Australia
I booked five back to back tours with Inala Nature Tours and flew Singapore Airlines to Perth via Singapore for the first of the tours. A brilliant seven weeks travelling in Australia focusing on wildlife including many hard to see species of birds and mammals.
By the end of the fabulous trip I had recorded 384 species of bird, 44 species of mammals, 26 species of reptiles and 9 species of amphibians, loads of plants and quite a few insects, especially flies.
South-west Australia 21st Oct to 27th Oct
Word mostly by our excellent tour guide Angus McNab.
20 October 2024 Perth
Our tour began off the end of another tour, with a large dinner of 14 people in Perth.
There were people finishing, people starting, and people continuing on, which made
for lively discussions on our first night. With everyone present, we discussed plans
for the week and readied ourselves for the wildlife to come.
21 October 2024 Perth
Cheynes Beach
Heading out early we moved up into the Perth hills. There were plenty of trees,
bushes, and shrubs in flower and the New Holland Honeyeaters knew about it. They
were present and abundant, along with the Red and Western Wattlebirds, they
bullied anything near ‘their’ flowers.
Our vehicle for the South West Australia Tour
It was a noisy morning, and it took us a while to
get down the trail as the Striated Pardalotes, Weebills, Gilbert’s Whistler, Grey
Shrikethrush, Red-capped Parrots, Australian Ringnecks, and Red-tailed Black
Cockatoos were all at the start of the walk. Moving along we found Splendid and
Purple-backed Fairywrens, Silvereyes, and had a fly by from a mystery black
Cockatoo.
Australian Ringneck
Emu
Western Whistler
Western Thornbill
Rufous Whistler
We made a roadside stop for Australian Ringnecks, that put a hold on our adventure as some very soft sandy soil adjoining the road sunk us to almost the axel. Some digging and positioning of rocks and sticks seemed to do very little, but very fortunately a local with some old rope drove past and was able to help us out of a bad situation. On a positive note, whilst stopped we had two flybys from Regent Parrots! So, it wasn’t all bad. Additional roadside stops through the afternoon had us looking at Yellow Spoonbills, Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos, Elegant Parrot, Crested Pigeon, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, and Australian Pipit.
Carnaby's Black Cockatoo
Little Corella
Western Corella
Elegant Parrot
Baudin's Black Cockatoo male
22 October 2024 Cheynes Beach & Waychinicup Inlet
We were out early chasing the three skulkers – always a challenge. Walking the
heath, it took no time at all to hear two of them, seeing them was a different story.
There was the distraction of large numbers of the very active New Holland and
White-cheeked Honeyeater that constantly caught your eye.
White-cheeked Honeyeater
White-cheeked Honeyeater
The beach at the Bay.
Returning for breakfast again, we were stopped by Red-winged Fairywrens, and again by Grey Currawong, then we watched Tree Martins and Welcome Swallows, and eventually got to eat.
Red-winged Fairy-wren female
Red-winged Fairy-wren male
After breakfast we headed back into the heath, the wind picked up and really
reduced the bird activity… to almost zero. Fortunately, the Common Bronzewing,
Brush Bronzewing, Willie Wagtail, and Red Wattlebirds are always active around the
accommodation.
Brush Bronzewing
We headed up the hill for some scenery and a chance at seabirds, using our ‘4-wheel drive’ bus we took the path to the lookout. The wind was picking up and we could see the Whale again, a few young Australasian Gannets, Greater Crested Terns, Silver Gulls, and the approaching storm.
The Lookout
Heading back down the trail we lunched at a more scenic view but upon arrival the rain kicked in, so it was time for a short break. The afternoon was spent at Waychinicup National Park where we walked the campground for birds. We had a great few minutes watching some territorial battles between Red-winged Fairywrens, there were also Silvereyes, Gilbert’s Honeyeater, and Australian Raven eating what appeared to be a fish carcass, White-bellied Sea eagles over the water, and a female Australasian Darter on the rocks. We searched and searched for a White-breasted Robin and did get a few fleeting glimpses but not the view we were hoping for.
Red-eared Firetail
Aligning our chairs across the road we sat and waited for the bird to run across. In just a few minutes the bird was seen as a blur crossing the road, then another, and another! It was hard to see more than blur but John had filmed the event and you could see the birds in the (potentially questionable quality) footage. It was very exciting to watch it back and laugh about what was described as potentially one of the weirdest birding experiences.
Noisy Scrub Bird x 3
After dinner we had a short walk, finding lots of Western Grey Kangaroos and more importantly the Australian Boobook!
Australian Boobook
Motorbike Frog
23 October 2024 Cheynes Beach - Stirling Range - Albany
We got back into the heath early in the morning, exploring the same area as we had
the day before, and it was much the same experience as the day before, we could
hear the skulkers but they’re always difficult to see. The Western Grey Kangaroos
were well behaved as were both Bronzewing species.
The wonderful heath habitat at Cheynes Beach, the bay in the distance held Southern Right Whales
Western Grey Kangaroo
Brown Quail
We headed for the Stirling Ranges, making a stop just before the range for a flock of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo. These flew off before we could get out of the car, but a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were feeding nearby, whilst a Brown Honeyeater chirped and chirped. Back on to our destination, we started by scanning Camel Lake…which was almost devoid of life. The Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters were present, and it turned out would be present the entire morning. Wandering down the fire break we saw good numbers of Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters, but little else. Eventually other birds started to call, Inland Thornbill, Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo, Splendid Fairywren, and Grey Butcherbird, but it was a bit of work getting onto them.
Splendid Fairy-wren male
The Stirling Range Retreat was our next destination and as soon as we got there we had Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters and Purple-crowned Lorikeets feeding in the eucalyptus. Dusky Woodswallows sallied next to us and our first Restless Flycatcher called from above us. There was a lot of quick activity, so we walked the campground finding more of the above, with an extremely friendly Grey Shrikethrush, Australian Ravens, and finishing with a pair of Regent Parrots sitting in the shade and Elegant Parrots feeding in the grass.
Regent Parrot
During lunch a pair of Sacred Kingfisher came by and perched in the trees. We walked a lap of the property enjoying the Gilbert’s Honeyeaters, interesting signage, and a number of baby birds that had recently fledged, and ice-cream.
Gilbert's Honeyeater
Heading south we moved towards Albany and Emu Point. The tide was low and extensive sand and mudflats were visible in front of us. Caspian Tern, Silver Gull, Great Crested Tern, and Australian Pied Cormorant flew by and fed in the shallows, whilst a flock of Pelicans did the same.
Australian Pelican
Caspian Tern
24 October 2024 Cheynes Beach - Jerramungup
We started out walking down to the beach and to the rocky lookout in search of rock
parrots. There was our usual Red-eared Firetail on the wire, Welcome Swallows and
Tree Martins, Brush Bronzewing in the caravan park, Grey Fantails on the corner.
The Osprey was flying from the nest and Silver Gulls were flying about. A pair of
Common Sandpiper walked the shoreline but flew as we approached. There wasn’t
much to be seen on the Parrot front so we got back into the heath early in the
morning, exploring the same area as we had the days before. Bob and Enid had
gone out early and got onto the Western Bristlebirds on the track and we hoped they
would still be around. We walked and it was quiet, White-cheeked and New Holland
Honeyeaters with all three skulkers calling but not visible. Then two birds appeared
on the track! At first we thought it was the Bristlebirds, but it ended up being a pair of
Black-throated Whipbirds. We lost them but after a few minutes they popped up
again behind us moving through the scrub. Not far up the track we totally lucked out
and had a single Black-throated Whipbird out in the open, calling from on top of a
dead branch. We watched for a few minutes as it moved and began feeding in a tree
and another individual appeared with it!
White-breasted Robin
Corackerup Nature Reserve
Shingleback
Persistent swarms of flies made birding and photography challenging
Southern Scrubrobin
Both Rosenberg’s Monitor and Purple-gaped Honeyeater were
stopped for on our way out.
Purple-gaped Honeyeater
Purple-gaped Honeyeater
Rosenberg’s Monitor
Lunch was had at the local football club which generated some good sporting conversations before we headed to the coast at Bremer Bay.
Bremer Bay
Spotted Scrubwren
Southern Emu-wren
A pair were super close, only a few metres away, and they were very cooperative for Emu-wrens. The male perched in the open on a number of branches and shrubs, it was amazing, the female hid a bit more but it was a real buzz. Rock Parrots were heard and seen fleetingly as they zipped by, and then two distant parrots were spotted through the vegetation, these ended up being Red-capped Parrots, but we kept walking trying to get closer to them. As we did more Rock Parrots flew by and over our heads, but then we spotted two in the grass metres away! They foraged and perched and put on a real show, with a third joining nearby which was fantastic for photos of these little Parrots up close.
Rock Parrot
Our final stop was at the Bremer Bay airport, we took a short walk in the late afternoon through the heath in search of Wrens, and we heard Southern Emu-wren but no Fieldwren. The Black-throated Whipbirds were calling well, and the temperature was very nice, but the birds were a little quiet to end the day. We had a little excitement as a dugite crossed the road on the way home, which was a nice ending to the day.
25 October 2024 Jerramungup - Narrogin
We had our earliest start, well most of us, as we headed for Fitzgerald National Park.
The road had a strange fog as we arrived, and it cleared quickly but the birds were
quiet. Two Western Brush Wallabies were spotted along the road, one sat for long
enough to get a good look, the other bounded away quickly. Walking the road at our
first stop there was very little activity, Black-throated Whipbirds, Weebill, and Red
Wattlebirds were about all we could hear. Some very distant bird calls were almost
imperceivable, and it wasn’t inspiring. Our second stop was slightly better, but still
quiet. We did hear the Shy Heathwren, but a fleeting glimpse was the best we could
manage as it stayed in the vegetation. Purple-crowned Lorikeets foraged in the
newly blooming flowers, but there were very few flowers, another week and the place
would be alive!
Almost impossible trying to find Shy Heathwren in dense heath
Some of the woodland understorey was a carpet of wild flowers
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
With little activity we headed back to town for breakfast, to pack, and on to more birdy places. At least that’s what we hoped, we visited Chinocup Nature Reserve and there was no water to be seen in any of the lakes, so we left for Dumbleyung Lake Nature Reserve and it was full of water but not birds. Scanning the water a handful of Australian Shelducks floated on one side, and hundreds huddled on the other, both a long way from us. Walking back to the car we had a little more luck with Black-faced Cuckooshrike, Rufous Whistler, Weebills, and a flock of Brown-headed Honeyeaters that flew in and were very active in a large gum for a few minutes. They flew with young chicks that were fed a lot quickly before they flew into trees further away. We made a late afternoon stop at Foxes lair, a short walk through the dry woodlands wasn’t all that birdy, which was a theme for the day, but we listened to the afternoon sounds, saw some Australian ringnecks.
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Yellow-throated Miner
26 October 2024 Narrogin
Heading out for the day we stopped at the Ochre track in Dryandra National Park for a morning walk. Unlike yesterday there were plenty of birds calling, and we saw lots of birds! There were Rufous Treecreepers everywhere, they were piping and flying between trees in every direction, it took some time to nail them down but it was worth it. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters were new for us and quickly became old, as every second bird was one of these. They moved a lot and were distracting, but lovely little Honeyeaters. It was then that Bob said, “There’s an animal” and we all looked as a Numbat poked it head up from behind a log. We froze and went quiet as it moved around the logs and into and out of the low shrubs. I don’t know how long we were there, but it felt like 10 minutes as it came and went, standing beautifully in the open and giving us more photographic opportunities than we could have imagined. It was completely unfazed, at times sitting and looking at us before wandering around some more. Bird of the trip was wrapped up with this little mammal.
Dryandra National Park - home of the 'best bird' of the trip the Numbat
Dryandra National Park
Rufous Treecreeper
Rufous Treecreeper
Numbat
Numbat
Numbat
Little Eagle
We did eventually continue along the path with Georgia pointing out birds everywhere, and then Rob spotted a pair of Western Yellow Robins just as we were about to turn back. The Numbat was where we left it on the return trail and as we reached the car a Western Rosella flew into a tree.
Western Yellow Robin
Western Rosella
We watched it, and Enid spotted a Short-beaked Echidna 80m up the road, so once we had seen the Rosella well enough we followed the ball of spikes.
Angus called to the group as he ran up the track after the Echidna...'You watch the Rosella, i'll stop that Echidna..'
It was very friendly, though a little nervous to start, but had no issues
waddling around and next to us!
Short-beaked Echidna
We took a slow drive in search of more Numbats and Robins and found some great birds but neither of the targets. Getting out of the car we had Western Whistler, White-winged Triller, Varied Sittella, Western Gerygone, Striated Pardalote, and Jacky Winter, essentially all at the same time. Which was great and horrible as no one knew where to look. We had lunch at the Old Mill Dam which was lovely and shaded before we went down to Congelin Dam and wandered around near the campground. We watched as a pair of Red-capped Robins fed their chick before taking an afternoon break.
Red-capped Robin
Rainbow Bee-eater
Rainbow Bee-eater
Post break we headed back into the park for some spotlighting at Barna Mia, entering the reserve it took no time at all to see Greater Bilby, Mala, Quenda, and Woylies. Our first stop on the walk had lots of small-medium mammals and we learnt a lot about them as they ate just metres in front of us. We made a few more similar stops and were able to add Boodie to the list of mammals, with Brush-tailed Possum rounding out the night inside the predator proof enclosure. Outside the fence we spotted Western Grey Kangaroo, Woylie, and a Brush-tailed Possum with a baby on its back on the drive home
27 October 2024 Narrogin - Perth
Having had such a spectacular day the day before, we revisited Dryandra early in
the morning after we ticked off the Rock Doves whilst getting breakfast. We only had
a few targets left and started with the hardest. We walked the start of the Ochre track
again, but it was much quieter than yesterday. It took some time but as the sun
warmed the landscape the birds began to call more and more. Towards the end of
our loop, after seeing and hearing many of the same birds as yesterday, we finally
heard the soft calls of the Western Shriketit. Moving through the scrub we followed
the sound and there it was in all its glory, in the open, and visible! It flew between
trees a few times but remained in the open for the most part. Day done! Well not
quite.
We headed to where we’d had lunch the day before and birded properly, not just
stopping for food. Almost straight away we were onto Varied Sittellas, a family of
Scarlet Robins with very recently fledged young, Australian Ringnecks, and
Treecreepers.
Varied Sitella
Western Shrike-tit
We wandered the short wandoo walk and found a number of nesting
Striated Pardalotes, watching them come and go from the nest, or work on
excavating the nesting hollow.
Striated Pardelote
Jacky Winters were common and also had recently fledged young. Ravi came very close to stepping on a Sand Goanna which remained calm and let us get close as it warmed up in the sun. Rufous Whistler, Grey Shrikethrush, and Galah were spotted before we finished the walk. We did one last slow drive through the back roads of the park before heading towards Perth. We stopped for lunch at Collins Road, and had a little walk through the middle of the day which meant birds were quiet. We did get a Rufous Songlark, Western Rosella, and a group of White-browed Babblers. After lunch we finished up visiting two wetlands in Perth, firstly Herdsman Lake. We initially searched for the Tawny Frogmouth family and found 6 individuals in a single tree! The young were doing their best to be invisible but they were in great spots for photographs.
Tawny Frogmouth
Tawny Frogmouth
Buff-banded Rail
Our final stop was at the bird sanctuary and the Australian White Ibis had already had chicks which were almost fledged, and we saw a number of full nests. The Spotted Doves were displaying, and the Australian Reed Warbler was singing its little heart out. The main target was a Blue-billed Ducks, and we found a number of them, including a displaying male! It was a nice way to finish the trip.
Blue-billed Duck
28 October 2024 Perth
Having finished as a group last night – we all went our separate ways, some to
Melbourne, others Tasmania and Brisbane, whilst some had much longer trips back
home. Some were able to say another goodbye at breakfast before departing.
Excellent John,
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