Hi Folks, Just returned from a brief but satisfying trip to the Strzelecki track in SA. Participators: Steve Potter and Bert Harris.
Monday: Leaving Adelaide at 3am, we did a slight detour (300kms return) to Lake Gilles to check out Western Yellow Robin (Steve) and Rufous Tree-creeper (Bert). Also the fact that the lake was full of water!! Nice. A quick stop at Iron Knob totally failed to find local race of Thick-billed Grasswren (Myall) but did produce Red-throat. Lunch at Arid Lands in Pt Augusta was quiet but still saw Chirruping Wedgebill and White-backed Swallow – Two birds common for the rest of the trip north. 7pm We arrived at the freshened up Mt. Lyndhurst station. Nice one Bill!!
Tuesday: Up early to head up the track 270kms to the Strzelecki crossing. Various stops revealed a bag full of great birds. The country is looking amazing with a tinge of green everywhere since the huge rains in February. Highlights were, Banded Whiteface, Eyrean Grasswren and TWO pair of nesting Letter-wing Kites at one location with a Black-shouldered thrown in for good measure. Big numbers of Budgies and Zebra Finch. Black Falcon on the way up. Inland Dotteral and Barn Owl on the Track on the Way Back. The other highlight was seeing the Strzelecki crossing still with water in it, though not moving. 100+ Straw-necked Ibis, a doz. of White-necked Heron, Pallid Cuckoo and a few Cockatiel. We did the drive back (230km of dirt) in 2.5 hours. The last hour in the dark which I wouldn’t recommend. Very close call with an on-coming car as we were both in the middle of the Road!!
Wednesday: Early start at Rusty Car site produced Thick-billed GW, Chestnut-breasted Whiteface (completing the trifecta) and a few others. The two gates site gave us Cinnamon Quail-Thrush. The only real dip was Rufous Field-wren. We detoured via the Flinders Ranges on the return trip to find Short-tailed GW at Stokes Hill. The Flinders also is looking brilliant with lots of greenery and water in the creeks. Its going to be a great spring! Home via a Schnitty at the Quorn Pub.
Great trip and thanks again to Bill from Mt. Lyndhurst, and John Turner (SA) for all the good oil on the track.
Steve Potter m: 0407 398 234 e: steve@frontier.org.au
Full List: Emu Australian Pelican White-necked Heron Great Egret Straw-necked Ibis Australian Wood Duck Black-shouldered Kite Letter-winged Kite Black Kite Spotted Harrier Wedge-tailed Eagle Brown Falcon Black Falcon Nankeen Kestrel Inland Dotterel Black-fronted Dotterel Banded Lapwing Masked Lapwing Silver Gull Crested Pigeon Diamond Dove Galah Little Corella Cockatiel Australian Ringneck Red-rumped Parrot Mulga Parrot Budgerigar Elegant Parrot Pallid Cuckoo Southern Boobook Barn Owl Laughing Kookaburra White-backed Swallow Welcome Swallow Tree Martin Fairy Martin Rufous Treecreeper Splendid Fairy-wren Variegated Fairy-wren White-winged Fairy-wren Short-tailed Grasswren Eyrean Grasswren (Life) Thick-billed Grasswren Redthroat Weebill Inland Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Southern Whiteface Chestnut-breasted Whiteface Banded Whiteface (Life) Red Wattlebird Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Noisy Miner Yellow-throated Miner Singing Honeyeater Yellow-plumed Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Brown-headed Honeyeater White-fronted Honeyeater Crimson Chat White-fronted Chat Jacky Winter Red-capped Robin Western Yellow Robin (Life) White-browed Babbler Chirruping Wedgebill Cinnamon Quail-thrush Crested Bellbird Gilbert’s Whistler Rufous Whistler Grey Shrike-thrush Magpie-Lark Grey Fantail Willie Wagtail Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike White-winged Triller White-browed Woodswallow Black-faced Woodswallow Grey Butcherbird Australian Magpie Grey Currawong Australian Raven Little Crow White-winged Chough Richard’s Pipit House Sparrow Zebra Finch Mistletoebird Rufous Songlark Brown Songlark Silvereye
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