Darwin and the Top End Summary
Well our trip to the Top End of Australia ended just over a week ago and we are still trying to assess what we have seen.
366 species have been recorded in the area – however quite a number are either vagrants or migrants which we had no chance to see. Realistically there were about 280 species we could have seen.
All in all we saw some 185 different species of which 49 were Australian lifers for Sally and 56 for me. Most of these lifers are only to be found in the north of Australia.
However the satisfying part for both of us was that we were able to get photos of most of the new birds we saw. In many instances the photos enabled us to identify or confirm our identification.
Rather than list the lifers we saw, the following gallery does the job for me. A few new birds escaped before the camera could get a shot in – the most disappointing being the Black-tailed Treecreeper, the Red-browed Pardalote, the Green-backed Gerygone and the Little Curlew.
Varied Lorikeet, Katherine
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Katherine
Banded Honeyeater, Buntine Highway
Budgerigar, Buntine Highway
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – male, Victoria River
Purple-crowned Fairy-Wren – female, Victoria River
Crimson Finch, Victoria River
Masked Finch, Timber Creek
Oriental Plover, Timber Creek
Gouldian and Long-tailed Finches, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrot – male, Ferguson River
Hooded Parrots, Ferguson River
Horsefield’s Bushlark, Timber Creek
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Adelaide River
Northern Rossella, Tumbling Waters
Northern Fantail, East Point
Grey Whistler, Fogg Dam
Long-tailed, Crimson & Double-barred Finches, Ferguson River
Goudian Finch, Ferguson River
Goudian Finch, Ferguson River
Diamond Dove, Ferguson River
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Ferguson River
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Ferguson River
Barking Owl, Gagudju
Spotted Harrier, en route to Pine Creek
Leaden Flycatcher, Edith Falls
Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Pacific Baza, Gagudju
Pacific Baza, Gagudju
Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Gagudju
Australian Pratincole, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Arafura Fantail, Gagudju – Yellow Water
Collared Sparrowhawk, Gubara
Torresian Crow, Nourlangie
Pied Heron, Mamukala Wetlands
White-gaped Honeyeater, Kakadu
Little Corrella, Mary River Camp
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Fogg Dam
Radjah Shelduck, Fogg Dam
Broad-billed Flycatcher, Fogg Dam
White-browed Crake, Fogg Dam
Paperbark Flycatcher, McMinns Lagoon
Wandering Whistling-Ducks, McMinns Lagoon
Rainbow Pitta, East Poin
Rainbow Pitta, East Point
Striated Heron, East Point
Eastern Reef Egret – white morph, East Point
Collared Kingfisher – contentious, East Point
Rainbow Pitta Howard Springs
Grey-crowned Babbler, Lee Point
Silver-crowned Friarbird, Knuckley Lagoon
Black-winged Stilts, Knuckley Lagoon
Little Shrike-thrush, Charles Darwin
Grey Falcon, en route to Timber Creek
Lesser Crested Tern, East Point
Lesser Crested, Crested & Gull-billed Terns, East Point
Sanderling, Buffalo Creek
Star Finch, Victoria River
Black Falcon, Victoria River
That concludes our Darwin escapade. Hope you have enjoyed the read and photos.
Paul & Sally Bartho
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