Big Year birding the Birdsville Track 2.0

Sorry for the delay between blog posts this month. Things have been quite manic with quick turn arounds on trips, trying to organise domestic things and still trying to hold down a paying job. Sue had managed to get hold of replacement binocular eye cups after her disaster on the last trip with a bit of Andy's help. We also got new tyres all around on the command vehicle with another full spare secured and even a replacement windscreen.  But back to the birding. This'll be another long one folks so sit down, strap in and hold on.

Just to recap we'd had an epic time away on our second major trip of the year amassing quite an unexpected number of year ticks between us and effectively breaking the back of the Big Year. It's all down hill from here! However we weren't done just yet and we were looking forward to doing it all again come October. Our friend Andy had stayed on for another week after we got back in the vain hope we''d get to go out on another pelagic trip from Port MacDonnell in the far south-east. As it turned out it was cancelled yet again due to bad weather. We really are starting to get a bit frustrated with the lack of pelagic time as there's still a number of species out there we need. To appease Andy a bit we tried to see if we could get him some year ticks so we did a drive up to Morgan to see what we could find. We stopped off at the flowering Eremophila bushes just out of town but alas still no Black or Pied Honeyeaters. He did pick up a few birds and we had a good time but Sue and I didn't get anything new at all. After the weekend we said our farewells to Andy who was off home to the UK briefly before picking up another tour to India and we settled in to a week of work. I spent the following weekend on 24hr callout and we didn't get to do much at all. We did manage to watch the AFL Grand Final on the Saturday afternoon with my beloved team the Adelaide Crows going down to a much more desperate Richmond Tigers. That was hard to take and I was a bit low after that. Still our October trip loomed large and it was time to prepare our final assault on the far north.

There wasn't that many species left to chase up in the far north -east which meant the pressure was off from the start. We knew if we picked up the birds as we went around we'd have time to relax and actually enjoy our time away a bit more and perhaps indulge in our favourite nocturnal pastime of spotlighting . There's some really cool stuff up there worth seeking out. This time we'd be joined by our long time friend Stephen who really wanted to see a Grey Falcon. He only had a few days so travelled with us up the track as far as Tippapila Creek on Clifton Hills Station before heading home. There had also been some rain since our last visit and the track itself had been closed for some time. Having driven up to Stephens place in the mid north after work we were ready to hit the road the next day. With the head start we drove straight through to Mungerannie, stopping on the way only to pay homage to the Grey Falcons coming in to roost yet again. Needless to say Stephen was a very happy boy. It was here in the evening at the pub we bumped in to British birding royalty Nik Borrow and Sabine. They'd been on a massive first trip to Oz  that had carried them up this far into the desert in a search for elusive Grasswrens. So far they hadn't had a lot of success having only connected with Striated and Eyrean, so we formed a plan for the next morning.

While waiting for Nik to get his vehicles spare tyre attended to we checked out a few birds near where we were camped, including Red-backed Kingfishers and several Bluebonnets that were flying about. These birds are much more tame than the ones in the mallee and allow a closer approach. I managed to get a few nice pics of this northern race.

Bluebonnet race pallescens found in the north-eastern deserts of SA

With Niks spare fixed and back in place securely under the vehicle we all drove out in convoy towards Cowarie, stopping near the microwave tower to search for a bird we both needed. Heading out over the desert towards the end of a dune system I picked up some small birds on the ground just on a broken gibber ridge line that proved to be a group of nearly half a dozen Banded Whiteface. This was the last of the Whiteface species we needed to complete the collection and we were all very happy with ourselves. Especially as we missed this bird on our last visit here. Smiles and high fives all around.

These Banded Whiteface gave themselves up to the Swarovskis but didn't allow a close approach

Nik and Sabine were keen to see at least one other species of Grasswren having dipped Short-tailed Thick-billed and Grey so far. Despite needing to head back down the track we convinced them to carry on with us up to where we had seen the Thick-billeds on our last trip. It was a bit further than I had anticipated but fortunately Nik and Sabine stuck with us and just as well they did. We arrived at the site and set off independently to see if we could relocate the birds we had seen previously. There wasn't much else on offer but after a while Nik called out "It's here". I circled around the opposite side of where he and Sabine had seen the birds and we approached each other quietly. The birds are masters of vanishing and completely slipped the net, never mind. Despite only brief views of a bird perched up that looked back at them they were satisfied with what they had seen but needed to hit the road south. With that we parted company, imparting some gen on where to find Banded Stilts and wishing them well for the rest of their trip. We vowed to catch up in the field again some day.

Happy tickers Me Sue Sabine Stephen and Nik

The three of us remaining continued on our journey north and not long after leaving the Grasswrens we came across another spot that contained a nesting Grey Falcon no less!!. So Stephen was over the moon having gone from zero Grey Falcons in his life to now having seen three! Such gluttony!! We moved on from here up to Tippipila Creek and the start of the inside track of the Birdsville Track. This had been closed for years and almost always has a road closed sign across it, but had been declared open despite the recent rain. We nosed down here towards the flood plain and came across some extensive areas of flooded track and mud. We parked up and walked out across the lignum floodplain in a vain attempt to find Grey Grasswrens. We ultimately failed in that regard but could go no further due to flood waters. Not sure what office jockey back in Adelaide decided to open the track but it should have remained closed. We backed out and as it was getting late we headed back to camp in Tippipila Creek only this time noticing a green flush about the place compared to when we were up here last. There were more birds around too, no doubt in response to the recent rain.

In the morning we had decided not to bother trying to get out to Pandiburra Bore given the amount of water laying about on the gibber, so Sue and I headed off towards the famous Grey Grasswren site south of Birdsville while Stephen departed for home. We arrived in the early part of mid morning and it was already hot. The habitat for those that haven't been before can only be described as arid and crispy. Certainly not a place you would consider birding in if you were passing by on the track and I'm sure most people drive straight past oblivious to the the rare bird that resides there. It had been over twenty years since either of us had seen this species and given Nik and Sabine had dipped we weren't very confident. Walking out across the landscape we moved around in ever increasing circles away from the car until eventually I got a glimpse of the back end of a Grasswren disappearing into the distance!. We followed up but it had vanished. We persisted and kept looking until eventually we did encounter a pair of the enigmatic and arguably the most distinctive of all the Grasswren family the Grey Grasswren. They were very difficult to get anything on them at all and I take my hat off to those that have taken any pics at all of this species at this site. I got some horrible distant heat hazy shots after one of the pair decided to peer back at us after climbing up inside an Old Man Saltbush

Brief and heat hazy but Grey Grasswrens are unmistakable once seen

Sue in the distance following up our target. This gives you an idea of how salubrious the habitat is

We decided the views we had would have to do and we were happy to add them to our year lists in the end but it was time to get out of here and move on to better looking habitat. With nothing left to search for at the top end of the track we continued on and over the border into Queensland so we could stay in Birdsville. This was a necessary evil in order for us to be able to once again connect with the Cordillo Downs track that winds down from the Birdsville development road and back in to SA.

Another State border photo op

While staying in Birdsville we opted to have a room in the onsite units in the caravan park so we could clean up and have a proper bed. An evening meal in the famous pub and then it was off to do some spotlighting on the road north towards Bedourie. Obviously any new birds we might have seen would not be allowed on our Big Year lists but the chances of that were slim anyway. We hadn't gone a single kilometre out of town and just as the bitumen ends an animal appeared in the spotlights shuffling around in middle of the road. We stopped and got bins on it only for it to start trotting off. I wasn't sure what I was really seeing and in our state of shock we never got out our cameras but in front of us for the third time in our lives now was a wild Bilby..........unbelievable! Well now that's how you start a spotlighting session by seeing one of Australias rarest and most iconic marsupials. We carried on after the Bilby disappeared down a hole towards a long stretch of bitumen and we find its these areas that attract nocturnal critters. It was a nice warm night too but the bitumen stays warmer for longer. It wasn't long before we started encountering reptiles on the road and we ended up with five different snakes of up to four different species that included Mulga, Curl Snake, a Gwardar that had us initially thinking Inland Taipan and another we've yet to determine to species. We also had Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko, Gibber Gecko and on the way back a nice Sandplain Gecko.

Not sure what this snake species actually is but probably belongs to the Pseudonaja family

Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos are actually quite big......and awesome

This snake had us going but turned out to be a Gwardar or Western Brown

A Sandplain Gecko equally at home on the road as on a "sandplain"

Reptiles are very cool and we love finding them, especially at night, but its the small mammals you hope to encounter. Especially those that are rarely seen by the average person which includes most of them out here. So it was nice to come across a Hopping Mouse that actually allowed itself to be photographed. Based on location we came to the conclusion that this animal was a Fawn Hopping Mouse.

Probable Fawn Hopping Mouse caught in the car spotlights.

Having stopped the car on the road to get out for yet another reptile it wasn't until I tried to restart the engine I realised the spotlights had drained the battery enough for it to fail to turn over.........oops. The middle of the night 30km's north of Birdsville with a dead car......hmmmmm. OK no probs lets empty out the back and I'll pinch the second battery that runs the fridge. Got that out and jumped the car off of it. Back on the road...... yay. We turned around at this point and picked up the pace a bit as we were going over ground we'd already covered. Should not of done that! Caught a smallish mammal in the spotlights just on the edge of the road that took off in a flash. No mistaking the big toilet brush tail of a Kowarri, another rare carnivorous marsupial of the channel country. We managed to follow it in the spotlight and it stopped briefly about 30m away out on the gibber giving us a bit of a profile view. Best looks we've ever had but sadly no pictures, maybe next time. We got back quite late and crawled into bed having enjoyed a great session of spotlighting.

The next day we drove the short distance east to pick up the southward bound Cordillo Downs Rd, stopping at the border long enough for a selfie We had intended to stay the night at Cadelga Outstation just across the border where we had photographed Spinifex Pigeon last year, but it was a wasteland. Not a drop of water in the waterhole to be seen anywhere. With that we decided to carry on down the track with the intention of camping off the track somewhere.

Can start ticking again now!!

It was soon evident there had been quite a bit of rain up here at least at a local level and we dodged mud puddles all the way to Cordillo Downs. On the way we stopped to photograph some locals that were trying to cool themselves off by standing next to a puddle.

One of fourteen Inland Dotterels next to the track

Inland Dotterels next to the swimming pool they just had installed

Another species that seems to be quite prevalent along this track as well is Gibberbirds. We came across several pairs and individuals including a pair that were foraging around the edge of one of the larger pools of water on the road. We never saw them drink or actually enter the water but normally these birds are far from such surroundings enduring searing summer temperatures on their favoured gibber habitat. It was quite a refreshing surprise to see them in that sort of environment for a change and I guess they take advantage of the increased insect activity when water is available in the landscape as we saw these birds actively foraging on the waters edge.

Rarely encountering humans, sometimes Gibberbirds will allow a close approach

We carried on passing several creek lines that had been very flush with water and growth last year but now much drier. The odd one still had some water and it was at one of these we encountered several Bourkes Parrots and Diamond Doves, the only ones we would see up here this year. We came across a good camp site amongst some dunes and set up camp. With a few frothies under the belt and dinner cooked and consumed we opted to do a small spotlighting drive. Not much to report except for several Geckos of one species that we determined to be one we'd not seen before. Burrow plug Geckos. Apparently they live in abandoned spider burrows and block the entrance with their tails!

A nice Burrow plug Gecko. New one for both Sue and I

All good fun but not the birds we were looking for so the next day it was onwards to Innamincka. We were hoping to get out to Coongie Lakes but the recent rain had knocked out the track. We really needed to get out there but it is what it is. The Rangers were hopeful of opening the track the following day so we opted to camp out at Cullyamurra waterhole on the Cooper Creek out of town in the meantime. It was quite hot and rain was forecast for the next day although not expected to be much the increased humidity was already evident by late in the day. It was at this point having set up camp I was alerted by the alarm calls of Black-faced Woodswallows and White-plumed Honeyeaters. Having seen this behaviour many times before I knew what I was looking for and it wasn't long before I found the cause of their dismay. A five foot Mulga Snake not twenty metres behind our tent in fading light............oh great!!! Now Sue and I love snakes but there is a limit to that love especially when dealing with such a large specimen of what is a sometimes aggressive but highly venomous one! We watched it for a while by torchlight as it seemed intent on looking for something as it constantly investigated low hanging branches of the Black Box trees. Eventually it settled on a bough with its head adjacent to a small knot hole in the tree and there it stayed.

Believe me when I tell you that snake was five Subways long!!

We realised the snake was actively hunting so with no point in worrying about it we decided to go and do some spotlighting on foot over by some big tumbled down boulders. We started seeing a few Geckos that seemed to just be Variegated Dtellas but there was the odd one that looked more like Gehyra purpurescens. As I was trying to get a better look at one of those a thin tail disappeared behind a rock in a crevice between two large boulders. I called Sue over and she relocated it soon after. A tiny thin snake with black head and bright orangey red nape slid over the leaf litter and we got great looks at this tiny marvel A Red-naped Snake is something I've known existed since I was a kid but never ever thought I'd see in the wild..........very awesome.

As thin as a pencil and no more than 250mm long. An awesome Red-naped Snake

Having run out of things to spotlight we moved back to camp mindful of the whereabouts of the Mulga but he was now not on the tree. A quick scan around and we found him on the ground with a giant Green Tree Frog in his mouth........ amazing, so that was what he was hunting so patiently. Both Sue and I have been up this way many times and neither of us where even aware that Green Tree Frogs even occurred in SA. It seems they do but only along the upper Cooper System and here we were. We moved down to the waterhole and quickly found several frogs of different colour morphs. It was refreshing to see them in their natural habitat rather than in someones toilet as they frequently do in the Northern Territory.

Green Tree Frog in it's natural habitat

We got a reasonable nights sleep but the humidity and drops and spots of rain during the night were a bit disconcerting and when we got up it was very light but still inconvenient drizzle. Knowing how any amount of rain can put the tracks out we were just about to pack up camp when the Rangers pulled in to camp. We had a long chat about the wildlife we'd encountered the night before but the conversation turned to the Coongie Track. They were satisfied there was nothing in this rain and they were going to let us out to Coongie Lakes.....woohoo. We hadn't been out there for years as its often closed to the public due to track washouts etc especially in flood years, but this time we were going. With that we packed up and headed in to town for resupply and a fuel top up etc before heading out up the road. The drizzle was constant and the track was slushy in places but once we got to Kudrimitchie Outstation that's where the track got a bit more interesting. In the end it wasnt too bad and we arrived unscathed albeit with a mud caked vehicle!

We selected a suitable campsite and set up before nosing back down the track and over the dunes to see what condition the Lake was in. It was full and the "Lagoon" on the southern shore was choked with waterbirds of numerous species. We saw Pelicans, Black Swans, Glossy Ibis, numerous Duck species like Grey Teal, Black Duck, Maned Duck, Hardhead, Pink-eared Ducks and about fifty Freckled Ducks. Offshore there were even more Hardhead and about half a dozen Musk Duck. On the shallow mudflats we found over a hundred Sharp-tailed Sandpipers most of which were in fresh juvenile plumage and a single Greenshank. In the Creek itself there were Cormorants Darters Whistling Kites and numerous other species. With all that though we were here for just one species and we'd have to wait for nightfall for that. With a few late afternoon frothies we cooked ourselves a nice dinner before settling down in the gathering dark to listen with cameras and binoculars armed and ready. It was at least half an hour after sunset before the nearby raucous Little Corellas settled down for bed and all was quiet enough to hear. I heard it first way off in the distance but couldn't be a hundred percent sure. Sue couldn't hear it at all. At first it was very faint but then after a brief interlude it started again only somewhat closer. I tried a loud imitation of its call...........WOOK WOOK ...........WOOK WOOK. At first nothing as we strained our ears to listen. Then unmistakably and a lot closer came the reply.......WOOK WOOK.............WOOK WOOK!! I again imitated the call and again there was silence before now only thirty metres or so away and in nearby trees came the distinctive reply. Sue and I moved around in the pitch black to where we thought the bird was calling from. We took a punt and turned on the torch. We immediately got eye shine but still deep in the trees so we moved closer still until finally the bird was revealed in all its glory. A single Barking Owl calling to us on the north-west branch of the Cooper Creek system deep in the heart of the northern deserts.......amazing.

Stunning and extremely rare in South Australia this Barking Owl was a privilege to see

He was unconcerned by our presence despite the swearing and cursing because the flash wasnt working properly but the little darling just sat and stared at us unperturbed. We eventually had our fill of him and left him in peace but he continued to call around us for the rest of the night before moving off down the creek. A fantastic experience and a definite Big Year highlight.

We got up the next morning happy with the fact we'd seen what we came for and also got to enjoy this rare desert oasis once again. Time to move on. After scoping out the lagoon once again, finding some Australian Pratincoles that had dropped in, we headed back down the track to Innamincka

Scoping out the waders we found at Coongie Lakes

As we approached the main track down from Cordillo Downs just out of town, we noticed a tight flock of fifteen or so birds flying slightly ahead of us that alighted in a large flowering Grevillia species. Some of them resplendent in black and white plumage that gave us no problems as to their identity. Pied Honeyeaters. They virtually disappeared inside the bush  so I got out with the camera in hand to see if I could get some pics. With that the entire flock moved off to the next flowering bush and again to the next. It was evident these birds were on the move and heading south to greener pastures. Fortunately we connected with them when we did as we failed to see another one on the rest of the trip.

The only photo I managed of Pied Honeyeater before the whole flock took off

With that we headed on down the Strzelecki Track towards Montecollina Bore where we intended to camp for the night. On the drive down I had to stop to check something I could see from the moving car sitting in a birds nest in the top of a Coolibah Tree.

Public enemy number one. None to pleased with having been discovered

I've seen feral cats out in the desert before exert this kind of behaviour whereby they roost in old stick nests in trees during the day. Presumably its a bit cooler for them up there as they might catch any breeze that comes along. I genuinely like Cats as I grew up with them as a kid but I would have had no qualms about shooting this one right there and then if I carried a firearm. These beasts are so destructive to native wildlife especially in these arid environments, they have no business being here. In the end I hurled abuse at him, it made me feel better and he at least didn't enjoy being scolded as evident by the picture!

We decided to shoot past Montecollina a bit to see if another of the deserts spectacular species that we needed was in residence. It was!! We wandered around a site that has had nesting Letter-winged Kites in the past and the birds had done so again this year. We just caught the tail end of it as the chicks had fledged and we were fortunate enough to encounter four birds late in the day as they soared around into the wind over our heads. Spectacular.

Gorgeous clean white black and grey in the late afternoon

Only thing better than one Letter-winged Kite in the frame is two

Kites nest in Colibah trees in remote deserts of northernSA

We returned to Montecollina to camp. A wander around the bore overflow is always entertaining here and you never know what you're going to encounter.

A single Whiskered Tern hawks for insects over the tiny bore

Black-fronted Dotterel..... where ever there is water

This Dingo wished he had floaties on as he hungrily eyes three of four White-necked Herons

Six Australian Spotted Crakes provided entertainment with their antics

We love to go spotlighting out from Montecollina as there are now two stretches of bitumen within easy reach of camp that provide good opportunities. As there was a cooling wind in the early evening we opted to go to the nearest one before it got too cold. Actually not much doing up that way so we headed off down the road towards Murnpeowie Station where the next stretch lies. This one goes through loamy gibber plains that had a fair bit of drying grass and proved immediately to be more productive. We had several rodents run across the road in front of us and we failed to get on to them with any certainty except for one. We managed to get out the vehicle and track this one down. A new mammal for us to photograph as it sat quietly hoping we'd just go away. A nice Plains Mouse, much larger than I expected them to be. Thanks to Rohan Clarke for the ID help on that one.

Plains Mouse. One of several we encountered on Murnpeowie Station

On the way back to camp we came across a nice Tessellated Gecko that was starting to cool down now the breeze was picking up.

Tessellated Gecko on the road

We got a good nights sleep and woke the next morning to find the White-necked Herons had disappeared overnight. With breakfast under our belts we headed down the track with the idea of camping out a Morrow Gorge on the Eastern side of the Northern Flinders Ranges. No new birds there but a place we hadn't been to for quite some time.

The turn off from the Strzelecki Track to the Flinders Ranges

As we got to the turn off the track was badly worn and overgrown and with a long way to drive to get in to the gorge and only one spare left we opted not to go in. Instead a revised plan of driving to Yunta on the Barrier Highway and staying in the pub so as to clean up and sleep in a proper bed was formulated. We were heading in to Danggali Conservation Park from there in the morning and that would give us a good starting point. On our approach to Yunta our phones started pinging and dinging as incoming messages were being received after having been out of phone range for so long. One of them was from Colin Rogers and it read..........."Painted Snipe Whites Road Wetlands now!" Baaaaaah we needed that!..... That's the kind of bird you cant plan for and although hoping they might turn up this year is a different thing to the reality. Especially seeing as how we were miles from them with several more days of camping planned to go. We checked in to the Pub as it was getting late in the day regardless and we were tired from driving all day. I phoned Colin. "what do you think we should do?"...."Well they might hang around till you get back later in the week"........... and they bloody might not either!!! During dinner that night Sue and I discussed the possibilities and devised a plan. You'll have to wait till the next entry to read what that plan was, so stay tuned folks!!

We finished this leg with me on 365 and Sue on 362. Thanks to Sue for supplying the images of all the nocturnal critters in this blog post.