There are several reasons to stop at Pine Creek before going into Kakadu. The main one is that no booze is sold in the park, whereas you can load up at Pine Creek as long as the suspension can stand it. There is also the attraction of a supermarket at normal NT prices and a good camp site called the lazy lizard, though there isn't much in the way of lizards owing to the abundance of Cane Toads. So chef Ian whipped up something resembling edible washed down by something vaguely cold and then the Babblers arrived cackling and as usual full of mischieve. Varied Lorikeets whizzed around and a Sacred Kingfisher perched on the overhead wires. All very nice but hardly blood pumpingly great, so Ian wandered off for 30 sewconds and came back saying he had just seen a parrot. Check the photo now I have been looking for Hooded Parrots of and on for years and finally found one near Pine Creek a few years ago at a place famous for them at the side of the road. However if I had known I would have just stopped here instead of Mataranka (which does have Red Goshawk). So apart from this magnificent speciemen there were 70 others, males females the lot. This is one of Ian's efforts I was too slow While we were being enchanted with these gaudy things we were approached by a jovial local who recommended a gorge called Umbawarra for dead sure Gouldian finches. I think every birder has had a dead set certain site for a species and been disappointed to say the least. So on the way to Kakadu we went to this fabled land and I have to say that even if we hadn't seen some great birds this is definately a place to stop. It even has a camp site that looked very underused.
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we spent a few days exploring Litchfield NP and I have to say after many years of passing through this country on the way to Broome it is the driest I have ever seen it. Even Fogg Dam is dry according to our reliable source, well Mal the camping man. This may account for the dearth of species, that and the inability to get out of bed before the heat of the day didn't help. mind you it was unseasonably hot and humid the dry season is meant to be pleasant but considering the weather in the rat, it snowed the day after we left, we weren't complaining. So the number of species we reached at Batchelor on the way out of Litchfield reached 64 with a Grey Goshawk probably the best of the bunch. While we were at Batchelor we learnt that the England football team (and I use the last two words in a very loose fashion) had also joined the Brexit movement and decided to make up for the Icelandic Cod Wars of the 70's by handing the game to the Icelanders. The carnivores took solace in a traditional Aussie meat pie, Roberto's first one and my 987,326th. The reason for the picture was that there was a fig tree full of Figbirds, what else, and Orioles. Now why Weebly wouldn't let me put more than one photo of Litchfield on the last episode is a mystery, so here goes, it's the picture round. The mystery has been solved in so far as that anything over 10 megawhackers needs an upgrade and of course that means it costs. So having short arms and deep pockets I am going to reduce the quality of the photos. Bet you don't notice.
By the way the bird is a Spangled Drongo. More on the next episode. Well we picked up the camping gear which as it turned out was quite basic but all that we needed. The chairs were vintage and the table was retro but MNBF Mal was a joy. If you asked a random body of people to draw an Australian of a typical type then if they could draw it would be the spitting image of Mal the Outback Man. So while Roberto and Ian stuffed the car full of gear Mal regaled us with places to go, places to avoid especially the Lost City road which will tear the sides of the car without so much as a bye your leave. OK we will give that one a miss. So next stop was the supermarket where qwe loaded up with food and more importantly, booze. By the time we had loaded all this plus three rather large bags into the car thetre waas barely enough room for people, thank the lord that we got a 4x4. As it was Ian and Holly had enough room to breathe but not a lot else.
On the way into Litchfield NP we stopped at the magnetic termite mounds, not named because of their effect on iron but because of their orientation. I reckon the cathedral mounds are more specky but there again tourists have to see something before they get to the main event. After exploring a few campsites, which were rejected on various grounds like too many people and no showers, nothing like roughing it is there, we settled on a lovely shadey spot very close to Wangi Falls. Over the next few days we poked around and I have to confess I have never been here before but would recommend the area to anybody. Although it is popular with tourists and locals from Darwin it never seemed to be overfull. Birding was a bit dire but it had lots of other stuff to be of interest. It was meant to be the big pick up the camping gear day today but in typical Collins fashion we were a day early so plan A was abandoned and we headed off to East Point for a bit of a seawatch and mangrove stuff. It was still bloody hot but we added another fantastic lunch to the list as well as a few birds. In fact only 1 lunch and 22 birds. An Australian coalition crab dressed in blue and orange saying what climate change the mud is OK. Actually this is one of the coalition that didn't get voted back in as it isn't eligible cos it's a fiddler crab and they don't vote. Mind you it does have one thing in common with the pollies it's a scum sucking bottom feeder. hAs I write this particular blog it is snowing outside and taking on the same look as a blizzard. Needless to say it is bloody freezing with a hell of a southerly blowing up the old kilt line. So it's back to the warm climes of the Northern Territory. We caught the Airport Shuttle at sparrows and it was a great relief to get to the airport. Are these drivers specially trained to hammer up to a roundabout, slam on the brakes and swerve around the corner as fast as possible. They must also take evening classes in tailgating and maximum approach speed towards green traffic lights. Having said that they never had an accident while I've been on board and they are lovely people. Anyway it was a bit of a shock to get off the plane in Darwin to be greeted by a humid, hot blanket of hot humid air. After picking up the hire car we wended our way to the apartments and went out for a bit of a mung. This turned out to be Greek, well what else in Darwin, the melting pot of cultures to end all melting pots. The following morning it was again up even before sparrows were flatulant to pick up Ian and Roberto, aka Bobbeee, Bobby or Robert. Meeting a five AM flight has its compensations such as two litres of gin and seeing the sun come up. Well perhaps not the last one. Later that day we wandered around a little patch of forest before returning to the welcome embrace of a coldie. To the birds then as I know that is what you are hanging out for, the very first bird on the list was an Orange footed Scrubfowl, which is not surprising as they are everywhere, even in the very small vegetated bit by the swimming pool in the hotel. All in all the first whole day was quiet but isn't that what holidays are all about. The specific name for this Brown Honeyeater is indistinca and you can see why. Because of the yellow gape it is either a male or female( OK go figure) but the males in the breeding season have black gapes which they can retain if the conditions are right. However having said that this is most likely a male cos of its size. It's feeding on a grevillia for the gardeners amongst us. It has been one of the driest wet seasons on record following very dry wets in the past few years so any source of water is gratefully recieved especially if you are a White-throated Honeyeater. Check out the tongue it is not a stick. Or it could be a rude dude sticking his tongue out at the photographer I have a plethora of jokes about the well known Czechoslovakian wheelbarrow makers but I won't go into it now. Suffice it to say that with the Volkswagon engine and German engineering they are way beyond the old Skoda tank. So we took possession of a brand new Fabio, sorry Fabia, not some dodgy Italian bum pincher. I have to confess it is a nice car to drive though a lot smaller than the Territory but we don't need a big car any more. So before I venture into the great Darwin adventure I thought I would put a few of my photos from Lake Wendouree on the blog. So for now its a cold wet Ballarat which means ducks and other wet type birds. Well now it's off to Darwin in the next thrilling episode
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January 2018
Authorlives in the northern burbs of Ballarat, Victoria. Love birding, BBQing and sport and of course the Aussie way of life. I have a fantastic partner two dogs and two fish. Categories |