We are now travelling SE of Port Augusta.
The turn off to Winninowie Conservation Park & Chinaman's Beach is approximately 20 kms south of Port Augusta. We camped at Chinaman's Beach free camp for 2 nights. Surprisingly only 84 species of birds are on Ebird records for this site. I feel this list doesn't represent the true record of what has been sighted by the resident caretaker who is an avid birder with records for 20 + years there. He has sighted several more species than is on eBird lists, especially migratory waders.
I birded around the camp ground, the creek, the coast line & along the 5 km access road.
I saw > 1,000 Red-necked Stints & > 400 Red-capped Plovers on the coast with receding tides.
Most other waders were too far in the distance to identify.
Elegant Parrots were frequently seen near the camp ground.
Grey Butcherbird.
Australasian Pipit.
Male Variegated FAirywren in eclipse plumage.
We visited Telowie Gorge CP. The gorge is south of Mt Remarkable National Park.
The gorge walk is less than 800m, but was a good bird walk. Of the 18 species seen were Inland Thornbills & Grey-fronted Honeyeaters.
Diamond Firetail were not far along the track from the entry.
Galahs
Eastern Spinebill
We took a tourist look at the lighthouse & pier at Port Pirie & then headed straight down to Moonta Bay which is 1/2 way down the west coast of the Yorke Peninsula. It was low tide during this visit.
A walk out onto the foreshore revealed a couple of surprises.
Fairy terns are the smaller birds near the bigger Crested Terns.
There was a single Common Greenshank on the rocks.
Red-necked Stint.
I found 2 breeding Hooded Plovers that have had their area "fenced" off to prevent walkers intruding on their nest.
Next morning, I dropped hubby off at the golf club & I headed to Bird Island Road & coast.
I had a lovely time driving & walking the area. All up I saw 34 species including Fairy Terns & Ruddy Turnstone,
White-fronted Chats were on the dry clay pans.
An immature Black-shouldered Kite
There were plenty of Whiskered Terns in breeding plumage.
We headed south to Innes National Park. I was curious to visit this NP at the very bottom tip of Yorke Peninsula. We had pre booked a NP camp site for 3 nights in a very protected spot at Pondalowie Camp ground. We had 3 days of drives, walking tracks & exploring the NP.
Emu's were everywhere.
New Holland Honeyeater
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater
Australian Shelduck on 1 of the couple of lakes in the NP
Rock Parrots landed on low heath on West Cape Lighthouse walk.
An unusual sighting of 150 Grey Teals in the bay near Pondalowie Bay.
Purple -gaped Honeyeater
Inland Thornbill were seen at Inneston historical township
I saw at least 4 Rufous Fieldwrens on that day - 2 were at Cape Spencer lighthouse carpark & 2 at West Cape lighthouse signs
Singing Honeyeater
An Osprey flying by
Feral Pigeons were feeding on the weeds at the Pondalowie camp ground
The regular speed along the road through the NP was 60kms/ hr. In the particular area where 2 Painted Button-quails crossed the road was at 40 kms / hr. Both birds strolled across just as we approached & were basically oblivious to our car & me standing on the side rail taking photos as they displayed with each other.
Also in that area was another Emu dad & his brood of chicks.
I walked a trail in the hope of locating a Malleefowl. No Malleefowl, but I saw plenty of other species though.
Female Golden Whistler
Male Golden Whistler.
Male Spotted Pardalote
We drove out of Yorke Peninsula arrived at Bolivar to be in the northern outskirts of Adelaide. There were a few important Ramsar wetlands to visit in the region including Dry Creek, St Kilda, Middle Beach , Port Gawler.
I visited Magazine Road Wetlands at Dry Creek.
I've been seeing a lot of Australian Spotted Crakes this trip.
This is a terrible photo, but a record shot of a Baillon's Crake.
Hoary-headed Grebe.
Yellow-billed Spoonill
I also visited Whites Road Wetland at Bolivar. The wetland is behind an equestrian centre but worth a visit. I missed on seeing 5 Australian Painted Snipes by 5 days.
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Musk Lorikeet
Red Wattlebirds were becoming a common sighting for me now.
There was a group of 15 Freckled Ducks on 1 of the ponds.
Chestnut Teal.
I spent a day calling into the other favourite hotspots along the coast north of Barker Inlet.
Thompson Beach was my 1st place to stop at. I used my spotting scope to help with the birding along the beach.
Common Greenshank
Ruddy Turnstone
Curlew Sandpiper & Red-necked Stint
I moved to Middle Beach. I could not see many birds of note at the beach area apart from a Pied Oystercatcher & Pied Stilts.
In a pond before the beach area were a couple of Red-kneed Dotterel.
Gawler Road ponds were a surprise. I wasn't expecting 2 large ponds of water with loads of bird life on them. Most of them were 400 Grey Teal, but 7 Red-necked Avocets was a nice sighting.
Next place to call into was St Kilda. I birded around the beach area with results of mostly Black Swans, Black-tailed Native-hens, Pied & Sooty Oystercatchers & Red-capped Plovers.
There are salt works as you drive into St Kilda & amongst the salt lakes were 20 Banded Stilts & 500 Silver Gulls in various stages of age. My camera has had trouble picking up the rufous band at the front.
We moved on to Williamstown. The Barossa Reservoir was nearby. The dams wall is a Whispering Wall. It is 150 m long curved wall & 2 people can talk to each other whilst standing at each end of the wall.
A lone female Musk Duck was close to the wall.
Near the camp ground were several Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. 1 of them was quite messy from perhaps foraging on burnt grounds or in a burnt tree hole.
It was my mission this trip to try & see & photograph all the 4 different sub species of Crimson Rosella's in South Australia.
This ssp is known as Adelaide Crimson Rosella, but I think it may be a hybrid between subadelaidae & fleurieuensis, considered as part of Adelaide in the new bird guide.
I only saw White-winged Chough once on this SA trip.....it was near Springton in the Eden Valley.
I visited Cromer Conservation Park not far from Mt Pleasant. It is a beautiful reserve to walk in.
White-throated Treecreeper.
Crescent Honeyeater.
Striated Thornbill.
Buff-rumped Thornbill.
I was standing on the path next to a lomandra plant when an adult pair of Superb Fairywrens were coming close to me as if to say "move on lady". To my surprise their youngster flew onto the plant right next to me. Look how short it's tail is.
Red-browed Finch were everywhere in the reserve.
I located a Scarlet Robin about 300 m down the track from the entry gate.
The next day I walked some of the Kaiser Stuhl CP.
Superb Fairywren.
Sacred Kingfisher.
White-naped Honeyeater with bush tucker.
Eastern Spinebill.
Crescent Honeyeater.
Striated Pardalote gathering nesting material.
Another Scarlet Robin
We headed north-east to visit GluePot. This large property is owned & managed by Birdlife Australia.
It was purchased to protect much of the important habitat that was in danger of destruction from animal grazing. There are 3 camp grounds to choose from after checking in with the caretakers at the homestead. Campers need to be self contained with your own supplies & amenities.
Birders are given a map of all the tracks that are relatively easy to drive.
GluePot is a very popular birding destination & known internationally.
Yellow-throated Miner & Black-eared Miner hybrid.
Hybrid Yellow throated & Black-eared Miner.....I didn't locate a pure Black-eared Miner.
There are signs in the bird hides & information centre at the homestead describing the differences between the 3 species.
Masked Woodswallows
Brown Treecreepers were everywhere.
Mulga Parrot.
Mr & Mrs Hooded Robin.
Chestnut-crowned Babbler.
Gilberts Whistler. I was in search of Red-lored Whistler & didn't locate that specie.
There are at least 3 bird hides sitting next to raised watering troughs. I like this idea of the watering points as it discourages feral animals but is good for attracting the birdlife.
It's great to sit in the hides at any time during the day to watch the birds come in for water.
Australian Raven.
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater.
Little Raven.
Striated Pardalote - ssp substriatus
White-eared Honeyeater.
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
Australian Ringneck Parrot.
White-browed Treecreeper
White-fronted Honeyeater.
Another Shy Heathwren in a different location.
Varied Sittella - black-capped Sittella.
Immature Pallid Cuckoo.
Brown-headed Honeyeater.
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater.
White-winged Fairywren.
Variegated Fairywren.
White-browed Woodswallow.
Southern Scrub-robins can be cryptic,but this 1 was right next to the track & easier to photograph.
I missed out on seeing 3 of the target species I wanted at GluePot, but this Malleefowl was an unexpected consolation sighting. I had this sighting for 20 seconds & it was gone.
Our camp spot on our last afternoon
I was out on track 7 bright & early & I found animal tracks on the road.
I think this may be a goanna's tracks.
I believe this is a snake track.
We drove back over the Murray River & waited just 5 minutes for this punt to cross the river.
We stopped at Hogwash Bend not far from Waikerie for lunch.
I was surprised to see the Regent Parrot in 15 mins as I was expecting several hours of searching for it here.
Unfortunately it was quite high into the canopy to get any decent photos.
We stopped at Kingston on Murray caravan park. The Murray River was 200m from the caravan. People kayak here, so there were very few waterfowl here.
Crimson Rosella ssp Yellow Rosella extend from NSW / Victorian border into SA along the Murray River.
We drove to Banrock Station Winery & Wetland for the day. Banrock Station Wetland is an internationally recognised wetland under the RAMSAR convention. The ramsar site is 1,375 ha & sits beside the Murray River. The floodplain was restored in 1992 & now attracts international visitors.
1 of the ponds.
I saw no less than 6 Aust Spotted Crakes in 1 area of the wetland.
8 Red-kneed Dotterels were also sharing that area with the Crakes.
A Black Swan sitting on a nest.
It was just as well I was walking with my non birder hubby as this Brown Snake was sunning itself in the middle of the track & wasn't interested in moving. I wear shorts in warmer weather so hubby saved me from a certain bite from this venomous snake.
This was our glorious view of part of the wetland from the cafe.
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