Friday, May 27, 2016

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.





Wednesday, May 25, 2016

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.






Sunday, May 22, 2016

GREY FALCON

Photographed near Barkley Homestead, Northern Territory May 2016
779               GREY FALCON            Falco hypoleucos

Australia         (623)

Found in lightly treed inland plains; gibber deserts, sand ridges, pastoral lands, timbered watercourses; seldom in driest deserts. 30-44 cm, span to 90cm. Female larger. Range: resident or nomadic visitor to inland parts of all mainland States, especially in Simpson desert-Strezlecki Track region of NT, SA, w Q and far nw NSW; nw coast of WA from Shark Bay to e Kimberley; ne coast near Townsville (Q) rare to very rare; sedentary, dispersive or part-migratory.





Central-west Queensland, August 2017


DUSKY GRASSWREN

Photographed near Tennant Creek, Northern Territory May 2016

778        DUSKY GRASSWREN             Amytornis purnelli

Australia         (622)

Found on rocky ranges with spinifex; shrubs. 15-18 cm. Range: nw SA-far e WA, through inland NT.

Note: this bird was near Tennant Creek, Northern Territory and there is currently consideration of this as a separate species.


Photographed south of Alice Springs May 2016




Wednesday, May 18, 2016

CHESNUT RAIL

Photographed at Buffalo Creek, Darwin May 2016
777              CHESTNUT RAIL            Eulabeornis castaneoventris

Australia           (621)

Found in coastal mangroves, tidal creeks and exposed mud. 44-52 cm; male larger. Range: coastal n. Australia and islands, from c. Derby (WA) to Top End (NT), to se Gulf of Carpentaria. Sedentary.




Darwin, January 2024




Sunday, May 15, 2016

RED GOSHAWK

Photographed in Kakadu, Northern Territory May 2016

776          RED GOSHAWK              Erythrotriorchis radiatus

Australia            (620)

Found in open forests, woodlands, especially near rivers, wetlands; rainforest fringes. 50-61 cm, span to 1.35 m, Female much larger. Range: coastal and sub-coastal n. and ne. Aust. , from Kimberley (WA), formerly s. to Sydney but rarely seen s. of Q-NSW border. Rare, declining.







Saturday, May 14, 2016

CHESTNUT-QUILLED ROCK-PIGEON

Photographed in Kakadu National Park, May 2016
775         CHESTNUT-QUILLED ROCK-PIGEON           Petrophassa rufippennis

Australia             (619)

Found on sandstone escarpments, with gullies, gorges, tumbled rocks; eucalyptus, figs, other softwoods, pockets of rainforest; nearby grassy woodlands. 28-32 cm. Range: west Arnham Land (NT), from c. Oenpelli s. to Katherine R., mostly in Kakadu NP. Locally common; sedentary.

Note: clear views of two birds but these were the only photographs Until replaced.


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

WHITE-LINED HONEYEATER

Photographed at Gubara, Kakadu, Northern Territory May 2016

774     WHITE-LINED HONEYEATER          Meliphaga albilineata

Australia     (618)

Found in rainforests, paperbarks; eucalyptus woodlands on sandstone escarpments; hills. 19 cm. Range: nominate race n and w escarpments of Arnhem Land Plateau (NT). Race fordiana: nw Kimberley (WA). Locally common.