Darwin birding in the Wet Season

My bogeybird for the last couple of years has been the Rufous Owl. It's one of those birds that everyone who has seen it says they has a "Dead Cert" location for it, but it's never there when I try.

Getting sick and tired of Adelaide's scorching summer I decided to spend a whirlwind weekend in Darwin to search for my 700th bird in Australia. Yeah ok, it's the wet season but I also needed to find Swinhoe's Snipe which  are relatively simple in the wet. Thankfully my mate lives there and he generously offered to put me up and assist me to search. Then one of my other birding friends decided to join us so it ended up being quite a fun and social weekend!

The Swinhoe's Snipe was easy to find in the grass with a flock of 5 of them within a few minutes. Apart from the tail length, the Swinhoe's  fly quite differently to the Pin-tailed Snipe. Swinhoe's flush and then fly low for a short distance then drop back down where-as the Pin-tails fly up high and keep flying as far as the eye can see!  We had excellent views of the snipe but due to the rain and overcast conditions getting decent photos was impossible!!

Celebration time and high fives all around! 700 - TICK!

 

 

We searched various rainforests for the Rufous Owl, getting attacked by leeches for our efforts, sadly without success and I was beginning to think that it was a fictitious species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We gave up, climbed back into the car and drove off. Suddenly as we drove down the road in the dark a stunning beautiful Rufous Owl flew across in front of our car in the headlights!! Great view even if it was only brief! 701 TICK!





My friend Jen and I spent a few hours birding at Fogg Dam which was a hive of activity with Pied Herons, little Egret's, Jacanas, Royal Spoonbills and Magpie Geese feeding on the wall.

 

 

Gilbert's Dragon

 

Common Grasshawk

 

Common Grasshawk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Glider

 

 

Common Crow

 

 

Common Crow

We tried for the recently reported Phalaropes but they had left a few days before we arrived. No matter, they will turn up somewhere else and I can twitch them then....

Darwin delivers again and I'm pleased to report that the Rufous Owl does exist after all!!

Horsfield's Bushlark

 

 

Pied Heron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Spoonbill

 

 

 

Rufous-banded Honeyeater

 

 

 

 

White-bellied Sea-eagle

 

 

 

 

Female Chalky Percher      Diplacodes trivialis

 

 

 

 

Slatey-grey Snake

 

 

 

Water Buffalo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Pied Heron

 

 

 

 

Birds of Beauty - the video

Recently I joined forces with local composer Elio to create a 10 minute video. This clip is a free download with every purchase of the new Sepia album which is relaxing and healing music especially designed for meditation.



 For further info or to purchase the album which includes a free copy of this video click this link!



    http://eliomusic.com/sepia-album-for-women/?tracking=52dedee8436e6 

Summer Owling fun!

What do you do when you are experiencing the hottest summer on record?  When the days are well over 40C and the nights over 25C to can be too hot to go birding..  Well we make the most of it and go Owling instead!


This weekend Chris and I went out with Mike and Lisa for about 5 hrs and came across 14 Barn Owls, a few Tawny Frogmouths and one Boobook. Along with a few Stubble Quail. Some of the Barn Owls allowed for very close viewing.

 

 

 

 

 

Stubble Quail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pectoral Sandpiper

I love summer, with daylight saving it is possible to go birding after work for a few hours!! I also love summer because its WADER SEASON!!

A few hours at my local wetland this week with my mate Chris resulted in excellent views of a pair of Pectoral Sandpipers. These gorgeous birds easily identified with their coloured bills and obviously chest markings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norfolk Island Part 2

The rest of the week on sunny Norfolk Island was more relaxed having seen all the endemics.





Each day had a sort of routine, check the tide, if high check the airport runway for waders, if low check Kingston.

Walk most of the tracks in the rainforest morning and evening and in the hottest part of the day go snorkelling and have coffee at the Golden Orb Café or at the Olive. It's tough, but someone has to do it....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cascade is a good spot to view seabirds - just ensure you apply plenty of sunscreen, it's easy to get distracted and with no pollution the sun is harsh!

Red-tailed Tropicbird

I managed to get out to Phillip Island with Dave which was certainly a highlight of the trip for me, although no lifers I did manage improved photos of Grey Ternlets which are a beautiful bird. Also enjoyed watching the flying fish, which are a type of Mullet which propel themselves with their tail fin to get out of danger.

 

 

 

Black Noddy

 

 

 

California Quail

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Whistler - both sexes of this race are fairly plain on Norfolk Island - potential split!

 

 

The Grey Fantail is also a unique race and is quite different to mainland race.

Pacific Golden Plovers enjoy the airport runway!

 

 

Male Pacific Robin - looks like a Scarlet Robin but it's call is very different!

 

 

 

 

 

Green Sea Turtle

 

Flying Fish

 

 

 

Red-tailed Tropicbirds can fly backwards when preparing to land or check their nests

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boat has to be lowered in and out of the water with a crane - yes, with us in it!

 

 

Grey Ternlet

 

Phillip Island

The locals are very friendly, the lifestyle very relaxed and I can certainly say that Norfolk Island is worth a visit!!