Trip to Port Lincoln and Clare (SA)

Just back from a trip to the Eyre Peninsula, with one night in Port Augusta, a week at Louth Bay (just north of Port Lincoln) and 3 nights at Clare on the way home. Mainly a family holiday, I did get a few opportunities to go birding with the highlight being a pair of Bush Stone-curlews in the bush right next to the house at Louth Bay (totally unexpected and I would be interested in other sightings around this area – are they resident here?). Locations visited and other highlights included: Port Augusta – All 3 stilt species at the salt lake on the entrance to town (many more Banded on the return journey) Arid Land Gardens – Chirruping Wedgebill, Redthroat (1f), flocks of Purple-crowned Lorikeet (also at Caravan Park), White-breasted Woodswallow (range expansion?) Louth Bay – Bush Stone-curlew, Rock Parrot, both Oystercatchers, Brush and Common Bronzewing (both common on soutehrn Eyre Peninsula) Black-faced Cormorant Koppio Hills (howling NW blowing) – Tawny-crowned HE in roadside flowering mallee – seemed odd habitat to me Lincoln NP (visited the Western Whipbird site in T&T and walked to Pillie Lake, followed by time spent at Surfleet Cove and September Beach) – Western Yellow Robin, Osprey, huge numbers of Dusky Woodswallow (also probable Blue-breasted Fairy-wren and Southern Scrub-robin possibly heard) Whalers Way lookout – Rock Parrot Port Lincoln area (including Billy Lights Point, Lincoln Cove Marina and Big Swamp) – White-bellied Sea-eagle, (late?) Sacred Kingfisher, Western Yellow Robin, Banded Stilt, 1 Common Greenshank Coffin Bay NP (including Long Beach) – Southern Emu-wren (target subspecies poorly seen at Altoma Beach), Blue-breasted Fairy-wren (family group with 1 male with enough plumage to confirm ID), Fairy Tern, Australian ‘Port Lincoln’ Ringneck (surprisingly few seen), 1 Common Greenshank Whyalla CP (Wild Dog Hill) – stopped in middle of day on return journey – no Grasswren seen but a great flock of ‘ Black-capped’ Sittellas Clare – nothing spectacular but a few giood Riesling’s sampled (and bought) A nice female Peregrine seen east of Morgan and a Spotted Harrier on the southern outskirts of Mildura were some nice raptors from the return journey. My 5 year old son has started a bird list and we didn’t get to 100, but he has BSC on his list before Laughing Kookaburra (heard only so far) so he is off to a good start (the 3 year old is pretty good as well) and it was fun trying to get good views of common birds again. Thanks to everyone with advice on potential sites, and definitely keen to get back to the POrt Augusta/Whylla.Lincoln area in spring. Cheers, Peter

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