BellBird Tours Birding Blog

Five Grasswren 5-day Birding Tour November 2008

Five Grasswren 5-day Birding Tour November 2008

This was the second ‘Five Grasswren’ birding tour run by Southern Birding Services, with slight modifications to the itinerary – the main one being the addition of an extra day to reduce the amount of daily driving. The aim was to find half of all of Australia’s current Grasswren species in South Australia’s mallee and the remote Corner Country: Striated Grasswren, Short-tailed Grasswren, Thick-billed Grasswren, Eyrean Grasswren and Grey Grasswren. Unusually high rainfall over the past few weeks, and indeed during the day before the tour, had left the outback landscape in excellent condition, with green vegetation and water all around. All target species were found, as were a good number of other rare, specialised or endangered outback species.

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Chiang Mai Birding Trip March 2008

Chiang Mai Birding Trip March 2008

This report covers a week’s birding trip to north-western Thailand undertaken by Peter Waanders, Bruce Wedderburn and Stijn de Win. The trip, during early March 2008, was timed to maximize the species list, by capturing both the migratory season and the start of the breeding season for resident species. The weather during the trip was dry and warm (with one early morning shower) – although higher up in the mountains it was of course cooler, with the summit of Doi Inthanon being remarkably cold. We had hired a Toyota Hilux 4WD and Stijn de Win, who had done a lot of birding in Thailand in recent years, had organised the itinerary and was to be our guide. Species names in this report follow Clements but in some cases I have given alternative names in brackets. I recorded a total of 256 species, a whopping 136 of which were lifers for me. An additional 25 species were heard only, of which 9 would have been lifers for me.

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Highlights of South Australia December 2007

Highlights of South Australia December 2007

Following the success of Southern Birding Services’ 2006 6-day small group birding tour through South Australia, the same tour with a slightly modified itinerary was run again in 2007. The tour commenced on 9 December in Adelaide, South Australia, and finished there on 15 December. Places visited included the Adelaide Hills and woodlands, River Murray, Birds Australia’s Gluepot Reserve, the Flinders Ranges, the Strzelecki outback desert and coastal areas north of Adelaide. Again through visiting a variety of habitats the species list was maximized resulting in a total of 185 species, including some highly sought after species.

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Flinders Ranges Trip Report  August 2007

Flinders Ranges Trip Report August 2007

The first Flinders Ranges & SA Outback Trip organised by ‘Follow That Bird’ was a great success with a quality bird species in a very interesting landscape. Highlight were: Slender-billed Thornbills, Pt Gawler Grey-fronted Honeyeater, Telowie Gorge Elegant Parrot, many places Black-eared Cuckoo, Arid Lands Bot. Gdns, Pt Augusta Redthroat, Arid Lands Bot. Gdns, Pt Augusta Chirruping Wedgebill, many places White-winged Fairy-wren, many places Short-tailed Grasswren, Stokes Hill Chestnut-breasted Whiteface, Mt Lyndhurst Station Thick-billed Grasswrens, Mt Lyndhurst Station Rufous Fieldwren, Mt Lyndhurst Station Cinnamon Quail-thrushes, many places Orange Chat, Strzelecki Track Crimson Chat, Strzelecki Track White-backed Swallow, Strzelecki Track Pied Honeyeaters, Strzelecki Track Budgerigar, Strzelecki Track Eyrean Grasswren, Montecollina Bore and 5 species of Woodswallow.

The weather was fine and unseasonably warm, and there appeared to be no drought conditions although rain had not fallen for quite some weeks. Wildflowers were starting to appear in the Flinders Ranges and Strezelecki Desert. Exceptionally good food and decent accommodation, as well as a well-organised itinerary, knowledgeable guide and skilled driver made this trip a success.

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Highlights of South Australia Tour Report December 2006

Highlights of South Australia Tour Report December 2006

South Australia is a relatively un-explored state from a birding perspective. Habitats range from the dry red interior to the lush and green Mt Lofty Ranges; wetlands and mangroves; estuaries and floodplains; vast expanses of semi-arid mallee scrub, and outback deserts with spectacular mountain ranges. Some unique bird species including a small number of endemics can be found here. This small group birding tour took in a variety of habitats thereby maximizing the species list – a total of 191 species were seen including some highly sought-after species. The tour started on 9 December in Adelaide and finished there on the 15th. Places visited included the Adelaide Hills and woodlands, River Murray, Birds Australia’s Gluepot Reserve, the Flinders Ranges, the Strzelecki outback desert and coastal areas. The small group (4 people), some fresh off the plane, were enthralled by the sight of over 3,000 Banded Stilts, a nomadic species that breeds in inland desert lakes that only flood once every few years. A Marsh Harrier caused most of the stilts to temporarily fly up, an amazing sight in the light of the setting sun against the backdrop of the Adelaide city and hills. Among hundreds of over-wintering Sharptailed Sandpipers at least three Curlew Sandpipers were found. Other wader species present included Red-necked Stint, the resident Red-capped Plover, Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper.

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Five Grasswren 4-Day Birding Tour Report September 2006

Five Grasswren 4-Day Birding Tour Report September 2006

This was the inagural ‘Five Grasswren’ birding tour run by Southern Birding Services. The aim was to find half of all of Australia’s current Grasswren species in South Australia’s mallee and the remote Corner Country: Striated Grasswren, Short-tailed Grasswren, Thick-billed Grasswren, Eyrean Grasswren and Grey Grasswren. All of these were found, as were a good number of other rare, specialised or endangered outback species. We left well before sunrise for the drive to the Grey Grasswren site, along the Queensland – NSW border. While driving we came across a small flock of Orange Chats: beautiful birds to see and the first for this trip! We also found several more Bourke’s Parrots and Red-backed Kingfishers. Once we entered the rather dry-looking lignum swamp, home to the Grey Grasswren, we mentally prepared ourselves for a long and hot search.

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