Western Australia – An Outback Journey From Esperance To Cue

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Tara

You never really appreciate the vastness of Australia until you drive it. After birding the forests, mountains and southern coast of Western Australia, the next destination after Esperance was Nallan Station outside Cue. This involved an epic journey of 1150 kilometers which seemed like forever but is really nothing compared to the whole of Australia.

There was no way I could drive that in one day so I decided to break the trip a little more than halfway at the mining town and former Gold Rush centre of Leonora. This meant the first day would be 390 km (4 hours) to Kalgoorlie for a lunch stop, then a further 235 km (3:25) to Leonora. The second day would be 512 km to Cue with a lunch stop at Mount Magnet.

There isn’t much to look at while on the road but it was worthwhile to keep an eye out for nomadic parrot species such as Major Mitchell Cockatoos, Budgerigars & Cockatiels. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to spot any parrots other than these guys in an aviary at a petrol station.

There are a few waterholes along the way, might be worth a look. You are more likely to see water birds and raptors. Lunch stops are few and far between. We ate at KFC in Kalgoorlie on the first leg (first cheap place I saw after buying fuel) and on the 2nd leg we got sandwiches at Mt Magnet which is an interesting little Outback town. Fuel is really expensive, figure on $1.70 – $1.85 a litre and always top up the car before leaving a town.

Birding Around Esperance

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Tara

Almost a year ago, I did a post on using Esperance as a gateway to the southern coast of Western Australia and Cape Arid National Park. A couple of months ago I finally had a chance to visit and try my luck at finding Rock Parrots. There are several places they are known to be found as shown on the map below. The Twilight Beach area is to the west of Esperance and a prime habitat. In the past, they have been seen near the pier right in town, but unfortunately at the time of my visit there was construction going on and the whole area was blocked for safety reasons. Then there is the Bandy Creek area to the east of Esperance which is the yellow highlighted section that has the red dot.

Esperance Rock Parrots

The scenery was gorgeous and we did see a few honey-eaters but no Rock Parrots. I had hoped the water around the windmill would have attracted some but no luck.

The next morning it was time to try Bandy Creek. This map has a bit more detail. You can see where the road ends, there is a car park there and a few trails heading off into the dunes that have the kind of bushes Rock Parrots would be attracted to.

This is a popular place for locals to go fishing and walk their dogs so there were a few people around. I went down to the beach, then walked back up to find a rock I could sit on and watch and listen. After about 20 minutes, I saw a flash of green as two small Rock Parrots (which I recognized as being similar in size to Elegant Parrots) shot out of a bush and flew over a sand dune. I attempted to follow but there is just no way I had the physical fitness to clamber up and down sand dunes and they escaped un-photographed much to my frustration! I waited a while longer hoping they would return but they didn’t. You can’t win ’em all!

Fitzgerald River National Park – Stunning Scenery But No Western Ground Parrots

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Tara

I knew it was a longshot but had to give it a go anyways. Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 419 kilometres southeast of Perth. It was once one of the last two remaining habitats for Western Ground Parrots but recent surveys have failed to locate any here, leaving Cape Arid as the last remaining habitat.

FRNP can be approached via Albany and Bremer Bay in the west, Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe in the north and Hopetoun in the east. The only accommodation inside the actual park are campgrounds. If you want a roof over your head, you will need to stay in one of the towns just outside the park border. Most of the roads within the park are 4wd track only but the Hamersley Drive from Hopetoun is suitable for normal cars.

There is a nice picnic ground at Four Mile Beach with beautiful sea views. Culham Inlet is a good spot for water birds. A full bird list can be found here. Fees are payable at the unmanned entrance via an honesty box. You pay and tear off a receipt to display on your window.

The southern portion of Hamersley Drive is a sealed road that winds along a beautiful part of the coast between the park’s eastern boundary and Hamersley Inlet. This drive will take you to all the main recreation sites in the south-eastern corner of the park: Four Mile Beach, Barrens Beach, Barrens Lookout, East Mount Barren, East Mylies, Mylies Beach, Cave Point and West Beach. – See more at: http://parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/fitzgerald-river#sthash.GZi9Iv2e.dpuf

I didn’t get very many shots here but here’s a few!

A Fortunate Call Of Nature In Jerramungup

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Tara

After leaving Two People’s Bay, we still had quite a ways to go, about 260 km until the stop for the night in Ravensthorpe. It was inevitable that we would have to answer the “call of nature” at some point. Luckily the point we chose was Jerramungup, just north of Fitzgerald River National Park!

After visiting the roadhouse, I heard a different sort of “call of nature” that I hadn’t heard before but it was vaguely similar to the Pygmy Parrots in Nimbokrang last year. Right across the street was a park full of flowering gum trees – perfect parrot food so my hopes were high!

Drawing closer and peering up into the branches, I was thrilled to see tiny little Purple-crowned Lorikeets! They had eluded us in Albany and Stirling Range so I was so grateful to finally find some!

We hung around the park just enjoying the antics of the cute little lorikeets when all of a sudden they took off en-masse, flew around the area a couple times so I could get a few photos in, then disappeared into the bush for their nightly roost. What a treat to see these little guys so unexpectedly!

An Afternoon At Two People’s Bay

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Tara

Two People’s Bay is just stunning so it was kind of sad we only had an afternoon there but we did try to make the most of it. First order of business was a picnic lunch so we bought some food in Albany and took the road to Two People’s Bay.

There is an information centre with a large map on a board (that I forgot to take a photo of) and you can see where the picnic area is and the entrance to a historic walking trail.

Some magpies and a Buff-banded Rail were hanging out and inviting themselves to lunch. The Maggies weren’t taking “no” for an answer either! There is a Heritage Trail just off the picnic area that looked very interesting as it traversed prime Rock Parrot habitat and people do see them in this area. It did look a bit tough for me as I would have had trouble climbing over the rocks so we drove to the other end of the trail, walked down and found an easier place to walk around. We didn’t see Rock Parrots but the scenery was fantastic! With wild birds sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you aren’t! The bird list is pretty good so I do recommend checking this place out if you are in the area.

Two People’s Bay

The other end of the Heritage Trail

Nice view of a New-Holland Honey-eater

Albany – The Crossroads Of Western Australia’s National Parks

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Tara

Albany is the 6th largest city in Western Australia, but more importantly to the eco-traveler lies withing reach of several of Australia‘s top birding destinations and national parks. At around 420 kilometers from Perth, it’s too far for a day trip but can easily be added to a larger tour of Western Australia.

Coming from Stirling Range, it’s about an hour’s drive south to Albany and the beautiful Two People’s Bay Reserve. The main attraction for me was the chance to see Rock Parrots.

To help you find the best place to go birding for the species you are most interested in, here are some bird lists from Frank O’Connor’s excellent website.

Albany

Cheyne’s Beach

Fitzgerald River

Albany can be a good choice for a birder who is traveling with non-birding family members or friends as there are plenty of beaches for the non-birders to visit.

Two People’s Bay

ACCOMMODATION

Not a lot of choices for stays on points. Wotif.com tends to have the best deals for smaller Australian cities and towns. Here’s a sample of what’s on offer. Prices vary by season. Just taking a cursory look – Emu Beach Chalets are jumping out as “my kind of place”.

Stirling Range National Park

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Tara

Stirling Range National Park encloses the only major mountain range with in the southern half of Western Australia. The best time to visit is around Sept-Oct when wild flowers are at their best but this is also the busiest season for tourists. As a birder, I chose to visit this park in February to avoid the Western Australian school holidays when the park would be most crowded. Most rain falls between May and August, with summer being very frequently completely dry around Borden for over a month and having typically very light showers in the south and on the peaks.

Stirling Range is around 5 hours from Perth so it would be more suited for a trip of at least 2 days. It’s best to stay in the park at Stirling Range Retreat (review coming) so you are right there at the crack of dawn when birds are more active. There are around 100 species of birds here and there are several sources for bird checklists.

Frank O’Connor

Eremaea

Birdlife (has pictures)

The Parks & Wildlife website has some more basic information about the park. There are fees applicable and you must have exact change (cash) available as payment is made at an honesty box at the entrance. Since I will be covering the birds I saw on a separate post, I will simply add a few photos of the amazing scenery in the park for now.

Birding Foxes Lair, Narrogin, Western Australia

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Tara

Foxes Lair is a small reserve on the outskirts of Narrogin, Western Australia. It makes a perfect complement to nearby Dryandra Woodland, especially for parrot watchers.

Google Maps don’t show it but it is where I have made the yellow highlights.

Foxes Lair

It’s well worth planning both a morning visit and an afternoon visit here as you can get different birds. I saw more Carnaby’s Cockatoos & Galahs in the morning and in the afternoon, I got my first look at Red Capped Parrots and Regent Parrots and of course more Port Lincoln Ringnecks.

Here’s a few pics of the birds I saw over 2 days. Sorry about the silhouettes of the Carnaby’s Cockatoos, it was around 5:30am-ish! You can see birds both on the side of the road near the caravan park opposite Foxes Lair and then drive into the reserve where there is a car park and a few trails you can follow.

You can stay in Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.

Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Tara

Dryandra Woodland offers amazing birding only a couple hours drive from Perth! Use your miles to get here and then hire a car so you can explore this beautiful park on your own.

Although you could visit Dryandra Woodland as a day trip from Perth, I highly recommend staying a night or two here so you can visit all the water holes and birding areas. You can stay either in the park or in Narrogin, about a half hour’s drive from Dryandra.

The Lion’s Dryandra Village has the advantage of being right inside the park so no commuting and you can easily do the night tour at Barna Mia. You do need to be completely self-sufficient and bring your own food and bed linens.

Otherwise you can stay in the closest town of Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.

The official park website has a brochure you can download. I have marked some prime birding location in yellow on the screenshot below. The Old Mill Dam was the best place, I personally saw several Western Rosellas, Australian Ringnecks, Rainbow Bee-eaters and more (see bird list links below).

Dryandra birding spots

The bird list is very impressive and Frank O’Connor’s website has some great location details complete with co-ordinates for your GPS. Eremaea also has a bird list for Dryandra Woodland.

Here are some photos I took at Dryandra Woodlands.

Australian Ringneck

Common Bronzewing

Scarlet Robin wants a bath

Some New Holland Honey-eaters join in.

TBD

Western Rosellas wait for the chance to drink. I was really happy to see them after I saw a video that they were disappearing.

Although this Ringneck didn’t approach too close to the Rosellas, they still flew off when he was joined by others. It’s clear the Ringneck is the dominating species.

The Kookaburra wasn’t fazed by the Ringnecks at all or vice-versa.

Rainbow Bee-eaters put on a great show diving down for a drink and quick bath.

Willie Wagtails were everywhere!

A few kangaroos came down for a drink.

More Bee-eaters

Australian Magpies were also everywhere!

More Australian Ringnecks

Wungong Gorge & Bungendore Park, Western Australia

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Tara

Located less than an hour’s drive from downtown Perth, Wungong Gorge & Bungendore Park offer easy birding accessible to both eco-tourists and day-trippers.

Admiral Road is one of the easiest places to see Baudin’s Black Cockatoos and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos. You can see more details, GPS coordinates and a bird list here.

The one thing to consider is that they tend to hang around the trees on the left side of the road as you enter from the Albany Highway which is the east side of the road so if you go there in the morning, you are likely to end up with a bunch of silhouette photos! The back-lighting did make the red tails glow nicely in a couple shots! The trees are in private property so please respect the owner’s privacy and don’t disturb them. You will be able to hear and see the Cockatoos just fine from the road. Because of the morning back-lighting, I would make an effort to come here in the afternoon next time.

There are some picnic areas with an information board on Admiral Road. I thought I had a better photo of it but looks like I missed.

Not sure what kind of Fairy-wren this is but the 2nd pic is an Australian Ringneck.

I have no idea what this was but it looked pretty cool! Very creative to say the least!

Wungong Gorge and/or Bungendore Park make a great introduction to new birders because it is so easy to get to and there are plenty of birds that can be seen easily. The picnic areas are family friendly and there are a couple bed & breakfasts nearby. If you’re in Perth for business, why not take an afternoon to come out here and connect with nature? For very keen birders, you could make an easy stop here enroute to Dryandra Woodlands!

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