Australia (1 Viewer)

[JanArras]

Hi,
we are planning a 7 week trip to Australia next summer (Australian winter)
We hope to visit a great deal of Eastern / Northern Australia. (Sydney-Darwin).
As it will be our first trip to Australia, any help will be welcome.
Is there a forum on Australian birds?
Any local birders willing to help?
Good trip reports?
Pelagic trips ?
Advise about bird-sounds?
...

Regards,
Jan Arras

 

[halftwo]

Hi Jan,

Take a look at the Vacational Trip Reports thread - particularly BirdingBoyBowley's Oz report & Larry Wheatland's Oz section of his current report.

H

 

[MikeMules]

Hi Jason, a trawl for trip reports etc... on the Birding-Aus mailing list should be of immeasurable help, plus a query there for assistance and contacts too. Otherwise, there may be local Bird Observers Clubs who could provide information and assistance.

If you are going into Queensland's tropical areas, I would highly recommend as a locality guide the book "Birds of Queensland's Wet Tropics". Unfortunately it's out of print, and not worth the $120 price tag on amazon, but the author. Lloyd Nielson also has an up-to-date directory of birds and birding localities for Australia, at this website.

If you have particular areas you are visiting, and want to see atlassing data for the area, or find where a particular species has been commonly seen, try the Birdata website.

Have fun on your trip, and watch out for the drop bears!

 

[njlarsen]

Mike has already given the link to Lloyd Nielsens web shop, and I have purchased from him with delivery in the US without any problems. I used two of the David Stewart nature sound series CD's with good results.

How do you plan on getting around? I favor the 4wd campervan, but you have to have something really sturdy to go to northernmost Queensland, or to hit the trails towards Darwin from there. Given the distances you expect to cover, several flights are probably more realistic?

Niels

 

[redmill]

Queensland's Wet Tropics is the premier Birding location on Australia's east coast with approximately half of country's species being recorded. There is large local birding community and a good place to start looking for members if you wish to meet some is on the Cairns Esplanade. A well worn circuit takes in Daintree, Julatten/Mareeba and the Atherton Tablelands (Cairns Highlands) Lloyd's book is a must as is Jo Wieneke's "Where to find Birds in North-East Queensland" Let me know if you want a copy of the latter.

 

[Gavin Goodyear]

G'day Jan,

I would highly recommend Dave Stewarts CD's as has been mentioned. BOCA also has a full set of Australian calls in a series of CD's.

If you are in the Brisbane area I would be happy to show you some local areas if time permits or give you some better gen on the areas closer to time.

Regular pelagics run out of Sydney, Wollongong (1hr south of Sydney) and Southport on Queenslands Gold Coast south of Brisbane.

Areas I would be looking at in NSW would include Barren Grounds Nature Reserve between Robertson and Jamberoo south of Sydney and Capertee Valley west of Sydney

In south-eastern Qld, Lamington National Park and Cooloola National Park (part of the Great Sandy Strait National Park).

In north-eastern Qld, all the places Andrew mentioned.

Mt Isa area on the way through to Darwin.

Haven't birded Darwin yet (hopefully this year) but there is a good book by Niven McCrie and James Watson Finding Birds in Darwin, Kakadu and the Top End Northern Territory Australia

There are many other great places but these would be areas I would concentrate on

Cheers
Gavin