I am on my way east to Melbourne and before I approach the Nullarbor Plain again, I am staying for a couple of days in the lovely Esperance. My first stop was the Monjingup Lake, which gave me wonderful photos of courting Musk Duck last time. As soon as I got out of the van, I saw more Shingle-backed Lizards. This time, they were a pale blue. I have been amazed at the range of colours these Bobtail have. I had seen this colour a couple of times but hadn't managed to shoot them. Got them.
Shingle-backed Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa)
I went down to the hide first and as before it looked initially very quiet. I spotted a family of Yellow-billed Spoonbill and Pink-eared Duck. Very cute. A swallow sat on a dead branch in front of me with a mouth full of bugs. I wondered why the juvenile wasn't coming to be fed. After realising there was a nest of expecting chicks right behind me, I left so the bird could come in and feed them.
Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)
The next day I came after lunch and expected it to be very quiet, as places often are. In front of the hide I spotted a firetail. There were several around jumping between the safety of the trees and the long grass to feed. What a stunning little bird.
Red-eared Firetail (Stagonopleura oculata)
I walked down to the boardwalk with the noise of the wattlebirds cackling in the trees. Shining Bronze and Fan-tailed Cuckoo were both calling. It was all very loud but I couldn't actually see many birds. It was the same on the boardwalk through the paperbark swamp. I had heard a reed warbler the day before and wanted to get shots today. But it was a crake that I heard calling first. The vegetation was so thick I knew I wouldn't see it. Instead I spotted the reed warbler. Good start.
Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis)
Then it all went a bit mad. A Restless Flycatcher flew past, buzzing away, the honeyeaters started shrieking, a bronze cuckoo arrived above my head. I spotted movement in the water and saw a pair of courting Blue-billed Duck. And the wattlebirds were still cackling. Birding is often like that, you don't see much for ages and then suddenly, it all goes off. That excitement is why we love birding.
Living on the road can be overwhelming. Your brain is constantly assaulted with new information: new places, new problems, new plans. It is a sensory overload. Places like Dryandra Woodland National Park restores the balance. Much as I have loved travelling through Western Australia, I think my heart is in the wilderness. Driving through the wheatbelt was beautiful but to turn into this native, ancient forest was glorious. The smell of the gum trees and the song of the birds was spectacular. For all the assault on my senses, it was totally peaceful.
As I approached the campsite, I could already see a family of treecreepers bouncing around on a dead log. By the time I had passed them, parked up and began my walk around, they had gone and come back. So I moved the van and parked next to the tree. I was able to watch them come and go for the rest of the morning. Rufous Treecreepers are very beautiful but their brown and red colours blend into the trees and make it difficult to get clear definition on a photo. But I tried.
Rufous Treecreeper (Climacteris rufus)
Around the camp were Blue-tongued Skinks. The proper title for the species here is the Shingle-backed Skink but the local name is the Bobtail. I chased (very slow chase) a couple around as their colours were so interesting. Shades of orange on the face and pale blues and greys on the body.
Shingle-backed Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa)
A short walk from the camp was a dam and I thought it would be a good place to go early morning. Unfortunately, so did a guy fishing. Never mind. I returned a little later and sat by the dam to watch what came down to drink.
First off were the 28 Ringneck Parrots. Lots of them. They sat in the surrounding trees and then ducked down to the water. All the time making a lot of noise and chatter.
28 Ringneck Parrot (Barnardius zonarius)
The 28s were put to shame in the noise department by the arrival of the Carnaby's Black Cockatoo. Their wailing reverberated across the forest. They seemed to be communicating a system for grooming, bathing and drinking. A roster perhaps? They didn't like me getting anywhere near them but eventually 4 were so busy grooming after a bath that they tolerated me while I shot them.
Carnaby's Black Cockatoo (Zanda latirostris)
Walking back to the campground I heard a familiar call. It took me a while to place it as I haven't seen these birds or heard them since Alice Springs. The Red-capped Robin. I photographed the female in the NT but, as usual, it is the male that has the bright plumage. I hung around the female for a while and eventually the male appeared. Another species where I have got my best photos.
Penguin Island is a 5 minute ferry ride from Rockingham. Ironically, I didn't see any penguins but that is actually a good thing as they are either tucked up in their burrows or out at sea fishing, which is how it should be. Not disappointing at all, I'll see them some other time and the island had plenty to look at and photograph.
The island has a discovery centre and lots of volunteers and rangers around. The ferry service was well organised and overall it was a very well run tourist / conservation operation. Just shows what can be done. Having said that, if you can't handle irritated and loud gulls then don't come here. Silver gulls nest across the island and they are incredibly protective. I had to go past one that was guarding a chick - bad enough but it didn't see me until I was close. I really feared for my scalp and my ear drums!
Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)
As ever, I got to the island as early as possible. I overhead staff talking about a school trip so I knew I was on borrowed time. Children and wildlife photography just do not mix. Good then that I spotted the resident King Skinks while it was quiet. This one appeared to be hoovering up bird guano. No accounting for taste I suppose.
King Skink (Egernia kingii)
On the top of the ridge that ran along the centre of the island were dozens of pelican. I could see some were nesting but it took me some time to spot the youngsters. I know that pelican are birds (obviously) and so lay eggs (again ...). However, I never really thought of the chicks and that enormous bill. I became curious when I saw half grown chicks with clearly small bills. I caught a glimpse of a much younger chick with .... a much smaller bill. They looked very odd.
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Where the hill meets the sea and the visitor's centre is was a patch of vegetation and as soon as I arrived, I could hear Buff-banded Rail calling. I returned when there were no people coming or going to the ferry and I saw at least 4. Bit tricky to photograph as they darted in and out of the undergrowth. I must have looked a bit odd, sitting on the boardwalk staring into a bush but I got a couple of shots so never mind.
Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis)
The star of the show at Penguin Island was the Bridled Tern. I have seen them only once off the coast of Queensland. They are similar to the Sooty Tern but their white eyebrows extend further back. It gives them a severe but rather elegant look.
Bridled Tern - Onychoprion anaethetus
The terns were all over the island, courting and nesting. Often balanced precariously on the greenery, they were usually in pairs and as usual, squawked and chattered incessantly, often arguing with the nesting gulls.
It was very windy on my visit and that helped me get flight shots as the birds hovered into the wind as they came into land.
I haven't made it into central Perth, preferring to stay a little south of Fremantle at Coogee. Woodman Point was the first place I stayed at in my 2016 visit and I loved it. Good decision to stay there as the busy city traffic was a bit of a shock to the system after thousands of kilometre in the outback and rural Australia. It was also a good decision because it was a beautiful as I remembered. The caravan park I was in backed onto the beach and Woodman Point Reserve but my first stop was at Woodman Point itself. A very small rocky outcrop into the ocean marks the end of a small bay. I arrived on a Sunday morning and in the sunshine were lots of walkers, divers and fishermen. Terns and gulls circled looking for a free feed.
As I looked north I saw another, similar outcrop at the other end of the bay and I couldn't see any people so I wandered down the beach to it. The Indian Ocean sparkled and looked very inviting but and there were people enjoying it. No crocs or stingers here but I wasn't fooled. There is always something and here it is sharks. I walked along the shoreline.
I spent a bit of time each day for the 3 days I was staying there at this small part of beach. It was just wonderful. At the end was a small grassed area that was fenced off for a Fairy Tern colony to nest. Beyond that was a small, rocky area that was home to cormorants and terns. And wandering around, anywhere in this area were waders.
My first target was the Black-bellied or Grey Plover. I had seen them once in New Zealand and a couple of times in Australia but I had no decent photos. With the sun shining every day and relatively few people around, this was my chance. Like most waders, they were very shy but if you keep low down you can get closer to them. Still, a large lens helps enormously. The plovers ran along the sand, fed and dozed in the sunshine.
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
That done, I spotted a wader amongst the plovers that was similar (as waders often are) but obviously different. A Great Knot which I don't think is very rare here but it was interesting to see a single bird mixing with the bigger plovers.
Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris)
Also on the shore and in the rocks were several Ruddy Turnstones. They are easy to identify with their very short, orange legs. Stunning in breeding colours, they are also attractive when non-breeding. They tend to scrabble around rocks looking for food and if disturbed, will fly up with a harsh cry.
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
On the rocks furthest away, in a small group were the very elegant Pied Cormorants. They were flying around the whole area and would, very helpfully, approach very low and their spread wings always makes for a great photo.
Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius)
There were also Little Pied Cormorant spread across the area. Less social than their bigger cousins, they tended to find their own rock to dry out their wings or just rest. As soon as one took off, others would grab any better real estate and so they seemed to shuffle around a lot. Very interesting to watch.
Little Pied Cormorant - (Microcarbo melanoleucos)
On the second day I was here, I spotted a tattler. The Wandering and Grey-tailed are tricky to tell apart. Having said that, I have only ever seen the Grey-tailed! Initially they look rather plain but I think they have an elegance about them and the white eye stripe make them look quite striking.
Grey-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes)
Mixing together on the rocks were Caspian and Great Crested Terns. These are the largest of the tern species and both of them have very bright plumage.
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
However, all the other birds paled into insignificance when I saw the Fairy Terns. These birds are tiny (especially when compared to the Caspian and Great Crested) with a bright yellow bill and black head. They make the most delicious squeaking noises as they chatter with each other.
Australian Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis)
There were several nests in the area and I got a good look at one in particular. The adults took it in turns to sit on the eggs and when they moved position, I got a chance to look at the eggs (look bottom left). Thank goodness for the zoom lens!
The terns would fly out and back regularly and often sit on the beach and court. I watched terns offering fish to each other many times and it was fascinating. One poor tern kept calling and trying to get another bird interested in its fish but to no avail. Another were so busy chattering about their fish that they didn't see a gull approach and it promptly pinched it from them!
The trickiest photos to get were of the terns in flight. They were so fast and small, I struggled to capture them. Even with a shutter speed of 1/2500 of a second, the wings are blurred.
It was such a privilege to be able to spend time amongst these incredible creatures and this experience is a highlight of my trip that I will never forget.
Lake Leschenaultia is close to the small town of Chidlow, where I was staying with my friend Lynette. I headed down there on a Saturday morning which was not the best timing after a few days of rain. While it was quiet when I arrived, it wasn't long before the mountain bikers, canoeists and groups of walkers arrived. I tried to stay on the opposite side of the lake from where the most noise was coming from.
The forest was, as ever, stunning and the grass trees were the biggest and healthiest I have ever seen. Looking into them was like an optical illusion, especially in the damp and weak sunlight. There were tracks into the trees and around the lake which was long and thin. As I left the car park, I followed the sound of a Rufous Treecreeper into the forest. Unfortunately, it disappeared before I could find it. The Western Gerygone, Striated Pardalote and Grey Fantail were all calling from the canopy and it was so fitting in such a beautiful place.
Apart from those birds calling, there wasn't too much I could try to photograph. I could hear the black cockatoo wailing in the distance and every now and again a cuckoo would announce its presence. It was very pleasant wandering around and as I got close to the water, I could hear a Reed Warbler singing.
When I hit the north west corner of the lake, there were small pools of water on either side of the track and dense vegetation. I heard a Western Whistler and waited to see if it was the male. Not one but two appeared.
Western Whistler (Pachycephala fuliginosa)
Once I got the whistler then it just seemed like everyone else needed to show off for me. I sat for around 30 minutes (until the noisy masses got too close) and saw and photographed the majority of the birds I saw at the lake. First I thought I had a thornbill but realised by the short, sharp call that it was a Weebill.
Weebill (Smicornis brevirostris)
As it moved away, a family of fairywren arrived. I got a glimpse of the male (the easiest way to identify the species) and waited to see if it would sit up for me. Better than that, it sang too!
Splendid Fairywren (Malurus splendens)
Behind me, I heard some chatter and turned to find Western Gerygone stripping bark for nesting material.
Western Gerygone (Gerygone fusca)
Right above it appeared a honeyeater and to my delight, it was a Gilbert's. I have seen them several times now in Western Australia but not enough. It was attacking the leaves of a gum tree and performing some acrobatics.
Gilbert's Honeyeater (Melithreptus chloropsis)
I love it when you find spots like this that are buzzing with birds. I didn't know where to look but it eventually became time to move on. I carried on the track back to the car park and cafe and just about ran straight into a male Scarlet Robin, just sitting on a fence.
As I have been making my way north, the rain has set in. After several days of showers I caught a break and stopped at Victoria Dam which is within the Korung National Park. It provides water for Perth, some 50km to the west. It is very well laid out with a walk through the forest between the car park and the dam wall. All through the bush were amazing grass trees. They are very slow growers so to see lots of them at good sizes was wonderful.
Common Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea preissii)
The trees were full of little bush birds. Thornbills and gerygone were singing away, too active to chase. Then I turned a corner and came face to face with a Western Yellow Robin. It was my first sighting since I hit Western Australia so I was really pleasIed. It gripped the side of the tree in typical robin fashion and looked around for bugs. It sat very still and then, in a flash, it was gone.
Western Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis)
I arrived at the dam wall at the same time as another rain cloud and ducked for cover under a shelter. There was no other visitors on the track and I didn't see any body working at the dam either. It was quite eerie to be here alone, something about the huge amount of water and the enormous dam wall. As I turned around, I saw a female Scarlet Robin. Terrible conditions for photography but I still couldn't resist. The females are paler than the males but still striking.
Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)
Although it is towards the end of the wildflower season, there were still quite a lot of blossoms on the ground and in the gum trees. That always means honeyeaters will be present. I could hear the harsh chatter of the Brown Honeyeater and the more staccato call of the New Holland. It was difficult to see them as they were very busy but I finally managed to get the New Holland.
New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)
As I walked back along the track, the bush birds were zooming about again. It is always tricky to tell them apart. I look for the cocked tail and speckled chest for the Inland Thornbill and the white eye ring for the Western Gerygone.
