Top End 2013 - Wyndham #2

4th September

For the first time, this morning I failed to hear Derek's alarm go off, so I was awoken by him shaking my swag at eleven past four.

The tiredness really hit me this morning. I even napped in the car on the way to the count. I was in Catherine's team today - if I'm on Mike's team tomorrow, my hunch about a team a day will be confirmed.

Catherine (Different Catherine :P) and I were stationed at a place which on the sheet was simply labeled 'soggy'. Or 'soggy 2' in my case, and 'soggy 1' in Catherine's. Catherine 1, Ian and some others continued on.

A fairly uneventful mornings counting followed. Just three Gouldians, two juveniles and a very dull black head female, but plenty of masks, Longtails, Zebras, Double-bars, and loads of honeyeaters, including a single Black Chinned HE. A pair of Star Finches and A male Mistletoebird made appearances.

 Black-chinned & White-throated Honeyeaters, Double-barred Finches

 Mistletoebird

 Star Finches (female top, male below)

All this activity was despite a pair of Brown Goshawks building a nest in a tree within 10m of the water!

We were last back to the crocodile today. Derek and Sue had already left to go prepare for our visit to El Questro Station, so I got a lift back with Case, stopping briefly at the cemetery to observe the hundreds of Star Finches which make their home in the front hedges there.

As soon as I arrived back in camp, we set off again. We wanted to get to EQ early, as some areas are shut off at 10-12am/pm for exclusive use by the rich and famous who stay there.

The holey sign welcoming us to El Questro

We went first to Zebbedee Springs. I didn't bring my swimmers, so I didn't get in, but the springs are extremely beautiful and I had lots of fun messing around with (mostly unsuccessful due to acute tripod deficiency) long exposures on the waterfalls.

Some Zebbedee Springs shots

We drove into the station tourist centre for lunch, and then headed on to 'the jetty'. A very scenic view of the river was had, and as we were running out of time, we made only one other stop, Pigeon Hole Lookout. The view from there is spectacular, and I can only imagine what it must be like at sunrise and sunset.

Torresian Crow at lunch

 The view from the jetty

 Part of the view from Pigeon Hole Lookout

On the way out, Derek slammed on the brakes for some finches flying across the road. The finches had disappeared by the time we were out of the car, but looking up, I was very excited to see a soaring Black-breasted Buzzard, a lifer and a species I'd been wanting to see for a very long time.

Black-breasted Buzzard

We stopped for a short time back at Parrys, before heading up to 'the Bastion' for the BBQ dinner, traditional on the last evening of the official count. It was great fun, and with a view over Wyndham port we were able to watch the sun go down in a blaze of pink and orange.

 BBQ at the Bastion

 Sunset over Wyndham Port

After dinner, Gary Fitt announced the winners of the 'twitchathon' event, where we counted the birds we'd seen since arriving at Parrys. I came fourth, rather disappointingly, at 81. Catherine beat me at 92, Mike Jarvis (trust the professionals) second on 104, and Mike Fidler emerging on top with a great 106. Gary Fitt only got 88 though, so I feel a little better!

On the drive home in the dark, we followed Case. Mistake. Case overshot two turns, the turn into Parrys by almost 500 meters, calling into question just how much he'd had, and initiating much ribbing from Derek and Sue.

Tomorrow is our last day of counting, I'm hoping to be at the hospital as it seems a hotspot for Northern Rosella, but I doubt I will be. I asked Sarah and she said she'd see what she can do, but they've already got it planned out.

Up at four again, a mere 6 hours 7 minutes from now. And then I can have a long sleep in the car to Halls Creek, for the beginning of our Painted Finch hunt!


5th September

The last day of the last STGF count!!
My hunch was wrong, but possibly because I asked Sarah to put me at the hospital last night, and I was with Nina not Mike this morning.

I didn't get to go to the hospital, home of the Northern Rosellas in town, but instead I was stationed at the oval with Dave Holmes, Sven, and another chap whose name I forget.

We stationed ourselves out around the oval at various points. For the fist half hour, not much but Magpie-larks and Straw-necked Ibis were showing, but at around ten to six, a massive flock of Fairy Martins descended and began hunting over the grass. There would have been two hundred, easily. Further excitement was added by sixty or eighty Star Finches, of which I had very distant views on the opposite side of the oval.

At around six thirty, I heard a rustling in the tree above me, and some leaves drifted down. I glanced up, and a flock of Gouldians stared down at me - 4/4 days! Yesssss!!!!!!

The Gouldians descended in nervous flocks and foraged among the wet grass. Sadly, the light was not yet on them, and my camera was playing up so I was unable to manage decent shots, but I was very happy to see them, again!

After a while they began departing. Even though they'd been on the grass not five meters from me, I was green with envy when I saw where they were going. The whole flock of thirty plus birds landed in the small bush underneath which Sven was stationed. The gouldians were no more than half a meter directly above him, too close for his lens, and then they even started drifting onto the grass in the full sun in front of him! I could see him grinning from the other side of the oval.

The gouldians departed by seven, and I amused myself for a short while taking pictures of the Ibis in the sun, before wandering over for a chat with David.
Chats with David somehow always get round to the topic of Africa, in some form or another, but this time the conversation took us through all sorts of places overseas. Very educational, as always!

At quarter to eight, Sven joined us, still grinning. He hadn't been able to manage the fantastic shots I was expecting, as the sun was facing him with the gouldians in between. Poor Sven, but at least he got to see them so close!

We were picked up, and once we'd all arrived back we posed for the last full-group photo by the crocodile. Truly the end of an era, or perhaps not! i have caught wind of rumours of a Mount Isa count in the future.... Hmmm.
While Derek went to get fuel, I walked around the hospital grounds in a last ditch, futile effort to find Northern Rosella. I'm hoping to get it where I am now, although my chances are beginning to slim.

A very dark Brown Falcon at the hospital

Not yet as slim as my chances of Yellow Rumped Mannikin though, which in turn is not as slim as the now-impossible Kimberley Honeyeater. Bugger! Guess I'll just have to come back again.

We all met in the restaurant at Parry's, for a provided breakfast and some brief presentations. Sarah mentioned some interesting points in her count summary which I find difficult to believe, such as that apparently there were more Gouldians than Longtails recorded. David had pointed out to me not ten minutes earlier he had had so many longtails he hadn't been counting them all. BUT I guess the statistics don't lie!
Also, apparently the average daily count of gouldians was 900.

Several packs of postcards were given out as prizes to a couple of people. Elizabeth Fidler for "most gouldians seen",  the fellow-whose-name-escapes-me for the somewhat dubious prize of "least gouldians seen", Strop and Ian for "longest counters", and me for "youngest ever counter". David suggested (probably) jokingly that I prepare a presentation for Finches '17 titled "how to be a pest" when I arrived back at the table.

After goodbyes, the road was hit. I was asleep almost instantly, and remained that way for the majority of the several-hour trip down to Hall's Creek, where I am now. We've been to see the China Wall, a ridge of quartz that runs like the bleached spine of a long-dead dragon over the hills in a certain area. Stunning. Sadly though, last year's waterholes are dry. That means there's little chance of Derek finding his Painted Firetails, the main reason why we're here. Still, we're trying tomorrow anyway to see what can be found.

 China Wall