Hanging Out At Kingfisher Park

For a few (often soggy) days, we’ve been hanging out here at Kingfisher Park Birdwatcher’s Lodge. It is a place that I love. Lynn has had some much needed down time and I know she has been enjoying that. I have been getting out and doing some birding and wandering in the mornings and I need to do that, or I go even more crazy than I already am. I am grateful when we can reach balances. That is sometimes difficult in this journey.

Carol and Andrew Iles, the owners of KP are delightful. These are funny, fun, smart, caring and very knowledgeable people, who I consider friends. I know that Andrew would hate for me to tell people how nice he is, but he will probably never read this so I am safe. We will be heading north tomorrow to areas again where there will probably be no internet or mobile signal, and I wanted to post some photos from our few days here. I sometimes find myself just looking, more than photographing, and that is both good and bad. I do want to share the visuals with y’all, so I try and remember to take some pictures, but sometimes I forget. Anyway here are some photos…
 

I was walking up Mt. Lewis when this little bit of gorgeousness hopped up beside me. I love me some Double-eyed Fig-parrots! 

Looking out off Mt. Lewis.

The road up the mountain.

The old man on the mountain... rainforest selfie.

Spotted Catbird on the mountain.

Spectacled Monarch

Another of the insanely cute Double-eyed Fig-parrot

Another walk not far down the road from KP 

Beautiful but filled with mozzies!

Little Shrike-thrush is not bothered by mozzies.             

At the end down there is where we saw Fig-parrots last year and to my right and behind me is where we saw White-browed Crakes last year. It was a bit quiet this year, but lush, green and lovely.         

The cane fields next door viewed from the creek.

I love this track.

There was a family of Brown Quail, but I only seem to have photographed one.

One of the family of Brown Quail 

Keeping it real. Ugh. As I’ve mentioned in several previous entries, things aren’t always all shits and giggles out here. Life is complex, more complex than life birds and selfies. I am grateful, but. There’s a sentence for you. Years ago I read somewhere that when you add “but” to a sentence, you are negating everything that came before it. But… I AM grateful. I am also struggling every day (particularly during that deadly awake time just before actually getting up) with depression and anxiety. Yes, as I am experiencing these magnificent areas, there is often a massive, metaphorical cloud above me. Part of this is my natural tendency toward anxiety and depression, but I am also struggling with the fact that we have to return to the US in September and we have no settled plan for what we’re going to do, or how we are going to do it. No, I am not sure what the future holds and I am not good with that kind of not knowing. But… (I cannot not use that word) as John Lennon said, “It will all be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” I am grateful for those words and for that thought.

Peace. Love. Birds. Truth.

Back In FNQ

We took about ten days to travel from the Centre across Queensland to the coast and up here.

Not exact, but pretty close...            

Troopi in the palms at Crystal Creek, one of our very favorite caravan parks and where we picked up Australian Swiftlet for the year list that morning.

I am now sitting in one of my favorite places in the world. I am writing this from Kingfisher Park Birdwatcher’s Lodge in Far North Queensland, or FNQ as it is called. I truly love this place. And the people who run it are wonderful. Andrew who purports to be a grumpy guy, but is a very nice, as well as a very funny man, and his lovely wife Carol who is also very nice and a lot of fun. We spent a week here last September/October Kingfisher Part One (and be sure to read the other parts too) and LOVED it and got a ton of incredible birds! This time it is more of just a visit and chill for a bit. This place relaxes me and I am grateful.

We did get to do the Lifer Selfie thing Wednesday morning. We were in Cairns to go to Cattana Wetlands to look for Pale-vented Bush-hen. It is one of the few birds up here that would be both a lifer and a year list bird for us and they had been reported there on eBird. Tuesday arvo we checked into an insanely crowded caravan park in northern Cairns and then drove over to the wetlands.
     
We walked in and in less than 15 minutes we were listening to a Bush-hen. We then spent over two hours listening to it (I even recorded a little of it). It was calling from the dense reeds right in front of us (seriously less than three meters away). And then… I finally glimpsed it. There was movement in the reeds, a little color and a “rail-shape” from where the call had been coming. Lynn worked her way into where I had been standing and a bit later she got a little better glimpse of the bird. Heard and seen, that is a tick! Although not what I would call the most “satisfying” looks, I am 100% satisfied that we got the bird. I am grateful.
     

Where the Bush-hen was... 

Still hoping for a better look, Lynn and I were back there just before sunrise Wednesday morning. It was still there, same call, same place. This time after an hour or so, I worked my way a meter or two into the reeds. As I did this, the Pale-vented Bush-hen flushed and flew almost over Lynn’s head, giving her great views, although not so much from my vantage point. Regardless, I am very grateful. We got a tough bird.

Early morning listening, and watching, and waiting, and looking, and listening, etc and so on

Over Lynn's left shoulder, deep into the reeds behind that palm-looking thing is where the bird was.

So I am here at Kingfisher. We just had a wonderful meal at the pub. I had Lifer Pie in the form of a Brownie with ice cream and I am a happy boy and I am grateful.

Peace. Love. Birds.

RB Life List: 659
Lynn Life List: 640
Couple’s Year List: 622

People Lifer

John Scott

I tend to be an extrovert. However I can also be sort of a curmudgeonly, not overly friendly kind of guy when I am really focused, i.e. birding (or when I have not had my coffee). I am also not necessarily the most social fellow at caravan parks. The conversations there tend to be more sports and alcohol based, and as we know, I am into neither. I am not rude, but it doesn’t take long to get that I am not your typical man’s-man kind of man, and the footy chit-chat is going nowhere. And honestly, I am grateful that I am not.

Particularly in the birding world, I have made some life-long friends out here and I am truly grateful. These are “People Lifers.” Y’all know who y’all are. These are wonderful, funny, smart people with whom I do, and will continue to, keep in touch. Yes, and even a few non-birdy types are in there. My heart has countless rooms and I love it when someone slips into one of them. They fill a space that I did not know was empty, yet was all ready for their arrival. I am grateful for each and every one!

The other day at the Barkly Homestead campground a skinny, little, older guy in a big hat wandered over to say Howdy. I was not expecting to be chatting long. He looked like a real character. I like the “idea” of characters. God knows I am pretty much a character. Many of my friends could probably be described as characters. But the characters that one meets on the road can be a bit over done. Rather than just celebrating their uniqueness, sometimes they have become (in my opinion) a parody. They have become a caricature of their character. They have lost themselves performing this projection of their perception of themselves.

We had seen his Troopy parked behind us in the next row. It was a gorgeous 30 year old pop-top in that beautiful beige Troopcarrier color. It was a very cool vehicle. He had a personal license plate that read, Trakka. He introduced himself as Trakka, but quickly said, “John” as we shook hands. I liked him instantly. He was a genuine character, in his 70’s and traveling Oz alone in that old Troopy. We talked and I thoroughly enjoyed his company.

John and me at Barkly Homestead, NT. 

When I am talking with someone, I always try and make sure that I am really listening. That sounds simple, but sometimes during a conversation we are just waiting for our “turn” to talk. That is not really listening. John listened. He had a way of looking directly at me as I spoke, so that I knew he was listening and he understood. He would laugh easily and genuinely. He had a genuine “twinkle” in his eye. I find myself reusing the word “genuine” because he was one of the most genuine people I have ever met. He was as dinky-di an Aussie as one could be. He used the phrase “fair dinkum” naturally. He referred to some young backpacker girls as “Sheilas” without a trace of disrespect in his voice, or in the use of the word. I genuinely enjoyed him.

John will never read this blog. He has no computer, and get this, he has no mobile phone! Imagine traveling across the country alone without a mobile phone. He reads books. He sends his granddaughter postcards (as do I). He collects stuff. He travels from his home in the Gippsland area of Victoria north every year in the winter. All by himself. I like him and I admire him. John Scott, you are my friend and I am grateful. You are indeed a People Lifer for me. I have his landline number. I will call him sometime and I will go and visit. As I said, he is my friend. I am grateful.

Peace. Love. Birds.

Ground Cuckoo-shrike Finally

All birds are wonderful. All life birds are special, because they are lifers if nothing else. But there are birds that are a bit more special. Birds that you have pursued, and looked for, and hoped for, and scanned the trees and fields for, over and over again. And when you do finally see them it is wondrous! I am sure this can be explained to non-birders by comparing it to something that they are passionate about. As a lovely friend once said, “Birding is a noble passion.” I agree with all my heart. A passion it is and my passion was rewarded Tuesday morning when Lynn and I finally beheld the Ground Cuckoo-shrike. It was a pair of them actually, and one perched up and let us marvel at its beauty. We drank in the magnificent monochromatic elegance of its black, grey and white. Ground Cuckoo Shrike, we had been looking for you for so long. Massive, huge grateful!

 

Ground Cuckoo-shrike... Love

We had first really hoped to find them up around Deniliquin in NSW (twice), but we had no joy. We had also hoped and watched for them in several other spots where they are seen, but they were never around. Then on the way down to Alice Springs almost three weeks ago, our friend Robert saw some near Barrow Creek on the Stuart Highway. We drove through the following day and looked, but it was midday and nothing was about and we needed to get down to Alice.

We looked for them everywhere down around Alice and out to Uluru (twice) and down to Coober Pedy and back, but none were around. So as we left the Centre to begin our sweep back north and east, we knew we really had to give the Barrow Creek area a good going over. It is a known hotspot for them and Robert had seen them there the other week. We stayed Sunday night in Ti Tree (the closest good campground) and then spent all day Monday up around Barrow Creek looking and listening, but we saw neither hide nor feather of them and went back to Ti Tree for the night.

Tuesday morning began again at the crack of dark. It was also only about 6 C (43 F). That’s chilly in Troopi. We packed up and headed up to Barrow Creek again. I was in a grumpy mood as we did not get out as early as I wanted and I knew that if we did not find the bird that morning, we would still need to push on to Tennant Creek. We had to begin on our way toward FNQ and Cape York. We stopped once on the way up (we had stopped repeatedly the day before) then pressed on to the area where Robert had seen them.

We parked Troopi just off the highway about a kilometer north of Barrow Creek and began to look and listen. The road noise was annoying and exacerbating my grumpiness. It was the Tuesday after another Aussie “long weekend” and the Stuart Highway had a fairly steady stream of vehicles rumbling and roaring along. We birded along the west side of the road for about ten minutes, but I thought it looked better on the east side. There were a few large Bloodwoods over there and good open ‘soft grass’ areas. We crossed the road and walked along about 100 meters (roughly where a Little Buttonquail had run damn near across our feet the day before) and… I heard the call! Yes, they are loud enough that even I can hear them. Two Ground Cuckoo-shrikes flew in to the dead tree next to a big Bloodwood. I was so damn grateful and filled with joy. Here are a lot of photos....

         

Ground Cuckoo-shrike, one of the only three legged birds in Australia. 

I am writing this on a lazy, slow morning in Tennant Creek, NT. We will leave here in an hour or so and begin going east. The adventure continues.

Peace. Love. Birds.

RB Life List: 658
Lynn Life List: 639
Couple’s Year List: 620

Grasswrens Are Hard

First the stuff that wasn’t particulary fun. Troopi’s original pop-top canvas was woebegone to say the least (or most, depending upon how you look at it). It leaked, and the windows did not fit or close properly. We found a guy who could replace it last week in Alice. He was a very nice fellow and when things took longer than expected, he let us park-up by his shop (he works from home). We had a shower and bath right behind Troopi, basically a free ensuite powered campsite. Very cool. But on our way for the final installation of the pop-top, our fridge quit running on DC power. Our new friend knew a guy. So we had an auto-electrician on it within the hour and fixed it! Crossed fingers as always, but I am very grateful!

Then Friday morning with our new roof in place, a fully working fridge and a new fuel filter and oil change (I did not mention that) we decided to drive out once more to Uluru. We are becoming familiar with the world famous Red Centre of Oz.

I made her do it (as much as I can make her do anything) but she was nice enough to pose with the sign.

This time we had much better (albeit much colder) weather. We were in pursuit of the Striated “Sandhill” Grasswren. We arrived in the park about 3:30pm, paid our $25 each cover charge, and gave the Grasswren a try for about an hour. They are historically seen to the west of the Sunset Viewing Car Park, but they were not around that evening.

   

Our gorgeous view of Kata Tjunta further to the west... what a backdrop to birding!

After a night in the very crowded, but really not bad, Ayer’s Rock Resort Caravan Park, we hit the Sunset Viewing area just on sunrise. We looked across the road west of the car park. And we walked, and walked and listened (well Lynn listened, I have rock and roll ears and pretty intense tinnitus). And then we walked some more and she listened some more.

A completely unposed photo of Lynn listening for the Striated Grasswren. Not a bad moment to capture... spinifex, Uluru and Lynn (this was before we found them).

After over three hours Lynn finally said, “If that’s not the tape. I hear it.” It was not the tape. Then… there it was. A Striated “Sandhill” Grasswren perched up on a dead limb for perhaps three seconds before it dropped down, disappearing into the spinifex. I got sweet looks before grabbing some quick (out of focus) recording shots, but I was damn grateful for those. 

Striated "Sandhill" Grasswren!

             

The Lifer Selfie with Uluru in the back. Awesomeness.

In my opinion, grasswrens are hard. We have now seen over half of them: Western, Black, Kalkadoon, Carpentarian, Dusky and now Striated. We have had some wonderful help finding a few, but this one was Lynn and me. We did have our indispensible Dolby/Clark book, and we had Mark Carter’s recommendation that we get our butts out there, but WE found them. Lynn’s ears heard and then found us another lifer. I did get to say, “That’s IT!” when I saw it jump up on the branch. Yes, I am very grateful!

Peace. Love. Birds.

RB Life List: 657
Lynn Life List: 638
Couple’s Year List: 619

Our Travels Since February

I last posted maps of our travels on the blog on 28 February. We were in southwest Western Australia at the time. Since then we have done some amazing traveling and seen some wondrous birds and sights. We stayed longer than we originally intended in some places and skipped some places we had intended to visit. This map approximates our route, but does not include Exmouth, the Mitchell Plateau and Kakadu NP to mention a few. Google maps have their limits and I thought I would give an idea of our general route rather than getting all the specifics right.

March, April, May and starting into June...

Troopi has done us more than proud. We’re back in Alice and tomorrow she gets her pop top canvas replaced with a waterproof pvc cloth. We have needed this badly for a while. We “worked around” the old stuff with a tarp, but eventually that just would not do. She needs this and so do we.

Troopi crossing King Edward River

It’s been an amazing journey. We have made new friends, some of which I reckon will remain life-long, close friends. We have also met very many friendly, helpful, wonderful people and only two complete assholes. That, my friends, is a pretty good average for over nine months of traveling and lots of people. I am grateful.

We have not kept track of the mileage, but it is a lot. We’ve now traveled all the way “around” Australia and down through most of the middle. I am completely comfortable driving on the left. And we have quite a lot more travel ahead of us until we stop in mid-August.

We have been through some changes. Our increased activity levels has tanned our skin and slimmed our bodies a bit. Lynn has discovered her ability to rock climb hillsides when there’s a grasswren on the other side. She was amazing. I am grateful.

We’ve ridden down rivers containing crocodiles in a little “tinny” to get cracking views of Chestnut Rails. We’ve seen Eclectus Parrots getting jiggy with it by their nest hole. We’ve climbed through mangroves, mud, sand, spinifex, briars, speargrass and boulders to get to birds. And don’t even start with the flies. We’ve driven up closed roads and through rivers, and we beheld the Black Grasswren. Last spring, we pushed Matilda (Troopi’s forerunner) up Eungella, survived it, and we got that honeyeater. We now have seen all 75 Honeyeaters in Oz (I.O.C. list). We have been SO fortunate in the birds we have found. I have stood and stared at a pair of Grey Falcons with my heart in my throat and my eyes wetting with joy. I am grateful.

One of the genuine, OMG moments of my life.

Lynn has truly become a birder. She is our ears (I cannot hear the high frequencies). She has found so many birds for us! She was never into listing, but began a list to keep track of what she had seen. She’s now at 636 Australian birds and she's not done yet. I am very grateful.

     

Listening...

I have talked about “keeping it real” and I have written a bit about my anxiety and OCD, etc. It’s not all easy. It is not all smiles and fun. There is a lot of stress in being in such close proximity 24/7, but we’ve been making it work (most of the time). And I am grateful that we are not crazier than we are, very grateful.

I love these two photos, especially together. They capture what I think is the best of us. This was at the Roebuck Plains Roadhouse by Broome, WA. 

So, have a look back through the blog entries and catch up with what-all we’ve seen and done. I read back over them myself and I am amazed. And I was there! And I am so very grateful.


Peace. Love. Birds.

Coober Pedy, South Australia

It is a funny name, Coober Pedy. Many Americans have heard of it. It is one the places in Oz where some people live underground. It is the opal capital of Australia (and whatever happened to the Buick Opal? Whatever happened to Buick period?). Coober is a rocky pile of rocks and gravel with a lot of holes. Its birds have been very, very good to Lynn and me. I am grateful for Coober Pedy! (By the way, Pedy rhymes with “needy,” not “ready”). Basically we came here with two targets in mind, Gibberbird and Chestnut-breasted Whiteface.

We arrived in town Thursday about 4pm after a day of driving in a lot of rain. We were tired and ready to settle in, but there was a birding spot only two minutes from our accommodation. It was a place where our friend, Anne Collins had seen Gibberbird a while ago. We parked Troopi on the side of the unsealed Oodnadatta Rd. and walked out into the rocky, Martian-like landscape. About 100 meters in, we heard the call and soon, a male Gibberbird was sitting up in front of us. Sweet! We got awesome looks and some photos too! I am very grateful.

     

Gibberbird!

Lookin' atcha!

Friday morning just past 7am (sunrise is at 7:17am) we were driving the 12 kilometers south to the “Monument.” This is a well know spot for birding as well as a free camp. There were a few campers around, but mostly it was quiet. So were the birds. I reckon it was early. Robert showed up for a little while and then went back to town to look for the Gibberbird. Lynn and I kept at it and then… I saw a Pied Honeyeater! I think I said in a bit of disbelief, “That’s a Pied Honeyeater!” I was not expecting them, but I was delighted to see them (it turned out there were three). It had been a bird that Lynn and I had kept missing. We had hoped to possibly get it on our way back north, but here it was. AND with that bird, we have now seen all the Honeyeaters in Australia! Yes we have! I am very grateful!
     

Mr and Ms Pied Honeyeater

Then we worked our way further from the monument, still looking for the Chestnut-breasted. We were using Lynn’s ears to their maximum ability and she thought she heard it. Then, looking through her bins, she said magical words, “That’s the bird!” And friends, it was. A lovely Chestnut-breasted Whiteface perched in the top of a bush. I was on it instantly as well. Sweet! We watched it, I took some photos. Then it and its friend (there were two) flew off into the brush. Grateful much? Indeed I am. We saw them three more times and once after Robert had returned, so a Lifer Selfie was indeed in order.
     

Chestnut-breasted Whiteface, first view

Robert on the Chestnut-breasted Whiteface

Lifer Selfie!

Meanwhile, in my pocket, “technology” had done what it does, which is whatever it wants to do. My app had played Cinnamon Quail-thrush all on its own. I had looked at that bird in the app, so I reckon it had been ‘open' to it. Anyway, Lynn and I were in giggly, lifer-high when she asked, “Is that a Quail-thrush under that bush?” And friends, it was. A beautiful male Cinnamon Quail-thrush, a bird we needed and had figured to get somewhere, but not necessarily there in the scrub and rocks. We also saw a female. Sweet birds and we had wonderful looks (excellent compared to our brief views of the Nullarbor version earlier this year). Sweet!

Mr. Cinnamon Quail-thrush

           

Ms Cinnamon Quail-thrush

She is swallowing a large grasshopper.

So we had gotten our targets, plus a real bonus with the Pied Honeyeater! I am stupid grateful and sitting in our accommodation in the Oasis Tourist Park writing this and having a non-alcoholic “beer.” I am celebrating four Life Birds in less than 20 hours. I think a pub meal is in order this evening. We will see. Here are a couple of photos from out there where we were birding.

 

Evidently, this is Chestnut-breasted Whiteface and Cinnamon Quail-thrush habitat. And Pied Honeyeaters can show up too!

RB Life List: 656
Lynn Life List: 636
Couple’s Year List: 617

Peace. Love. Birds.