I’ve just returned from a very pleasant birding trip to the Top End. The weather was fantastic – mostly cloudy, with refreshing breezes, the odd cooling shower, virtually no flies, few and not very troubling mossies. All in all I saw 154 species, 52 new for the year,12 lifers and an Aussie tick (Little Ringed Plover) making for a top notch trip. Accommodation was cheap on the Esplanade; I rented a Rav 4 equivalent for $320 for 5 days +mileage. It was easy to access frequent flyer flights so this made for a very economical break. I would highly recommend a visit in the wet. I’ll need to return in the dry season especially for the Rufous Owl (last note in the Botanic Gardens Owl book was 24-Nov) and other night birds which I suspect might be easier to see in the dry season.
Among the places I visited were:
Darwin Botanic Gardens: – no owls but did see a Bar-breasted Honeyeater along with Dusky, the ubiquitous White-gaped, Brown and Rufous Banded Honeyeaters, a nesting Northern Fantail and Lemon-bellied Flycatcher.
East Point Reserve: Great views of Rainbow Pittas; also Shining and Lemon-bellied Flycatchers, Grey Whistler, Emerald Dove in the monsoon woodland; Red-headed Honeyeater, Black Butcherbird & and Broad-billed Flycatcher in the mangroves; Bush Stone-curlew, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Crimson, Double-barred and Long-tailed Finches in the clearings; And a good range of waders on the high tide roost at the point.
Buffalo Creek: Gulls, terns, waders, herons + Koel, Drongo, Green-backed Gerygone, Friarbirds but no Chestnut Rail.
Mangroves off Tiger Brennan Drive: There is a path into the mangroves to access some power poles a few hundred m south of Stoddart Drive. Chestnut Rails – 2 or 3 were seen together in the middle of a downpour. I watched the rails from about 20 m as they cackled and probed around a little stream formed by the rainwater runoff diverted around the mound on which the poles were built. Mangrove Robins, Collared Kingfisher, Yellow White-eyes and Red-headed Honeyeaters were also there.
Charles Darwin NP: Northern Rosellas, Little Shrikethrush (in the mangroves), heard Chestnut Rails there also but did not pursue them. Also heard but did not see Pale-vented Bush-hen in long grass formed by a stream entering the mangroves below the carpark.
Leanyer STP A kind and friendly local :- ) offered to take me to Leanyer STP if I promised not to get out of the car, go swimming in the ponds or be eaten by a crocodile. Constrained by these unreasonable conditions, I did get to see 3 Little Ringed Plovers, one clearly a juvenile, one an adult and one possibly in between. Lots of Common Sandpipers, a few Hardheads and Australasian Grebes and many Pied Herons, WW Terns, Wandering Whistling Ducks, Rajah Shelducks and even a couple of Green Pygmy Geese.
Homes Jungle: Good for Brown Quail, lots of Forest Kingfishers as well as Sacred and Blue-winged Kookaburra, a solitary Black Bittern in the “jungle”, numerous Golden-headed but no Zitting Cisticolas, Leaden Flycatchers, Finches, Chestnut-breasted Mannikins and Pheasant Coucals.
Howard Springs: Nankeen Night Heron, Azure Kingfisher and a probable Little Kingfisher zipped passed before I could bin it. Excellent views of a very approachable Rainbow Pitta. Also Little Shrikethush, Shining and Leaden Flycatcher, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove.
Fogg Dam: Barking Owl, 8 Barn Owls on the road out, numerous Jacanas, and excellent viewing of the three white egret species from the viewing platform. This also provided excellent views of White-browed Crakes on all three evening I visited it. They seemed to start calling about an hour before sunset and then come out shortly after that to preen, bathe, walk around and generally get themselves observed. There must be 3 or 4 parties/family groups that can be heard/seen from the platform. On the road from Stuart Highway I saw a Peregrine, Black-shouldered Kite, Kestrel and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos
Pine Creek: Highlight of the trip would have to be turning off the main road for Pine Creek and the first bird I saw was a female Hooded Parrot on the powerlines. Jumping out of the car I was confronted with Varied Lorikeet infested flowering gums. While trying to get a clear view of the lorikeets, Banded Honeyeaters kept getting in the way. So 3 of the first 4 species I saw there were lifers! Masked Finches added to the previous finch species and Brush Cuckoo, Rufous-throated Honeyeater at the cemetary..
Thanks to those who responded to my RFI. Apologies to those I did not manage to catch up with. Thanks to Tim Bawden who leant me his annotated version of McCrie and Watson’s excellent Finding Birds in Darwin, Kakadu and the Top End. And a special mention to Denise for taking time out from her may other commitments to show me around Leanyer STP and preventing from being eaten by a croc.
Annotated Trip List:
Australasian Grebe STP’s at Leanyer, Palmerston & Pine Creek Australian Pelican Buffalo Creek Little Black Cormorant Copperfield Dam, Pine Creek Great Cormorant Knuckley Lagoon Little Pied Cormorant Pine Creek STP Australian Darter Most wetlands Great Egret Fogg Dam Pied Heron Most wetlands Intermediate Egret Most wetlands White-faced Heron Pine Creek STP Little Egret Coast and wetlands Eastern Reef-egret East Point Cattle Egret Near Fogg Dam Green-backed Heron Most coastal sites Rufous Night-Heron Howard Springs Black Bittern Homes Jungle Black-necked Stork Various wetlands Australian White Ibis Very common Straw-necked Ibis Fogg Dam only Royal Spoonbill Widespread Magpie Goose Widespread Wandering Whistling-duc Widespread; all STPs Radjah Shelduck Widespread Green Pygmy-goose Widespread Hardhead Leanyer STP Osprey East Point Black-shouldered Kite Near Fogg Dam Black Kite Not very common Whistling Kite Very common Brahminy Kite Over mangroves White-bellied Fish-Eagle One over Darwin Australian Goshawk One on trip to Pine Creek Collared Sparrowhawk One near Copperfield Dam Wedge-tailed Eagle 3 occassions Australian Kestrel Near Fogg Dam Peregrine Falcon Near Fogg Dam Orange-footed Scrubfow Very common esp Botanic Gardens and East Point Brown Quail Homes Jungle Brolga South of Adealide River White-browed Crake Fogg Dam Chestnut Rail Darwin mangroves Pale-vented Bush-hen Heard at Charles Darwin NP in long grass formed by a stream entering the mangroves below the carpark. Purple Swamphen One at Pine Creek STP Comb-crested Jacana Abundant at Fogg Dam Australian Pied Oystercatcher East Point & Buffalo Creek Bush Thick-knee Many places Masked Lapwing Abundant; many nesting at Leanyer STP Pacific Golden-Plover East Point & Buffalo Creek Grey Plover East Point & Buffalo Creek Little Ringed Plover 3 at Leanyer STP Red-capped Plover Various coastal sites Lesser Sand Plover East Point Greater Sand Plover East Point Black-fronted Dotterel Pine Creek STP Bar-tailed Godwit East Point & Buffalo Creek Whimbrel East Point and elsewhere Far Eastern Curlew East Point Marsh Sandpiper Fogg dam Common Greenshank Knuckley Lagoon Terek sandpiper East Point Common Sandpiper East Point & STPs Grey-tailed Tattler East Point Ruddy Turnstone East Point & Buffalo Creek Great Knot East Point & Buffalo Creek Sanderling Buffalo Creek Red-necked Stint East Point Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Pine Creek STP Silver Gull Not very common Caspian Tern Buffalo Creek Great Crested Tern Buffalo Creek (Lesser Crested probably present but not followed up) White-winged Tern Fogg Dam and STP’s Emerald Dove East Point Crested Pigeon Pine Creek township Peaceful Dove Very common Bar-shouldered Dove Abundant everywhere Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove East Point & Fogg Dam Torresian Imperial-Pigeon Abundant around Darwin Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Flock near Fogg Dam Galah Widespread Little Corella Abundant Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Common around Darwin Red-collared Lorikeet Very common. (Is this splitable from Rainbow Lorikeet? Sounds and looks different.) Varied Lorikeet Very common around Pine creek Northern Rosella Common at Pine Creek, less so around Darwin, Charles Darwin NP Hooded Parrot 20+ on road into Pine Creek Red-winged Parrot Common Brush Cuckoo Heard many places, seen well at Pine Creek Common Koel Heard many places, seen at Buffalo Creek Pheasant Coucal Common at Homes Jungle, and near Fogg Dam Pallid Cuckoo Heard Howard Sporings, seen Fogg dam Barn Owl Many along Anzac Rd to Fogg dam Barking Owl Heard from Fogg Dam viewing platform, seen on Dam wall Blue-winged Kookaburra Common Forest Kingfisher Very Common Collared Kingfisher Seen/heard at most mangroves Sacred Kingfisher About 10% of Forest Kingfishers Azure Kingfisher Pine Creek & Howard Springs Little Kingfisher Glimpse at Howard Springs Rainbow Bee-eater Very common Dollarbird Very Common Rainbow Pitta Very common at East Point; also Adealide River and Howard Springs Australian Bushlark Many grasslands eg Homes Jungle Black-faced Cuckooshrike Only around Pine Creek White-bellied Cuckooshrike Very common, including at Pine Creek Varied Triller Very common including in mangroves Northern Fantail Reasonably common around Darwin Willie Wagtail Widespread but not very common Leaden Flycatcher Widespread and common Broad-billed Flycatcher East Point mangroves Shining Flycatcher Widespread Restless Flycatcher Widespread Golden-headed Cisticola Very common in rank grass; no Zitting Cisticolas seen. Grey-crowned Babbler Widespread Grey Whistler Common especially East Point Rufous Whistler Away from Darwin Little Shrike-thrush Mangroves and forest near Darwin Grey Shrike-thrush Sporadic Mangrove Robin Seen at mangroves near Darwin Lemon-bellied Flyrobin Widespread and common Jacky-winter Pine Creek area Red-backed Fairy-wren Widespread Weebill Only at Pine Creek; much more yellow than southern birds. Large-billed Gerygone Palmerston STP Green-backed Gerygone Buffalo Creek and STPs Mistletoebird Darwin BG Striated Pardalote Pine Creek Australian Yellow White-eye Most mangroves White-gaped Honeyeater Very common Yellow-throated Miner Palmerston Bar-breasted Honeyeater One at Botanic Gardens Rufous-banded Honeyeater Very common Rufous-throated Honeyeater Pair at Pine Creek cemetary Dusky Myzomela Botanic Gardens Red-headed Myzomela Botanic Gardens & mangroves near Darwin Banded Honeyeater Commonest honeyeater in Pine Creek Brown Honeyeater Abundant White-throated Honeyeater Pairs at many locations Blue-faced honeyeater Especially common around Palmerston Helmeted Friarbird Reasonably common Silver-crowned Friarbird Very common around Darwin Little Friarbird Positive ID at pine Creek but suspected elsewhere Australasian Figbird Very common around Darwin Green Oriole Virtually all wooded locations Spangled Drongo Buffalo Creek and Howard Springs Magpielark Ubiquitous White-breasted Woodswallow Very widespread Black-faced Woodswallow Common away from Darwin, eg Fogg Dam, Pine Creek Black Butcherbird Charles Darwin NP & East Point mangroves Pied Butcherbird Widespread Great Bowerbird Widespread Torresian Crow Widespread Crimson Finch Commonest finch Double-barred Finch Common, often with Crimson Finches Masked Finch Homes Jungle, Adelaide River and Pine Creek Long-tailed Finch Reasonably common Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Common, often with Crimson Finches
