They're Not All Lifers

They’re not all lifers. As we have been very fortunate lately in hitting our target birds, just birding itself sometimes gets forgotten in these blogs. But when we’re going after specific birds, we are looking at whatever else is around too. Yesterday we did some birding that produced no life birds, but we saw some very cool birds and did some enjoyable birding. I am sincerely grateful.

Les George had told us of a spot with watering stations on Charles Knife Rd. going into Cape Range NP where he had heard of Painted Finch showing up. We went there at sunrise and over the next couple of hours observed some sweet birds… Grey-headed Honeyeaters taking baths, Rainbow Bee-eaters hawking insects from the water, Variegated Fairy-wrens playing in the tangles, six Western Bowerbirds fussing like crazy, Singing and Brown Honeyeaters, but no Painted Finches.
 

One of the six Western Bowerbirds, noisy as.

Looking for finches 

Often seen but so beautiful, Rainbow Bee-eater

Variegated Fairy-wren

A wet Grey-headed Honeyeater

We spoke with a Parks employee who suggested the sewage ponds in Exmouth (we did not know there were sewage ponds in Exmouth and they turned out to be beside the caravan park!). We gave that a go and had tons of Zebbies and a few flocks of Star Finches, but again no Painted. We had Brown Quail in two spots as well as a Wood Sandpiper down in the pond enclosure, little Diamond Doves and five Whistling Kites. We enjoyed the birding so much that we decided to stay on another night here. I birded the ponds area in the evening, but did not find anything new. Although I did see many more Star Finches than we had in the morning.
   

Star Finches in the morning.

One of the Brown Quail 

Whistling Kite, I see so many of them, but not just overhead like this.

...or with the moon beside it.

Star Finches seem to glow red in the evening light.

We may have a look there again tomorrow before we head to… I don’t know yet… we will see… Wherever it is, I am grateful!


Birds. Peace. Love.