Nine Grasswren 2015 tours report

Summary and checklist of our 2015 Nine Grasswren Tours

Two Nine Grasswren tours were run in 2015, from 17-27 July and from 30 July – 10 August.

Leaders: Peter Waanders (assisted by Helga Kieskamp, Steve Potter & Mark Carter)

next tour: July/Aug 2016 go to our tour program page tour brochure

Carpentarian Grasswren, 2 August 2015, Mt Isa © P Waanders

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Nine Grasswren 2015 tours report

Tour overview

We ran two ‘Nine Grasswren’ tours in 2015. The first tour started in Adelaide (SA) and finished in Alice Springs

(NT). The second one, a few days later, did the same route in reverse order. Both trips visited Birdlife Australia’s

Gluepot Reserve (Red-lored Whistler, Black-eared Miner), the vast bluebush plains around Whyalla (Western

Grasswren, Splendid (turquoise) Fairy-wren) and the scenic Flinders Ranges (Short-tailed Grasswren). The

Birdsville track proved fruitful with the discovery of a nesting Grey Falcon, and we had both Chestnut-breasted

and Banded Whiteface as well as Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Grey Grasswren and Yellow Chat. Inland Dotterel and

Gibberbird were added on the extensive stony (gibber) deserts. The heart of outback Queensland was traversed

(Budgerigars, Australian Bustard and Black-breasted Buzzard) while around Mount Isa we saw Red-browed

Pardalote, Painted Finch, large flocks of woodswallows and Spinifex Pigeon. We had great views of both

Carpentarian and Kalkadoon Grasswren as well as Varied Lorikeet, Spinifexbird and Spotted Bowerbird. The vast

expanses of the Barkly Tablelands yielded Flock Bronzewings and around Alice Springs we added Dusy Grasswren,

Grey-headed Honeyeater and Bourke’s Parrot to name but a few.

The weather on the first tour was unseasonably cold until we reached Birdsville; after that the weather was fine.

The weather on the second tour was good throughout, with calm, sunny days and maximum temperatures in the

16-30 0C range, some frosty mornings, and no rain.

Between the two tours, a total of 239 bird taxa (following IOC) were seen (219/203). The full bird list follows at

the end of this document. Other sightings of interest included Freshwater Crocodile, Dingo, 3 spp of Kangaroo,

Yellow-footed-, Purple-flanked and Black-footed Rock-wallaby.

Itinerary Tour 1 (17-27 July) Tour 2 (30 July – 10 August)

17 July: Birdlife Australia’s Gluepot Reserve 30 July: all day around Alice Springs.

18 July: Whyalla plains– Hawker. 31 July: Alice Springs - Barkly Homestead .

19 July: Flinders Ranges – Lyndhurst. 01 Aug: Barkly Homestead to Mt Isa.

20 July: Lyndhurst– Birdsville track to Mungerannie. 02 Aug: all day around Mt Isa.

21 July: Cowarie station near Mungerannie. 03 Aug: Mt Isa - Boulia.

22 July: Birdsville track from Mungerannie to Birdsville. 04 Aug: Boulia - Birdsville.

23 July: Birdsville – Mt Isa, birding en-route. 05 Aug: Birdsville track Birdsville to Mungerannie.

24 July: all day around Mt Isa. 06 Aug: Cowarie station near Mungerannie.

25 July: Mt Isa to Barkly Homestead. 07 Aug: Birdsville track Mungerannie to Lyndhurst.

26 July: Barkly Homestead –Alice Springs. 08 Aug: Lyndhurst – Flinders Ranges – Hawker.

27 July: all day around Alice Springs. 09 Aug: Hawker – Whyalla plains – Morgan.

10 Aug: Gluepot Reserve – Adelaide.

A number of participants took part in our Red Centre Adventure, available as a stand-alone tour or an extension.

This trip was run from 27 to 30 July out of Alice Springs.

Nine Grasswren 2015 tours report

Copperback Quail-thrush © P Waanders., Short-tailed Grasswren © H Kieskamp, Crimson Chat, Eyrean Grasswren,

Banded Whiteface, Varied Lorikeet (all other Photos © P Waanders).

Nine Grasswren 2015 tours report

Flock Bronzewing, Chestnut—breasted Mannikins, Spinifex Pigeon, Carpentarian Grasswren, Gibberbird, Chestnut-

breasted Whiteface. Photos © P Waanders.

Nine Grasswren tour list of birds seen on both 2015 tours

Common name Tour 1 Tour 2

Emu 1 1

Plumed Wistling-duck 1

Freckled Duck 1

Musk Duck 1

Black Swan 1 1

Australian Shelduck 1 1

Australian Wood Duck 1 1

Pink-eared Duck 1 1

Australasian Shoveler 1

Grey Teal 1 1

Chestnut Teal 1

Northern MallardI 1

Pacific Black Duck 1 1

Hardhead 1 1

Blue-billed Duck 1

Green Pygmy-goose 1 1

Australasian Grebe 1 1

Hoary-headed Grebe 1 1

Great Crested Grebe 1 1

Glossy Ibis 1 1

Australian White Ibis 1 1

Straw-necked Ibis 1 1

Royal Spoonbill 1 1

Yellow-billed Spoonbill 1 1

Great Egret 1 1

Eastern Cattle Egret 1 1

White-necked Heron 1 1

White-faced Heron 1 1

Little Egret 1

Nankeen Night-Heron 1

Australian Pelican 1 1

Little Pied Cormorant 1 1

Great Cormorant 1 1

Little Black Cormorant 1 1

Pied Cormorant 1 1

Australasian Darter 1 1

Black-shouldered Kite 1 1

Whistling Kite 1 1

Black Kite 1 1

Black-breasted Buzzard 1 1

Brown Goshawk 1 1

Collared Sparrowhawk 1

Spotted Harrier 1 1

Swamp Harrier 1

Wedge-tailed Eagle 1 1

Little Eagle 1

White-bellied Sea-eagle 1

Australian Bustard 1 1

Purple Swamphen 1 1

Australian (Spotted) Crake 1

Black-tailed Native-hen 1 1

Dusky Moorhen 1

Eurasian Coot 1 1

Brolga 1 1

Little Button-quail 1 Australian Pied Oystercatcher 1

Black-winged Stilt 1 1

Red-necked Avocet 1 1

Banded Stilt 1 1

Red-capped Plover 1 1

Inland Dotterel 1 1

Nine Grasswren tour list of birds seen on both 2015 tours

Black-fronted Dotterel 1 1

Red-kneed Dotterel 1

Banded Lapwing 1 1

Masked Lapwing 1 1

Wood Sandpiper 1

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 1

Australian Pratincole 1 1

Caspian Tern 1 1

Whiskered Tern 1

Silver Gull 1 1

Fairy Tern 1

Rock DoveI 1 1

Spotted DoveI 1 1

Common Bronzewing 1 1

Flock Bronzewing 1 1

Spinifex Pigeon 1 1

Crested Pigeon 1 1

Diamond Dove 1 1

Bar-shouldered Dove 1 1

Peaceful Dove 1 1

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo 1 1

Black-eared Cuckoo 1 1

Pallid Cuckoo 1

Spotted Nightjar 1

Australian Owlet-nightjar 1

Blue-winged Kookaburra 1

Red-backed Kingfisher 1 1

Sacred Kingfisher 1

Rainbow Bee-eater 1

Nankeen Kestrel 1 1

Brown Falcon 1 1

Australian Hobby 1

Grey Falcon 1 1

Black Falcon 1 1

Galah 1 1

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo 1

Little Corella 1 1

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 1

Cockatiel 1 1

Rainbow Lorikeet 1 1

Varied Lorikeet 1 1

Musk Lorikeet 1 1

Purple-crowned Lorikeet 1

Red-winged Parrot 1 1

Crimson (Adelaide) Rosella 1 1

Crimson (Yellow) Rosella 1 1 Australian (Pt Lincoln) Ringneck 1 1

Australian (Mallee) Ringneck 1 1

Blue Bonnet (yellow-vented) 1 1

Blue Bonnet (pale form) 1

Red-rumped Parrot 1 1

Mulga Parrot 1

Budgerigar 1 1

Bourke's Parrot 1

Elegant Parrot 1 1

Spotted Bowerbird 1 1

Western Bowerbird 1 1

White-browed Treecreeper 1

Black-tailed Treecreeper 1 1

Brown Treecreeper 1 1

Superb Fairy-wren 1 1

Splendid Fairy-wren 1 1

Nine Grasswren tour list of birds seen on both 2015 tours

White-winged Fairy-wren 1 1

Variegated Fairy-wren 1 1

Rufous-crowned Emu-wren 1

Striated Grasswren h

Dusky Grasswren 1 1

Kalkadoon Grasswren 1 h

Carpentarian Grasswren 1 1

Short-tailed Grasswren 1 1

Thick-billed Grasswren 1 1

Western Grasswren 1 1

Eyrean Grasswren 1 1

Grey Grasswren 1 1

Pied Honeyeater 1 1

Singing Honeyeater 1 1

Grey-headed Honeyeater 1

Grey-fronted Honeyeater 1 1

White-eared Honeyeater 1 1

Yellow-plumed Honeyeater 1 1

White-plumed Honeyeater 1 1

White-fronted Honeyeater 1 1

Little Friarbird 1 1

Noisy Miner 1 1

Yellow-throated Miner 1 1

Black-eared Miner 1 1

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater 1 1

Red Wattlebird 1 1

Rufous-throated Honeyeater 1

Striped Honeyeater 1

Crimson Chat 1 1

Orange Chat 1 1

White-fronted Chat 1

Gibberbird 1 1

Yellow Chat 1 1

Black Honeyeater 1 1

Brown Honeyeater 1 1

Black-chinned Honeyeater 1

New Holland Honeyeater 1

Brown-headed Honeyeater 1 1

Tawny-crowned Honeyeater 1

Spotted Pardalote 1 1

Red-browed Pardalote 1 1

Striated Pardalote 1 1

White-browed Scrubwren 1 1

Shy Heathwren 1 1

Rufous Fieldwren 1 1

Redthroat 1 1

Western Gerygone 1

Weebill 1 1

Yellow-rumped Thornbill 1 1

Slaty-backed Thornbill 1

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill 1 1

Slender-billed Thornbill 1

Inland Thornbill 1 1

Southern Whiteface 1 1 Chestnut-breasted Whiteface 1

Banded Whiteface 1 1

White-browed Babbler 1 1

Chestnut-crowned Babbler 1 1

Grey-crowned Babbler 1 1

Cinnamon Quail-thrush 1 1

Chestnut Quail-thrush 1 1

Copper-backed Quail-thrush 1

Nine Grasswren tour list of birds seen on both 2015 tours

Chirruping Wedgebill 1 1

Grey Butcherbird 1 1

Pied Butcherbird 1 1

Australian Magpie 1 1

Grey Currawong 1 1 White-breasted Woodswallow 1 1

Masked Woodswallow 1 1

White-browed Woodswallow 1 1

Black-faced Woodswallow 1 1

Little Woodswallow 1 1

Dusky Woodswallow 1

Ground Cuckoo-shrike 1

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike 1 1

White-winged Triller 1 1

Varied Triller 1 1

Gilbert's Whistler 1 1

Red-lored Whistler 1

Rufous Whistler 1 1

Golden Whistler 1

Grey Shrike-thrush 1 1

Crested Bellbird 1 1

Grey Fantail 1 1

Willie Wagtail 1 1

Restless Flycatcher 1 1

Paperbark Flycatcher 1 1

Magpie-lark 1 1

Australian Raven 1 1

Little Raven 1

Little Crow 1 1

Torresian Crow 1 1

White-winged Chough 1 1

Apostlebird 1 1

Jacky Winter 1 1

Red-capped Robin 1 1

Hooded Robin 1 1

Southern Scrub-robin 1 1

Horsfield's Bushlark 1

White-backed Swallow 1 1

Welcome Swallow 1 1

Fairy Martin 1 1

Tree Martin 1 1

Australian Reed-Warbler 1 1

Little Grassbird 1 1

Rufous Songlark 1 1

Brown Songlark 1 1

Spinifexbird 1 1

Silvereye 1

Common StarlingI 1 1

Common BlackbirdI 1 1

Mistletoebird 1 1

House SparrowI 1 1

Zebra Finch 1 1

Painted Finch 1 1

Double-barred Finch 1 1

Chestnut-breasted Munia 1 1

Australasian Pipit 1 1

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next Nine Grasswren tour: July/Aug 2016