Birds – Go Birding

The Grey Ghost – Townsville and Outback Queensland – Part 2

Posted on August 3, 2024 by CorwinCaelin

After a couple of successful days around Townsville it was time to hook up the caravan and head west. After our hijinx climbing mountains the night before we had a later start and headed towards Charters Towers. Towers Hill is on the edge of town and provides views of the town and surrounds. Here we were after Allied Rock-wallaby and after a few Euro found them to be common and reasonably approachable even though it was the middle of the day. There was one scavenging for scraps at the lookout and after a bit of a poke around we were able to get decent pics in a wild setting. A new mammal for all of us! As with the Shaman I might struggle to pick this out of a line-up of other east coast rock-wallabies although it did seem darker and more like a Brush-tailed.

Allied Rock-wallaby

From here we continued west passing through Prairie where there was an impressive Little Red Flying-fox roost before ending at Hughenden. We checked in to the local caravan park and hit the pub for a steak dinner and a couple of beers. From here we headed north towards Porcupine Gorge. Almost immediately upon leaving the town limits we had a Spectacled Hare-Wallaby run off the edge of the road. I had only seen a couple of times before and was new for the others – major target of the night ticked off already. Unfortunately just up the road we found a very freshly dead Black-headed Python which was rather depressing. Around Porcupine Gorge we found several more Hare-wallabies as well as plenty of Rufous Bettong which are always great to see. In the campground we had an unexpected Swamp Wallaby and several more Allied Rock-wallabies as we explored the gorge itself. Unfortunately it was too cold for and reptiles to be out and about. When we cruised back into Hughenden it was already around zero degrees!

Spectacled Hare-wallaby – proof of life

Rufous Bettong always look like they are plotting something

After finding a bakery we headed west to Winton where we dropped off the caravan for a few days exploring. A quick drop into the Winton Wastewater Treatment Plant which yielded a few wetland birds before we picked up some supplies and headed into Bladensburg National Park. I have great memories of my last visit to Bladensburg over 10 years ago as being very birdy so was pretty pumped. We found lots of nice birds as we birded most of the afternoon with things like Spinifexbird and Spinifex Pigeon always good for us southerners. We found a good place to light a fire and cook some steaks before heading out spotlighting. Almost immediately I had a hotspot on thermal which turned out to be a Kultarr!! This was new for Isaac and Owen and we had great views of it hiding in the spinifex before it bolted away at high speed. In quick succession we found another one and then a Stripe-faced Dunnart and the night was off to a great start. It was quiet for a bit until I had another hot spot in thermal and this time it was a Long-haired Rat – a lifer for me! This is an irruptive species which can reach plague numbers in good conditions but here was a single animal that wasnt moving much – we were even able to move the grass away from its face for photos. While visually looking in good condition I did feel along its back and could feel its ribs and spine easily – it was clearly not long for the world. We moved on and eventually found a very big extended colony south of the homestead – we would have seen hundreds of rats on thermal and many on the road as we moved through this area. Of course with any influx of rodents there were plenty of predators with Boobooks and Barn owls prevalent. A very good night and we slept well in our isolated campsite.

Good times

Long-haired Rat

Barn Owl on rat patrol

Cute little Boobook

Up reasonably early we birded a bit before heading back to Winton for some bakery breakfast. From here it was run down to Lark Quarry where the main target was the Opalton Grasswren. The comms tower at the turnoff is reputedly good for Grey Falcon but much like my last visit over ten years ago they were not in evidence despite us checking the tower many times. Just up from the tower we explored the mature spinifex and quickly found small groups of Rufous-crowed Emu-wrens. Back near the car I was able to get onto a nice group of Opalton Grasswrens which is a fairly recent split from the widespread Striated Grasswren – a new bird for me and one I was happy to get. They didn’t really stop for photos but also did not want to smash them with playback in this well known site for them. Last time I was here I only heard them! Birding was good around the whole area with things like Hall’s Babblers and Chestnut-breasted Quailthrush putting on a show. Near camp I was out exploring and climbed up a jump-up when my dodgy knee gave way…. I fell straight on my arse into a big mound of spinifex – I tried to get up and fell in again – two weeks later and I am still trying to get spines out of areas that shall remain nameless! We spent a couple of hours spotlighting after dark without any real success.

Opalton Grasswren – proof of life

Contemplating life

Up early we headed again back to Winton for fuel and another bakery stop before heading out towards Brighton Downs station and the start of the Diamantina area. Unfortunately we really did not have time to do it justice but spent our time birding and exploring. There were good numbers of Black Falcons and Spotted Harriers which showed conditions must be pretty good. Isaac needed Gibberbird so we headed to a single pin in the middle of a large area of gibber where someone had found one years ago. The good thing about gibber is its bleak and does not change much so the boys were pretty quickly onto a confiding pair. From here we kept birding all the way to Brighton Downs station entrance. The Grey Falcon is an enigmatic arid adapted raptor that can be scarce and hard to find, however it does like comms towers which are scattered throughout the outback. Here we found no less than three birds perched on the tower which gave us walk away views. We sat and cooked dinner and had a beer watching them through a scope. On dusk they all flew down to roost together near the base of the tower – very cool. We had high hopes for spotlighting that night but after an initial rush of Fat-tailed Dunnarts it was very quiet.

Grey Falcon

Grey Falcon in its native habitat – comms towers

Gibberbird in gibber….

Unfortunately our time for exploring was at an end so we headed back to Winton to pick up the caravan and start to head back to Melbourne. We travelled down through places like Longreach, Charleville, Bourke and Griffith birding where it made sense and seeing some nice things. It was pretty bloody cold most nights! One thing to call out was the sheer volume of goats between the Queensland border, through Bourke and down to Cobar – ridciulous – there must have been thousands beside the road on this stretch.

Ubiquitous Red Kangaroo

Red-winged Parrots are always good to see for a southerner

As always I would like to thanks Simone and Lucas for letting me go. Isaac and Owen for being fantastic travel companions and everyone who helped with gen for the trip!

Bird list – see the eBird Trip report – HERE!

Mammal list

Echidna – no live ones – just plenty of roadkill all over
Kultarr – 2 maybe 3 animals in Bladensburg NP
Fat-tailed Dunnart – 3 at Brighton Downs Station
Stripe-faced Dunnart – 1 only at Bladensburg NP
(Northern) Long-nosed Bandicoot – 1 young animal at Jourama Falls
Mahogony Glider – 3 different animals at a bush block south of Ingham. My trip highlight!
(Northern) Greater Glider – a single animal behind Paluma in Flooded Gum forest – seemed smaller and more patchy than Southern animals I am used to
Green Ring-tailed Possum – 1 animal behind Paluma
Broad-toed Feather-tailed Glider – poor views of a couple of animals on road down from Paluma – species called on range
Rufous Bettong – common on roads around Porcupine Gorge
Allied Rock-wallaby – Common on the big hill at Charter’s Towers – several also seen at Porcupine Gorge
Sharman’s Rock-wallaby – Several glassed at Mount Claro – closer encounters back towards Mount Fox
Spectacled Hare-wallaby – One just outside Hughenden – several more near Porcupine Gorge
Western Grey Kangaroo – pretty common when we passed into their range in southern QLD and NSW
Eastern Grey Kangaroo – seen on and off from Townsville to home
Agile Wallaby – two to three billion suicidal animals between Jourama falls and Townsville 🙂 Common anywhere else in range
Whip-tailed Wallaby – two near Mount Claro
Common Wallaroo/Euro – Seen in rocky habitat where expected – Mount Claro, Charters Towers, Porcupine Gorge, Bladensburg NP etc
Red Kangaroo – Common once past Charters Towers
Swamp Wallaby – single animal at Porcupine Gorge – roadkills as we headed through NSW
Fawn-footed Melomys – a couple around Paluma
Giant White-tailed Rat – 1 animal at entrance to Jourama Falls
Long-haired Rat – a few random animals at Bladensburg NP until we found a super colony of hundreds south of the homestead
Rabbit*
Hare*
Black-Flying Fox – Jourama Falls and Paluma
Little Red Flying-fox – a large and impressive roost at Prairie
Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat – one at Jourama Falls
White-striped Freetail Bat – heard everywhere
Large-footed Myotis – fishing at Jourama Falls
(microbats in general) – large numbers seen everywhere – no time to try and use detector etc
Dingo – heard at Lark Quarry
Feral Cat* – too many
Feral Pig* – too many
Feral Goat* – ridiculous numbers from southern Queensland through to Bourke and beyond – literally thousands beside the roads
Rusa Deer* – a couple of larger deer crossing the road near Bourke probably this species

Meow

In search of the Shaman – Townsville and Outback Queensland trip – part 1

Posted on July 26, 2024 by CorwinCaelin

About six months ago Isaac Clarey reached out to see if I wanted to help drive his caravan back to Melbourne from Townsville after a family holiday. We would take about a week driving back looking for wildlife so of course I jumped at the chance. With a few value add days at the start of the trip around Townsville to chase some targets I was set for a good trip. In particular I had heard of a spiritual animal called the Shaman a couple of hours from Townsville that I was keen to visit and see if I was to be granted an audience. After a typical sleepless night due to stressing about an early flight I left Melbourne on a flight to Brisbane – fortunately I fell asleep on the plane and was woken by the jolt as the plane touched down. A four hour wait in Brisbane for a flight to Townsville did drag on but an Osprey on a sign was a good start. Finally I arrived in Townsville around 5pm and picked up a hire car and headed into town to my hotel. It was my first visit to Townsville since I was there as a kid in 1982 – I would like to say it hadn’t changed but I didn’t remember anything at all. I had a quick walk around the Strand before dark where Great Bowerbirds, Figbirds and Bush Stone-curlews showed me I wasn’t in Melbourne anymore. After a quick bite and check-in to my hotel I headed about 80 km north to meet Isaac at Jourama Falls where we would search for my first main target of the trip – the Mahogony Glider. This very range restricted species lives in a small 120km long strip of lowland rainforest north of Townsville in an area that has been heavily fragmented by land clearing for cane and other farming.

Green Tree Frog – Jourama Dunnies

Jourama Falls area was full of life if not our immediate target. In a couple of hours we saw frogs, pythons, spiders, nightjars, bandicoot and a birder playing Rufous Owl calls but no sign of Mahogany Glider. There was no flowering trees which is apparently a key sign to look for. On the way out we spotlit the entrance road and found a Giant White-tailed Rat which is an impressive animal about the size of a Ringtail possum back home.

Giant White-tailed Rat peekaboo

Legends Matt Wright and Tim Faulkner had given me a couple of other sites to try for the Mahogony Glider nearby so we headed there next despite it starting to get late. Walking down beside some cane we finally saw our first flowering eucalypt and boom! in it was a Mahogony Glider! I was a little surprised by this one as it looked like a pretty standard Squirrel Glider in colour and size. However being the only glider in range in this size we were high fiving and celebrated with a luke warm beer. Moving on we found two more which were much more impressive animals – larger and a lovely cinnamon type brownish colouring. One of them was clearly a big male, with scent gland on forehead and a huge fluffy tail – I would estimate it at 80% plus the size of a Yellow-bellied Glider back home. Interestingly all three were found in or next to flowering eucalypt species. I would recommend anyone searching for this species to do daytime recce for flowering trees. I was stoked – barely a few hours in and I already had one major target under the belt. I got back to my hotel in Townsville around 1am which was pretty good considering the success. I passed about 1000 suicidal Agile Wallabies without incident.

Mahogony Glider

Mahogony Glider – beautiful!!

I was up early the next morning and drove straight to a site Matt had pointed me to for Black-throated Finch – something of a bogey bird of mine and one of the few new birds I could target on this trip. While I had other sites up my sleeve this was right on the edge of town and would save me significant time if it paid off. Almost immediately on pulling up I had a group of finches fly over with an unfamiliar call which landed in long grass – I was pretty sure they were the target but there was a few anxious minutes til one showed itself so I could confirm – excellent – a Black-throated Finch which was a lifer. They eventually flew back over my head and landed in trees giving good binocular views and poor proof of life photos. It was quite a birdy area with some nice northern species to wet the appetite. Thanks Matt!

Black-throated Finch – proof of life

As Matt’s epic tip had saved me so much time I headed north and dropped into Tyto wetlands at Ingham. This is one of those legendary birding spots I had heard about for years so had to drop in for a quick visit. I ended up staying an hour picking up a very respectable 43 species. I would like to have stayed longer but I had a much more important appointment on my mind. In the distance beyond Ingham were mountains and in the rocky hills beyond that was the near mythical Shaman – to all who had met this beast, it was considered the most holy animal in Australia. I pointed the hire car in the right direction and set off – hopeful I would be granted an audience.

The Shaman is better known by its proper names – Sharman’s or Mount Claro Rock-wallaby and is an extremely range restricted member of the east coast Petrogale rock-wallaby tribe. It is completely restricted to the Seaview and Coane ranges west of Ingham an area of maybe 50*50km at best. After travelling an hour or so through cane I quickly ascended up a rather steep and precarious road to Mount Fox and then out to Mount Claro. The population at Mount Claro is on private property although easily viewed from the road. Immediately on pulling up I was able to glass a couple of animals on the mountain a couple of hundred meters away – hardly satisfying. There was a lot of cattle movement and I claim to all who will listen than I was charged by a wild scrub cow but in reality it was mooing and running in my general direction while I cowered behind a tree. A station-hand pulled up on a Can-am and I asked if I could go visit the rock-wallabies but said they would prefer if I didn’t as they were moving cattle at that time. It was suggested I might try some places back towards Mount Fox. I drove back up the road a few km and found another smaller rock outcrop close to the road and was able to see several rock-wallabies through the bins. I approached slowly getting some pretty good views but unfortunately put up a rock-wallaby from almost under my feet – after this they were pretty wary and watched me from a distance. It was a particularly spiritual place and I felt very at peace while visiting these animals. It was also less than 24 hours since I had landed in Townsville and my three main targets for the trip were in the bag – everything else from now on was gravy!

The Australian Sistine Chapel with Shaman holding court

I was pretty tired when I checked into my accommodation at Balgal Beach but after a swim, shower and a beer I headed up to Paluma for some spotlighting. On the way up I had a White-throated Nightjar and Spotted Python on the road which was nice but there was a huge amount of traffic travelling up a very windy narrow road at high speed. When I got up to the sleepy town of Paluma it was pumping – it turns out my visit coincided with their major massively sold out Mountain Bike cross country event. Every time I stopped to spotlight somewhere I had people either pulling over to see if I was ok or blaring their horns – it was quite frustrating. I did however manage to see a Greater Glider which depending on which taxonomy you follow would be of the Northern taxa which was new for me. It was a mangy, little thing compared to the GGs we get in Victoria but the bright eyeshine was the same. I had enough of people driving too fast so I headed back to my accommodation but did decide to stop a couple of spots on the way down. At one of the stops I found a couple of Broad-toed Feather-tailed Gliders and while I was trying to get a look of them I heard an anaemic trill nearby. Very experienced with Sooty Owls in Vic I knew immediately what it was and walking down the road I was able to get eyes on a lovely Lesser Sooty Owl. Like the GG this is another species in taxonomic dispute with it recently being lumped again with Greater Sooty Owl. Still what I was seeing was a smaller, more compact bird with much more subdued vocals to what I am used to. I ended up walking away from it and went back to bed and a beer – very satisfied with the days achievements.

Lesser Sooty Owl on the hunt

Cold shoulder

Today Owen Lishmund was arriving a bit after lunch and I was to pick him up from the airport. I spent the morning around Bowling Green National Park birding which was very pleasant – didn’t see anything special just good solid Northern Australian birds and a few herps. I picked Owen up and we headed straight out to Townsville Common – another legendary Australian birding site where we saw a few wetland species for the only time on the trip. Another great spot that needed more time than what we could give it. We then headed for a swim at Big Crystal Creek which was very pleasant before a good pub meal. That evening we spotlit again around Paluma which was much quieter with most of the MTB crew either exhausted or home. We started in large, mature flooded gum forest before stumbling onto a couple more Lesser Sooty Owls closer to Paluma. Compared to the bird the previous night these were much more vocally and physically similar to southern birds. It was quite a quiet night despite being very still with one Green Ringtail being the only other thing of note.

Lesser Sooty Owl

Litoria serrata

The next morning Owen and I went birding in the rainforest around Paluma while Isaac safely put his family on a plane back to Melbourne. As is typical the rainforest gave its secrets slowly but we saw and heard some really nice birds in our short time – I really need to come back here and spend a week. A particular highlight was a pair of Chowchilla foraging beside the track with the male feeding the female before erupting into a cacophony of territorial song – brilliant stuff. We had originally thought to head west immediately but decided to stay an extra night so Isaac and Owen could also experience the Shaman. We headed again out to Mount Fox arriving early afternoon again glassing animals easily on Mount Claro itself. There were far less cows around today with the cattle movement seemingly done but we again headed back to my previously successful spot. This time we walked in much more slowly and were rewarded with excellent views of the Shaman as he welcomed us in with his outstretched arms. We spent quite a bit of time just watching and appreciating them and again felt quite serene in their presence. Back on the road we celebrated with a beer in the presence of a couple of Pretty-faced wallabies – the only ones of the trip.

The Shaman – a very spiritual experience

We birded a bit on the way back to Ingham and after a KFC dirty bird feed we spotlit around Tyto wetlands. While we hoped for a Grass Owl as per the name of the place but had no luck – White-browed Crakes and Large-tailed Nightjars a good compromise. Owen had a spot for some large-scrotumed gecko-skink or something near where we were staying so we decided to try for that next. It was only a kilometre up a path and a couple of hundred meter scrub bash apparently which seemed well within my unfit capabilities. It turned out to be a pretty epic night of scrub bashing, climbing silly mountains and rock hopping down creeklines but needless to say we dipped on the target. Pretty sure I am not built to be a herper – but I would be very fit if I ever became one!. We only ended up travelling 5 km as the riflebird flies but it was a seriously tough endeavour. Poor Owen brushed against some vine that would continually flair up and remind him of his folly over the next week or so – we were definitely very sympatheic. Needless to say we dipped on the fucking gecko!

Oh fuck

This is snek

Stay tuned for part two where we hook up the caravan and head west to the promised land.

Amazing what you can cram into 2 days in Tassie

Posted on May 31, 2024 by CorwinCaelin

On the weekend just gone I was lucky enough to be invited to the wedding of good mate Peter Allen and his wonderful partner Andi down in Tasmania with a good group of other birder friends. When one is attending a wedding in one of the greatest wildlife areas in the country what is one to do aside from value add some wildlife experiences around the grand event? Lets see just how much I can cram into 2 days in Lutruwita. I arrived late afternoon into Hobart with Rohan and we picked up a car and checked into accommodation just past Sorrell before eating a decent Indian prawn curry. We decided to spotlight along Weilangta Forest Drive where I had good success last year with quolls and a Long-tailed mouse. Things got off to a good start with a Long-nosed Potoroo at the start of the drive but it got very quiet soon after with not even a pademelon to be seen.

Thermal Masked Owl

Eventually we got to the “site” where Isaac and I had found Long-tailed Mouse last year and we poked around there with thermal for 15-20 minutes until I detected a small mammal on the ground. It was very cryptic and while I strongly suspected from what we could see in thermal it was a Long-tailed Mouse we just couldn’t be sure which was frustrating as it would be a new mammal for Rohan. It seemed to be centered around a burrow and would venture out then scoot back all the while in thick cover. We decided to let it be and would hit it again when we passed back later. Things continued to be pretty quiet with just common species until we stopped at a creek crossing up near Orford and played a quick Masked Owl call which had an immediate call back with a lovely pale male circling round before perching very high above us. I jogged…. ok I waddled up the road to see if I could encourage it to move to a nicer perch and we noticed in the moonlight that it was followed by a very silent and beautiful honey coloured female who just regarded us from a distance silhouetted in the moonlight. Beautiful!

Spot the Masked Owl

Moving back towards Hobart we stopped at another creek crossing and got out for a poke around. I thermaled a few roosting birds including a nice male Scarlet Robin with the full moon making it almost like twilight. I saw a shadow of a bird pass over my head and swung the headlight around a bit wildly but could not find the bird. Eventually I looked straight up and there was a beautiful dark female Masked Owl looking at me curiously. A bit of a panic as I grabbed my camera from the car but she didn’t go too far and posed for a few nice pics. One of the nicest birds I have ever seen. We were absolutely stoked and realised there was only one thing left to do – get Rohan that Long-tailed mouse. Drove back to the “site” and immediately found it again on thermal but again was proving cryptic. I walked away and left Rohan to it and eventually he was able to get decent enough views to confirm what we already strongly suspected – it was a Long-tailed Mouse! We cruised back to the accom considering this a very successful nights work.

I think I am in love

Up not too early we heading down the Tasman Peninsula stopping at the Dunnalley bakery for breakfast and coffee. Our targets were Buff-banded Rail and BT Native-hen which might not seem much to a mainlander but are Tassie megas. They were both at the Port Arthur lavender farm which was not yet open and after poking around the edges we poked in the car park and had both in about 30 seconds. Job done – how easy is that? From here we cruised down to the heath near the Remarkable Caves to look for Striated Fieldwren – it was a glorious morning with wall to wall blue sky and albatross cruising just offshore. Very birdy with lots of honeyeaters, we eventually found a pair of the Fieldwren about a kilometer in – LGA ticking FTW.

Tassie goes alright

Now it was time to get ready for the main event – Peter and Andi’s wedding – so we scooted back to the accom with only a little birding on the way. After attempting to scrub up a little we arrived at the wedding which was a fantastic affair. I definitely did not shed a tear. Was great to share in the special day and to catch up with good friends. We even managed some cheeky spotlighting at the end of the night without success.

Wedding of the century

Up at stupid o’clock the next morning I dropped Rohan at the airport before heading back down to Eaglehawk Neck for the post wedding pelagic. We were under strict instructions from the groom to have a good day but not a great day – and so it proved. Was really good to be out on the water again on a very pleasant day. Birds were great with highlights including Blue Petrels, Southern Fulmars, many dozens of White-headed Petrels and a few Soft-plumaged Petrels as well as over a dozen various Wandering type albatross. The best part however was catching up with people. I was pretty tired as I got onto the plane home a little over 48 hours after arriving – a very productive couple of days.

My first Souther Fulmar from a boat

Plue Betrel

Ghosts of Pelagics past

Posted on April 19, 2022 by CorwinCaelin

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. Pretty fair to say I have struggled a bit – first with lockdowns and then a real post Covid funk that has made it somewhat difficult to get motivated. Couple that with a busy work and family life and maintaining a blog has probably fallen well down the priority list. But the time has come – I am back baby! I thought I would ease back in with some of the amazing birds (and blubber) I have seen on pelagics over the past year or so. Despite lockdowns I have managed to get out on a few and have been lucky enough to see some good things.

Cape Petrel

We will start back in May last year (2021) where in between lockdowns I was lucky to get down to Eaglehawk Neck for another double header pelagic weekend. We had a good crew together so after a bit of spotlighting and a couple of beers the night before we headed to sea with high expectations. Day one was a really good day at sea with plenty of Pterodromas – White-headed, Soft-plumaged and Providence. There was also a good array of great albatross with both Royals, Snowy and both NZ Wanderers seen which is always nice to pick through. Probably the highlight of the day was a lovely Westland Petrel seen well by all – a few years ago was considered a mega off Australia but does seem a regular off this port in May now.

Westland Petrel

Southern Royal Albatross

We backed up again the next morning and the omens were good! Beasts had been consumed, beers swilled and a Masked Owl seen while spotlighting the night before. Today was to be very different to the day before and oh so much better, with a distinct cold water tone. Again plenty of great albatross and similar Pterodromas to the day before. Things changed quickly though with Grey Petrels, a couple of Sooty Albatross then a Light-mantled Albatross providing epic views for all on the boat. We were not done with the great birds either with Black-bellied Storm-petrel and more Westland Petrels providing excitement. One of those weekends where I had no new birds but was absolutely epic!

Grey Petrel

Light-mantled and friend

Sooty Albatross

In June and December I was fortunate to get out on boats in East Gippsland to visit the Bass Canyon which is a bit of a new frontier for seabirding in the state. On the first trip we saw good numbers of Providence Petrel which had previously been basically unknown for Victoria. On the next trips we saw good numbers of Bullers Shearwater which again was previously considered very rare in the state. I think in the right time of year both will be shown to be regular in the Bass Canyon. While there were never the numbers of birds as an EHN or Portland pelagic there was still plenty of other variety and potential – things like Cook’s and White-headed Petrel and great albatross.

Providence Petrel

Buller’s Shearwater

Cook’s Petrel

Rolling into the new year and February I was back down at Eaglehawk Neck for probably one of the greatest pelagic weekends of my life (and it will be hard to beat) On the Friday night we had a few beers and rolled out to find a couple of Pygmy-possums – all very respectable and I was quite fresh as we got on the boat the next morning. We had a really good day with plenty of great albatross and the usual suspects including a very high number of 35 Buller’s Shearwaters. But the highlight was surely the numbers of Pterodroma’s – 16 Mottled Petrel, 38 Cook’s Petrel and 57! Gould’s Petrel all heading North to South made for an excellent day.

Gould’s Petrel

White-headed Petrel

Back on the boat on the Sunday we felt that all the proper rituals had been followed but we had no idea how well it was going to pay off. The conditions were extremely benign as we set out with little swell or wind and a fair bit of fog around. Inshore we had a large whale surface a couple of times beside the boat – good views and photos obtained which showed it to be a Sei Whale! A new mammal for me and many on the boat. Early on at the shelf we had a “young” brown Wandering type albatross come towards the boat and a few of us joked we should check if its an Amsterdam…. I took a few shots as it came in and checked the back of the camera…. it had a cutting edge! I quietly mentioned this but did not get as excited as I should have as quite honestly the brain was still trying to process. Eventually everyone got very excited as we realised we probably had an Amsterdam Albatross – a near mythical type of “Wandering” albatross that has perhaps 150 individuals left in the world and only breeds on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It made a few more passes and many photos were taken. It is perhaps the 3rd or 4th Australian record and everyone was a bit shellshocked!

Amsterdam Albatross

Sei Whale

Things started to hot up after this with many petrels passing through with 27 Cook’s, 25 Gould’s and an extraordinary 121 Mottled Petrels seen for the day! There were again many other great albatross seen but despite scanning the Amsterdam never returned. Later in the day Isaac called out an interesting Storm-petrel which turned out to be a New Zealand Storm-petrel – another mega sighting of a species that was thought extinct until 2003. The bird gave several passes which allowed a few shots to confirm ID – perhaps the 4th or 5th Aussie record. As we cruised back into port in very benign conditions Mottled Petrels continued to stream past in great numbers. Just to round off one of the best pelagic days ever we had a distant South Polar Skua chasing terns as we passed the Hippolytes!

Mottled Petrel

New Zealand Storm-petrel

Into April I crossed the border into the strange land of South Australia for a pelagic out of Port Mac. It was good to catch up with Dave and Sue Harper and I really like the boat – a big couch, good viewing deck and a barbeque for lunch! What is there not to like? We had a really good pleasant day at sea with Humpbacks on the way out and many hungry birds feeding close to the boat. For me the highlight was four Northern Royal Albatross – a species I haven’t seen that often just over the border in Victoria. Looking forward to getting out again in the future – if they will have me!

Northern Royal Albatross

Just a taster of what has been seen over the last year or so at sea. More trips coming up soon and I reckon I am in a good place to share. Thanks to Sim and Lucas for letting me get out there and people like Rohan and Dave for organising boats!

New Zealand Storm-petrel

Some recent action

Posted on December 18, 2020 by CorwinCaelin

Like the rest of Melbourne I went through 100+ days of lockdown – stuck working from home and in my 5km radius. I am fortunate to have a job that can be done from home but I definitely miss the office. To keep sane during this time myself and a number of other birders had a bit of a competition to see how many species of birds we could find in that 5km radius. This meant scouring google maps for every little remnant of bush and wetland and I was pretty happy with the 120 odd species I found during the lockdown. While I didn’t win the bird competition I probably did see the most snakes with plenty of Lowland Copperheads out and about. Highlights would have to be the Wandering Whistling-ducks that turned up at Dandenong Valley Wetlands about 4700 meters from home as the duck flies and a number of Swift Parrots in the Springvale cemetery. I also tried my hand at a bit of urban spotlighting in remnant habitat along Dandenong Creek which was a bit of fun. Highlight here were the good numbers of frogs (7 species) – I was somewhat surprised to find Peron’s Tree Frogs and I wonder if they are naturally occurring or have moved in perhaps in firewood or garden supplies.

Wandering Whistling-duck – a very rare Victorian visitor

Lowland Copperhead

Peron’s Tree Frog

Following Dan relaxing the “Ring of Steel” around Melbourne, Rohan and I were straight in the car heading east past Orbost looking for Long-footed Potoroo and other cool things. We spent three nights in the area between Cape Conran and Cann River, much of which had been extensively burnt in last Summer’s fires. In some areas the damage was limited and was already recovering well but in others it was a holocaust with ridge after ridge of trees killed and almost no regrowth noticable. On the first night of spotlighting we drove a long way using thermal camera with a few stops along the way. While we didn’t detect our main target we did find a couple of Sooty Owls in fire affected areas which was a positive sign. During the day we birded around Cape Conran, Marlo and Cabbage Tree with some nice birds like Turquoise Parrot, Sanderling and Wedge-tailed Shearwater recorded. The sweeping fields of post fire grass-tree spikes around Conran were particularly impressive.

Sooty Owl

A sea of Xanthorrhoea

For the next two nights we narrowed the search and did twice get a probable potoroo on thermal but could not get a sighting which was frustrating. Still over the 3 nights we did get good numbers of Eastern Pygmy-possums and a surprise roosting Painted Button-quail as well as many other cool mammals and frogs. By the end of the third night we were pretty tired but had to get up early to head home, detouring via Lake Tyers and Macleod Morass. We still clocked up 150+ species of bird and a good mammal list and it was really cathartic to be out of lockdown and back into some real nature. While the aftermath of the fire was pretty distressing in places in others the recovery would suggest some good hope for the future.

Good to have a beer from a tap again

iPhone Painted Button-quail

iPhone Eastern Pygmy-possum

More recently I had an invite to go on a Plains-Wanderer weekend led by Phil Maher with Matt Crawford and Michael Ramsey. I had some family commitments so could only leave after lunch on the Saturday and was rolling into Deniliquin a bit after 4pm. It was a very hot 42 degrees on arrival with a strong wind. After a quick beer at the pub we piled into a couple of 4wd’s and went birding. We stopped at a wetland which was packed with birds and 63 species seen. Later on dusk we arrived at the farm we would be spotlighting at and relaxed with a beer and some snacks. While poking around I was happy to find my first Curl Snake. What followed was one of the best nights of spotlighting I have had in a while. We found 3 male Plains-wanderers and two of them both had two tiny chicks which were very cute. In addition I ended up with three new reptiles – the Curl Snake, Eastern Hooded Scaly-foot and Tessellated Gecko as well as loose change like Little Button-quail and a number of Fat-tailed Dunnarts. All in all a very enjoyable evening and I would highly recommend getting on one of Phil’s tours. I had to leave pretty early the next day and I was back in Melbourne about 26 hours after leaving!

Endangered male Plains-wanderer with chicks

Hooded Scaly-foot

Tessellated Gecko

Curl Snake

Record of Leadbeater’s Possum in Bunyip State Park

Posted on July 27, 2020 by CorwinCaelin

Introduction

The observations were made in the Eastern part of Bunyip State Park in an area of regrowth Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) that burnt in Black Saturday in 2009. The site is about 250m above sea level and in the Lawson Creek catchment which eventually flows into Westernport Bay via the Bunyip River.

Bunyip State Park covers 16,600 hectares of various types of wet forest and heathland in the southern fall of the Great Dividing Range about 65km east of Melbourne. It contains a variety of forest types with the Mountain Ash forest largely confined to slopes in the north of the Park. Large parts of the east of the park burnt extensively in 2009 with much of the remainder burning in 2019. The burnt Mountain Ash habitat in the eastern of the park is similar to habitat where Leadbeater’s possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) occurs elsewhere with dead trees and an understory containing various wattle species. While not specifically targeting Leadbeater’s Possum at this site in May 2020 a brief stop did result in a good sighting with Scott Baker and Jim Wright.

Leadbeater’s Possum – Bunyip State Park

Observations

On the 15th of May 2020 Scott Baker, Jim Wright and myself (Tim Bawden) headed into the southern part of Tarago State Forest near Jindivick spotlighting in particular targeting Leadbeater’s Possum and large forest owls. The night was particularly successful with Leadbeater’s Possum found in the very south of Tarago State Forest (these records are some of the southernmost since rediscovery in 1961) and Sooty Owls observed along the Tarago River. Later in the evening the group decided to head home through the eastern edge of Bunyip State Park down Forest Road and stopped to check out the range-limited locally endemic Gully Grevillea (Grevillea barklyana). To our surprise we spotted a Leadbeater’s Possum in the very tree we were looking at. Upon leaving the car we pished and were able to call the animal back close enough for photos – another animal was observed close by and was heard drumming. The diagnostic shape and behaviour on both animals leaping through the understory was very evident. There was significant movement on the other side of the road which may have indicated a third animal but this was not confirmed. After a couple of minutes of spotlit observation we left the animals alone and tried two more sites further down with out success. Conditions were a very crisp, still and clear night with no risen moon and a temperature around 3 degrees C. Needless to say I was a little excited as I had tried for a while for this species in Bunyip SP.

Leadbeater’s Possum – Bunyip State Park

I was keen to return so a week later I headed back with Rohan Clarke and Scott Baker on the 23rd of May 2020. Unfortunately this night conditions were not ideal with constant drizzle and a SE-E wind and ~20kph winds with a temperature around 8 degrees C – there was no risen moon but would have been irrelevant with total cloud cover and fog throughout. Still we persisted and with a combination of pishing and Rohan’s thermal scope were able to locate a Leadbeater’s Possum approximately 200 meters south of the last sighting in Acacia dealbata. The animal was skittish perhaps due to the conditions but Scott was able to secure a diagnostic photograph. Other sites above and below this one were unsuccessful but conditions were definitely not conducive. Eventually we had to admit defeat and move to more sheltered areas.

Leadbeater’s Possum record shot – Scott Baker

On the 13th of June 2020 I returned with my son Lucas and we managed an hour of spotlighting in the area without success before gale-force winds moved us on. On the 19th of June 2020 Isaac Clarey and I had completed a loop through Tarago State Forest (LBP at 2 sites in State Forest) and spent 2 hours working Forest Road inside Bunyip State Park after midnight without success. Unfortunately Covid-19 has at this stage prevented further visits to the area.

Over the past 5 years I have driven this road many times at night and have stopped regularly to play owl calls without observing anything unusual.

Habitat

Habitat near the site showing fire killed Eucalytpus regnans – notice the uniform relatively small size of these stags

The area the Bunyip SP sightings occurred in was a small tongue of Mountain Ash in the Lawson Creek catchment that had burnt heavily in Black Saturday in 2009. It appears that this gully may have been logged before declaration of Bunyip State Park with none of the fire killed trees particularly large. No real evidence of large stags visible from the road during daylight visits. The fire appears to be have burnt hot enough to induce stand replacement in the Mountain Ash with many young ~10 year old trees coming through. Interestingly above the road line in the sighting location the forest changes to more stringybark types including Eucalyptus obliqua and Eucalyptus sieberi typical of many other slopes in Bunyip SP. There is a thick understory with abundant Acacia dealbata and Acacia obliquinervia with the odd Acacia melanoxylon and of course the Grevillea barklyana in which the first animal was spotted. The makeup of the understory is very similar to many other locations where I have observed Leadbeater’s Possum previously. Daylight observations of the forest area did not find any obvious denning locations with no large stags located – it is possible that the fire killed trees from 2009 are now cracking enough to provide some cover or there were other undiscovered options.

Typical understory in the area

Other nocturnal mammals seen in the immediate area during recent observations include Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps), Bobuck (Trichosurus cunninghami), Feather-tailed Glider (Acrobates sp) and Common Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus). Nocturnal birds noted were Australian Owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) and Australian Boobook (Ninox boobook)- it is noteworthy that in ~10+ nocturnal visits to this area over the past 5 years I have not not located any large forest owls with playback in this area of burnt forest despite them being relatively common nearby. Diurnal birds in the area are typical of similar wet forest areas in the region with notable species including Pilotbird (Pycnoptilus floccosus), Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), Brown Gerygone (Gerygone mouki), Rose Robin (Petroica rosea) and Lewin’s Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii).

One of the largest of the regenerating Mountain Ash in the immediate area

Significance

The Leadbeater’s Possum is a Critically Endangered possum species restricted to the Central Highlands around Melbourne and is Victoria’s fauna state emblem. It was discovered in 1867 and was only known from five specimens with the last one collected in 1909 and was considered likely extinct as most of the original lowland swamp habitat was drained and cleared for agriculture. In 1961 it was rediscovered by Eric Wilkinson in Ash forests near Cambarville. It has since been found to inhabit an area of perhaps 70 by 80 km from Toolangi in the west, Rubicon in the north, Baw Baw in the east and Tarago in the south – see interactive map. The majority of these records are in ash or snow gum forest with only one small isolated lowland population known at Yellingbo. There are few records in the Westernport Bay catchment since 1961.

In Bunyip State Park itself there are perhaps two previous records of Leadbeater’s Possum. The first by Richard Loyn and Ed McNabb occurred in 1981 on the southern slopes of Mount Beenak in an area on the very edge of the current day park in what was then Gembrook State Forest at an altitude of about 600m. I have searched this area over past few years without result. There is a second record from the 1990’s in the Blue Range on the very northern edge of Bunyip SP (ALA) but it is unclear if this was inside the park boundary – this area contains a lot of regrowth Ash forest and would be worth further investigation. The current observations are approximately 8km ESE of these and are well with the current park boundaries. Probably the closest sightings are the recent ones in the southern portion of Tarago State Forest – before these the species was not well known south of the Tarago River. It is interesting to consider if these recent sightings have moved in following regrowth and opportunity following the Black Saturday fires or have always been in the area. Further searching in the immediate catchment area and other parts of the Bunyip catchment would be worthwhile, particularly in lowland areas which are not dissimilar to the Yellingbo habitat. At this stage Covid restrictions prevent further investigation.

Leadbeater’s Possum from nearby Tarago State Forest – note white tail tip

References

“Atlas of Living Australia – Open Access to Australia’s Biodiversity Data.” Atlas of Living Australia, http://ala.org.au.
“Leadbeater’s Possum Interactive Map.” Leadbeater’s Possum Interactive Map, http://lbp.cerdi.edu.au/possum_map.php.
Lindenmayer, David, et al. Mountain Ash. CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2015.
Loyn, Richard, and E. G. McNabb. “Discovery of Leadbeater’s Possum in Gembrook State Forest.” Victorian Naturalist Vol 99, 1982.
Menkhorst, Peter, and Frank Knight. Field Guide to Mammals of Australia. OUP Australia & New Zealand, 2010.

A bucket of bucketlists – Perth to Exmouth – part 2

Posted on March 10, 2020 by CorwinCaelin

Continuing on – we departed the Abrolhos at around 3am so we would be out over deep water on daybreak hoping for pelagic goodies and maybe a cetacean or two. On day break it was wet and that was a theme throughout the day as we rode across the Houtman Canyon and on towards Bernier Island. Lots of promise but nothing particularly unusual for the day with the common tubenoses and terns and a highlight of 3 Long-tailed Jaegers throughout the day. That evening I felt rather claustrophobic around the dinner table and excused myself early and went to bed for a rough night at sea – probably the closest I felt to being seasick but I was fine once I lay down.

The morning however dawned calm and flat as we anchored off Dirk Hartog Island for breakfast before going ashore and ascending a near vertical dune to get to the island plateau – this nearly killed my fat arse. Dirk Hartog Island is another bucket list thing with a history of early Dutch exploration of Australia – old Dirk himself nailed a plate to a tree here back in 1616. It is also now a huge area of feral free island that is having species reintroduced from nearby Bernier and Dorre Islands and beyond. We had three key bird targets here with endemic subspecies of Rufous Fieldwren, Southern Emu-wren and White-winged Fairy-wren (the famous Black and White form). The Fieldwren and Emu-wren were easily heard and seen with a little effort in good numbers. The Fairy-wren was more difficult and after walking several kilometers I only found a small group of brown birds. Returning to the pickup rendezvous I found others had similar luck. In the bay there were dolphins and sea turtles and this is definitely a place I would like to come back to.

The road goes ever on

Dirk Hartog

A lad with his Can(n)on

Now we headed north for the main prize and the reason I booked on the trip – Bernier Island. It was a very pleasant run with many species of tern and noddies keeping us company as we passed Dorre Island. This pair of islands are famous as they are the last (or near last) remaining homes for a group of species that were once widespread across the mainland. Banded Hare-wallaby, Shark Bay Mouse (this was once known as Alice Springs mouse!!) and Western Barred Bandicoot are only found in the wild on these two islands aside from some reintroductions and Rufous Hare-wallaby and Burrowing Bettong have wild populations on only another couple of islands (and some reintroductions). Dorre Island is off limits to us and I scanned wistfully through binoculars as we cruised past – it was significantly more desolate and barren than I was expecting. We anchored off Bernier Island in a spot many boats visit and camp and I could barely wait for lunch to get ashore. Some lovely dolphins cruised past while we waited.

Dorre Island

As soon as we went ashore there was a Banded Hare-wallaby on the beach! This is my kind of place! Once we wandered up onto the plateau I picked a line and went for a walk and soon found a Rufous Hare-wallaby and then more. Reptiles were also good with Delma butleri a highlight for me. There were a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles actively hunting Hare-wallabies and with good numbers of bones around they must be pretty successful. One thing that was interesting was the dug over nature of the landscape with burrows and scratchings everywhere – must give a pretty good idea of what much of Australia was like before the advent of broad-scale agriculture and foxes and cats. Fair to say I was in heaven. Later in the evening we had great early success with everyone seeing the five key species – special thanks to Nigel, Stu and Graffy for finding everyone the first Shark Bay Mouse. It was a dumb thing with little fear bounding ungracefully across the turf in and out of vegetation – little doubt why these were an easy snack for ferals.

iPhone Banded Hare-wallaby

Boodie burrow

Western Barred Coot

I was also amazed how small Western Barred Bandicoots were – seemingly not much bigger than a guinea pig and much smaller than our Eastern bandicoot species. These were probably the most wary of the five and would waddle off on approach. Banded Hare-wallaby were particularly numerous near the beach and pretty un-phased as we wandered past- I still had to pinch myself everytime – this was a huge bucketlist animal for me and one of my most wanted globally. I actually saw more Rufous Hare-wallabies during the day than at night but that was probably because I walked further into the flatter areas in the middle of the island. Finally my favourite of the big five was the Boodie or Burrowing Bettong – the little chubbers have so much character and would let out an indignant little squeak if you disturbed one but never went far. Probably my favourite sighting was a mama with a baby in the pouch – 2 sets of eyes staring back at me in the darkness. There were also plenty of geckos and some of the lads found some pythons but it was fur that took priority tonight. Most people went back to the boat but Rohan and I stayed out a while longer absorbing this great place. As I walked around I twice spotlit a long-eared bat perched on some bushes – probably Lesser based on range and there was a small Vespadelus type buzzing me on occasion. There was a sixth key mammal species to see here – Ashy-grey Mouse which also has a patchy distribution on the mainland in SW Australia. Rohan called me on the radio and said he had one – only issue is I had no idea where he was – eventually after huffing and puffing for 10 minutes or so I found him only for the mouse to have disappeared! We split up again and again the radio crackled – another one! Another 10 minutes (by now sweat was pouring from every pore) and I was there and got it. It was rather unconcerned going about its business including feeding. Nearby I found another one showing we may have stumbled on a loose colony or similar. Looking at the known terrestrial mammal list for the islands it seems we may have only missed Rakali! We eventually had a celebratory beer on the beach next to the camping fishermen before heading back to the boat.

Banded Hare-wallaby

Beautiful Boodie

Nice!

Rufous Hare-wallaby

Still buzzing at breakfast back on the boat as more dolphins cruised past. Unfortunately it was time to head north into deeper water. I was pretty knackered from last night’s escapades so crashed out in the cabin for a bit. Suddenly the shout of “CETACEANS!” came from the bow and I was up camera in hand. They were logging on the surface in the distance dead ahead dropping below the water every now and again with people calling them orcas, then dolphins, then blackfish. Eventually they disappeared for awhile before surfacing beside the boat – ORCAS!!! You could hear them breathing as they cruised unhurriedly along with Bernier Island in the background! Just when I thought Bernier couldn’t get any better. We had an amazing experience as we were able to watch them for perhaps 15 minutes – at one stage all 7-8 animals were swimming line abreast. My one previous sighting of orca was at significant distance off Portland – fair to say this cleansed that sighting. Images have since been sent off to experts and this is part of a known larger pod that specialises in hunting Humpback Whale calves in season with at least 6 of the individuals identified to name. Needless to say I was no longer tired that day….

ORCA!

Nice saddle

Orcas with Bernier in background

More orcas

Alas all good things have to come to an end with the Orca heading off around the northern tip of Bernier. As we headed north into deeper water we started to see our first sea snakes and more sea turtles as well as the now usual terns and wedgies. A Red-tailed Tropicbird provided some excitement as did a Streaked Shearwater and some Bottlenose Dolphins bow riding and carrying on. In the evening there was a Bulwer’s Petrel which would be new for me but I just didn’t get enough on it to tick. Then another one but again I wasn’t happy. I was a little stressed but then we had two at once fly right past the back of the boat showing all the necessary ID features and there were a couple of high fives! We kept watching til right on dusk and then went and had another awesome meal and rather too many celebratory whiskies.

Not behd, good soize

A few drinks

Today was the final day at sea where we would visit Cloates and Cape Range Canyons and get into real deep water in the hope of some mega pelagic birds and beaked whales – one can always be hopeful. We spent most of the day on deck with some good birds but long periods of quiet. Highlights included many Bulwer’s Petrel, both Lesser and Greater Frigatebirds (the latter being a rarity off this coast), Red-tailed Tropicbird and Long-tailed Jaeger. Imagine being on a boat so stable you could use a spotting scope for much of the day. We berleyed up for a period of time with no luck but a couple of the boys hooked into some Dolphinfish which provided some excitement. Right on dusk a pod of Spinner Dolphins rounded out the day and boat trip nicely. A special call out must go to Nigel Jackett and George Swann who steadfastly logged every bird and other animal (except for flying fish) for the whole trip. Nigel alone shared over 50 eBird lists with others on the boat – legendary effort. That night a number of us stayed up rather late drinking whiskey and other beverages – been a good trip! It was very rock and roll as we came into Exmouth overnight – fair to say I may have wished for a drink or two less.

Just using a spotting scope on a boat as you do….

We were in Exmouth a day early as the itinerary had run that way so I organised a hire car. After a good coffee and bakery run Rohan and I went exploring the very cool Cape Range National Park with its deep gorges and rugged dry creek lines. It was very warm and quiet during the afternoon but we did waddle up a mountain to a cave where we found my first Common Sheathtails roosting. Later we checked out the sewage ponds for a reasonable range of species before checking into accommodation. That night we spotlit up on the range which was very quiet before heading down the hill which was much more exciting with perhaps 7 species of geckos seen as well as a Mulga Snake, some pythons and Spinifex Hopping-mice. As we crawled back into town late Rohan leaped from the car for a North-western Shovel-nosed Snake – a very cute little elapid – new and very cool!

Common Sheathtail

Cape Range

Brachyurophis approximans

Next morning I was up early and out to Mangrove Bay where I had two new bird targets – Mangrove Grey Fantail and Dusky Gerygone _ I had clearly done my homework well as I found at least half a dozen of each within 5 minutes of the carpark – two more lifers! It was a very birdie site with many waders on the mudflats. From here I trundled down to Yardie Creek where I was able to show some tourists the Black-flanked Rock-wallabies which were common. A couple of stops on the way back before hitting up the micro-brewery in town while I checked emails and looked at some photos. Exmouth if a very cool, laid back town with dingoes, emus and perenties in town just a normal part of life. Tim Faulkner gave me a call and invited me out for a night of chasing reptiles and other critters with Obie and Liz so after stocking up we were off. An excellent night with many critters seen including a pile of new geckos, some snakes and best of all a Stripe-faced Dunnart. Exact quote from Tim – “we are going to get Bawden a dunnart up here” and sure enough we did! Very cute and bitey. The rest of the crew were more excited by a jewelled gecko they had tried very hard to find previously just sitting in the road. Orange-naped Snake rounded out a cool night although my first blind snake was dead on the road just out of town. The sheer numbers of knob-tailed geckos seen across two nights was incredible. thanks for an awesome night out!

Black-flanked Rock-wallaby

This is snek!

Giant gecko!

Orange-naped Snake

Unfortunately then it was back to Melbourne. This is just a snippet of what we got up to – left out many things – seriously one of the best trips I have done. 6 new birds, 11 new mammals and 20+ new reptiles and a whole pile of bucket list locations ticked off. Special thanks to George and Rohan for organising/guiding, the boat crew for doing an awesome job with us miscreants and to Tim, Liz, Scott, Brad, Ian, Arthur. Kathy, John, Stewart, John and Nigel for being excellent companions. Finally thanks to Lucas and Simone for letting me go and being very supportive. 11/10 would recommend this trip and would do again – the rashes, scratches and sunburn all forgotten!

Another iPhone hare-wallaby

One more Boodie for luck

A bucket of bucketlists – Perth to Exmouth – part 1

Posted on March 9, 2020 by CorwinCaelin

A couple of years ago Rohan mentioned that George Swann of Kimberley Birdwatching was looking to organise a trip that would involve a visit to Bernier or Dorre Islands that I knew I had to get onboard. These islands are known as one of the last remaining homes and only realistic chance to see up to 5 rare mammals that were once common across much of the mainland before foxes and cats decimated them. Of particular interest to me was the Banded Hare-wallaby which appears to be the last remaining member of an ancient sub-family of macropods and something I had read about as a kid. This species may have persisted on the mainland until the 1960s but Bernier and Dorre are its last wild populations although has now been re-introduced to a number of secure fenced/island locations. When the trip finally came about from Perth to Exmouth via the Abrolhos, deep water canyons and a visit to Bernier Island I booked immediately!

Quokka – Rottnest Island

I flew into Perth late on a Saturday and took a taxi to my Air BnB in Fremantle – having the obligatory plate of prawns and a few beers. The next morning I was up early and on the first ferry to Rotto as I had never seen a Quokka. On the ferry ride over there was a lovely Bridled Tern flying beside the boat – lifer number one for the trip! On Rotto I immediately saw Quokka upon leaving the wharf area and there were many around the settlement. It was hard to get a picture of these food pigs without a man-made feature in the background. I had plenty of water and sunscreen so decided to hoof it and go for a long walk. The salt lakes were excellent with many birds including large numbers of Banded Stilt and Fairy Tern as well as a few Sanderling – a scope would be handy for the next visit. I was rather upset when a car spooked a flock of Banded Stilt and one clipped a powerline and cartwheeled to the ground dead. There is no reason for these rickety powerlines above ground in such a critical wetland habitat. There were a good number of reptiles out as the day warmed up with King’s Skink being prominent. Encountered many Quokka’s while I walked but they were mostly very skittish – very different to the ones around the settlement. On the south coast I spent a bit of time seawatching with many shearwaters and more Bridled Terns seen. That night I caught up with Rohan for a couple of beers and dinner ahead of the trip.

Ex Banded Stilt

Ctenotus fallens

Up early I walked down to the wharf spreading jocks and socks across Fremantle as my duffle bag had split. It was a good crew of people assembled for the trip who I either knew or knew by reputation. Eventually the boat arrived – the very lovely MV Diversity II – Diversity Charters and we loaded up and set sail. It was an excellent boat with many creature comforts and my cabin mate was the legend Nigel Jackett. Passing Rotto we saw good numbers of Bridled Tern and Shearwaters and as we headed into deeper water the first Noddys of the trip. As we headed into deeper water Great-winged Petrel became more prominent as well as a couple of Grey-faced Petrel which is a good record off this coast. The absolute highlight was a pod of Striped Dolphin which cavorted and bow rode for a bit and was a lifer for many onboard. Later in the evening there was a pod of pilot whales but they were not close enough for ID being in the transition zone between Short-finned and Long-finned. First night on-board I was a bit knackered and retired early.

The next morning we were again all up on the foredeck seeing some good seabirds including our first Lesser Noddies – another lifer and one of the key species for the trip. More Striped Dolphins were cool and a small flock of Roseate Terns flew by which would have been a lifer for me but was not quite tickable – I did not have to worry. We cruised into the southern islands of the Abrolhos group starting at Pelsaert Island – a key seabird nesting site. I had read a lot about this island group over the years but never thought I would be able to visit yet here we were! We went ashore on Pelsaert Island in the afternoon with many highlights including large numbers of nesting Common Noddy and the local subspecies of Pacific Gull. Plenty of Osprey and Sea-eagles, reptiles and other seabirds rounded out the list. Killer views of Roseate Tern sorted that out – another lifer. A number of Australian Sea-lions played in the shallows which seemed out of place in such a warm environment. That night WA boys counted some 51,200 Lesser Noddies coming into land – it was a steady impressive stream. The rest of us had a few drinks and talked some shit.

Common Noddy

Pacific Gull

Roseate Tern

Australian Sea-lion

Next morning we were up early and tendered across further down Pelsaert Island to where the Lesser Noddies nest. They were extremely approachable and are now on my tickled list. Also of interest were Spotless Crakes, waders and many more terns. I really enjoyed just wandering beside these seabird colonies full of noise, smells, life and death. Sea-eagles were a constant presence on these islands and must do very well.

Lesser Noddy

iPhone Lesser Noddies

From here we cruised north to the next cluster of islands and went ashore at Wooded Island where we wandered around with lighting flashing overhead. Good numbers of terns were a highlight and again that night the boys counted some 39000 Lesser Noddies coming into roost. A bull Sea-lion trying to seduce a female was also of interest. There are very few passerines on these islands with Silveryes, Welcome Swallows and the odd Pipit being about it – not even a stray Singing Honeyeater makes it out here. While we were out the crew caught some squid which was expertly prepared by the chef Danny and was excellent! as were all his meals.

MV Diversity II

Give us a kiss

Yum!

The next morning we headed to the northernmost group of islands in the Abrolhos which are the scene of one of the more gruesome parts of Australian history where the Dutch ship Batavia ran aground back in the 1600s and some of the survivors went on a murderous rampage against the rest of the ships people. We went ashore first at West Wallabi Island and immediately started finding reptiles EVERYWHERE! Every rock and log seemed to have geckos or spiny-tailed lizards and curled up in the rain were carpet pythons at regular intervals. Also everywhere were Tammar Wallabies for which the island is named – a very attractive mid sized wallaby which I had seen previously in SA and WA. The real prize here though was the local “subspecies” of Painted Button-quail – apparently one of the five most likely bird taxon in Australia to go extinct. Good news is we had no issues finding them – there were certainly platelets everywhere. Despite the rain it was an excellent morning exploring and the amount of vertebrate wildlife was impressive. We also got to see Wiebbe Hayes’s fort where he and his men held off Cornelious’s musket wielding murderer’s with sticks and stones. It seems unlikely that this is the original structure.

Painted Button-quail on the move

The fort!

Beautiful Carpet Python

After a good feed we went to East Wallabi Island where again there were plenty of Tammar Wallabies and a few Painted Button-quail. Reptiles were again excellent. Amazingly there was full mobile reception on top of the hill so I was able to call home and update the family. It would have been good to spend more time here but its fair to say the Abrolhos definitely were ticked off the bucket list.

Pogona minor

Tammar Wallaby

Lerista praepedita

Overnight we headed north into deep water and on towards the ultimate goal of the trip Bernier Island – but that will have to wait for the next installment.

Bridled Tern

Sooty Tern Juv