Birding - Tweed Heads - Australia: 2019

Birding - Tweed HeadsWildflowers, Birds and Bush in Western Australia Aug-Sep 2019

Brett invited me to join his blog and add anything interesting I come across. We have gone birding together for about six years and many photos I take are the same as Brett’s so to avoid doubling up I will add some I have done independently.

I went on a wildflower photography tour of Western Australia last year and, of course, tried to catch any birds we came across on the way.

The tour started in Perth then went westward through Moora, New Norcia, Watheroo and Coorow staying overnight at Three Springs. The next day to Mingenew with a stop at Depot Hill, Coalseam National Park and Mullewa.

Third day, off to Pindar to see the rare wreath flowers, then to Geraldton and stopping at Kalbarri for a couple of nights. Had a fabulous flight over the pink lakes from Kalbarri.

Sixth day headed toward Cervantes and the Lesueur National Park with more than 900 species of flora then staying a couple of nights at Jurien Bay. Spent a bit of time at The Pinnacles and stopped at the white sand dunes on the way back to Perth.

While I took a lot of wildflower photos most of the birds I took I had never seen before, some photos better than others but a record of that trip.

Ringneck Parrot -These parrots were pretty much everywhere, also called Twenty-eights because that's what their call sounds like.

Australian Shelducks - male above, female below. King's Park in Perth.

Black-winged Kite - near Moora.

Brown Goshawk - in a Reserve near Perth

Brown Honeyeater

Brown-capped Honeyeater - near Moora

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo - only found in a specific area of Western Australia and a threatened species. These were a pair, male and female.
The adult female has a white beak, grey eye-rings and cheek patches that are whiter and more distinctive than those of the male.The adult male has a dark grey beak, smaller greyer cheek patches and pink eye-rings. Its legs and feet are also darker than the females

We saw them when checking out wildflowers on the side of the road on the way to Kalbarri National Park, a birdwatcher's highlight!

Galah - There were Galahs everywhere we went, not surprising as there are huge canola and wheatfields all through the area. The cutest were at The Pinnacles where it looked like they had carved a nest in one of the pinnacles.

Grey Butcherbird

Grey Fantail

Laughing Dove and New Holland Honeyeater

Laughing Dove

Little Crows - at King's Park, Perth. They weren't as big as our Torresian Crows so I had to look them up.

Long-billed Corella - a very windy day and in the distance

Nankeen Kestrel - hovering next to the cliff near Nature's Window at Kalbarri National Park

New Holland Honeyeater

Peregrine Falcon

Pied Oystercatcher

Red Wattlebird - like Galahs, pretty much everywhere.

Red-capped Robin - male and female

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo - more common than their Carnaby cousins

Rufous Songlark - at Coalseam National Park, it was sitting on an old tree near the river and had a very loud and distinctive call that rang through the river cutting.