White-throated Grasswren

Congratulations John, on finding this bird. I abandoned Gunlom years ago because of regular fire in the spinifex sandstone habitat. To hear that Plumtree Creek habitat has also been burnt is very disappointing. However, my experience is that WTGW are harder to find at this time of year, and more so after a good Wet Season, such as we’ve just had. I most often saw them late in the year when they make themselves much more obvious, e.g. through territorial singing. White-throated Grasswren Jim Jim Creek, Kakadu Thanks to Tim Faulkner for researching NT online burn scar data to determine what may well be the only remaining mature (10-20 years old) spinifex sandstone habitat in the ‘World Heritage’ Kakadu NP. The habitat though only small, and surrounded by scorched country, was rich in reptile fauna, including a possibly eastern-most record of Pygmy King Brown Snake (well named as Pseudechis weigeli), which I was videoing when I heard the only WT Grasswren I was to encounter. An unforgettable moment, but one that had me grappling with my priorities. It is a very big job getting to the site, with camping permits required, but my advice to anyone who wants to see this bird is to not leave it too late. Last year was the most extensive burn year for Kakadu, and the momentum appears to be ongoing. As I hiked out today a fresh series of fires through visible gullies were visible. BTW I tried on previous days to find mature habitat atop Gunlom and at Plum Tree Ck, areas I know well from many explorations over the past few decades, but could not find any, and very disappointing herp activity. With the WTGW, I have now photographed all IOC Grasswren species within a two-month period, all solo. WTGW was definitely the toughest! John Weigel Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow PO Box 71 Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841 PhD candidate Vice-chair Wildlife Tourism Australia goodfellow@bigpond.com.au Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia Founding Member: Australian Federation of Graduate Women Northern Territory 043 8650 835 _______________________________________________ Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org