AUSTRALIA; 4th - 26th January, waterbirds

I didn't really go around many wetland sites so most of these pictures were taken during a few hours walking round Lake Monger in Perth.

Pacific Black Duck

Pink-headed Duck

Blue-billed Duck

Grey Teal

Musk Duck

Hardhead

Australasian Shoveler

Australian Wood Duck

Australian Shelduck

Hoary-headed Grebe

Australasian Grebe

Great-crested Grebe family

Purple Swamphen

AUSTRALIA; 4th - 26th January, Penguin Island

Spent a few hours on Penguin Island just south of Freemantle on January 6th where there was plenty of breeding Terns which posed well for photos....

Bridled Terns were common

and were feeding small chicks

Crested Terns were also very common and bringing in plenty of fish

to feed their much larger chicks

and to pose on the beach

This Whistling Kite caused chaos when he flew in

This Buff-banded Rail was also on the island

AUSTRALIA; 4th -26th January, Birdlist

Australian Pelican                            White-bellied Sea-eagle                                Golden Whistler

Darter                                                   Wedge-tailed Eagle                                         Rufous Whistler

Pied Cormorant                                Brown Goshawk                                               Grey Fantail

Little Pied Cormorant                     Collared Sparrowhawk                                  Willie Wagtail

Great Cormorant                              Peregrine                                                            Magpie-lark

Little Black Cormorant                   Brown Falcon                                                     B F Cuckoo-shrike

Great-crested Grebe                      Nankeen Kestrel                                              White-winged Triller

Hoary-headed Grebe                     [Spotted Turtle Dove]                                    B F Woodswallow

Australasian Grebe                         [Laughing Dove]                                               Dusky Woodswallow

Black Swan                                         Peaceful Dove                                                   Little Woodswallow

Cape Barren Goose                         Common Bronzewing                                     Grey Butcherbird

Australian Shelduck                        Crested Pigeon                                                 Pied Butcherbird

Pacific Black Duck                             Red-tailed Black Cockatoo                            Australian Magpie

[Mallard]                                             Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo                      Grey Currawong

Grey Teal                                             Gang-Gang Cockatoo                                     Australian Raven

Australasian Shoveler                    Galah                                                                    Welcome Swallow

Pink-eared Duck                               Little Corella                                                       Tree Martin

Hardhead                                            Sulphur-crested Cockatoo                            Fairy Martin

Australian Wood Duck                    Rainbow Lorikeet                                             [Skylark]

Blue-billed Duck                                Australian King Parrot                                    Aus. Reed Warbler

Musk Duck                                          Crimson Rosella                                                [House Sparrow]

Buff-banded Rail                              Red-rumped Parrot                                         Australian Pipit

Dusky Moorhen                                Blue-winged Parrot                                         [Goldfinch]

Purple Swamphen                           Shining Bronze Cuckoo                                  Diamond Firetail

Coot                                                      Laughing Kookaburra                                     Silvereye

White-faced Heron                         Sacred Kingfisher                                             [Blackbird]

Great Egret                                         Rainbow Bee-eater                                         [Starling]

Eastern Reef Egret                           White-throated Treecreeper                      [Common Myna]

Nankeen Night Heron                    Superb Fairy-wren                                          

Australian White Ibis                      White-winged Fairy-wren

Straw-necked Ibis                            Spotted Pardalote

Australian Bustard                           Striated Pardalote

Turnstone                                           White-browed Scrubwren

Greenshank                                       Weebill

Red-necked Stint                             Brown Thornbill

Curlew Sandpiper                            Striated Thornbill

Pied Oystercatcher                          Red Wattlebird

Sooty Oystercatcher                       Noisy Miner

Masked Lapwing                              Yellow-throated Miner

Grey Plover                                        Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Greater Sand Plover                        Singing Honeyeater

Red-capped Plover                          White-eared Honeyeater

Silver Gull                                            White-plumed Honeyeater

Pacific Gull                                          Brown-headed Honeyeater

Whiskered Tern                                White-naped Honeyeater

Caspian Tern                                      White-fronted Honeyeater

Bridled Tern                                       New Holland Honeyeater

Fairy Tern                                            Brown Honeyeater

Crested Tern                                      White-fronted Chat

Black Kite                                            Eastern Yellow Robin

Whistling Kite                                    Grey Shrike-thrush

Rainbow Lorikeet - Perth

Red Wattlebird - Perth

New Holland Honeyeater - Fitzgerald National Park

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - Cape Le Grand National Park

Blue-winged Parrot - Mikkira Station

Diamond Firetail - Mikkira Station

Juvenile Dusky Woodswallow - Mikkira Station

AUSTRALIA; 4th - 26th January

I basically went overland from Perth to Melbourne, mainly on a couple of non-birdy, organised tours; I was a very last minute addition on the tours (literally only a couple of days’ notice!) which meant I did no research on where we would visit – sites or habitats making it interesting in the fact that I couldn’t really predict what I would or could see and as I hadn’t really been along the south coast before there were some new birds for me along the way.

                On the downside though the highly-organised nature of the tours was often very frustrating for me as I couldn’t stop where and when I wanted and many times I had to fit in birding during brief sight-seeing / toilet / lunch stops but I can’t really complain (apart from just then!).

New birds for me:

WESTERN CORELLA – Quite a few seen in and around Perth.

Western Corella - Perth

MUSK LORIKEET – Common in towns and cities from Port Lincoln eastwards.

Musk Lorikeet - Adelaide

AUSTRALIAN RINGNECK – Common along the route in Western Australia and South Australia with both semitorquatus and zonarius races seen.

Australian Ringneck - Perth

ROCK PARROT – A pair were seen in Cape Le Grand National Park.

FAN-TAILED CUCKOO – Excellent views of a juvenile in Cape Le Grand National Park; a common bird I really should have seen in 2012.

BLUE-BREASTED FAIRY-WREN – Family groups seen several times along the way including in King’s Park, Perth.

Blue-breasted Fairy-wren - Perth

WESTERN GERYGONE – Several seen in King’s Park, Perth.

SLATY-BACKED THORNBILL – One seen at some roadhouse somewhere near the Nullarbor.

INLAND THORNBILL – A couple were seen at Wave Rock.

SOUTHERN WHITEFACE – A group were seen at Mikkira Station.

Southern Whiteface - Mikkira Station

LITTLE WATTLEBIRD – A couple seen at Fitzgerald River National Park.

BRUSH WATTLEBIRD – Another common bird that I should have seen back in 2012 but several were seen along the Great Ocean Road.

SPINY-CHEEKED HONEYEATER – Common in South Australia, with the first seen as soon as we crossed the boarder from Western Australia.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater - Flinders Ranges

WHITE-CHEEKED HONEYEATER – The dominant Honeyeater in and around Perth.

White-cheeked Honeyeater

TAWNY-CROWNED HONEYEATER – Seen at a few locations along the way, particularly common in Cape Le Grand National Park.

WESTERN SPINEBILL – Common within its range.

WESTERN WHIPBIRD – A pair were seen well, duetting at dusk in Fitzgerald National Park.

WHITE-BROWED BABBLER – Several noisy, inquisitive groups were seen well in the Flinders Ranges.

WESTERN YELLOW ROBIN – A pair were seen at Wave Rock.

CRESTED BELLBIRD – An immature male was seen well at Koonalda Homestead.

GILBERT’S WHISTLER – A female was at Mikkira Station.

SATIN BOWERBIRD – A couple of female types were seen at Kennett River along the Great Ocean Road; a bit of a surprise for me as they weren’t on my radar at all and I was stumped for a short while!

LITTLE CROW – Many seen along the way.

RED-EARED FIRETAIL – A pair ween well in Cape Le Grand National Park.