Trip Report: NSW Just west of the Blue Mts

Hi all last week (22-28 Sep 2014) I spent 6 nights staying at Capertee Village (on the Castlereagh Hwy) on a family break. While not an exclusively birding trip (as my family holidays never are), I managed to squeeze in a bit of birding (well more than a bit actually…). Highlights below, but some general comments first. Capertee Valley itself is extremely dry. I did not find any evidence of flowering gum trees or mistletoes and the only flowering trees I can really recall were the ornamentals in the garden of the cottage that we were staying in. I would say that the same conditions existed around Mudgee and into Munghorn Gap NR. Further west (Canowindra/Orange) it was much greener and there were some trees in flower. I used the Capertee Valley Bird Routes brochure when touring the valley. If one is not able to access private property, this is a good guide but it is a very birding specific route – opportunities for the non-birders in the car to get out and do a bushwalk are somewhat limited. 22/9 – stopped at Govetts Leap in Blue Mts (Blackheath) for lunch and saw a party of 15+ “green” Satin Bowerbirds doing circuits around the parking area. A Fan-tailed Cuckoo called incessantly the whole time we were there. An early evening walk around Capertee Village revealed a single Gang-gang Cockatoo (only one seen on the trip) and a big group of Tree Martins at the railway bridge/cutting. Around the house were Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Double-barred and Red-browed Finch, Satin Bowerbird, Grey Shrike-thrush, Yellow-faced and New Holland Honeyeater . A very scruffy Whistling Kite was seen passing over the house. 23/9 – a day in “the valley”, starting at Pearsons Lookout where a group of 40+ Rainbow Bee-eaters passed over and also observed a party of Brown Goshawks (2 female, 1 male ), a Wedge-tailed Eagle and 2 White-browed Woodswallows flying close to but not with many Dusky Woodswallows. Went through the valley, stopping at several of the sites on the Capertee Valley Bird Routes brochure. While very dry and the birds not in big numbers, some good birds seen incl: Speckled Warbler, Little Eagle (1 of each) Yellow-tufted HOneyeaters (5) and a gang of White Browed Babblers (6) at Coco CreekDiamond Firetail (1), Turquoise Parrot (2 + 1), Black-chinned Honeyeater (1), Jacky Winters (6 – 1 of which flew into the car and out the other side), Restless Flycatchers and Rufous Songlark (2 each) at the mail box site on Crown Station RdBrown Treecreepers and Peaceful Doves at Glen DavisBig flock (100+) of Zebra Finch about 1/2 way between Glen Davis and Glen Alice, plus heard (but could not see) more Diamond Firetails. Nearby was a 1/2 full dam that had a Yellow-billed SpoonbillSmashing male Hooded Robin at Glen Alice, plus more Peaceful Doves and a Horsfields Bronze CuckooBuff-rumped Thornbill and lots of Gerygones at BogeeBrown Falcon near Kandos 24/9 – early walk south along the highway from Capertee. Saw a male Scarlet Robin, a party of 5 Brown-headed Honeyeaters and 2 Red-browed Treecreeper in roadside woods and flushed a Wonga Pigeon. The path took me close to a site where I could look into a property (the gate was definitely locked) where there were 2 male Glossy-black Cockatoo feeding. In the day, we went up to Mudgee. 1 Pelican in Lake Windamere and several Mistletoebirds rocketing up and down the main street, Had lunch at Putta Bucca Wetlands (although the wagtail long gone). A good range of ducks on site, plus a Peregrine and then a Hobby passed over too and saw a Lathams Snipe. After a bit of winery work, went to Munghorn Gap NR where the only bird of note was a Common Bronzewing flushed off the Castle Rocks Track. 25/9 – raining, so did the ultimate inside activity at Jenolan Caves. Possible sighting of an Origma near Caves House, but not a good look. Went into Lithgow on the way home and stopped at the water works, where saw lots of ducks (Teal, Hardhead, Pink-eared, Shoveler, 2 Freckled Duck) and Grebes (Hoary-headed and Australasian) 26/9 – west to Canowindra, where saw Superb Parrots and enjoyed the Age of Fishes Museum (I might not drive 2 hours out of my way to see it but if you are in the area go in – it was fascinating). The trees in the museum garden held lots of honeyeaters (White-plumed, Noisy Friarbirds, Red Wattlebirds). Came home the long way via Orange – a stop at the Orange Botanic Gardens yielded a single Blue-faced Honeyeater and a party of 25-30 Superb Parrots feeding next to the car park on something in recently cut grass. As well as this group, several parties flew over too. 27/9 – Had an early morning back in the valley. Tried extensive walking in the woodland in Gardens of Stone NP looking for Spotted Quail-thrush but not even a peep. (Too much good habitat and only one of me unfortunately). At the mailbox site on Crown Station Rd, saw Fuscous Honeyeaters (6), Restless Flycatchers (2), Rufous Songlark (1), a pair of Hooded Robin but no Firetails or Turquiose Parrots. In the day, we went up to Dunns Swamp in Wollemi NP (east of Rylstone). Saw a very nice Brown Falcon coming into Kandos. At Dunns Swamp, I saw an Origma (probably nesting as it disappeared several times into a rock crevice) and pair of Musk Duck on the lake – the male being very aggressive to any Coot that got too close. On the way home to watch the AFL Grand Final saw a Spotted Harrier quartering the roadside grass, plunge in, come up onto an earth mound with a prey item and then set off at high speed – food for a mate or brood perhaps? (Seeing a hawk must have been an omen). 28/9 – stopped at Lake Wallace on the way home and saw lots of Musk Duck and Great Crested Grebes, a raft of 20+ Hoary-headed Grebe, 6 Whiskered Terns and 2 possible (and very distant) Blue-billed Duck. They were resting on the water with heads down under wings and tails flat. They had rounded profiles that made them look like little floating buns. At the distance, they looked dark brown, and I could not see any white towards the rump, so had them as a possible but worth a closer look. The lake held 100s, if not 1000s, of Coot. Had lunch at Mt Banks, where I saw pairs of both Scarlet and Flame Robins and heard a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. All up about 150 species for 6 days, although several (eg Blue-billed Duck) were only “possibles” so don’t make the year list. Cheers Tom Wilson