Hi Birders,
I have just returned from a multi-day trip to the West McDonnell Ranges which was absolutely bird-packed. The various mallee species are currently in flower and have attracted a huge influx of honeyeaters, including Grey Honeyeaters. In three consecutive days I encountered noisy Greys each dawn and dusk, at one point seeing 5 individuals at one site- a record for me as I personally have ever seen more than two of these birds together at any one site. They were frantically feeding on flowers but suffering very aggressive mobbing by Brown Honeyeaters. Also present in good numbers are White-fronted Honeyeaters and Golden-backed Honeyeaters as well as a few Pied Honeyeaters. Any birders in the region would do well to head out there soon as the flowering event won’t last. I found the best sites for Greys to be in the mosaic areas of mulga, riverine and mallee woodland to be found between Ochre Pits and Serpentine Gorge along Namatjira Drive, although similar habitat stretches from Glen Helen to Ellery Creek so these areas are probably worth a look too. The action is all quite fast, furious and noisy so follow your ears to find these birds!
I’ll be posting a longer report on this trip onto Wildiaries and also on my website’s blog soon.
Happy Birding!
Mark Carter 0447358045 http://desertlife.com.au/ ===============================
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