05/08/2022
Remember me?
It has been a while since I last posted on this page, but you all will not be able to get rid of me that easy. Despite closing down the business, I have continued doing some tours on behalf of Bellbird Birding Tours from South Australia and will continue to do so until the body say's it has had enough.
After recently completing a nearly four week long trip to the Kimberley with my lovely wife Anita and a friend from Melbourne, there was just enough time to prepare for the next little birding adventure on behalf of Bellbird. This eight day trip was first quoted on back in 2019, but as with so many plans, COVID through many issues into the equation. The client was travelling in from Belgium and her plans were to do four regions of Australia on the visit and my job was to introduce her to the species to be found within the SW of Western Australia. Her obsession was parrots and all related birds, this including all sub-species.
Well after a couple of years of delays, I eventually picked Agnes up at the airport on Sunday the 24th July. Early the next morning we headed south and began the quest to secure the twenty of the species/sub-species of parrots, lorikeets and cockatoos to be found in the region. The Western Ground Parrot was left out of the plans for obvious reasons. Day one produced seven of the targets and the one species we missed was the rotten little Rock Parrots. This was despite checking Hamelin Bay, Cape Leeuwin and multiple sites near Augusta. We overnighted in Pemberton and with a good nights sleep, the next morning we made a minor change to the plans and drove down to Windy Harbour to have one final go at the Rock Parrots. The weather was very rough and despite the caretaker of the campground saying he had a pair on his lawn that morning, we failed to get them. That is birding for you.
Over the rest of the day we travelled across to the Stirling Ranges and our accommodation at the Stirling Range Retreat, securing another three of the desired targets. The next morning offered some blue skies and much better photo opportunities for the Purple-crowned Lorikeets that were present in the hundreds. We also got Elegant Parrots before having to head of on our long drive up to Kalgoorlie. The route chosen was via Hyden, McDermid Rock and Coolgardie, this being chosen to allow for the possibility of getting the inland sub-species of Western Rosella, which by the way was a no-show.
Day four was set aside to chase Naretha Blue-bonnets and with a early start, we set out on our 700km plus return journey. The bulk of the track was unsealed along side the Trans Continental Railway, but as expected it was in pretty good condition and we made good time. By lunchtime, we had achieved a wonderful close encounter with two pairs of these dry country treasures. We did not hesitate to indulge in a celebratory drink that night. Our target for day five was possibly even harder and that was the Scarlet-chested Parrot. The search area selected was were we got them last year to the north of Coolgardie and with some persistence, we picked up a single mature female. The afternoon was spent checking a couple of other areas for the inland Western Rosella, but no joy. Agnes did however get some much better views and pics of Regent Parrots and Elegant Parrots. The day ended at the Nungarin Woolshed Hotel, with a great meal and off course more drinks. Our tally was now at fourteen.
The last three days saw us working the areas to the north up as far as Nalbara Station and despite travelled over a large area, we sadly failed to get the Major Mitchell Cockatoo, despite there being hundreds in the area a couple of months earlier. Have had this happen before up there and would love to know were they all go. We did secure the inland Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (C.b. escondidus), Bourke Parrots and on the way home on the last day, large numbers of the second sub-species of Western Corellas.
In summary, we did 4850kms over the eight days and achieved seventeen of the twenty targets. We got one flat tyre and even with a little drizzly rain here and there, we had a pretty successful trip. Agnes seemed happy with her results and says that missing those three species gave her a reason to come back again next year. Based on her saying that she so lives in the wrong country, I am sure we will be out there again in the future.
