Well our trip to the Top End of Australia ended just over a week ago and we are still trying to assess what we have seen.
366 species have been recorded in the area – however quite a number are either vagrants or migrants which we had no chance to see. Realistically there were about 280 species we could have seen.
All in all we saw some 185 different species of which 49 were Australian lifers for Sally and 56 for me. Most of these lifers are only to be found in the north of Australia.
However the satisfying part for both of us was that we were able to get photos of most of the new birds we saw. In many instances the photos enabled us to identify or confirm our identification.
Rather than list the lifers we saw, the following gallery does the job for me. A few new birds escaped before the camera could get a shot in – the most disappointing being the Black-tailed Treecreeper, the Red-browed Pardalote, the Green-backed Gerygone and the Little Curlew.
Varied Lorikeet, Katherine
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Katherine
Banded Honeyeater, Buntine Highway
Budgerigar, Buntine Highway
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – male, Victoria River
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – female, Victoria River
Crimson Finch, Victoria River
Masked Finch, Timber Creek
Oriental Plover, Timber Creek
Gouldian and Long-tailed Finches, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrot – male, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrots, Ferguson River
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Timber Creek
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Adelaide River
Northern Rossella, Tumbling Waters
Northern Fantail, East Point
Grey Whistler, Fogg Dam
Long-tailed, Crimson & Double-barred Finches, Ferguson River
Goudian Finch, Ferguson River
Goudian Finch, Ferguson River
Diamond Dove, Ferguson River
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Ferguson River
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Ferguson River
Barking Owl, Gagudju
Spotted Harrier, en route to Pine Creek
Leaden Flycatcher, Edith Falls
Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Pacific Baza, Gagudju
Pacific Baza, Gagudju
Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Gagudju
Australian Pratincole, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Arafura Fantail, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Collared Sparrowhawk, Gubara
Torresian Crow, Nourlangie
Pied Heron, Mamukala Wetlands
White-gaped Honeyeater, Kakadu
Little Corrella, Mary River Camp
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Fogg Dam
Radjah Shelduck, Fogg Dam
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Fogg Dam
White-browed Crake, Fogg Dam
Paperbark Flycatcher, McMinns Lagoon
Wandering Whistling-Ducks, McMinns Lagoon
Rainbow Pitta, East Poin
Rainbow Pitta, East Point
Striated Heron, East Point
Eastern Reef Egret – white morph, East Point
Collared Kingfisher – contentious, East Point
Rainbow Pitta Howard Springs
Grey-crowned Babbler, Lee Point
Silver-crowned Friarbird, Knuckley Lagoon
Black-winged Stilts, Knuckley Lagoon
Little Shrike-thrush, Charles Darwin
Grey Falcon, en route to Timber Creek
Lesser Crested Tern, East Point
Lesser Crested, Crested & Gull-billed Terns, East Point
Sanderling, Buffalo Creek
Star Finch, Victoria River
Black Falcon, Victoria River
That concludes our Darwin escapade. Hope you have enjoyed the read and photos.
This will conclude the final leg of our 3 week trip to Darwin in search of the Top End birds. It moves on from Katherine and continues to Victoria River and Timber Creek before returning to Darwin. So our 3 weeks is up – 3rd to 24th Oct 2013.
Our campsite in Katherine is Shady Lane. It lives up to its name and with the facilities it offered it is probably the nicest of the campsites and the best priced.
Shady Lane Campsite, Katherine
Shady Lane Campsite, Katherine
Shady Lane Campsite, Katherine
Shady Lane Campsite, Katherine
Before we leave Katherine we spend an early morning in town in search of the Yellow-rumped Mannikin. Instead we find the Chestnut-backed Mannikin and 3 Buff-banded Rails. Then as we are about to start off again Sally spots several Varied Lorikeets amongst the Rainbows.
Varied Lorikeet, Katherine
Varied Lorikeet, Katherine
Buff-banded Rail, Katherine
Buff-banded Rail, Katherine
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Katherine
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Katherine
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Katherine
We took the advantage of being in Katherine to visit Katherine Gorge. There was quite a steep climb to the top for the view. At 9 am we were going no further than 2/3rds of the way up – hot and hectic – see photos. We also visited Mike Reed’s home along the night before. He was kind enough to invite us in to check out the birds in his property and to offer us a delicious tea.
Great Bowerbird nest, Katherine
Great Bowerbird, Katherine
Eastern Koel – male, Katherine
Eastern Koel – male, Katherine
Eastern Koel – female, Katherine
Eastern Koel – female, Katherine
Australasian Figbird, Katherine
The gorge was interesting and we saw some special birds along the way.
Katherine Gorge
Katherine Gorge
Katherine Gorge
Katherine Gorge
Katherine Gorge
Katherine Gorge
Wedge-tailed Eagle, Katherine
Wedge-tailed Eagle, Katherine
Wedge-tailed Eagle, Katherine
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Katherine
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Katherine
And then it was time to move on. We headed West towards Konunurra with the intent of stopping at Victoria River roadhouse and Timber Creek along the way. We got as far as Timber Creek (290 kms west of Katherine) before deciding it was time to return to Darwin. In retrospect this was a poor decision as we ended up having too much time on our hands at the end. It would have been more interesting to have continued the extra 220 kms to see the area and get a taste of the Western Australian birds.
Mike had given us info of places to stop at along the way to find some key species. However it seems that everywhere we went had been burnt out – which was rather a pity. However we were rewarded with several nice sightings along the way – and in particular on the Buntine highway 125 kms west of Katherine. We were told we were unlikely to find Banded Honeyeater this year but Sally found one – see photos, along with Budgerigars and Cockatiels.
Katherine to Victoria River
Katherine to Victoria River
Katherine to Victoria River
Red-backed Fairy-Wren, Buntine Highway
Red-backed Fairy-Wren, Buntine Highway
Red-winged Parrot, Katherine to Victoria River
Red-winged Parrot, Katherine to Victoria River
Red-winged Parrot, Katherine to Victoria River
Rufous Whistler, Buntine Highway
Rufous Whistler, Buntine Highway
Apostlebird, Katherine
Apostlebird, Katherine
Banded Honeyeater, Buntine Highway
Banded Honeyeater, Buntine Highway
Banded Honeyeater, Buntine Highway
Black-faced Woodswallow, Buntine Highway
Budgerigar, Buntine Highway
Budgerigar, Buntine Highway
Cockateil, Katherine to Victoria River
Cockateil, Katherine to Victoria River
Galah, Katherine to Victoria River
Olive-backed Oriole, Katherine to Victoria River
Olive-backed Oriole, Katherine to Victoria River
Have you ever seen a Road Train – well here is a poor picture – all of 120 metres long! Not something to pass with a Campervan and certainly scary when one passes you – it seems to go on forever.
Road Train
Victoria River was one of our favourite stopping places – from a birding point of view. We had a long road with a flat bare field on the way to the boat launch which seemed to call in a number of different species – Australian Pratincoles and Bustards as well as different Falcons and Goshawks. The bridge over the river served as a great vantage point to look for the elusive Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren which we eventually found. Also it was from there that we were lucky enough to watch Brown Quail scurrying about.
Katherine to Victoria River
Katherine to Victoria River
Victoria River
Katherine to Victoria River
Victoria River
Victoria River
Victoria River
Little Corella, Victoria River
Black Falcon, Victoria River
Australian Pratincole, Victoria River
Rainbow Bee-eater, Victoria River
Pheasant Coucal – male, Victoria River
Pheasant Coucal – male, Victoria River
Pheasant Coucal – male, Victoria River
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – female, Victoria River
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – male, Victoria River
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – male, Victoria River
Brown Quail, Victoria River
Brown Quail, Victoria River
Dollarbird, Victoria River
Dollarbird, Victoria River
Rufous Whistler – female, Victoria River
Rufous Whistler – female, Victoria River
Nankeen Kestrel, Victoria River
Nankeen Kestrel, Victoria River
Brown Quail, Victoria River
Brown Quail, Victoria River
Crimson Finch, Victoria River
Australian Bustard, Victoria River
Australian Bustard, Victoria River
Australian Bustard, Victoria River
Australian Bustard, Victoria River
Australian Pratincole, Victoria River
Nankeen Kestrel, Victoria River
Victoria River
Our next stop was only 90 kms further – Timber Creek. Lookout in the town sprinklers for Finches, go to Policeman’s Point to find the Fairy-Wrens and don’t forget the airstrip for Oriental Plovers and Pratincoles expected at this time of the year. Good advice but mostly unlucky with habitat change. However we did take the scenic lookout over the town and found our first Black-tailed Treecreepers. The Timber Creek campsite was well treed and not bad for some birds – albeit birds we had seen previously. Gregory’s Tree was just up the road – a large Baobab of significance to both the Aboriginals and the early settlers. We were told Gouldian Finches were often seen there but we found none! However the site was interesting.
Victoria River from Policeman’s Point, Timber Creek
Timber Creek
Timber Creek
en route to Timber Creek
Victoria River from Policeman’s Point, Timber Creek
Mistletoe
Red-winged Parrots, male female, Timber Creek
Victoria River, Timber Creek
Yellow Oriole, Timber Creek
Variegated Fairy-Wren, Timber Creek
Variegated Fairy-Wren, Timber Creek
Variegated Fairy-Wren, Timber Creek
White-winged Triller, Timber Creek
Yellow-throated Miners, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Gregory’s Baobab Tree, Timber Creek
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Timber Creek
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Timber Creek
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Timber Creek
Masked Finch, Timber Creek
Masked Finch, Timber Creek
Whistling Kite, Timber Creek
Oriental Plover, Timber Creek
Oriental Plover, Timber Creek
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Timber Creek Camp
Decision time. On to Konunurra or back to Darwin. We chose the later and now regret not exploring beyond as we had too much time on our hands at the end in Darwin. We probably would not have found many more species but it would have been good to see the area. Certainly we were expecting Katherine to Konunurra to be dry hot and barren but we found it far from that. The Victoria River which we followed was as large as any in in South Africa and still flowing strongly at the end of the dry season. The journey was through sandstone escarpment and the habitat varied and well treed.
From Timber Creek after a late start we headed straight back to Katherine. We popped in to several of the birding spots we had visited along the way but mostly it was too late in the day. One or two birds were photographed.
Red-backed Fairy-Wren, Buntine Highway
Blue-winged Kookaburra, Victoria River
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos, Buntine Highway
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos, Buntine Highway
So back in Katherine to Shady Lanes camp site. The plan to visit Ferguson River again very early. We arrive there at 06h30. The Hooded Parrots are all around us. We quickly take our position right next to the waterhole – this time I took a chair for comfort!
The Hooded Parrots soon started coming down to drink – there must have been close to 50 of them. Once they had had their fill it was the turn of the finches – Long-tailed, Masked, Double-banded, Crimson and a couple of Gouldians.
Comfort right next to the pond
Family statuette
Collared Sparrowhawk, Ferguson River
Gouldian and Long-tailed Finches, Ferguson River
Gouldian and Long-tailed Finches, Ferguson River
Gouldian and Long-tailed Finches, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrot – male, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrots, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrots, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrots, Ferguson River
Long-tailed and Masked Finch, Ferguson River
Brown Falcon -Mystery noisily raucous Raptor, Ferguson River
Assorted Finches, Ferguson River
Black-necked Stork, Ferguson River
Double-banded Finches, Ferguson River
Double-banded Finches, Ferguson River
Sacred Kingfisher, Ferguson River
Sacred Kingfisher, Ferguson River
After an unintended detour to Lichfield Park we headed for Darwin – a long haul in the heat of the day – fortunately the air-conditioner in our campervan worked extraordinarily well.
Once back in Darwin we stayed at a different campsite – Oasis. It was closer to where we wanted to revisit the next day – Fogg Dam. Early start as usual. The Dam seemed much quieter than when we visited 2 weeks earlier – perhaps because of all the rain they had (which we missed). Anyway we were rewarded with several new species which we had yet to see.
Forest Kingfisher, Fogg Dam
Golden-headed Cisticola, Fogg Dam
Golden-headed Cisticola, Fogg Dam
Grey Whistler, Fogg Dam
Grey Whistler, Fogg Dam
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Fogg Dam
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Fogg Dam
Shining Flycatcher – male, Fogg Dam
Shining Flycatcher – male, Fogg Dam
From there we headed for Adelaide River bridge along the Arnham Highway – hoping to find a Mangrove Golden Whistler. This was not to be although we did find a bird which we were almost sure could have been a female – picture taken and later told it is a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher.
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Adelaide River
Arafura Fantail, Adelaide River
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Adelaide River
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Adelaide River
The following day we returned to Lee Point. A walk along one of the tracks flushed 50 to 100 Chestnut-breasted Mannikins – which obligingly posed for photos. The waders on shore were abundant – thousands. A great many were Great Knots.
Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, Lee Point
Pied Oystercatchers, Lee Point
Pied Oystercatchers, Lee Point
Pied Oystercatchers, Lee Point
Pied Oystercatchers, Lee Point
Great Knots, Lee Point
Mixed Waders, Lee Point
Little Terns -Mystery Terns, Lee Point
White-bellied Woodswallow, Buffalo Creek
We also re-visited East Point and found that the Northern Fantails had completed their nest and were sitting for us.
Whimbrel, East Point
Whiskered Terns, McMinns Lagoon
Whiskered (Leucistic?) Tern, McMinns Lagoon
Rufous-banded Honeyeater, East Point, Darwin
Northern Fantail, East Point
Northern Fantail, East Point
Northern Fantail, East Point
That night we headed south to a campsite we had heard about – Tumbling Waters. Very attractive and with quite an active camp bird population. Sally even spotted one elusive Northern Rossella right next to our campsite. We had been looking everywhere to find one.
While there we visited Darwin River Dam but heard lots and saw little (that we could ID anyway).
While there we visited Denise Goodfellow – whose book we had been using throughout our travels. We were very impressed with her knowledge of all things flora and fauna. She helped to set us right with several of our mystery birds.
Our last day (morning) was spent initially on Tiger Brennan Drive, Darwin looking for the Chestnut Rail without success – tide was too high. Afterwards we returned to where we started – Charles Darwin NP. We tried the mangroves for Mangrove Golden Whistler – which we could not find despite it calling within metres of us. Otherwise a quiet day with sightings of a number of birds including Pheasant Coucal and a Grey Shrike-Thrush.
Red-winged Parrot, Charles Darwin NP
Grey Shrike-Thrush, Charles Darwin NP
Olive-backed Oriole, Charles Darwin NP
Forest Kingfishers, Charles Darwin NP
So that concludes our 3 week trip around the Top End of Darwin. We hope you have enjoyed the stories and photos. We are waiting at the airport for our flight at one in the morning – back to Melbourne.