin Hbr - Middle Arm -
aware that I need to get the tide conditions right)
- Red backed Button Quail (Holmes Jungle; Leaning Tree lagoon)
- Chestnut Backed Button Quail (areas around Ubirr, Nourlangie)
- Chestnut Quilled Rock Pigeon (Gunlom, Katherine up on the tops)
- Banded Fruit Dove (sandstone outcrops at Ubirr, Nourlangie etc)
- Hooded Parrot (Pine Creek but better info sought on specific
site/Katherine areas)
- Rufous Owl (Botanic Gardens; Howard Springs?; Waterfall Creek Gunlom)
- Little Kingfisher (Yellow Waters, Buffalo Creek)
- Rainbow Pitta (Monsoon Rainforest - Howard Springs, Fogg Dam; East Point)
- White Throated Grasswren (Gunlom - are they still there?)
- Green Backed Gerygone (seem to be common in several habitats - not sure
how I missed these in 1992)
- Buff Sided Robin (riverine woodland; Yellow Waters; Waterfall Creek
Gunlom)
- White Breasted Whistler (mangroves - Buffalo Creek etc - anywhere I'd be
looking for Chestnut Rail presumably)
- Mangrove Golden Whistler (mangroves (duh!) - esp. Adelaide River)
- Arafura Fantail (monsoon rainforest pockets as for Rainbow Pitta;
paperbark swamps - varied habitats)
- Mangrove Grey Fantail (mangroves (duh again!) - Buffalo Creek)
- Star Finch (bit light on info on this and the next 2)
- Yellow Rumped Mannikin
- Pictorella Mannikin
- Gouldian Finch (around Pine Creek but better info sought on specific site;
Bird Billabong)
- Zitting Cisticola (swampy grasslands)
- Yellow White Eye (mangroves, monsoon thickets)
I was wondering whether it is worth lugging my scope and tripod with me - as
I assume that lots of waders will be up north breeding but there may be a
reasonable overwintering population to be seen at East Point, Lee Point etc,
so would be interested in thoughts on that front.
Also, is there a site other than Eremaea where NT sightings are discussed?
I see my trip coincides with Arnhem Land bird week - hope all the birds
aren't being paid to be over there for the bird week punters!
Cheers
Tom Wilson
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Gary Wright
Darwin and top end is a great birding spot. I had to go there a bit for
work over the last few years so managed to catch up on some that I had
missed.
Arafura fantail-buffalo creek on seaward side of corner just before you
come to carparks parallel to beach-hope that makes sense-there is a big s
bend just before you get there and it was on the left when going towards
carpark. seen in same place two visits
little kingfisher-one of my bogey birds-eventually got it at creek with
boardwalk(8) in McCrie and watson for casuarina coastal reserve. I found
this area a wonderland for birds both hospital side of mangroves and
beachside of mangroves
rainbow pitta-East point go past toilets from carpark into woodland
banded fruit dove-gubara in Kakadu (Mc Crie and watson)
Not much use to you but I have seen great billed heron and buff sided robin
on Katherine river while on bushwalk with Willis's walkabouts, but not
accessible without carrying your pack. Also approx 40 hooded parrots on
same walk. Don't have info for around Pine creek but I am sure someone
will.
suffice to say McCrie and Watson indispensable.
Gary
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John Tongue
We found
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ntbirds/
worth keeping an eye on for up-to-date sightings. To get into Leanyer sewage ponds, you need to do an induction (which can be done online), and pay a deposit and pick up a key. Peter Kyne, whose details can generallby be found on Birding-Aus, or the NT Birds blog was VERY helpful to us in getting our induction, and general info while we were there (January)
We dipped on Great-billed Heron, had one distant look at Chestnut Rail at Buffalo Ck, Biggles Binns helped us get onto Arafura Fantail near Nightcliffe (it wasn't really the right time of year), and Swinhoes Snipe near his place (Humpty Doo). Had a number of Rainbow Pitta around East Point, and one at Nourlangie, in Kakadu. Had one Banded Fruit-dove there as well. Couldn't get to Gunlom, or the best spots for Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon (Too much water), so dipped on those. HAd Hooded Parrots at the Pine Creek Sewage works, along with Black Bittern, White-browed Crake, Buff-banded Rail, etc. Chestnut-backed BQ (Didn't get Red-backed anywhere), and Sandstone Shrike-thrush near Nourlangie. Yellow White-eye in a few mangrove spots, but no White-breasted Whistler, and Mangrove Golden only at Adelaide River Cruises. One Mangrove Grey Fantail behind Palmerston Sewage works. One Zitting Cisticola across Sth Alligator Floodplain (along with hundreds of Golden-headeds everywh
ere!). Star Finch and Yellow-rumped Mannikin at Timber Creek Airfield, and Buff-sided Robin at Kunnunurra. Purple-crowned Fairy-wren at Victoria River. NO Pictorellas or Gouldians, but difficult time of year - you will probably have more luck.
Hope that might help a little. Peter Kyne and Biggles Binns were very helpful, as I'm sure all the NT birders would be.
Happy Birding,
John Tongue
Ulverstone, Tas.
Alastair Smith
I am currently in Darwin under the guise of navy reserve time and birding is very hot work!
Niven Mcrie's 'Finding birds in Darwin Kakadu and the top end' is an invaluable resource and you should try and get a copy. It has the answers to all your questions. Incidentally I was out at Leanyer sewage works yesterday and spoke to a birder who said that Niven has left the NT for the gold coast.
Unfortunately, the same birder said that the local community has resisted Eremaea as it is happy with yahoo groups, so Eremaea is really only used by us visitors. In my fortnight up here I have posted 25+ lists so this may be of assistance in the local Darwin region.
Regards
Alastair
Sent from my iPad
Denise Goodfellow
(near Palmerston) or Stuart Pk mangroves (if you don't mind getting muddy).
Channel Island bridge good for Great-billed Heron.
Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon - Bardejdilidji. Also Banded Fruit-dove. Or
if the Carpentaria Palms at the beginning of the Nourlangie walk are
fruiting, Banded will be feeding there.
Hooded Parrot- often hanging around streets in Pine Creek.
Little Kingfisher-best spot Howard Springs on trunks of trees.
Green-backed Gerygone - monsoon vine-thicket on way to Wickham Pt,
Palmerston
Gouldian Finch - sites depend on whether rain has fallen or fire. I've just
expanded on this in an article I sent to Simon Mustoe on my trip with
Jonathon Franzen.
I could go on, but have other work to do. Good luck
--
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow B.A. Grad.Dip.Arts
1/7 Songlark Street, Bakewell NT 0832, AUSTRALIA
Ph. 61 08 89 328306
Mobile: 04 386 50 835
Birdwatching and Indigenous tourism consultant
PhD Candidate (Southern Cross University, NSW)
Interpreter/transcriber, Lonely Planet Guide to Aboriginal Australia
Vice-chair, Wildlife Tourism Australia; ecotourism adviser, Mitchell Creek
Landcare
Nominated by Earthfoot (2004) for Conde Nast's Traveler International Award
"it gave me huge insight" into the lives of Aboriginal Australians
Jonathon Franzen on "Quiet Snake Dreaming".
For copies of Birds of Australia¹s Top End or Quiet Snake Dreaming, visit
amazon.com
http://www.denisegoodfellow.com.au
http://www.earthfoot.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baby-dreaming
www.fatbirder.com/
http://www.facebook.com/Wildlife.Tourism.Australia
http://wildlifetourism.org.au
on 1/4/12 1:46 PM, Tom and Mandy Wilson at wilso...@optusnet.com.au
wrote: