Last week my wife and I spent 3 nights and 2 full days at Kilcowera Station – one day driving the main Lake Wyara circuit, and one day around the Shearers’ Quarters. (Kilcowera Station is about 80 km south of Thargominda in far SW Queensland.) The weather was cold and overcast with some light rain. The countryside is magnificent, carpeted with plants and flowers. The property contains a variety of landforms/vegetation, and the main trees, shrubs and plants are all identified by large clear signs. There are many water-filled creeks, lakes, waterholes, and claypans.
We found that there were lots of birds everywhere, except for Lake Wyara itself, which is located within the adjacent Currawinya NP. Our birding highlights were Bourke’s parrot (3 sightings, all close, all daytime, two pairs and a threesome), chestnut-crowned babbler, red-backed kingfisher, all 4 woodswallow species, budgerigar flocks, a stunning pair of mature black-tailed native-hen, a pink-eared duck flock, splendid fairy-wren in breeding plumage, mulga parrot, and nesting Australian hobby. We had numerous frustrating encounters with ?little button-quail, but mostly saw them fly away from behind, having all but trodden on them. Generally, birds were found congregated in groups of 6 or more species not far from water, with few birds in between. In all, we saw 56 species on the station (57 counting lbq) without trying too hard, and one or two more in the adjacent National Park. We dipped on Hall’s babbler. Thornbills were scarce and we decided that, sadly, none of the few we saw were slaty-backed.
Apart from the list of birds likely to be seen, the chief attraction for us was the fact that most of the property that we walked and drove through consists of original (uncleared and uncultivated) land. Our accommodation was good, and host Toni Sherwin was most helpful.
Carl Weber
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