Birding Central Australia #96 - Budgerigar

Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus

The desert is heating up and drying out. At times like these, clever desert dwellers make their way towards known reliable water sources around the rangelands… even if that happens to be a sewage treatment facility in Alice Springs. Budgerigars have been reported in increasingly large flocks all over The Centre in recent weeks, and this mob were part of a flock of around 1000 birds seen drinking at the sewage ponds.

Maintained by Power & Water, the ponds in Alice represent the largest expanse of open water for hundreds of kilometres in any direction, and as a result, birds flying over will often be attracted to stop in for a drink. This is also why you read so much in this column about bird sightings around this facility; most of the birders around The Centre spend at least a couple of hours here from time to time. Like the birds themselves, the birders know that this is one of the best desert birding locations in the country, and a serious contender for the best worldwide. By a friendly arrangement with Power & Water Corporation, birders and visitors are able to access the ponds, and view the extensive population of resident waterfowl and chase down many rarities and migrants, by completing an online induction.

As well as the spectacular flocks of Budgies and Cockatiels this week, there have been a few reports of Pied and Black Honeyeaters around town, including at Olive Pink Botanic Garden. These are a couple of nomadic species that travel wherever the food and water take them, and are usually pretty uncommon around town. 3 Pelicans and a lone Latham’s Snipe were spotted by Ange and Jesse at the sewage ponds and wrap up another blinder of a week for Centralian birding.

Happy birding!

Birding Central Australia #95 - Brown Falcon

Brown Falcon Falco berigora

The return of some warmer weather recently, has seen an increase in reptile activity across The Centre. Where there are reptiles, there will be animals that eat reptiles, and near the top of that list is the Brown Falcon. Long legs for running after terrestrial prey, and for holding snakes and biting lizards at a safe distance, are a characteristic feature of this common raptor.  These birds are nesting at the moment, and will usually refurbish the abandoned nest of a crow or kite, rather than building their own. In an interesting departure from this, one pair has recently been discovered near Alice Springs raising their young in a hollow tree.

The Brown Falcon is not the only exciting hunter getting seen at the moment. Many birds-of-prey are raising young, and will be busy hunting around town to feed hungry mouths. Visiting Top End birder Mick Jerram, was treated to the spectacle of a Peregrine Falcon making a meal of a young Whiskered Tern, while a Black Falcon watched on from a neighbouring tree branch. An increase in the number of large flocks of Budgerigars around town, has seen some spectacular aerial hunting action over Colonel Rose Drive. A pair of Brown Goshawks have been doing their best to round up the amoebic flocks each morning with variable rates of success.

While Alice Springs plays host to the many Masters’ Games participants, the sewage ponds have been hosting some visitors of their own. Three Australian Pelicans have been around this week, and at least 2 Glossy Ibis are calling the place home for now. The wader watching continues to be good with Common Greenshank, Red-necked Stint, and hordes of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in very colourful plumage, all reported through the week.

Happy birding!

Birding Central Australia #94 - Grey-tailed Tattler

Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes (front) with a Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops

Red Centre Bird Festival has been and gone for another year, and I’m sure there are many out there nursing black eyes from so much energetic binocular use. On behalf of the entire Central Australian birding community, I’d like to extend a big thank you to the Alice Springs Desert Park and everyone involved in the organisation of Birdfest. Thank you also, to the many participants who are a crucial part of the success of this event. Your efforts continue to raise the profile of desert birding, and therefore the conservation of desert birdlife.

Our bird in the picture this week is one that got bumped from the top slot last week by the spectacular arrival of that little wagtail, but it is worthy of its own feature, however belated. This is the Grey-tailed Tattler that showed up at the sewage ponds in the week before Birdfest, but failed to hang around for all the fun. Nonetheless, it is a very interesting visitor, as this species is only very occasionally recorded inland. Plumage features tell us that this is a juvenile bird that is only a few months out of the egg, and on its first southward migration from its birthplace in northern Asia. The stormy weather of a couple of weeks ago, and the inexperience of the bird, may explain how it ended up so far off the usual course of this species, around the coast.

Some interesting reports have arrived during the week; local biologist Holger Woyt had occasion to traverse the Tanami and observed small groups of Emus and two Brolgas not far from the WA border. Mick Jerram from up the track at Katherine had an interesting encounter with a Little Kingfisher at the Pine Creek Water Park, which is a very unusual spot to find this predominantly northern coastal species. 

Happy birding!

Birding Central Australia #93 - Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis

While many may have been watching an epic struggle between Hawks and Swans last Saturday afternoon, seven local bird nuts were locked in a battle of similarly epic proportions – wrestling with a particularly troublesome question of bird identification at the sewage ponds. We had what is termed a “vagrant”. This is the most exciting occurrence in birding; a bird somewhere that it isn’t supposed to be. Within an hour of the bird being sighted, six of the finest ornithological minds that Alice has to offer (and your author bringing up the rear), were scrutinising a Motacilla wagtail of the vast and confusing Eurasian Eastern/Western Yellow complex. There could hardly be a more auspicious start to the week of Red Centre Bird Festival. Thus far the bird remains unidentified to species level, but whichever it turns out to be, it has provided a memorable start to this year’s celebration of all things birdy.

Other big news has come through recently; Letter-winged Kites are being seen again at Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve. Alice Field Nats President Barb Gilfedder has been out there and reported four birds. These rare desert dwellers are mainly nocturnal hunters and are usually quite difficult to locate. They can be the subject of misidentification due to their close resemblance to the related Black-shouldered Kite. The clincher is to look for the bold, black, letter “M” (or “W” depending on your viewpoint) inscribed on the underside of the wings which give the bird its name.

Apart from those considerable bombshells, Alice Springs has hosted some other exciting migrant and blow in possibilities for the Twitchathon kicking off this afternoon – Grey-tailed Tattler, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, and a lone Pelican have all been in town recently. Will they make it onto your team’s list?

Happy Twitchathon!