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