An Australian Mallee Trip (1 Viewer)

Or, What I Did On My Vacation (in 3 parts + list)

Hi all, last week, my father and I went on a trip to northern Victoria, to see what we could see. Well, we came back 1500km later with 133 species, and 7 lifers (for me, 6 for him).

Leaving at 6:30am from Melbourne, we set out for Pink Lakes, about 600km to the NW. Early birds were the standard species; Rainbow Lorikeet, Little Raven, Red-rumped Parrot, Magpie-Lark and the usual ferals (Feral Pigeon, Starling, Common Myna). Our first stop of interest was about 2 1/2 hours later, north of Inglewood, where the Whipstick Mallee was in flower. We saw the first of many Yellow-tufted, Fuscous and White-eared Honeyeaters, dozens of Musk and Purple-crowned Lorikeets (pic #1), and two Diamond Firetails. Also, our first of hundreds of Spotted Pardalote (pic #2) were seen – one of a handful of species we saw every day of the trip.

We stopped for lunch about 200km further north at Lake Tyrell – a large salt lake with sparse saltbush, and little else in the way of vegetation. And there, lifer #1: Elegant Parrot (pic #3) – about a dozen perched in the noonday sun on the skeletons of long-dead trees. These were closely followed by mixed flocks of White-fronted Chats and Orange Chats, one of the prettiest birds in the country. A very pleasant lunch was only interrupted by some dust-throwing dirt-bikers, and then we headed back to the main highway, only stopping for dad’s first lifer of the trip: Black Falcon, which rose up from the saltpan, and glided away in front of, then alongside us. Luckily we had Debus’ Field Guide to Birds of Prey handy for a quick double-check, before we were on our way.

3:30pm saw us raising Pink Lakes (pic #4), in the south of the Murray-Sunset National Park. It was just us, and the two other campers on the opposite side of one of the lakes. Mallee Ringnecks, Blue Bonnets and Mulga Parrots were common, and remained common for our 4 days in the mallee. The final highlight for the day were pink Major Mitchell Cockatoos flying over the pink lakes at sunset.

Part 2

Day 2: We were up early, with a cool 7 degrees and set off for our first target birds of the trip: Mallee Emu-wren and Red-lored Whistler (we never did find Red-lored Whistler. In fact, Whistlers of any species were in short supply throughout the trip – only Golden and Rufous seen, and those were sparsely distributed). We knew that Mallee Emu-wren, a vulnerable/endangered species, were found around Pink Lakes, but had no idea where (Pink Lakes and surrounds consists of over 100 000 hectares). Our other problem was that Mallee Emu-wrens are a small, very shy, cryptic species that lives in Spinifex Tussocks (pic #5), rarely showing itself. Oh well...

After about 2 hours, we drove up Mt Crozier track, and just stopped at an area that “felt good” (densely packed tussock understory, with low Eremophila shrubs). After wandering in about 100m or so, dad heard an insect-like buzz, which turned out to be two Mallee Emu-wrens! And not just fleeting views either, but long, unobstructed, within 10m views. Eventually, I think they tired of us, and just moved into the tussocks, and away. It was a magnificent way to end a search that has taken us four times in the last 5 years to the mallee regions, each time ending in failure. And all this before 10 in the morning!

The day got better from there. Lifer #3 for both of us graced us with its presence in a Callitris pine stand, where amidst the Hooded Robins and Southern Whitefaces, an Owlet Nightjar (pic #6) flew from a hollow, around us and then perched for about 2 minutes, giving us excellent views.

That afternoon, we packed up the camping trailer, and headed into the north of the park. After becoming bogged on sand-dune tracks early in our travel, we turned around and took a 100km detour around by Ouyen and the highway.

As the afternoon got late, we pulled in to Rocket Lake (pic #7), where a National Parks campsite with well-built disabled long-drop toilet became our home for the next two nights. The area around the campsite was casuarina and callitris, and teemed with birdlife; Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, Mulga Parrots, Whiteface, Crested Bellbird, Brown Treecreeper.

The day’s watching typified our “staying” days where we weren’t travelling much – few species for the day, but excellent quality in species seen: for Day 2, 45spp, and....

Lifer #4 flew around us as we ate our dinner by gas lamp. A Spotted Nightjar hawked its way through the post-twilight gloom, and was picked out beautifully by spotlight. We saw it again, the next evening.

The next day, we set off for a place 90km to the east, where we had been informed that Mallee Emu-wren, and another of our target species – Purple-gaped Honeyeater – had been seen. With the fuel running low (so low, we almost turned around for our spare jerry-can before getting there) we made the site, and almost immediately found Purple-gaped Honeyeater (lifer #5). Unfortunately, we found no Mallee Emu-wrens, but did see Striated Grasswren (pic #8), a beautiful, but very elusive bird.

Part 3

After driving north and out of the park to refuel, finding White-browed Treecreeper along the northern boundary of the park on the way, we spent the final 3 hours of daylight looking around the campsite, and found precisely.....nothing. Although I did see a nifty spider, with the body about the size of a 2 Euro piece (pic #9).

Day 4, we spent the morning looking around the mallee to the north of the campsite, finding Chestnut Quail-thrush by their almost impossibly high-pitched peeps. We also came across a mixed flock of Woodswallow – White-browed, Masked and Dusky, to add to the Black-faced Woodswallows we saw at Lake Tyrell on day 1. Also, and this was the highlight of the day, we found another Owlet Nightjar.

After lunch, we decided to leave the mallee, and travel 400km across to NE Victoria to try for two other species that we had been unsucessfully searching for for many years – Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot (both endangered species).

Overnight, we stopped at a blackbox woodland State Park, and camped by the shore of a dry lake. Most of Victoria is still in the grip of a twelve-year drought, in spite of some unseasonal summer rains in February. That night, we were serenaded by Boobook Owls in the park.

The next morning, after flushing some unidentified Quail (probably Brown), we drove to Chiltern – for anyone visiting, the township’s Information Centre has a bird trail guide to the local national parks that has good maps and reliable information. On the way there, we finally saw plentiful birds of prey – the first 5 days birds of prey were very, very uncommon; usually only one or two a day. Today however, in 250km, we saw over 30 Nankeen Kestrels and Black-shouldered Kites, Black Kites, at least 8 Brown Falcon, Wedge-tailed Eagles and a Brown Goshawk.

After setting up the camping trailer in the township, we set out into the national park looking for Regent Honeyeaters until dark. But we didn’t need to look for too long. In the middle of a flock of the aptly named Noisy Friarbird, we found two Regent Honeyeaters (pic #10) feeding on lerps. It was bloody marvellous. They stayed there for about 15 minutes until the friarbirds moved off.

After another cold, but very, very satisfied night, we packed up to head the 300km back to Melbourne (day 6). But before we did, we tried a reliable spot (or so we had heard) for Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots; Honeyeater Dam. And did it live up to its name! Hundreds of Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, Fuscous Honeyeaters, Black-chinned Honeyeaters, White-naped Honeyeaters and Red Wattlebirds were around the place. And then there were these strange, bright green, red-faced, red-underwinged parrots. I couldn’t make out what they were, until the penny dropped – Swift Parrot!!!!! (Lifer #7) And not just one or two, more like 30-40. One of Australia’s rarest species, and we stumbled on a significant portion of the world’s population before lunch (pic #11).

It was the icing on the cake for one of the most enjoyable and successful trips we have taken in a long time. 7 lifers in my home state was unexpected and most welcome, and the quality of our views, the perfect weather and the relaxed time we had made it a magnificent 6 days.

Birdlist to follow

Birdlist 17-22 April 2005

Birds in approximate taxonomic order

Emu
Australasian Grebe
Black Swan
Mallard
Black Duck
Grey Teal
Wood Duck
Australian Shelduck
Pelican
Little Pied Cormorant
Darter
White-faced Heron
White-necked Heron
Cattle Egret
Straw-necked Ibis
White Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Black-shouldered Kite
Black Kite
Whistling Kite
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Brown Goshawk
Black Falcon
Brown Falcon
Nankeen Kestrel

Purple Swamphen
Coot
Dusky Moorhen
Masked Lapwing
Silver Gull
Spotted Turtledove
Feral Pigeon
Common Bronzewing
Crested Pigeon
Peaceful Dove

Galah
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Little Corella
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Major Mitchell Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Rainbow Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeet
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Little Lorikeet
Swift Parrot
Crimson Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Mallee Ringneck
Mulga Parrot
Red-rumped Parrot
Blue Bonnet
Elegant Parrot
Turquoise Parrot

Pallid Cuckoo
Owlet Nightjar
Spotted Nightjar
Kookaburra
Brown Treecreeper
White-browed Treecreeper

White-winged Fairy-wren
Superb Fairy-wren
Splendid Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Mallee Emu-wren
Striated Grasswren
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Shy Heathwren
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Inland Thornbill
Weebill
Southern Whiteface

Red Wattlebird
Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Yellow-throated Miner
Regent Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Striped Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater
Purple-gaped Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
Fuscous Honeyeater
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Black-chinned Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
White-fronted Honeyeater
White-fronted Chat
Orange Chat

Jacky Winter
Red-capped Robin
Hooded Robin
Eastern Yellow Robin
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Rufous Whistler
Golden Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
Crested Bellbird
Chestnut Quail-thrush
White-browed Babbler
Chestnut-crowned Babbler

Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
Black-faced Woodswallow
Masked Woodswallow
White-browed Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Currawong
Pied Currawong
Australian Magpie

Little Raven
Australian Raven
Magpie-Lark
Willy Wagtail
Grey Fantail
Restless Flycatcher
White-winged Chough
Welcome Swallow
White-backed Swallow
Tree Martin
House Sparrow
Diamond Firetail
Common Blackbird
Common Myna
Starling

Sounds like a great trip Mike, and it's really nice to see the non-bird pictures as well as the birdy ones as they really help to give a flavour of the place.

Cheers,

Stuart

Superb report Mike, 54 lifers in there for me, and the birds I'm most envious of are Striated Grasswren and Mallee Emu-wren. There are a lot of great birds in the world but the Maluridae is the greatest family of all for me.

I have never been to this kind of habitat, so this is exactly the kind of area I want to visit on my next trip to Australia, such a different range of parrots and honeyeaters to what I saw in the Brisbane area. Inspirational stuff.

E

Nice trip report Mike

I think ill have to do something similar soon!

Cheers
Tim