Esperance….
By kirri hardy, on February 16th, 2014
Just a quick question.. When is the best time of year to visit Esperance W.A and the Cheynes beach area? What birds are there in the area and birding hotspots/locations..?? All help much appreciated 
Email: savannahhardy66@yahoo.com.au Thanks in advance Kirri…:-) _______________________________________________ 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
Hi Kirri, I dunno about a quick question……..;) It depends what you are chasing. Probably for the best overall variety of species, I would say October-November when there should be some waders around, but you can still get a few winter seabirds from shore. If seabirds are more your thing, then earlier (Aug-Sep) might be better. If you’re a wader buff Nov-Jan/Feb may be the go (but it will get busier during school holidays). The key bushbird species are all resident, although they are less vocal/obvious some times of the year. October-November most should be fairly vocal still. Ususally around the Cheynes Beach the key targets are the big 3 skulkers (Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Whipbird and Western Bristlebird). You can get all three within walking distance of the caravan park – ask at reception for the birding info. Most of the other south-west endemics (like White-breasted Robin, Red-winged Fairy-wren, Red-eared Firetail etc.) can also be found in the area. There are occasionally Rock Parrot or waders on the beach, and if there is a strong S’ly wind up you might get Flesh-footed Shearwater, albatross (mostly Indian Yellow-nosed) and Great-winged Petrels in the bay, and probably a chance for other species. There are also mammals about, with the chance of Honey Possum in flowering banksias. I’ve also seen Quenda (Southern Brown Bandicoot), and a Quokka, and there can be Southern Right Whales in the bay at the right time of year (winter-?). At Cheynes Beach, most of the birding is in walking distance of the caravan park, but you can drive back up Cheynes Road looking for raptors and a few other species (let me know if you are interested in bitterns), head back into Albany where there are a number of other sites (Lower Kalgan Bridge, Lake Seppings, Torndirrup NP etc.), or take a day trip to the Stirling Range to pick up some woodland species – again, if you want more details on some of these sites, please let me know At Esperance, the key species for WA birders tend to be Cape Barren Goose (usually easy at the entrance to the Golf Course on the road to Norseman), and Black-faced Cormorant (on the platform off the end of the Tanker Jetty) which are tough elsewhere in the state. Hooded Plover occur on the salt lakes (Lake Warden can be good), and several south-west endemics occur here too. Some of the sites worth checking: Lake Warden (access via a track off Stearne Rd, Hooded Plovers, other waders) The lakes on the golf course, ?Windabout Lakes? (viewable from the Esperance-Norseman Rd or you could ask for permission at the golf course to see if you could walk around them, ducks, sometimes waders etc.) Mullet Lakes (start of Merivale Rd, usually a good variety of waterbirds and sometimes waders) Lake Wheatfield and Woody Lake (a few waterbirds) Cape Le Grand NP (heath species like Western Fieldwren, Southern Emu-wren, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, quieter beaches may have waders – farmland on the road to Cape Le Grand can have Emu and Aus Bustard as well as pipits, chats, raptors etc.) Woody Island – boat trip can have White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Flesh-footed and Short-tailed Shearwater, Pacific Gull, Cape Barren Goose etc. You can stay on the island in safari tent accomodation or do a day tour, good for some bushbirds which can be quite confiding (Brown Quail, Rock Parrot, Red-eared Firetail) and you can sit next to a Flesh-footed Shearwater colony at dusk and listen to them fly in The Esperance foreshore is good for Pacific Gull, and occasionally Rock Parrot. Western Wattlebird is common in many areas, especially if there are banksias. Other potentially useful info: http://the-twitcher.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/sw-wa-trip-part-2-cheynes-beach-area.html http://tim-dolby.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/western-australias-wonderful-south-west_29.html (scroll down to Cheynes Beach section) http://birdingwa.iinet.net.au/sites/cheynes_beach.htm http://www.birdlife.org.au/images/uploads/branches/documents/WA-32a_esperance.pdf Hope that’s useful, if you have any other queries feel free to let me know Cheers, John _______________________________________________ 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