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2026/09/08: Yorkey’s Crossing and Warren Gorge, SA
Spent the morning in camp, taking advantage of a good signal to issue a blog post and partially catch up on other tasks. Added 7 birds to the SA list but saw no trip birds. After securing a fine campsite in beautiful Warren Gorge, spent a couple of hours looking for our only target species, Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby, but only found Common Wallaroos. Recorded bats, getting good recordings of two spp, White-striped and Southern Free-tailed Bats; the latter was new. There are no other life bats we can identify acoustically along our route in South Australia.
2026/09/09: Warren Gorge to Roxby Downs, SA
Brutally cold this morning as I started scoping for rock wallabies pre-dawn. An hour and a half later, I spotted one perched on a rock high on the slopes, and radioed Eileen. She walked 1/4 mile to reach me, and when she was ten feet away from the scope, the animal dropped down the back side of the rock and disappeared! Fortunately, it reappeared about ten minutes later, foraging a bit upslope, and we watched it for some time. This is the most beautiful macropod in the world, and it was a total thrill to see it!
I was pretty chilled when we got back, and even eating breakfast and getting back in bed wearing therms, with all the covers, I had trouble warming up. We decided to head to the next location early in hopes of finding a powered site, so the camper would have heat. On the drive to Roxby Downs, we encountered a loose flock of very wary Little Crows, feeding in extremely short chenopod shrubland. Eileen got good profile photos to measure bill aspect ratio, also showing the subtle hackles. This was an upgrade of our ID in Alice Springs, which was based on voice. Our extensive subsequent experience with Torresian Crow in the Top End made us very leery of separating those two species by call, so it was nice to see it outside the range of Torresian Crow.
Made a quick stop at the wastewater treatment plant in Roxby Downs, and it was excellent, with 27 Pink-eared Ducks, many Hardheads, a few Blue-billed Ducks, and breeding-plumaged Hoary-headed Grebes.
2026/09/10: Roxby Downs, SA
Drove a couple km out of town and found a nice spot in the bush with adequate cell signal, and spent the morning there catching up. In the afternoon, visited the wastewater treatment plant again, and after a lengthy interaction, coaxed an Australian Crake into view! All the crakes are hard to find except late in the dry season, when exposed mud brings them out of the dense marshy vegetation. With Werribee closed, I expected to miss this rail, which is very similar to our Sora.
Our last task was to seek out Gibber Chenopodland, a barren habitat characterized by a surface “pavement” of stones coated with desert varnish. We did not have a known location, but I had studied satellite photos and picked out a likely site, and sure enough, there it was. Driving back, I was amazed to see a herd of over 50 Black-tailed Nativehens [a water bird] roaming through the dry gibber! It turned out that there was an inconspicuous pond, and while we were standing on its shore, I spotted a gorgeous male Orange Chat, an unpredictable, nomadic lifer!
2026/09/11: Arid Recovery Reserve, Roxby Downs, SA
Spent some time looking for Cinnamon Quail-thrush, but still didn’t know the exact micro-habitat. Added White-browed Woodswallow to the trip list and got great looks at the nomadic Pied Honeyeater. Finally, the big event, the night tour at Arid Recovery, where Burrowing Bettong is a near certainty, and chances for Greater Bilby are good. However, our tour was very disappointing, with no marsupials at all, though we saw Spinifex Hopping Mouse, which we had sought unsuccessfully at Uluru. The main unit, where the tour normally goes, was closed for the annual trapping surveys, which were revealing very high densities of mammals after a very rainy wet season. It was supremely frustrating that they scheduled a tour and the survey at the same time, so that we did not have access to the main unit.
2026/09/12: Transit SE
Drove all day, to a nice bush camp near Lindley, SA. Made one side trip on the way to bird, but found the preserve closed to all entry, without any explanation.
2026/09/13: Yarrara Nature Conservation Preserve, Vic
Playing a recording just before breaking camp brought in Chestnut-rumped Thornbill. After crossing into the state of Victoria, spent 4 hours at Yarrara, an isolated mulga woodland, hiking and dodging thunderstorms. Got Gilbert’s Whistler quickly, but it took forever to locate White-browed Treecreeper. After finally seeing them as a squall arrived, we were hustling back to the vehicle, when I noticed a pair of smallish parrots sitting quietly in a mulga tree as they were blown about and pelted with rain. Appropriately enough, these were Mulga Parrots, long overdue — giving us four lifers in a day!
Our 11 days in the state of South Australia netted 8 life birds and 4 life mammals, less than hoped, with the Nullarbor Plain and Arid Recovery being disappointments. Perhaps SA will be redeemed by the pelagic trip from Port MacDonnell in two weeks.
2026/09/14: Hattah-Kulkyne NP, Vic
Did a long walk this morning in spinifex mallee on the Nowingi and Konardin Tracks, where Mallee Emuwren and Striated Grasswren are possible but extremely difficult. No luck with those but we had a fabulous experience with Chestnut Quail-thrush, watching a bird from as little as 15 feet for over 5 minutes, seeing it sing, scurry along the ground, and even fly! A lifer, and arguably tied with the nearly identical Copperback Q-t as the most beautiful of the genus. The lakes had some waterbirds, including both species of spoonbill.
2026/09/15: Hattah-Kulkyne NP, Vic
Got an early start, driving Mournpall Tract as far as the Kangaroo Fence. Found a group of 8 snazzy Chestnut-crowned Babblers, a bird at the very edge of its range. Took the nature drive behind Lake Hattah, which was interesting. Did a longer walk on the Nowingi Track, the highlights being a pair of Mulga Parrots and a stunning orchid. A Striped Honeyeater spent ten minutes in a tiny flowering shrub at out parking lot. After lunch, drove about two hours to the Casuarina Campground in Wyperfeld NP, where Greater Bluebonnet regularly roosts; we dipped on that but had two Pink Cockatoos. Drove slightly past the CG to look for Bluebonnets, but the track turned to soft sand on a narrow downslope and we had to drop tire pressure and shovel the center crown to make it back up.
2026/09/16: Wyperfeld NP, Vic
On the drive out of Casuarina, spotted a pair of flying parrots, and after some time playing a recording, lured them or another pair to fly over and perch at some distance, but the light was good and we ticked Greater Bluebonnet! On the 2-hour drive to the south end of the park, I noticed a nice lake system with a few Pied Stilts on it, and pulled over to check it out. Scanning with bins, I had the thrill of spotting a snazzy Red-kneed Dotterel! I had been worried we might not find this shorebird due to dispersal after the major wet season rains. I got Eileen and the scope, and ultimately here and at another nearby lake, we counted 15 dotterels, as well as several Red-necked Avocets and an Australian Shoveler.
Wyperfeld formerly had an extensive series of wetlands, including a lignum swamp (a habitat we do not expect to see), but water has been diverted and it has been dry for years. We enjoyed the Malleefowl Walk, where we saw a pair of Chestnut Quail-thrushes, an abandoned Malleefowl mound, and a nice selection of plants.
2026/09/17: Wyperfeld NP, Vic
Down to 43F inside the camper overnight. Took 4hrs to hike 4km on the Discovery Walk in the morning. A beautiful, varied trail with many interpretive signs and a marvelous array of plants. Finally got Shy Heathwren right at the Mt. Mattingley overlook, a pair of birds, one singing impressively loudly! Eileen caught up on Yellow Thornbill as well.
This was the last site in what I consider to be the arid south-central portion of our trip, spanning 17 days. We found 16 target birds, and missed 8 that we have essentially no chance of seeing during the rest of the trip. The birding was generally hard: only a couple of the targets were easily found.
Got into camp at Mt. Korong Scenic Area about an hour before sunset. Many Long-billed Corellas, a lifer. While recording bats, heard a strange night-bird call. Got a flashlight on it and it was an Australian Boobook, but the call was all wrong. This was explained when another owl flew in and fed it — it was a juvenile giving a contact/begging call. He continued to call the whole time I was recording.
Accounting for the International Date Line, this would be the 10-year anniversary of my retirement. It’s been quite a decade!
2026/09/18: Mt. Korong Scenic Area, Vic
Up early to hike partway up the slope of Mt. Korong, with its beautiful granite bedrock exposures. This was our only realistic chance for Painted Honeyeater on the trip, and the reason it was put on the itinerary. We were not disappointed, seeing two birds very well and even seeing and hearing a flight display song! We also had Musk Lorikeet, a lifer, and fabulous looks at the stunning Eastern Rosella, last seen 4 months ago. The drive to Geelong was difficult, in part due to returning to civilization. Our last life bird of the day was Little Raven in Geelong, calling while we waited for Thai take-out to be prepared.
2026/09/19: Lake Lorne and Point Wilson, Vic
Though we did not find Freckled Duck there, Lake Lorne was a lot of fun, with Royal Spoonbills sporting their breeding plumes, Chestnut Teal, Pink-eared and Blue-billed Ducks, and more. After lunch, spent several hours at the end of Beach Road, near Werribee, walking from Point Wilson almost to Kirk Point. Here we finally caught up with our target White-fronted Chat, which we saw and heard at ridiculously close range — a wonderful bird! We also had Eurasian Skylark and Golden-headed Cisticolas performing remarkable aerial songs; beautiful flocks of Straw-necked Ibis; and a number of Superb Fairywrens, including three gorgeous males feeding together.
2026/09/20: Bremlea Preserve, Vic
Spent the morning in camp catching up on a number of pesky topics requiring signal. Despite ferocious winds, went out for a few hours in the mid-afternoon. During what seemed like the only lull, lasting about 3 minutes, I tried playing recordings of Striated Fieldwren in what looked like perfect habitat. Remarkably, one responded, perching in the open and singing its long and varied song!
2026/09/21: Great Ocean Road, Vic
Endured a horrid drive to the outskirts of Melbourne for an oil change, our trouble partly compensated by getting new tires — the front were bald after just 30,000 km. Made it to Pt. Addis by 1:30 p.m. and in remarkably short order were watching a Rufous Bristlebird engaging with a highly venomous Tiger Snake in the trail! This was our first sighting of family Dasyornithidae, though we heard Western Bristlebird in Cheynes Beach. A White-capped Albatross fairly close to shore was fun. After checking into our campground in Anglesea, we walked the trails of Coogoorah Park, where we inadequately heard/saw several rallids [rails and crakes]; we’ll likely try again.
2026/09/22: Great Ocean Road, Vic
We spent the entire morning looking for Koalas in Kennett River, and finally saw one well! This was an excellent site for this species until a few years ago, but is now much less reliable. One woman told us that this was due to too many tourists disturbing them to get the photos they wanted, which is believable. The one we saw was within the nesting territory of an Australian Magpie, which (as a sign warned) was very aggressive. It snuck up from behind and hit Eileen hard in the back of the head, and did the same to me, twice! But well worth it.
The coastal scenery along the Great Ocean Road was spectacular, being reminiscent of Highway 1 in Northern California. At the She-Oak Picnic Area outside Lorne, heard a Gang-gang Cockatoo a ways off, but the road went in the right direction. We got close enough to interest it in our recording, with a resulting scope view! This was a highly desired species we could easily have missed. The rainforest subcanopy here, with its huge treeferns, was lovely.
2026/09/23: Great Ocean Road, Vic
Spent the morning trying to find Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, without success. The shrubby Eucalyptus forest was pretty, and there were elegant pale purple orchids everywhere. The afternoon was devoted to Lewin’s Rail at Painkalac Creek in Airey’s Inlet. Had at least 4 birds calling, probably more, and got within 15 feet a few times. Several bonuses: good looks at Southern Emuwren; a pair of flyover Gang-gang Cockatoos; and a close Echidna. After dark, spent an hour spotlighting on Distillery Creek Road, hearing Australian Boobook.
2026/09/24: Naracoorte Caves NP, SA
Today begins a 5-day loop back west for a pelagic trip out of Port MacDonnell. After another unsuccessful try for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, drove 5 hours to Naracoorte NP for a bat tour, where we saw activities in the bat cave via high-res infrared imaging in real time; the cameras could be panned and zoomed, and the quality was outstanding. Although they do nap during the day, they are actually very active much of the time, which I did not know. Just before camping, drove around a bit looking for Swamp Wallaby, and got a great view of one, only our second of the trip. Sitting out at dusk, heard Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, a trip bird.
2026/09/25: Bool Lagoon, SA
This is a spectacular Temperate Wetland, perhaps the one closest to its original condition of any in Australia. The numbers of birds, especially waterfowl, Whiskered Terns, and Straw-necked Ibis, was amazing. With no advance knowledge of their presence, I was absolutely thrilled to set eyes upon my most wanted Australian bird, Banded Stilt! There was a flock of 17 birds swimming and flying about, which we saw well. The other big event was hearing Australasian Bittern; our chances of detecting this species dropped from not very good to nearly nil with the closure of Werribee. And lastly, we found that the south end of the lagoon was a Lignum Swamp, a habitat at the very edge of its range, which we did not think was accessible along our route – an unexpected bonus. We also visited Lake McIntyre to look for Freckled Duck, but no dice.
But we also got bad news today: the pelagic trip has been canceled due to marginal weather and the captain’s inability to hire a needed deckhand given the forecast, a very disappointing outcome. Based on past checklists, this is estimated to have cost us about nine trip species, three lifers for Eileen, and one lifer for me.
We’ve now been in Australia for 20 weeks and 4 days. The bird list is at 458 spp; Eileen has 163 lifers and I have 153. The mammal list is 84 spp; Eileen has 67 lifers and I have 70.
Quite a trip, thanks for all the photos and information on the birds and animals, the snake looked pretty close.