Tag: Grasswren

Bird Reports, Where to find Birds

GUIDE TO FINDING BIRDS AROUND DARWIN

FINDING BIRDS AROUND DARWIN.We’re fortunate enough here in Darwin to have so many amazing places to see wildlife, most within 100 kms of the city, here are just a few.(Photo left to right – Azure Kingfisher, Leaden Flycatcher (Female), Black-tailed Tree-creeper, Emerald Dove)DARWIN’S WEATHER Darwin has a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons and the average maximum temperature is remarkably similar all year round. The dry season runs from about May to September, during which nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%.There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14 °C (57 °F), but very rarely lower.The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March, when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70 percent during the wettest months. It does not rain every day during the wet season, but most days are warm to hot with plentiful cloud cover. Darwin’s highest Bureau of Meteorology verified daily rainfall total is 367.6 millimeters (14.47 in) which fell in the Darwin area on 16 February 2011. February 2011 was also Darwin’s wettest month […]

Bird Reports, Where to find Birds

GUIDE TO FINDING BIRDS IN KAKADU NATIONAL PARK

GUIDE TO FINDING BIRDS IN KAKADU NATIONAL PARK, NT (Photo left to right – Blue-winged Kookaburra, Partridge Pigeon, Red Goshawk & Varied Sittella ABOUT KAKADU NATIONAL PARK Kakadu National Park is a protected area about 170 km East of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The park covers an area of 19,804 km2 (7,646 sq mi), extending nearly 200 kilometers from north to south and over 100 kilometers from east to west. It is about one-third the size of Tasmania, or nearly half the size of Switzerland. Kakadu National Park’s many habitats support more than 280 species of birds, 74 Mammals, 117 Reptiles, 25 Frogs and 1700 Plant species making it an amazing place to visit as if you are a wildlife enthusiast like myself. Entry fee into the park for a non-resident of the Northern Territory is $25.00 for a 14 day park pass. SOUTH ALLIGATOR FLOODPLAINS (Photo Above – Black-breasted Buzzard) GPS -12.661290, 132.502511 This large floodplain about 40 km west of Jabiru is a fantastic spot to stop and have a look around. The floodplain itself can hold Swamp Harrier, Spotted Harrier, Australian Hobby, Black-shouldered Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Black-breasted Buzzard, Australian Pratincole, Zitting and Golden-headed Cisticolas. The boat ramp area is also worth a look with the […]

Bird Reports, Where to find Birds

GUIDE TO FINDING BIRDS AROUND KATHERINE & VICTORIA RIVER, NT

GUIDE TO FINDING BIRDS AROUND KATHERINE & VICTORIA RIVER, NT (Photo from left to right – Northern Shrike-Tit, Diamond Dove, Gouldian Finch & Hooded Parrot) The Victoria River and Katherine Regions have to be a couple of my favorite places to go birding. Any free time I get I find my self making the 500 km journey from Darwin to explore this area. Another great reason to head this way is there is the AMAZING fishing to be be had at Victoria River. This fills in the hottest part of the day nicely when birds are least active. The best time of year for birding this area is July to October as there is very little water around, If you can manage find any pools of water around at this time of year, you can usually find birds! Here are a few of my secret spots to get you started: PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP  (Photo Above – Hooded Parrot) GPS -13.822466, 131.834461 This is a great place to stop past in the late evening at the end of the dry season, September & October are best. There is a tree near the road which is filled with boots, the boot tree (-13.819889, 131.831842) this spot and on the sports oval are worth […]

Bird Reports, Where to find Birds

Guide to finding birds around Alice Springs

FINDING BIRDS AROUND ALICE SPRINGS. Alice Spring is a mecca for wildlife, most sites are within a day trip of the city, here are just a few. (Photo left to right – Inland Dotterel, Letter-winged Kite, Crimson Chat, Australian Ringneck Parrot) ALICE SPRINGS WEATHER  Located just South of the Tropic of Capricorn the town of Alice Springs straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs is located in Central Australia, also known as the Red Centre, an arid environment consisting of several different deserts. In Alice Springs, temperatures can vary by up to 28 °C and rainfall can dramatically change from year to year. In summer, the average maximum temperature is in the mid 40s, whereas in winter the average minimum temperature can be 5.5 °C. Alice Springs averages 12 nights a year below freezing, it is about 545 metres above sea level which contributes to its cold nights in winter. The highest temperature recorded in Alice Springs was 45.2 °C on the 3 January 2006, while the record low is −7.5 °C, recorded on 17 July 1976. This is also the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Territory. Alice Springs has a desert climate with annual average rainfall of 285.9 millimetres but […]

Bird Reports, Where to find Birds

BOWERBIRDS OF SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Bowerbirds of South East Queensland I had a great time in the South East Queensland Mountain ranges looking for two birds on my “must see” list, the Satin Bowerbird and the Regent Bowerbird. Bunya Mountains National Park This was our first stop on our search which is located about 200km north west of Brisbane, QLD Australia, this national park includes much of the Bunya Mountains ranges. You take an extremely steep climb into the park, there are beautiful sweeping views of the valley below and grand tall Bunya Pines rising up above the rainforest canopy; simply breathtaking. When you arrive at the top there is a small residential area and a clearing amongst the rainforest, this was the national park camping area were we set up camp for the night. On arrival we were soon welcomed by female Satin Bowerbirds, Crimson Rosellas, King Parrots, Bush Turkey’s, White browed Scrubwrens, Superb Fairy-Wrens and many Wallabies, how fantastic to see so many species without even leaving the Campground. It took an hour of observing the Females Satin Bowerbirds to locate the brightly coloured males, even more impressive was to see them display on their bowers. I quickly found 3 bowers within 100m of the camp […]