NULLARBOR QUAIL-THRUSH

Photographed a few kilometres from the Nullarbor Roadhouse, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia March 2015

544         NULLARBOR QUAIL-THRUSH             Cinclosoma alisteri

Australia            (385)

Until recently considered a subspecies of the Cinnamon Quail-thrush (Minclosoma cinnamomeum) this bird is rare and can only be found on the Nullarbor Plains. It inhabits low salt-bush and is mostly found around the Nullarbor Roadhouse.

SOUTHERN EMU-WREN

543         SOUTHERN EMU-WREN            Stipiturus malachurus

Australia          (384)

Also known as Button-grass Wren and Stickball. 15-19 cm, incl. tail 9-12 cm. Found in heaths with 'grasstrees', banksias, hakes, rushes, sedges, scrubby thickets, lignum, montane gullies, subalpine grasslands, heathy woodlands; in Tas. button-grass plains, montane moors; in sw. WA dune-vegetation, sand plain-heaths, dry eucalypt, acacia-spinifex. Range: coastal WA from Shark Bay south to SA border; Eyre Pen. (SA) from Adelaide coastal to Vic. border; coastal Vic., NSW to above Brisbane in Q.; all Tas.

NOTE: Up to eleven subspecies have been described with seven being recognised. 

Subspecies westernensis photographed at Cheyenne's Beach, WA, November 2016

Subspecies littleri, photographed on South Coast Track, Tasmania February 2017

CASPIAN TERN

Photographed Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia March 2015

542          CASPIAN TERN              Sterna caspia

Australia       (383)

Largest of the terns. 48-55 cm; wingspan 1.1-1.4 m. Found coastal, offshore waters; beaches, mudflats, estuaries, larger rivers, reservoirs, lakes, some inland. Range Aust, including Tasmania: seldom numerous. Not in driest parts of central Western Australia.

TAWNEY-CROWNED HONEYEATER

PhotographedLincoln National Park, South Australia March 2015

541        TAWNEY-CROWNED HONEYEATER             Phylidonyris melanops

Australia           (382)

16-17 cm. Found in heathlands; stunted banksia, sandplain vegetation; mallee, 'grass-tree country', blossoming eucalypt woodlands, regrowth, button-grass woodlands, strutters. Ranges from ne. NSW (Evans Head) to Eyre Pen. Kangaroo Is (SA), inlands to Blue Mountains (NSW); coastal e. Vic. to Big Desert NP. Coastal Tas.; In s WA widespread w. and s. of Israelite Bay-Norseman-southern Cross-Murchison R.

Photographed Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia March 2015

WESTERN YELLOW ROBIN

Photographed at Port Lincoln National Park, March 2015 this bird is of the race (subspecies) rosinae.

540       WESTERN YELLOW ROBIN          Eopsaltria griseogularis

Australia    (381)

15-16 cm. Found in open forests, woodlands, with 2-3 m shrub layer; coastal and acacia scrubs, dense mallee; woodlands-saltbush associations; mostly avoids dense wet thickets. Range sw. WA, n. and e. to Shark Bay-Kalgoolie-Eucla; s. SA, from Nullarbor NP at head of Bight, coastally e. to Cedunna-Wynbring, Eyre Pen. and Gawler Ras. (SA).

WHITE-FRONTED HONEYEATER

Photographed at the Arid Garden, Port Augusta, South Australia March 2015

539       WHITE-FRONTED HONEYEATER             Phylidonyris albifrons

Australia          (380)

16-18 cm. Found in drier inland and coastal scrubs, heaths; mulga, mallee, blossoming shrubs, timber on watercourses, eucalypt woodlands. Range widespread on mainland w. of Divide and s. of tropical n. Aust. Resident coastal WA; Broome-Perth and s. coast Albany (WA)-Coorong (SA); moves tp coastal s. Aust in summer; n. to Kimberley and n. coast in winter.

RED KNOT

Photographed at Thompson's Beach, South Australia March 2015

538        RED KNOT           Calidris canutus

Australia          (379)

Ranges around entire coast of Australia mainland and Tasmania; Breeds in Arctic Circle; birds from n.-c and ne. Siberia and n. Alaska migrate regularly to Australia. Found on tidal mudflats, sandblast, beaches, salt marshes, flooded pastures and ploughed land. 23-26 cm.

SANDERLING

537          SANDERLING              Calidris alba

Australia          (378)

19-21 cm. Found on broad beaches of firm sand 'where waves ebb and flow', depositing strands and heaps of seaweed; often near river mouths, also inlets, tidal mudflats, coastal lagoons. Breeds around Arctic from Spitsbergen e. to Iceland, migrates to coasts of s. continents. Regular summer visitor to Australian coasts.

CHIRRUPING WEDGEBILL

Photographed on bush road to Chinaman's Creek, South Australia March 2015

536         CHIRRUPING WEDGEBILL           Psophodes cristatus

Australia        (377)

19-21 cm. found in arid country with low saltbush, bluebush, emu bush; acacia scrubs; ignum-canegrass on watercourses. range inland e. Aust. from near Port Augusta (SA) n. to c. Oodnadatta, w. of L. eyre, to SimpsonDesert in ne. SA-ese. NT; e. throughs. Flinders Ras. (SA), occasionally far nw Vic., widespread NSW w. of Darling R.; in Q. e. to Cunnamulla, n. to Charleville-lower Diamantia R.

ROCK PARROT

Photographed in Innes National Park, South Australia March 2015

535       ROCK PARROT           Neophema Petrofina

Australia        (376)

21-23 cm. Found on granite, limestone islands; coastal dunes, scrubs, grasslands, swamps, wastelands, golf courses; coastal railyards for grain. Range coasts, islands of s. Aust., from Coorong (SA) to Shark Bay (WA).

Next three photographs taken at Lincoln National Park, South Australia March 2015

RUFOUS FIELDWREN

Photograph at Innes National Park, South Australia March 2015.

534        RUFOUS FIELDWREN            Calamanthus campestris

Australia    (375)

13 cm. Range from sw. Q-far w. NSW-far nw. Vic w. through SA to s. WA, n to NW Cape and Gt sandy Desert, except sw corner. Found in inland/saltmarsh vegetation, saltbush, bluebush, spinifex, holy-poly, low shrubs in depressions in spinifex in gibber plains.

MALLEE FOWL

Photograph taken around historic town ruins at Innes National Park, South Australia March 2015

533         MALLEE FOWL              Leipoa ocellata

Australia        (374)

Also called Lowan and Malleehen. 55-61 cm. Found in mallee, acacia, paperbark, she oak, and other scrubs; eucalyptus woodlands; coastal heaths mostly on sandy or gravel soils. Range patchy from Pilliga Scrub (NSW) sw through mallee areas of s. NSW, nw Vic and Little Deseret, to Murray mallee of SA, s to Coorong; Yorke and Eyre Pens. and w SA; in WA from sw Nullarbor-Albany n to w coast from c Moore R. to Shark Bay. Recently rediscovered in NT and n SA.