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.