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2016/10/13: To Euroa, Vic
Drove a few hours inland through Yarra Ranges NP, passing through the most magnificent forest of the trip, rivaling redwood and sequoia stands in grandeur. The extraordinarily tall Eucalyptus canopy was complemented by the understory of huge treeferns. Pulled into camp in Euroa around lunch-time and had a rare afternoon off. I issued a blog post and researched the next week’s itinerary. We tried looking for mammals after dark in a woodland west of Euroa, but there was a vehicle acting suspiciously and we punted.
2016/10/14: Warby-Ovens NP and Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP, Vic
On our way to Chiltern, stopped at a site with a two-week old eBird record of Spotless Crake, and to our delight, heard one, perhaps the same individual! I’ve lost track of how many times I have played recordings at likely-looking spots, but it’s into double digits. Next visited Warby-Ovens NP, where we saw Diamond Firetail and studied and photographed the interesting habitat, concluding that it was Inland Rocky Scrubby Woodland. Continued to Chiltern, spending the late afternoon at Honeyeater Picnic Area, in new habitat Ironbark Box Woodland, where we got Fuscous Honeyeater, a lifer, and Yellow-footed Antechinus [a small marsupial carnivore], a good addition to the trip list. At deep dusk, heard at least two White-throated Nightjars giving their unique call, one from close range. I was pleased to get this lifer as the earliest migrants in the population are just starting to arrive.
2026/10/15: Chiltern, Vic
Started at Bartley’s Paddock and were thrilled to find two or three Turquoise Parrots! Had another at Dam #2. Other good birds were Square-tailed Kite and Diamond Firetail. Saw more definitive Inland Rocky Scrubby Woodland habitat on Mt. Pilot, from which the view was impressive. Recorded bats at the lake by the campground; activity almost continuous starting about 25 minutes after sunset; 4 spp, one new (Large Forest Bat, Vespadelus darlingtoni).
2026/10/16: Deniliquin, NSW
Did some research in the morning, drove to Deniliquin, shopped, briefly looked for Superb Parrot (heard distantly), got pizza, and prepped for the Plains-Wanderer Weekend, which starts tomorrow at 7 a.m. Had fine views of Eastern Rosella, which I think is my very favorite Australian parrot.
2026/10/17: Deniliquin, NSW
Tour with Phil Maher and local land-owner Robert for Plains-Wanderer. A guide is needed to see this taxonomic enigma, as it occurs almost entirely on private land. Six participants, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Did very well, with 3 life birds (Superb Parrot, Black Falcon, and Plains-Wanderer) and a life mammal (Fat-tailed Dunnart), as well as strongly desired Ground Cuckooshrike! The Dunnart and Plains-Wanderer were new families and so particular cause for celebration. We had about 8 of each, located with thermal imagers, and saw them absurdly well. Other birds found this way were Australian Pipits and Banded Plovers. Watched the larger and more colorful female Plains-Wanderer puff up and give a long, low call to attract a nearby male. [Females mate with multiple males, who exclusively care for the young, allowing multiple broods per year.] We also added our last likely habitat, Mixed Sandplain Woodland, our 61st of 65 native habitats found in Australia!
2026/10/18: Deniliquin, NSW
The tour ran this morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. No new trip birds but nice waterbirding first thing, Little Eagle on a nest, White-backed Swallow, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, and Painted Honeyeater in an area rife with their preferred food, mistletoe. Recorded bats in our campground among Ithe River Red Gums along the Edward River. The trip list is now at 496 and I hope we can reach 500 without too much drama!
2026/10/19: To Canberra, ACT
Tried one more time for Little Lorikeet in Deniliquin, then drove all day to a lake that had 8 Freckled Ducks yesterday. No luck on either. Dry-camped in a rest area.
2026/10/20: Canberra, ACT
Tried for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren for about the 5th time and finally got it! A bonus was a pair of Gang-gang Cockatoos. Then visited some wetlands in Canberra, generating a short list for the ACT [Australian Capital Area]. Just as we started out, a gentleman named Shorty kindly told us there was a Latham’s Snipe visible at one of the blinds. Ever hopeful, I asked him about Freckled Duck and was floored when he said two had shown up early in the morning but they had retreated into the vegetation, probably for the rest of the day. We hoofed it over to the blind and photographed the snipe, having a nice talk with Clint from Sydney while we enjoyed the bird. A few hours later, we met a couple of birders who had recently seen one of the Freckled Ducks, and a few minutes later we had him in view, on about our 6th attempt to find this species! We felt very pleased to have finally located two of our nemeses in one day!
2026/10/21: Jervis Bay NP, NSW
Crossed the crest of the Great Dividing Range for (presumably) the last time. Found Eastern Bristlebird right at the trailhead of the first place we tried near Jervis Bay. While all three species are consummate skulkers, it is curious that Western Bristlebird is nearly impossible to see, while the other two species are merely difficult. Enjoyed a walk through the thick coastal scrub, where there were quite a few interesting plants, some in flower.
2026/10/22: Shoalwater Heads, NSW
During the night at the caravan park in Jervis Bay, heard Australian Boobook [an owl] and Pacific Koel [a cuckoo], the latter being our 500th trip bird species!! Seeing good shorebird numbers in eBird checklists from Shoalwater Heads, headed there first thing to be there around high tide. There were lots of Bar-tailed Godwits, Pacific Golden Plovers, Far Eastern Curlews, and Red-necked Stints, and small numbers of Little Tern, Red Knot, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Great Knot, and commoner species. I got caught out in a squall and was totally soaked from mid-thigh down, the wind gusts decreasing the effectiveness of my rain poncho. Made one stop on the way to camp in Kangaroo Valley, seeing Channel-billed Cuckoo.
2026/10/23: Barren Grounds NP and Budderoo NP, NSW
Had dense fog and light rain all day, but still had good luck birding in areas we visited during the first week of our trip, on a miserably cold and windy day. On the road into the Barren Grounds Picnic Area, Merlin detected Black-faced Monarch, which we called right in and saw beautifully! On the Budderoo Plateau Road, got good looks at Beautiful Firetail, which we saw poorly here in May. These were the last two life birds we had a reasonable chance of finding on the trip. Clint had recommended this same road for Eastern Bristlebird, and we saw three birds well, culminating in one bird singing in plain view less than 5 meters away! Camped behind the bowling alley in Robertson, the closest legal spot, to avoid driving any further than necessary in the fog.
2026/10/24: Macquarie Pass NP
Took the Cascade Walk through beautiful rainforest, seeing what will likely be our last new trip bird, Rose Robin, a very classy finale! Also saw Shining Cuckoo (we’ve heard quite a few but not see any before) and a Bassian Thrush, a nice surprise. Continued to Bulli Beach where we stay for two nights. Cleaned the worst of the mud off the camper. Checked eBird to see if there was anything we should chase tomorrow, but there was not.
2026/10/25: Bulli Beach, NSW
Spent the day preparing for the flight home on the 27th.
2026/10/26: Sydney, NSW
Dropped off our lithium power station for buyback but the owner was out sick and all we could do was leave it and hope we get paid sometime. Spent all afternoon packing. The only notable bird experience was hearing both Pacific Koel call types and then seeing a pair mating.
Our last day in Australia; we’ve been here for 25 weeks. The final bird list was 507 species; Eileen had exactly 200 lifers and I had 189. The mammal list was 93 species; Eileen had 75 lifers and I had 79.
I plan eventually to issue a blog post reviewing the trip as a whole, from a broader perspective.
