FLUTTERING SHEARWATER

Photographed on Kiama Pelagic, June 2016

790            FLUTTERING SHEARWATER          Puffinus gavia

Australia         (634)

Commonest small white-breasted shearwater in se. Aust. 33-37 cm, wingspan c. 76 cm. Breeds Aug.-Dec. on many NZ offshore islands: migrate to coastal waters of se Aust. from se Q to Eyre Pen. (SA)

CAPE PETREL

Photographed on Kiama Pelagic, June 2016

789           CAPE PETREL          Daption capense

Australia         (633)

Also known as Cape Pigeon. Follows ships, in some places gathers near shore to feed on offal at sewerage outfalls. Breeds widely on coasts of Antartica and many Antarctic and sub-antarctic Islands, incl. NZ. Circumpolar dispersal through s. oceans to beyond tropic Capricorn. Regular, fairly common winter and spring.

SHORT-TAILED GRASSWREN

Photographed near Stokes Lookout, Flinders Ranges, South Australia June 2016

788           SHORT-TAILED GRASSWREN          Amytornis merrotsyi

Australia         (632)

Found in spinifex; in tall Trodia with shrubs. 14.5-16 cm. Range: scattered and disjunct populations in se Flinders Ranges NP and adjacent pastoral properties, Gammon and Gawler Ras. SA.

GIBBERBIRD

Photographed just outside of Cooper Pedy June 20116

787          GIBBERBIRD           Ashbyia lovensis

Australia         (631)

Found in open gibber, with sparse dwarf bushes, grass-turf; wind scalded, bare earth in saltbush-bluebush. 12.5 cm. Range: inland e. Aust.: far s NT; far w. Q.; far nw NSW; ne SA; vagrant inland WA. Uncommon, nomadic.

CHESTNUT-BREASTED WHITEFACE

Photographed at Cooper Pedy June 2016

786          CHESTNUT-BREASTED WHITEFACE             Aphelocephala pectoris

Australia           (630)

Found in semi-desert tablelands with bare ground and gibber, sparsely vegetated with bluebush, saltbush, black oak, mulga etc with sparse grass, ‘dead finish’ Acacia tetragonophylla, and Eremophila app. 10 cm. Range: confined to nc and ne SA. Rare, elusive; locally nomadic.

RUFOUS-CROWNED EMU-WREN

Photographed near Alice Springs May 2016

785            RUFOUS-CROWNED EMU-WREN             Stipiturus ruficeps

Australia         (629)

Biggest of the Em-wrens, 12-13 cm, including tail 6.5-7.5 cm. Found in spinifex, on sides/gullies of rocky ridges, with sparse shrubs. Range: arid inland, e. to Winton-Fermoy-Opalton (Q); in NT n. to Frewena-Wauchope, s. to james Ra., McDonnell Ras., Simpson Desert; in WA extends to w. coast, near NW Cape, n. to c. 20 degrees South in Gt Sandy Desert, s. to E. Murchison district-Kathleen Valley-Naretha and n Gt Victoria Desert and nw SA. Local, sedentary.

LITTLE CROW

Photographed at Tennant Creek, Northern Territory May 2016

784            LITTLE CROW           Corvus bennnetti

Australia         (628)

Smallest, shortest legged of the Aust. corvids. 45-48 cm. Found in mallee, mulga, other acacia scrubs, tambourin watercourses; grasslands; deserts, near treeless plains, coastal woodlands, farmlands, abattoirs, towns. Range: Inland and w. Aust., coastal islands.

GREY HONEYEATER

Photographed just south of Alice Springs May 2016

783               GREY HONEYEATER               Conopophila whitei

Australia           (627)

Found in mature mulga, Acacia aneura, woodlands; open mulga with spinifex; tall open scrub dominated by other acacias, eremophilas; sandhills with red mulga. 10.5-12 cm. Range: inland Aust., from ne SA to Pilbara (WA); n. to c. Frewena-Wave Hill (NT); s. through nw. SA to Gt Victoria Desert-Wanjarri-Yalgoo (WA). Regular in mulga belt n. of Alice Springs. Rare, little known; nomadic.

BANDED WHITEFACE

Photographed near alice Springs, Northern Territory May 2016

782      BANDED WHITEFACE         Aphelocephala nigricincta

Australia          (626)

Found in open mulga and other inland scrubs; vegetation on watercourses; saltbush, bluebush, grassland, gibber; sandhills with sparse low shrubs. 11-12.5 cm. Range: inland and cw Aust., e. to far sw. Q (e. and n. to Betoota-Bedourie); n. in NT to Tarlton Downs-Barrow Ck-Tanami; n. in WA to Gt Sandy Desert and s. to middle Gascoyne R.-Cue; n. SA, s. to Musgrave Ras.-L. Eyre Basin. Fairly common, sedentary or locally nomadic.

CARPENTARIAN GRASSWREN

Photography near Mount Isa, Queensland May 2016

81     CARPENTARIAN GRASSWREN        Amytornis dorotheae

Australia     (625)

Also known as Dorothy's or Red-winged Grasswren. Found in spinifex, sparse shrubs, eucalypts on sandstone escarpments. 16-17.5 cm. Range: colonies on 'Gulf Falls' escarpments, in e. NT -nw Q., from Trawalla and Bukalara Ras., near Borroloola (NT) to Upper Nicholson R (NT-Q border); se to Lawn Hill NP, e to Gunpowder-Mt Isa (Q). Sedentary

KALKADOON GRASSWREN

Photographed near Mica Creek, Mount Isa, Queensland May 2016

780     KALKADOON GRASSWREN        Amytornis ballarae

Australia     (624)

Found Found in spinifex clumps usually on rugged hillsides. 16 cm. Range: Country around Mount Isa in nw Q., including Welwyn Ra., and E. Barkly Tablelands.