Gluepot Reserve - awesome mallee birding

A planned weekend a Gluepot turned into to one long day after discovering that about 20 students were camping there. I prefer solitude when camping so changed my plans and slept elsewhere arriving at Gluepot at 6am.

Gluepot is thriving with thick green vegetation, healthy Triodia and Orb spiders arein huge numbers (and size). Hiking through the Triodia is like an extreme sport! Trying to negotiate your footing can result in a face full of spider as they have created their webs between trees, Triodia and anything else they can find and often are not noticed until they have arrived uninvited onto your nose!

Things are really livening up and bird numbers are the best I have seen them in many years!

I came across 5 flocks of Miners, 3 of which I had time to check many of the birds (for the darker feathering on their lower jaw and their darker rump).

Black Eared Miner

Black Eared Miner

Black Eared Miner

Yellow Throated Miner (note the lack of  dark line on lower jaw)

3 Red Lored Whistlers were found , 1 single and 2 together.

While driving around Gluepot 7 Gilberts Whistlers were found, most doing what they do best and hiding in thick shrubs!!

The usual position of a Male Gilberts Whistler

Gilberts Whistler

Large numbers of White Browed and Masked Woodswallows, Yellow Plumed Honeyeaters and Inland & Chestnut Rumped Thornbills kept me entertained.

Chestnut Rumped Thornbill

Chestnut Rump

Chestnut Rumped Thornbill

Chestnut Rumped Thornbills can be identified from Inland by checking the eye colour! Chestnut Rumps have a white eye. This helps in Gluepot where the 2 often are found together.

Yellow Plumed Honeyeater

Many groups of  cheeky White Browed & Chestnut Crowned Babblers where observed throughout the day.

Weebills and Striated Pardelotes enjoyed the flowering Eucalypts.

Striated Pardelote

Southern Whiteface, Red Capped Robin, Hooded Robin and Mistletoebirds were in good numbers.

Mistletoebird

Red Capped Robin

Collared Sparrowhawks were seen hunting on Track 8 and Picnic Dam has a small amount of water in it which kept the White eared  Honeyeaters and Spiny Cheeked Honeyeaters happy.

Picnic Dam

Collared Sparrowhawk flies overhead

2 Southern Scrub Robin walked out of the Mallee to check me out while I sat under a tree watching a Grey Butcherbird.

Southern Scrub Robin

Grey Butcherbird

It is wonderful to see the bird numbers thriving and Gluepot is looking great at the moment!A visit there is well worth it!!

Bird hide