Wagga Wagga Botanical Gardens

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

I am starting my journey back towards Queensland and have stopped for a couple of nights at Wagga Wagga. The caravan park was probably the worst I have ever stayed at and I felt very sorry for the residents and staff alike. Never have I been so grateful to be in my van and able to move on. 

My first stop was some local wetlands, which looked like some great birds were there from the eBird records. It was on the northern edge of town next to the river. Unfortunately, as I left the car park and began the walk I got a case of the heebie geebies and felt very uncomfortable. I tried to rationalise my fears but too late, the walk was spoiled. 

As I always listen to my gut (except when I am getting bogged in Chiltern!) so I headed towards the Botanical Gardens as they are always promising. It was a wide open space around the car park and while I didn't really see many exotic plants, there were plenty of birds and it was very pleasant.

At the far end of the gardens, I saw a cafe next to a playground and then just behind them some dingo running about. After a swift double take, I saw that there was a mini zoo within the gardens. I had a look and saw there was a free flying aviary in there. I don't really like birds in captivity but I couldn't help having a look. I guess it is a tricky situation with rescued and injured birds and this is a compromise for all.

The aviary was large and very tall, probably the best I have seen and despite my misgivings, I loved it. The Galah, Cockatiel and Regent Parrots sat on my shoulders and head (glad I wore the hat). Some of my shots were taken with a parrot sitting on the lens! All in all, it was a good way to educate people about the local birdlife. Here are some of the highlights.

Bourke's Parrot (Neopsephotus bourkii)

Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus)

Out of the aviary, I went to look at the Dingo. They were in a big enclosure and had lots of stimulation. They looked very fit and happy. Despite a wire fence, I was pretty happy with this shot.

Dingo (Canis lupus dingo)

Outside the zoo I heard some rosella and went in search of them. I saw the brightly colored Eastern Rosella but I knew I had heard the Crimson as well. To my delight, it was a yellow morph Crimson Rosella. Try explaining that to the non-birder who thought all the parrots were budgies in the aviary! 

Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)

Yellow Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans flaveolus)

eBird List

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S131720810

Wonga Wetlands

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

Wonga Wetlands are just west of Albury and as I can never pass up a visit to the dwindling number of wetlands, I headed there after staying in what has just been voted the best town in Australia.

It was a gloomy day and there had been rain but undaunted, I headed onto the walk around the wetlands. It seemed quiet and subdued as I walked through the huge trees and round the waterways. 

White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)

I first spotted a White-faced Heron sitting out on a log. I love these little herons, they are very elegant and restrained not like the noisy and boisterous White-necked Heron. 

Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

Next up were some Welcome Swallow darting along the river. I caught up with a few resting on logs over the water.

Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)

The denser trees gave way to more open land and a larger body of water that was thick with reeds around the edges. In the middle was a huge dead tree and Great Egrets and Royal Spoonbill were chattering and jostling for position.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa)

On my way back to the van, I heard the delicious trill that I recognised as the Yellow-rumped Thornbill. They always sound so happy.

eBird List
https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S131498573

Chiltern National Park

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

Greetings from the future. I am actually heading north in New South Wales to the Queensland border as I write this. My blog has fallen by the wayside of late as I have been writing for 2 American birding blogs and best of all getting paid. I believe I am officially now a 'digital nomad'. I have been really enjoying writing about birds and using my photographs. You can find the blogs here:

https://birdwatchingpro.com/

https://trinidadbirding.com/

Anyway, I am sitting in the van in a National Park with no internet so I cannot write for the blogs, which gives me an opportunity to catch up here. Back to Victoria ...

After leaving Benalla on a wonderful house sit, I headed east to Chiltern National Park, which is renowned for being one of the best birding spots in the country. Unfortunately it was stinking hot. The temperature gauge just gives you a guide to how hot it will be. How you actually feel on any given day is also affected by the breeze, humidity and other things I can't pinpoint. It was high 30s but felt hotter. There was no relief in the forest and my feet swelled up in complaint. It was very unpleasant. 

The Chiltern forest itself was beautiful and I headed for a camping spot on the banks of the Reedy Creek initially. I was a bit ambitious about where I could park and immediately got bogged. Not to worry. The great thing about being in the Outback or rural Australia is that there might not be much traffic but you can be guaranteed that the next vehicle along the road will be a ute with gear. So, I put on my hat, got a water bottle and started walking. 20 minutes later I was being heaved out of the sand. It was not a gentle experience but I was very grateful to the family who helped me. 

Once I found a safer place to stay, I sat next to the creek. I am used to hot weather in Australia and in the Outback in particular but it was very disconcerting in the forest. Everything was crackly and paper dry. I sat and did think that a squeaky fart might light the place up. 

The next morning I headed to Honeyeater Picnic Area close to the actual town of Chiltern. It was still blisteringly hot and dry and it was not comfortable at all. However, there was a dam there and lots of birds around. As I wandered around the dam, a family of Australian Grebe were alternately diving for food and squabbling. They were lovely to watch.

Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

A Leaden Flycatcher hawked for food in the bush and a Sacred Kingfisher sat and watched.

Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula)

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)

eBird List

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S131255413

Boggy Bridge Visits 4 & 5

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

So I am back at the little spot in the wetlands again for my final few visits. It looks barren here but it is teeming with life and I am so happy to have found this little spot as the birds have the choice to go anywhere. And they do when they are flushed. They just disappear and you are lucky to see them again. But in this area there are lots of birds and when they disappear, others turn up to replace them. 

As usual, the Spotted Crake was running around at my feet. I sat in the van and watched for a while as I was sure I had seen more than one. There were at least 4 in this area which was just wonderful.

Australia Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea)

The grebes were out in good numbers and unusually, they were quite tolerant of me. For the first time I saw the Hoary-headed Grebe here as well.

Australian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus)

The Purple Swamphen were placidly milling about as usual but I got a nice shot of one just standing in the right light.

Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus)

On the far side of the small creek I explored a bit further and was rewarded with Red-kneed Dotterel and White-fronted Chat. 

White-fronted Chat (Epthianura albifrons)

Red-kneed Dotterel (Erythrogonys cinctus)

As I walked back towards the van I flushed a raptor from the other side of the road. It flew up to a nearby tree and I snapped away, not sure what species it was. The light was right in my eyes so I worked my way around it and it was very tolerant. Turned out to be a juvenile Brown Goshawk and what a beauty!

Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)

Back on the main road, as I was leaving, there are several signs warning of turtle crossing. You never see the animals on these signs and on my first visit I sneered a little at them. Today, I see something on the road. As I get closer, I see that it is a Long-necked Turtle. I shoot it from a distance and then closer up. It was quite big and although I was nervous about picking it up, I moved it to the other side of the road. 

Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)

eBird Lists

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130563482

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130795007

Benalla Botanical Gardens

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

Benalla Botanic Gardens are a lovely place, just over the bridge from the main shopping area. Set alongside a lovely lake there are a variety of trees and plants but also sports parks and a playground. It is very well laid out and there is a nice walk alongside the lake and into the gardens. 

I walk here each morning at dawn with the young dog from the family whose house I am looking after for a while. The house is only a couple of minutes from the house and every day I am amazed at the bird activity. Pied Currawong call and Australian King Parrot fly overhead and in the distance I can hear cackling. 

The gardens are home to hundreds of cockatoo. They are mainly Little Corella but there are also Long-billed Corella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. And at dawn, they tear around the place shrieking. It is marvellous!

Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)

Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris)

The Little Corella hoon around the park and play in the trees. For once, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo are the quiet cousins. 

Further along the path around the lake are some grassy areas and very tall gum trees. On the other side are reeds lining the edge of the lake. For the first time in Victoria, I heard, looked for and found some Blue-faced Honeyeater. It seems fitting that they were here as they are also full of character, even in a still photograph.

Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)

Then behind me, I hear the call of the Australian Reed Warbler. It used to be called the Clamorous Reed Warbler which seems more appropriate given the amount of noise they make. I am beginning to see a theme at these gardens.

I tracked the Reed Warbler and got him peeking out from in between the rushes.

Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis)

On the way back from the gardens I could hear Rainbow Bee-eaters, a bird I wouldn't expect to see in the middle of a town, but there they were sitting on the power lines. I never tire of seeing and photographing these birds.

Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)

eBird Lists

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S128227932

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130864160

Warby Ovens National Park

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

Warby Ovens National Park is to the east of Winton Wetlands and I knew it is a hotspot for the Turquoise Parrot. I visited on a fairly hot day and there was quite a steep track (doesn't really show in the photo but it was steeeep!). That was ok, as I walked really slowly listening to the birds in the trees. 

At the bottom of the track, I caught 3 Brown Treecreepers flitting around some wood on the ground. One of them sat nicely for me. I am working on improving my compostion so I tried to get some nice colours in the background from the grass.

Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus)

Next up was the other treecreeper - the white-throated. I actually got close enough to watch this one digging into the bark. Treecreepers usually hang around on the opposite side of the tree so this was really interesting.

White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea)

Lots of small birds were calling in the trees and I saw Striated and Yellow Thornbill and heard the pretty song of the Western Gerygone. No parrots but I was happy to catch a pair of Leaden Flycatcher. I couldn't get it on the right side of the sun but was happy enough with this shots.

Leaden Flycatcher (Myiagra rubecula)

Back at the van, I had a cup of tea and could hear Rainbow Bee-eaters. I shot this out bending around out the back of the van. Interesting that this bee-eater was so green.

Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)

eBird List

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130036726

Reef Hills State Park Visits 3-6

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

After my amazing experience at the water hole in the forest, I returned several times and on visits 3 and 4, I didn't even need to get my camera out. There were no birds. I couldn't quite beleive the difference. Even more disappointing was that on visit 4, Graeme and I sat for hours hoping to see the Turquoise Parrots. It was quite painful. 

I tried to figure out what the difference was. Rain? Temperature? Or just bad luck. 

I returned on visit 5 and it was set to be a fairly warm day - high 20s. It felt different. There was more small bird noise and more immediate activity. I even spotted a female parrot coming down briefly to drink. No photos but I was more hopeful.

I returned the next day and the forecast was for mid 30s. Again, it was busy immediately and I knew it would be productive. So, I settled down in the back of the van and waited. There were lots of honeyeater with 4 species drinking right behind the van.

Brown-headed Honeyeater (Melithreptus brevirostris)

Fuscous Honeyeater (Ptilotula fusca)

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops)

Adult and young White-throated Treecreeper kept trying to come down to drink but the honeyeater would see them off. A couple of times, they made it and one even had a bath. It was lovely to watch these interesting little birds away from their usual position, climbing trees.

White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea)

A pair of kingfisher sat on the dead branches just across the water from me and I watched a pair of them and they seemed to be communicating by flicking their tails. I wish I knew what it meant.

Yet again, as I sat quietly, something caught my eye moving past the end of the van. A snake. A quick intake of breath as I recognized it immediately as a venomous Red-bellied Black Snake. It was beautiful and was within a metre of the van. The snake swam across the water and moved underneath to a dead log.

Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)

On my way out of the forest, I finally saw an echidna. I have been keeping an eye out for one of these for the whole year I have been in Australia. I stopped the van and jumped out, just as the echidna curled up into a ball. I moved away from it and just sat on the track and waited. Another good time to have a long lens. Slowly, it uncurled and then continued its journey. I did consider following it into the bush but the snake had me spooked and I didn't want to scare the echidna. Still, it was incredible. So wonderful to see such an unusual and rare creature.

Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

I now have somewhere to revisit on those very hot days!

eBird Lists

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S129968725

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130085634

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S130184920

Boggy Bridge, Winton Wetlands Visit 3

 

Check my birding map for specific location.

I returned to the Boggy Bridge area with my friend Graeme who had come up from Melbourne in the hope of seeing the snipe. He was as amazed as I was, that as soon as he arrived, the crake was running round in front of him.

We sat in my van for a while and watched the crake and rail going about their business. There was no sign of the crake so we ventured out and wandered around the area. I am always nervous of doing that on my own so it was good to have him there. Even better that he walked in front on the soft ground!

Graeme spotted a Black-tailed Native Hen. I have seen them a couple of times but hadn't got good photos. I had even spent some time stalking a moorhen, thinking it was the black-tailed. We stalked it round the water and it became comfortable with us.

Black-tailed Nativehen (Tribonyx ventralis)

Overhead there were dozens and dozens of Great Egret flying over. I couldn't resist.

Eastern Great Egret (Ardea alba)

As I walked around the swamp, 3 cisticola popped up right in front of me. The birds were singing and chasing each other around in the long grass and reeds. They are such photogenic little birds and it is always fabulous to see them.

Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)

With no sign of the crake but good views of dotterel and a glimpse of a night heron, we moved on to the dam wall some kilometres down the road.

A track runs between a channel and lake, the remnants of the old waterworks. The highlight was a pair of Hoary-headed Grebes lurking in the middle of a group of Australian Grebes. These grebe are so interesting and different. Look at that hair!

Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus)

There were lots of swamphen around and yet again, I am reminded of looking fresh at these common birds. Regarded as a pest in New Zealand, just look at how beautiful this bird really is.

Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus)

On my way back to the van, I spotted a large hare coming towards me. I know they are introduced and feral but gosh, they are cool.

European Hare (Lepus europaeus)

eBird Lists

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S129733114

https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S129752252