Gavin Bieber on his just-completed tour of Western Australia and Northern Territory

We spent the first week of our new Western Australia Tour birding around the southwest corner of the country.  A wetland in central Perth provided our first waterbirds, including these fine courting Black Swans.

Black Swan

  Forests around Dryandra and the Stirling Ranges were very productive, with repeated views of Carnaby’s (Short-billed) Black-Cockatoos, the aptly named Splendid Fairy-Wren, the western form of Crested Shriketit (surely an excellent candidate for species status) and Rufous Treecreeper.  The gorgeous coastline near Cheyne’s Beach was our backdrop for several days, where we had especially good views of Western Whipbird (as well as the other two skulky heathland endemics; the Noisy Scrubbird and Western Bristlebird) and several beautiful Southern Emu-wrens. 

Splendid Fairy-Wren

Southwest Australia coastline

Our second week covered the red center of the country around Alice Springs, the tropical north of the 'Top End' around Darwin, and two days around the outpost town of Kununurra, near the east end of the Kimberley Mountains. Around Alice Springs we found some confiding Spinifex Pigeons, marveled at the shiny purple nape patch of Western Bowerbird and were lucky to find a nesting pair of the generally scarce Black-breasted Buzzards.

Spinifex Pigeon

Western Bowerbird - Photo: Ade Buckel

The humid and comparatively lush lands surrounding Darwin seemed stuffed with new birds at every turn.  Hulking Blue-winged Kookaburras and a very cooperative pair of Rufous Owls were especially nice. 

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Rufous Owl

Kununurra has the feel of a real outback town, with isolated and very beautiful grottos, and almost comically swollen Baobab Trees dotting the savannahs.  Although it was very dry this year, we still found 10 of 11 species of finches possible in the area (including the beautiful Gouldian and scarce Yellow-rumped Mannikin), and the day trip out to Lake Argyle was superb with dozens of Yellow Chats, flocks of Magpie Geese, and tame Short-eared Rock Wallabys.  We wrapped up the 17 day itinerary back in Darwin, with an amazing 323 bird species seen!

Kunnunura grotto

Northern Territory Baobab

Short-eared Rock Wallaby