AUSTRALIA Southwestern 10–26 September 2008 Leaders: Peter Taylor and Vaughan Ashby

This exciting new tour takes in a range of habitats including urban wetlands, semi-arid plains, open woodland, sandy heathlands, rugged coasts and islands and tall karri forest. We hope to see over 200 species of birds many of which will be endemics to Australia including all 13 of the Southwest’s endemics.

Day 1 Overnight flight from London to Perth.

Day 2 Depending on arrival time we may have the opportunity to visit Perth’s beautiful King’s Park where we can get a head start on our Western Australian bird list. Many cockatoos, parrots and honeyeaters have been recorded here. The city itself is home to three introduced species, namely Rainbow Lorikeet, Spotted Turtle-dove and Laughing Dove. Overnight Perth.

Day 3 The tour proper begins with a quick visit to Perth’s premier urban wetland where we can see Blue-billed and Musk Duck, Australian Pelican, Darter, Glossy Ibis, Buff-banded Rail and Australasian Grebe along with many other waterbirds and several raptors. From Perth we head north to the sandplain country of the wheatbelt where some important fauna habitats are protected in remnant vegetation blocks. We will visit Nugadong, Buntine and Jibberding Lakes Nature Reserves where we will look for Mulga Parrot, Crested Pigeon, Banded Lapwing, Splendid Fairy-wren, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Yellow-throated Miner, White-eared Honeyeater, White-fronted Chat, Crested Bellbird, Black-faced Woodswallow and White-backed Swallow. Overnight Dalwallinu.

Day 4 Continuing our drive north, we cross the rabbit-proof fence, moving out of the agricultural zone and into the rangelands. Our first stop is the Charles Darwin Reserve, where we will look for Malleefowl, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Black-breasted Buzzard and Southern Scrub-robin. Other more common birds we should see are Striated Pardalote, Red-capped Robin and Weebill. At Payne’s Find we will deviate slightly to search for one of the most elusive birds, the Grey Honeyeater, as well as Crimson and Orange Chats. Heading towards Sandstone we will stop where the grevilleas are in flower and search for Pied and Black Honeyeater and also watch out for Gilbert’s Whistler and Chiming Wedgebill. Overnight Sandstone.

Day 5 We begin today in the country to the north of Sandstone, searching the stony areas for the often-shy Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush and also for Western Bowerbird, Grey-crowned Babbler and Banded Whiteface. Later we travel southeast through the semi-arid plains towards Menzies, keeping an eye out for raptors, particularly the rare Grey Falcon. Along the way we will stop at the Kurrajong Range where we will look for more raptors such as Little and Wedge-tailed Eagles, Spotted Harrier and Peregrine Falcon. We will also pass Lake Ballard and its curious sculptures, derived from laser scans of the inhabitants of Menzies. Here we should find White-winged Fairy-wren and Southern Whiteface. Overnight Menzies

Day 6 Today we continue the journey southwards, traveling along the Goldfields Highway towards the famous mining city of Kalgoorlie. About 100km north of Kalgoorlie lies the huge Goongarrie National Park, where we will stop and search for White-browed Treecreeper, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Bourke’s Parrot, Little Button-quail, Diamond Dove, Redthroat and Slender-billed Thornbill. Other interesting birds here include Grey and Pied Butcherbird, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Chestnut Quail-thrush and Black-eared Cuckoo. If we’re fortunate we may even come across Scarlet-chested Parrot, which has been recorded in the park. Two nights in Kalgoorlie.

Day 7 About 60km north of Coolgardie, a gold-mining town, lies Rowles Lagoon, the largest freshwater lake in the goldfields region and where we will spend the morning. Freckled Duck has been recorded breeding here and the lake is famous for supporting an impressive 41 waterbird species, including Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Hardhead and Black-tailed Nativehen. We’ll be on the lookout for other rarities, including the rarely-reported Inland Dotterel, as well as raptors, of which 10 species have been seen here. After lunch we will return to Kalgoorlie and visit the famous Arboretum, where a vast array of eucalypts were established over 50 years ago. Consequently, the arboretum supports a great number of bird species especially honeyeaters such as Brown, Brown-headed and White-fronted. Other birds to look out for will be Common Bronzewing, Red-backed Kingfisher, Rufous Songlark and the tiny, fast-flying Purple-crowned Lorikeet.

Day 8 The port city of Esperance is our destination today as we continue our drive south towards the Southern Ocean. En route we will make detours to some of the myriad salt lakes, which often host thousands of Black-winged, and Banded Stilts and Red-necked Avocet. We will pass through Norseman, the western terminus of the Eyre Highway, which links Western Australia with the east and is unbroken for over 2000km. Shortly after we will stop for lunch in the sandplain heath at the foot of Peak Charles, an ancient granite peak favored by rock climbers. More honeyeaters can be seen here including Tawny-crowned, White-cheeked and the endemic Western Spinebill. Two nights in Esperance.

Day 9 Thousands of small islands lie off the coast of Esperance collectively forming what is known as the Recherche Archipelago. Woody Island is the only one of these open to the public and today we take the early morning ferry there. At the wharf we should see Pacific and Silver Gull, Crested Tern and Pied Cormorant. The island itself is a breeding ground for a number of species and in particular we will be looking for Black-faced Shag, Little Penguin, Flesh-footed Shearwater, White-faced Storm-petrel and Cape Barren Goose. Other seabirds that we may encounter either at the island or as we cross the bay include Great–winged Petrel, Yellow-nosed, Black-browed and Shy Albatross, Australasian Gannet and White-bellied Sea-eagle. The island itself is home to Brush Bronzewing, Brown Quail and another stunning endemic, the Red-eared Firetail. The late afternoon ferry gets us back into Esperance in time for dinner.

Day 10 We follow the South Coast Highway west towards Albany, passing through Munglinup, famed for hosting the only established population in Western Australia of the Common Starling, a declared agricultural pest! In contrast, we also pass through the beautiful Fitzgerald River National Park where we will spend most of the day. Highlights here are Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Shy Heathwren, Rufous Fieldwren and the endemics: Short-billed Black Cockatoo, Red-capped Parrot and Western Rosella. Off the coast we may be lucky enough to see Southern Right or Hump-backed Whales, which are regular visitors from July to November. Overnight Jerramungup.

Day 11 A short drive south from Jerramungup brings us to Cheynes Beach where we begin our search for the elusive trio of Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristle-bird and Western Whipbird. Because of its reliance on very dense habitat, the Noisy Scrub-bird is possibly the most difficult bird to actually see in Australia. However it is certainly one of the loudest! Slightly easier to catch a glimpse of are the Western Bristlebird and the Western Whipbird though both can be notoriously aloof at times. Later on we hope to add White-breasted and Western Yellow Robin, Southern Emu-wren and Red-winged Fairy-wren when we visit nearby Waychinicup Nature Reserve. Overnight chalet-style cabins with en suite facilities at Cheynes Beach Caravan Park.

Day 12 We head off towards the tall timber country around Pemberton and Manjimup via the majestic Stirling Ranges where we will be on the lookout for Square-tailed Kite and Hooded Robin. We’ll also take a break at Lake Muir, a Ramsar listed wetland, where we’ll find Long-billed Black Cockatoo and the geographically limited population of the Western Corella (known as Muir’s Corella). This is also a reliable spot for the endemic Little Wattlebird. Two nights Pemberton.

Day 13 Today we join a local tour operator who will take us on a morning trip over the towering Yeagarup dunes to the mouth of the Warren River mouth, which is a known breeding site for Fairy Tern and Hooded Plover. There’s also a good chance we’ll see Rock Parrot, Caspian Tern, Sanderling and Osprey. In the afternoon we’ll visit one of Pemberton’s fire look-out trees, the Gloucester Tree, where we’ll find that Grey Shrike-thrush, White-browed Scrub-wren, Australian Ringneck and Western Rosella are all fairly tame and not at all camera-shy! We should also see Spotted Pardalote, Inland Thornbill, Golden Whistler and Grey Currawong.

Day 14 The famous Dryandra woodlands are our destination today and it is here that we will look for Blue-breasted Fairy-wren, Painted Button-quail, Western Thornbill, Crested Shrike-tit, Elegant Parrot and Regent Parrot. If we’re lucky we may also spot native animals such as the Numbat and the Echidna. On the way we will briefly explore the Wagin Lakes and sewage ponds for such species as Chestnut Teal, Wood Sandpiper and Black-fronted Dotterel. Two nights Narrogin.

Day 15 We further explore the Dryandra woodland expecting to see Rainbow Bee-eater, Western Gerygone, Rufous Treecreeper, Scarlet Robin, Jacky Winter, Varied Sittella, White-browed Babbler, Dusky Woodswallow and Restless Flycatcher. Spotlighting for Bush Stone-curlew and Tawny Frogmouth is an option for those keen to get out again in the evening.

Day 16 We travel back to Perth indirectly via Lake McLarty and the Peel Estuary, both important areas for waterbirds and waders such as Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Red-capped Plover and Greenshank. There is also a well-established population of Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at Lake McLarty. Finally, we arrive back in Perth in the early evening for flights home.

Day 17 Arrival back in the UK.

General Information The climate can vary from mild to hot. There will be a moderate amount of walking, mainly on good terrain, but on hot days this can be quite tiring. There are no special medical requirements and insects are not a major problem. Visas are not required. Distances are quite long, but the roads are good and driving is relaxed, with plenty of opportunities to stop. Accommodation standards are good with all motel and lodge rooms having en-suite facilities. Food is relatively cheap where we have to purchase meals. Expect to see around 200 species.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 8 with 1 leader or 12 with 2 leaders.

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