Western Australia - any info? (1 Viewer)

Pluvius said:

Hi Breggie

Try here www.birdsaustralia.com.au/ for further info

www.peregrinesbirdblog.blogspot.com

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richardrae said:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~foconnor/

This is probably the best site for Western Australia.

cheers,
Richard

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Katy Penland said:

I can't get to any of my Oz info from the last time I was there (6 years ago), but I can tell you generally that taking one of the launches from Fremantle ("Freo" in local parlance) to Rottnest Island ("Rotto") will get you good birds on the way over (about 30 minutes) and once there, rent a bicycle at the lodge; don't take the bus. Pedaling around the island is fantastic, easy, and lots of wildlife and birds to see. Take lots of water and a lunch, though. And fresh fruit (for the quokkas and other critters) if you want to see them up close; don't feed them anything but fruit, though, as there is no fresh water anywhere on the island (it even has to be barged over for the lodge!), and feeding them bread/crackers/stuff like that can kill them.

I wish I could remember specifics about Perth itself, but there are so many parks in and around the city (I do remember King's Park to be particularly birdie), and with fresh water (Swan River) and local beaches on the Indian Ocean, just about everywhere you turn are new species to be had. Of course you're going during their fall, so you might be able to pick up on migrants heading north for the winter (it is sooooo weird to say that ).

Bunbury, south of Perth, has bottlenose dolphins that frequent its canals, and I even tried a misguided attempt to "swim with" them once upon a time. Not recommended (very cold water!) and probably by now illegal to do so.

If you get time to drive north, to Exmouth, that's a wonderful trip full of all kinds of birds (I distinctly remember families of emus traipsing across the highway). And at Shark Bay (Monkey Mia specifically), bottlenose dolphins come right up to you at the beach. I didn't manage to see any dugongs there, but we couldn't get to the area they were last spotted.

You'll be going just at the tail end of the coral spawning season in Exmouth, but if you do go up that far, be sure to take a snorkel trip beyond the Ningaloo Reef to swim with the whale sharks that come in to feed. They're gigantic filter feeders (no teeth!), up to 55 feet long, and it's the experience of a lifetime to get to see these guys up close and personal. We got to swim with 3 of them throughout a day trip. The Reef itself is to die for, in such better shape than the Great Barrier Reef on the eastern coast (primarily because it hasn't been polluted and over-exploited), it's worth it alone just to do some on-reef snorkeling.

Oh, man, I envy you your trip!! This is the one country I wanted to emigrate to when I first visited 20 years ago, and I especially love Perth. Beautiful, clean city and very friendly people. Please be sure to tell us about your trip when you get back, okay? :t:

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