Dubbo weekend

Sunday morning before the sun had risen and the family were heading west for an overnight stay at Dubbo. Nothing exciting to report until we past Sandy Hollow then we began seeing large flocks of Galahs and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos feeding in many a farmer’s paddock along the way. Kestrels were extremely numerous with at least 40 seen on powerlines before we reached our destination. A solitary White-winged Chough and about 4 Apostlebird hopped away from the road and my spotting was not quick enough to alert the family of the sights as we drove along at 100kmh.

After booking in to our accommodation, we headed straight for the Zoo.

I was looking for birds as much as I was looking at the captive animals and I was rewarded at our first stop with a group of White-browed Babblers scratching around under a tree near the baby Rhino. Next on the bird list were a large flock of more than 30 Apostlebirds in an exhibit. I finally got to show the family what they looked like when suddenly they took off en masse and headed straight for us!!! These birds were suddenly all around us like Seagulls around a chip packet as they came mooching for food.

They were literally running between our feet and making us duck for cover as they flew in. It’s a shame that they have become so reliant on people food, but great for photos of normally flighty birds. These scenes repeated themselves on many occasions in the park, but mainly around the picnic areas. A Noisy Minor took a fancy to the car rear view mirrors and we were eye to eye at a distance of less than 30cms.

A Yellow-throated Minor stopped at my feet for a photo. This was a real treat for me as I have only seen this bird once from a distance.

An Azure Kingfisher perched on a branch over the moat surrounding the primate islands. A Blue-faced Honeyeater stood on a table next to a couple eating their lunch. I think it too was looking for scraps.

Day two Found Yellow-rumped Thornbills and House Sparrows twittering (not online) outside the apartment, while Galahs and Magpies flew above. Off to the Zoo again and more of the same birds including the same Noisy Minor from yesterday swooping straight onto the rear view mirror as we pulled up in the exact same car park (There’s something wrong with this bird!). A huge mob of at least 60 Choughs got into a scrap with an equally large number of Apostlebirds near the midway cafe over some bits of meat scraps. It was an interesting sight and the calls of the choughs were haunting in the cool morning air.

On the way home and it was pretty quiet until I saw some parrots on the roadside that weren’t Eastern Rosellas... Mallee Ringnecks!!! New bird tick but no stopping for a photo with the family in tow. Next western trip they will be a target bird. These birds were between Dunedoo and Dubbo (62kms west of Dunedoo). Again the Black-shouldered Kites and Kestrels were numerous along the road and two Black Falcons on a fence were a great sight. Last bird encounter of note was a Raven ripping apart a Galah on a fence post. Pink and grey feathers were flying everywhere.

Birds seen on the trip were...

Wedge-tailed Eagle, Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, White-winged Chough, Sacred Ibis, Apostlebird, White-browed Babbler, Eastern Rosella, Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Chestnut Teal, Black Swan, Pelican, Brown Falcon, Australian Hobby, Eastern Rosella, Rock Dove, Crested Pigeon, Raven, Pied and Grey Butcherbird, Black-shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestrel, Welcome Swallow, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Black Falcon, Willy Wagtail, Straw-necked Ibis, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Magpie, White-plumed Honeyeater, Crimson Rosella, Noisy Minor, Yellow-throated Minor, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Azure Kingfisher, Red-rumped Parrot, Mallee Ringneck (new bird 252) and several LBB species seen and heard that I couldn’t ID.