Southwest Western Australia Birding & Mammal Tour
11 to 19 November 2012
11 November 2012
Pre-tour day: arrive Perth
Overnight: Perth
12 November 2012
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: Williams13 November 2012
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: Williams14 November 2012
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 Ranges15 November 2012
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: Albany16 November 2012
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 area17 November 2012
Day 6 Albany
We’ll spend the day in the Albany area to give ourselves another chance for the three toughies.
Overnight: Cheynes Beach18 November 2012
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: Augusta19 November 2012
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: $3,870 AUD per person twin share
Single supplement: $590 AUD (maximum)
Cost includes accommodation from pre-tour night 11 November to and including 19 November; meals from breakfast 12 November to breakfast 20 November; land 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 12 November 2012.
Accommodation comprises good to excellent quality motels and cabins
Luggage: Restricted to 2 bags per person.
Checklist of species seen on the 2010 SW WA tour
Possible bird list
©AOS
This tour can be combined with the New Caledonian birding tour 31 October to 7 November 2012 and also with the plains-wanderer weekend 24/25 November 2012.
immature red-eared firetail
