Trephina Gorge

 

Ghost Gum - Endemic Eucalyptus of Central Australia (corymbia apparrerinja)

Check my birding map for specific location.

Trephina Gorge is an hour's drive east of Alice Springs and within it there are 4 campgrounds. 3 were accessible to me in my camper and as I didn't know which was best I booked to stay 2 nights at each. The gorge itself is stunning with huge orange/red cliffs surrounding the dry creek bed. The birdlife was abundant and I spent hours each day counting and photographing them. My favourite site was the Panorama Campground with big bays and a central area for picnics and BBQs. To the back of my site was an open area that had been somewhat burned in a wildfire that had passed through 6 weeks before. Not very pretty really but it seemed good for the insectivores. 

I explored the campsites and the gorge, walking long the creek bed and climbing to the top of the cliffs. The views were amazing and you had to wonder at the forces of nature that created these amazing places. I cannot get over how odd it is, though, as the vast majority of creeks are dry. Some of them are huge and it gives me the shivers to think of the amount of water that must be present at times, to fill them. Central Australia is a very interesting and unusual place.

There were not many raptors present in the gorge but I did get a glimpse of a Peregrine Falcon a few times. I wondered if the other species prefer more open ground. One thing it isn't short of is honeyeaters. I saw Brown, Spiny-cheeked, White-plumed, Grey-headed, Singing Honeyeaters and of course the ever noisy Yellow-throated Miner. At the Panorama site there was a water tap (amazingly, the water was drinkable which I didn't find in the more commercial West MacDonnell Ranges) and a container for the birds. Behind that was a big bush and a cursory look indicated activity. I pulled up a chair and just sat for a while. There can't be many pastimes where sitting in front of a bush can be so rewarding! Zebra Finches flew in, drank and chatted and flew out again all day long. It was almost therapeutic to watch them. Loud as they were, the dominant noise was from the Peaceful Doves. I haven't heard their regular calling since I left Far North Queensland and it was lovely to be able to listen to them again. There were a few handsome Diamond Doves too and I laughed as a poor bird spent 10 minutes going around and around the water container and never figured out how to reach the water. 

Singing Honeyeater (Gavicalis virescens)

White-plumed Honeyeater (Ptilotula penicillata)

I heard Horsfield Bronze Cuckoos calling frequently and spent a happy afternoon either photographing one out of the back of my van or creeping around the area trying to get closer to another. One morning I saw them mating and then one feeding another. Just for once everything came together and I got that on video! I was usually glad of a break though from their incessant whine though, the call not reflecting the beauty of the bird. It was good that I had got used to the call, however, here and in the Western Macs as I knew straight away when I heard a similar call that it must be the Black-eared Cuckoo. I played the call on an app to check and to my delight, a bird flew straight into the bush opposite me. An easy lifer. I got some more photos before it left and I didn't hear the call again.

Black-eared Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx osculans)

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx basalis)

In the afternoons, the Hooded Robin were active and I was thrilled when a male and female came to bathe in my makeshift waterhole. I always put out a container of water behind my van, no matter where I stay. Sometimes birds find it and sometimes they don't. The robin is a particularly attractive bird so I took a lot of photos that afternoon. The Zebra Finches and White-plumed Honeyeaters were also good customers. 

Female and male Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)

Another treat was to see the Red-backed Kingfisher sitting up high and calling. For a single, repeated note is was piercing and beautiful. I saw and heard it several times during my stay but with some scrambling over rocks I managed to get close enough to it once to photograph and video. He called for 2 days and at the end of the 3rd another bird arrived and they flew off together, so romantic!

Red-backed Kingfisher (Todiramphus pyrrhopygi)

Another lifer at Trephina was the Little Woodswallow. In the open space behind my van at the Panorama site they would catch bugs in the afternoon. I have checked so many woodswallows and have always found the Black-faced variety so I initially assumed these were too. Grudgingly I decided to check again and to my delight, they were obviously smaller and darker. Bingo!

Little Woodswallow (Artamus minor)

eBird Lists

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Santa Teresa Road

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

Santa Teresa Road runs past the airport south-east of Alice Springs. The seal runs out and the track becomes a little rough but passable. It is a nondescript place that even the local residents don't really visit unless they are travelling to the settlement of Santa Teresa itself about 75km from Alice Springs itself. 

For a birder though, the place is fantastic. Flat grasslands (with red sand underneath as seen in the Google Earth image above) run to the horizon with occasional slopes and lots and lots of rocks. The first thing you notice is large flocks of Budgerigars. The biggest I saw was around 500 birds. Something very special about that.

I stopped in places where I saw bird activity and parked my van up to explore. It was very cold on the morning I was there so I wasn't surprised to not see anyone else around. The birds were still quite skittish and it was challenging to get close to them. There were also birds I didn't recognise and birds I had never seen before at all. Worth braving the cold for. 

The first bird I saw was a Chiming Wedgebill. It disappeared as soon as I got out the van although I did hear the fabulous call for a while. Then Mulga Parrots landed next to me and were feeding on the ground. I sat, watched and shot. Difficult conditions in the cold and gloomy light but I didn't care too much.

Female and Male Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius)

I could hear the Crested Bellbird from behind me and when the parrots left, I looked for it. These birds should be photogenic but always seem to look a little grubby. There were several birds calling to each other and it was great to film one. Their call is just wonderful.

Crested Bellbird (Oreoica gurruralis)

As I drove along the road I saw small birds with a flash on their tails flying along and across the roads. It took me sometime to figure out they were Crimson Chats and Southern Whiteface. It took even longer for me to get close enough to photograph them and then I only got a good shot of the chat.

Crimson Chat (Epithianura tricolor)

As I sat in the van having a cup of tea I could hear a call I didn't know which is always exciting. It was a sort of double electronic buzz and I raced out to find the owner. Turned out to be a Red-capped Robin. I found several females and while the male is more attractive, I thought these girls were super cute.

Female Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii)

The birds that made the most noise were the varied Sittella. I have seen grey morphs before but these black and white birds were stunning. They were very shy and I only managed to get shots of them when they flew in to a tree close to me rather than me approaching them.

Varied Sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera)

It really was the morning for small bush birds as I heard thornbills and fairywrens calling close by. I saw the White-winged Fairywren but wasn't able to photograph them. Not too shabby to settle for this Splendid Fairywren.

Splendid Fairywren (Malurus spendens)

The other bird flitting about was the Inland Thornbill. They may look like rather dull, grey birds but I think if you can get close to them and look really carefully they are beautiful and interesting.

Inland Thornbill (Acanthiza apicalis)

I returned to Santa Teresa Road a few days later with the lovely Tanya who had escorted me to the Treatment Plant earlier in my stay here at Alice Springs. She had and idea where we might find Banded Whiteface and so we set off to look for a semi-circular track off the main road. We were both unsure we would spot it but we did and immediately on pulling in, we saw small birds on the ground. 1, 2, 3 were Zebra Finch but there as well was a single Banded Whiteface. It looked marked different to the Southern Whiteface but I am still unsure as to exactly why. Not to worry, it was another lifer and a very attractive bird. 

Banded Whiteface (Aphelocephala nigricincta)

Further down the road we stopped at the famous Tyre in the Pole area and wandered in amongst the grasses. We heard a quiet but distinctive double beep and immediately started searching for the Spinifexbird. We played the song on my phone and it popped straight up, posing beautifully for us. As we got close it moved off and we tried once more with the app and got it again, legs splayed between grasses. Not prone to torturing birds with recorded songs, we let it go about its business.

Spinifexbird (Poodytes carteri)

On the way back to the car, Tanya spotted a Central Netted Dragon. We stopped and watched it for a while as it tried to decide how dangerous we were. It was right in front of its burrow which made for some great photos and very kindly it climbed some grass for us instead of diving into it. 

Central Netted Dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis)

After a fruitless search for Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, we drove back and along the way passed numerous (we estimate between 10 and 15) Bearded Dragons. Usually, as we screeched to halt, reversed or turned around, they would disappear but a couple of times we were able to get closer. The dragon below was in a small, dead tree and caught my eye as it was bright orange. We managed to get out of the car before it scarpered and started to approach it. Before our very eyes it changed colour. First to a brown and then darker to almost black. All in less than a minute. It was remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. We got to within touching distance of it, but of course we didn't. We continued to see more dragons in the road, the verge and on rocks soaking up the sun. It is definitely getting warmer in Alice Springs.  

Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

This is the same animal, photographs taken less than 1 minute apart.

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Ormiston Gorge

Check my birding map for specific location.

What a gem of a place this campground is. Set in the stunning Ormiston Gorge and Waterhole, it is a private campsite with facilities and even a kiosk/cafe. I was laid low with a heavy cold so didn't go too far along any of the tracks but just staying with my van or walking around the social areas was rewarding enough. 

The short walk to the waterhole saw lots of Yellow-throated Miner, Pied Butcherbirds, Zebra Finches and Port Lincoln Ringnecks. Up to 3 Whistling Kites circled the area and I did see a Collared Sparrowhawk flyover. At the waterhole at dawn and dusk were 5 Pacific Heron and a couple of Australasian Grebes. 

Port Lincoln Ringneck Parrot (Barnardius zonarius zonarius)

Pacific or White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)

Behind the campsite was a steep hill and each morning the Spinifex Pigeons would come running down in through the bush and then dart under the vehicles, all the while making their delicious coo-ing call. They are so attractive and entertaining and to see them so close was wonderful. 

Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera)

I regularly heard a Horsfield's Cuckoo calling. It wasn't listed on eBird so I had to chase it around a bit until I scrabbled up the hill and managed to photograph it. This was the first of my 2022 trip and I was even more pleased to be able to identify it by the call alone. I have been trying to learn the bird calls this year and it has been challenging to say the least.  

Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo (Chrysoccyx basalis)  

At the back of my van was a very small patch of open dirt before the scrub and everyday I got different visitors. The first day was the Hooded Robin as they hunted amongst the small trees. They looked at little unkempt, in moult I think. I have seen these robins in several places but have yet to hear them calling. Weird. 

Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)

Next day was a succession of doves and pigeons. Diamond and Peaceful Doves wandered past and a Spinifex Pigeon sat helpfully on a split log for me. 

The third day a Western Bowerbird sat in a nearby tree and I waited with baited breath. I had still to get a shot of one out in the open. They are usually shy of people so I stayed very still in the back of the van until it decided to explore the ground around me, including sitting on the log and showing its pink crest. Magic. 

Western Bowerbird (Chlamydera guttata)

Near the visitor's centre there were flowering trees which attracted the honeyeaters. Brown and White-plumed Honeyeater were most common but at times there were numbers of Spiny-cheeked and the occasional Singing. I loved watching the Spiny-cheeked in particular as they interacted.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufigularis)

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Alice Springs Sewage Ponds

 

Check my birding map for specific location. 

The Alice Springs treatment plant is unique. It is recognised as one of the best birding areas in Australia and it is most unusual in that you can access it. With some safety formalities and a volunteer guide, you can walk around the ponds at your leisure. Contrary to the impressions of non-bird watcher civilians, it doesn't smell, it is very beautiful and very interesting. My guide Tanya was so knowledgeable and helpful - it made all the difference. The night before had been very cold and it was lovely to walk around the ponds chatting about birds and photography with the rising sun on our backs. It was a huge bonus and surprise to get 4 lifers here. I didn't get too many photos but sometimes the experience is what is important. 

The first birds we saw and heard were the Little Crow. Distinguishing between the Little and Torresian Crow is proving to be a challenge for me and even though we saw the littles, I could not explain why it was so. Anyway, here it is.

Little Crow (corvus bennetti)

As we hit the ponds we started to see waders. Most common was the Black-fronted Dotterel and they took flight as soon as we got close. Then Tanya spotted a Wood Sandpiper which was great and it let us get close enough to photograph it. I rattled off dozens of photographs and laughed when I processed them. The bird was so still that every photo was exactly the same. Some birds are just more active than others I guess.

Wood Sandpiper (tringa glareola)

As we moved to the first corner which was overgrown, we could hear the Little Grassbird and fairywrens. During the morning we saw all 3 local species of fairywren, the Splendid, Purple-backed and White-winged. The females are all plainer than the more shy males.

Little Grassbird (poodytes gramineus)

Female Splendid Fairywren (malurus spendens)

The highlight of the visit was seeing the shy Australian Spotted Crake. Amazingly, it not only came out into the open but the sun was actually in the right place. We ended up seeing 2 birds out in the open in different places which was just magic for my first sighting.

Australian Spotted Crake (porzana fluminea)

eBird List
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Desert Park

 

Check my birding map for specific location. 

Desert Park in Alice Springs is probably the best wildlife park that I have ever been to and that is somewhat of a surprise in the middle of the desert. A combination of excellent planning, well maintained exhibits and incredibly interesting local animals makes it a place you can spend a lot of time at! I was there for a full day. I had tried to leave at lunchtime and visit somewhere else but there seemed no point when the area was just buzzing with birds. Some that I include here are from aviaries but there was also plenty to see walking around the park itself. 

The fairywrens were such a bird with the Splendid and Purple-backed calling in lots of places. This was the first sighting in 2022 for me of the former so I stalked them until I found the glorious male.

Splendid Fairywren (malurus splendens)

And now a contrast of colours. The rather plain looking thornbill family are small songbirds with a pale eye. This is the Chestnut-rumped Thornbill and I really enjoyed watching it sitting up and calling.

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (acanthiza uropygialis)

It's neighbour was a rather more brightly coloured Red-capped Robin and it too was in calling mood. My camera struggled with the vibrance of the red.

Red-capped Robin (petroica goodenovii)

In one of the aviaries I could hear a reed warbler calling and stood patiently until it appeared. These birds give everything when they are calling, their whole body shakes. It is quite a sight.

Australian Reed Warbler (acrocephalus australis)

The surprising highlights of the exhibits were the incredible numbats. I'd never seen them before and I watched them for a while as they dug in the ground and chatted to each other. They are marsupials that feed on termites (hence the long nose I suppose). I really hope I get to see animals like this in the wild.

Numbat (myrmecobius fasciatus)

I have saved the best for last though. I have been on the road in Australia for 6 months now and I am always looking for buttonquail. Having visited lots of places where they have been seen and frequently thinking about where they might be, I had just about given up that they really existed. As ever, while wandering the park I had an eye out for them when, to my shock, I saw one scrabbling around in the dirt right next to the path I was on. It was tiny, cryptic and shy. Luckily there weren't other people around so I could watch it for a while. Difficult to photograph in the dark and as it moved around so fast, I was so pleased to get a couple of sharp(ish) shots.

Little Buttonquail (turnix velox)

Desert Park was an incredible birding location, no doubt!

eBird List
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Olive Pink Botanic Garden

 

Check my birding map for specific location. 

The Botanic Gardens in Alice Springs is a most unusual place. Every other such garden I have been to is a lush, green place full of exotic plants and trees. In the Red Centre, it is very different. In my first visit I struggled to tell the difference between one dry, brown bush and the next. There is a walk you can follow around the back of the garden and a rocky hillside is the home of Black-footed Rock Wallabies. There are also more brown, dry bushes. 

I was extremely excited, however, to immediately find the Western Bowerbird displaying at its bower. I have seen several species of bowerbird in Australia but this guy won the handsome competition hands down. What a stunning bird and when it displayed the lilac crest, it was amazing. 

Western Bowerbird (chlamydera guttata)

On my second visit to the garden I realised there was a bird-attracting garden which I set out to find. Consisting of several flowering bushes, I could immediately hear the squeaky call of the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater. There were several of them feeding inside the bushes and I had to wait awhile before they peeked out.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (acanthagenys rufogularis)

The other honeyeater buzzing around was the White-plumed Honeyeater. They are a common bird here and while exciting for me to see, the locals view them with some contempt for their noise.

White-plumed Honeyeater (ptilotula penicillata)

On the ground I found a group of Grey-crowned Babbler. I love these birds with their squabbling and chattering. They were investigating the leaf litter and I followed them to a nest where they were feeding young. For a dry semi-dead appearing landscape, it was certainly shaping up to be a haven for birdlife!

Grey-crowned Babbler (pomatostomus temporalis)

The high pitched pinging of the Port Lincoln Ringneck caught my attention close to the visitor centre and I found a group of them tearing off small figs from a tree. Unfortunately, I don't think they were ripe and the birds left them scattered on the ground. This bird was just double checking.

Port Lincoln Ringneck Parrot (barnaridus zonarius)

All in all I really liked this unusual park. The more time I spent there, the more I found out about desert wildlife and that looks can be deceiving. 

eBird Lists

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