Darwin Area Trip Report 26-30th Dec 2010

A pleasure, Mark. Happy New Year. Denise

on 1/1/11 12:57 PM, Mark Stanley at markjstanley@gmail.com wrote:

> 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 >

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