Well that was productive!
I decided to head up the scarp. I ended up doing the loop road around John Forrest National Park and then winding my way through Parkeville to the tavern then back out to the highway.
I got out of the car at the lookout and thought, "Cool! A fairy-wren!" On closer inspection it was no fairy-wren, it was an Inland Thornbill. In the same area I heard a call that made me think, "Is that a Grey Shrike-thrush? It's not quite right." After hearing it a few more times and deciding to track it down another possible bird popped into my mind. And it was - a Golden Whistler. Far easier to find than his mangrove cousin!
Not long after I found the bird of the day - or two more like. A pair of Elegant Parrots busily preparing a tree hollow to nest in. In the vicinity there were also loads of Silvereyes, Striated Pardalotes and Western Gerygones.
Stopped a little further along the road at a likely looking spot and got out to a Weebill serenade in the trees. I could hear a familiar high pitched call in the scrub across the road so I went there and started pishing. Almost immediately a Grey Fantail flew into a nearby tree and checked me out. As I looked down from admiring it I saw what I was looking for - a stunning male Splendid Fairy-Wren. A female popped up a bit after and had a look around too before they both flew off.
I then wended my way to up near Parkeville Tavern and had a look around the park there next to Jane Brook. Both Wood and Pacific Black Ducks by the creek. I went along a path up the hill and got great looks at 28 Parrot (not one of these weird hybrids hanging around in Greenmount) and Red-capped Parrots. I could hear the call of White-tailed Black Cockatoos nearby so I decided to keep walking and find them.
I found them. LOTS of them. And I was able to get a close enough look to determine that there were Long-billed Black Cockatoos (or Baudin's Cockatoo). The rarer of the two white-tailed black cockatoos. Nice.
I was pretty chuffed. I hope this birding good luck continues.
I got out of the car at the lookout and thought, "Cool! A fairy-wren!" On closer inspection it was no fairy-wren, it was an Inland Thornbill. In the same area I heard a call that made me think, "Is that a Grey Shrike-thrush? It's not quite right." After hearing it a few more times and deciding to track it down another possible bird popped into my mind. And it was - a Golden Whistler. Far easier to find than his mangrove cousin!
Not long after I found the bird of the day - or two more like. A pair of Elegant Parrots busily preparing a tree hollow to nest in. In the vicinity there were also loads of Silvereyes, Striated Pardalotes and Western Gerygones.
Stopped a little further along the road at a likely looking spot and got out to a Weebill serenade in the trees. I could hear a familiar high pitched call in the scrub across the road so I went there and started pishing. Almost immediately a Grey Fantail flew into a nearby tree and checked me out. As I looked down from admiring it I saw what I was looking for - a stunning male Splendid Fairy-Wren. A female popped up a bit after and had a look around too before they both flew off.
I then wended my way to up near Parkeville Tavern and had a look around the park there next to Jane Brook. Both Wood and Pacific Black Ducks by the creek. I went along a path up the hill and got great looks at 28 Parrot (not one of these weird hybrids hanging around in Greenmount) and Red-capped Parrots. I could hear the call of White-tailed Black Cockatoos nearby so I decided to keep walking and find them.
I found them. LOTS of them. And I was able to get a close enough look to determine that there were Long-billed Black Cockatoos (or Baudin's Cockatoo). The rarer of the two white-tailed black cockatoos. Nice.
I was pretty chuffed. I hope this birding good luck continues.