29 January 2010
Pre-tour day: arrive Perth
Overnight: Perth
30 January 2010
Day 1. Perth to Dryandra area
This morning we will bird the Wungong Gorge area, a short drive southwest of Perth. Western Australia endemics are often plentiful at this locality and could include white-breasted robin, western rosella, red-capped parrot and perhaps red-eared firetail. Dry forest nearby could produce western and inland thornbills, western gerygone and long-billed black-cockatoo. After lunch we’ll travel to the small town of Williams, near the iconic Dryandra forest, home to several WA endemic birds and rare Australian marsupials.
Overnight: Williams
31 January 2010
Day 2. Dryandra forest
We’ll spend the day birding the Dryandra forest. Treasures here might include rufous treecreeper, elegant parrot, blue-breasted and splendid fairy-wrens, painted button-quail and western yellow robin. We also have a chance here for the rare western form of crested shrike-tit.
The numbat, one of Australia’s few diurnal marsupials, also resides in Dryandra. After dark we’ll spotlight for another cute marsupial, the Woylie, a tiny member of the kangaroo family – also known as Brush-tailed Bettong.
Overnight: Williams
1 February 2010
Day 3. Dryandra to Stirling Ranges
First up we’ll head back to the Dryandra forest for any species we may be missing. Species we may see include purple-crowned lorikeet. There is a small population of bush stone-curlew and malleefowl and the western race of varied sittella also occurs here. Later, we’ll travel south to the Stirling Ranges looking en route for the western race of regent parrot, which is quite different from the eastern sub-species; plus any other species we see along the way.
Overnight: Stirling Ranges
2 February 2010
Day 4. Stirling Ranges to Albany
This morning we’ll visit the Stirling Ranges, which contains a high diversity of Western Australia’s endemic flora. Birds to look out for include square-tailed kite, short-billed black-cockatoo, purple-gaped honeyeater and southern scrub robin. We also have a chance here for the western form of rufous fieldwren and another opportunity for blue-breasted and splendid fairy fairy-wrens.
After lunch we’ll travel on to the Albany area with some bird
stops en route.
Overnight: Albany
3 February 2010
Day 5. Albany area
We’ll have an early start this morning as we attempt to find three of Australia’s more challenging species in the coastal heath near Albany. The most difficult will be noisy scrub-bird, one of our rarest and shyest species, thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1961. The others are western bristlebird and western whipbird. Luck will play a part in seeing any of these species although we should hear each of them. Also possible at this locality are southern emu-wren, tawny-crowned honeyeater, rock parrot, brown quail, rufous fieldwren and red-eared firetail.
Overnight: Albany area
4 February 2010
Day 6 Albany
We’ll spend the day in the Albany area to give ourselves another chance for the three toughies.
Overnight: Cheynes Beach
5 February 2010
Day 7 Albany to Augusta
Today we drive west towards Augusta on Cape Leeuwin, which is about as far southwest as it is possible to go in Western Australia.
En route we’ll bird the giant Karri forests around Manjimup, and the more open areas for western corella, as well as the southwest form of red-tailed black-cockatoo and have another chance for long-billed black-cockatoo and western yellow robin. After lunch we’ll proceed to Cape Leeuwin where species could include hooded plover, rock parrot and brush bronzewing. Off the headland, seabirds could include yellow-nosed, black-browed and shy albatrosses and great-winged petrel
Overnight: Augusta
6 February 2010
Day 8
Augusta to Perth
We’ll visit the headland again this morning if we still need rock parrot, which can be a tricky, plus any other species we require. Travelling north to Perth we’ll visit Cape Naturaliste where a small colony of red-tailed tropicbirds nest just offshore. We’ll also check out the harbour at Mandurah where terns including bridled, fairy, roseate and common are possible.
We’ll arrive back in Perth late afternoon.
End of tour
Tour leaders: Philip Maher & Patricia Maher
Cost: $3,975 AUD per person twin share
Single supplement: $525*
Cost includes accommodation from pre-tour night 29 January to and including 6 February; meals from breakfast 30 January to breakfast 7 February; transport while on tour (small bus and 4WD or two 4WDs); guiding and park entrance fees.
Not included: alcohol, mini bar charges, laundry, phone calls, personal items …
Starting time: breakfast at our hotel in Perth on 30 January 2010.
Accommodation comprises good to excellent quality motels and cabins
Luggage: Restricted to 2 bags per person.
Possible bird list
©AOS
