On the drive down there, I saw my first ever Black-breasted Buzzard, a close relative of the kites, and my sister had great views of a Brolga- sadly I missed seeing this fantastic member of the Crane family. As we reached the entrance of Purnululu NP, we were greeted by this sign:
The Cane Toad has become an extreme pest in Australia following its introduction to the country in 1935. It had been hoped that the species would be able to control pests that were decimating cane plantations across Northern Australia, but the plan has backfired horrifically as the species has taken a fancy to eating native insects and its poisonous skin has pushed many creatures that predate on it close to extinction. The 'disposal points' were everywhere along the Gibb, but they do raise one question- what the hell happens to them on the other side of the wall?
A Little Friarbird nearby was a new species for me- the first of an huge number seen on the Gibb. Inevitably, Magpie-larks, Peaceful Doves, Double-barred Finches and Black Kites were abundant in the area as well.
This nice Rainbow Bee-eater was also present.
We arrived at our campsite late in the afternoon. At its entrance was this sign:
At the campsite, I found my first Northern Fantail and Rufous Whistler, along with numerous Brown and Singing Honeyeaters. Large flocks of Little Corellas and numerous Black Kites passed overhead. More exciting was the breathtaking view as the sun set:
The next day, we drove right into the Bungles, where we took a long walk. The views were unbelievable.
The Bungle Bungle, an unbelievably amazing place.
This really does rank right up at the top of the most extraordinary places I have been lucky enough to visit, just truly breathtaking.
Sadly, the birding was not quite as breathtaking. The only birds seen during the walk were Brown Honeyeaters, Double-barred Finches, Australian Magpies and Common Bronzewings.
Later in the day, we saw a number of Spinifex Pigeons, a really cool-looking bird with a fantastic Mohican. Sadly, despite being common along the road, I didn't manage to photograph any of this great species. A Brown Falcon was seen briefly in the evening, along with a Pheasant Coucal, a large member of the Cuckoo family. Again, our evening view was pretty splendid:
This country is just ridiculous. There really are not many places in the world nowadays that have remained completely untouched by humans, but Australia seems to be mostly untouched. What a place.
The next day, we drove back up to Kununurra to get some more supplies in advance of our journey down the Gibb. Fantastically, three Bush Stone-curlews were seen very well near the airport- this was a great new species for me. After a couple of hours spent in the town, we set off and spent the night at El Questro at a private riverside campsite. A large number of Northern Whiptail Wallabies were seen in the area, along with the more regular bird species. Brumbies (feral horses) had been common on the drive down, but the highlight was a Spotted Nightjar, only my second ever, that was flushed from the roadside.
The next day was spent exploring the El Questro area. An Australasian Darter was the first bird seen, right next to our camp:
Australasian Darter, El Questro
This is a small part of a Little Corella flock that was nearby
These Red-winged Parrots landed next to our camp. The male is on the left and the female on the right.
This tree on the other side of the river was filled with Black Kites
Several Weebills and Red-backed Fairywrens, a stunning tiny black bird with a bright red back, were also around the camp with the more common species and a tiny crocodile was resting on a log by the river.
The first we visited was the stunning Cathedral Gorge. A Nankeen Night-heron was seen on the drive there. At the gorge, we swam in the freezing water of its large permanent pool. It was absolutely fantastic to be in the water, but it really was cold, though an awesome naturally-warm pool right next to it made up for that. Underneath a ledge on the far side of the pool I found a number of Black Frogs, a huge beast that seems to be thriving in the area. Unexpectedly, a Little Pied Cormorant was also seen, showering underneath the waterfall.
The Little Pied Cormorant is in this picture, on the left under the waterfall.
Soon it flew down to do some fishing.
The bald Silver-crowned Friarbird was among the common species in the area. What an evil-looking beast!
This huge flock of Black Kites was circling near the gorge.
Bar-shouldered Doves were very common in the area, as were Budgerigars, though none could be photographed (they are way too fast!).
Northern Whiptail Wallaby was easily the most common native mammal on the Gibb
As we headed back to camp, a Feral Cat was seen darting across the road, as were two Dingoes, my first. This ancient breed of the domestic dog was introduced to Australia about 4000 years ago by Indonesian seamen and spread throughout the country. Sadly this rather prehistoric-looking creature is threatened with extinction nowadays due to persecution and hybridisation with feral dogs. I for one really hope that this does not happen, but a large number of Australian farmers would most likely disagree with me....
The huge Wedge-tailed Eagle were very common along the Gibb
The next day, we visited the incredible Zebidee hot springs, a series of 27 degree warm water pools. It really was awesome. Equally awesome was a Brown Goshawk, my first, seen nearby. Not long later, I found another one perched near the roadside:
Brown Goshawk, El Questro. What an awesome bird!
The rest of the day was spent driving up the Gibb to our next campsite, at Ellenbrae, home to a great number of Honeyeaters among other birds and some incredibly tasty scones....
The Singing Honeyeater was one of a number of species enjoying the seed and water provided by the owners of Ellenbrae homestead. This, along with Banded, Bar-breasted, White-chinned (all of which were new for me), Brown and Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters created a throng of bird song. The regular Gibb species were also present in large numbers, while a flock of Varied Lorikeets that flew overhead was another new species for me.
This Collared Sparrowhawk also passed overhead.
Rufous Whistlers were common all the way along the Gibb, including at Ellenbrae.
The same was the case for the Great Bowerbird
For the next night, our campsite was Mt Barnett station. It certainly was not an inspiring place, but its shop had a great selection of supplies.
Something to remember when in the Kimberley....
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were more elusive than their Sulphur-crested cousins and far less common than Little Corellas, though they were a regular sight along the Gibb.
The next blog will describe the remainder of journey along the Gibb River Road.
Fantastic blog, quite nostalgic of when I lived in Australia. I must point out the cormorant though -- it is certainly a little pied and not a pied ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! You are certainly correct about the cormorant- that was careless of me!
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