Trip
Information
Date: September
4 - 11, 2010 (8 days)
Tour Leader: Duan Biggs
Price: US$2,250,
CDN$2,295, Single supplement US$405, CDN$415
Highlights:
• Many brilliantly coloured and exotic birds, marvelously exotic
• Many very special marsupials, including flying foxes, rock wallabies
and walleroos
• Superb country of excellent infrastructure and hospitable people
Featured Birds and Mammals:
• Spinifex Pigeon
• Western Bowerbird
• Red-browed Pardalote
• Green Pygmy-Goose
• Northern Rosella
• Rainbow Pitta
• Black-necked Stork
• Brolga
• Comb-crested Jacana
• Black Flying-Fox
• Black-flanked Rock Wallaby
• Common Walleroo
Trip Summary:
• Two internal flights additional (~AUD$775)
• Charter
Flight to Uluru included
• Moderate to excellent quality hotels and lodges, all comfortable
•
4-8 participants with one leader, 8 – 12 with two
• All meals included
• Hot weather; humid at the coast
• Generally easy to moderate walking
Tour begins and
ends in Darwin |
Tropical
Australia around Darwin is humid, lush and green with wonderfully rich
and colorful birdlife, and we visit several renowned birding hotspots
to sample such marvelous wildlife. We continue by flying to the arid
hot central Australian desert at Alice Springs, with its own unique
avifauna, then by charter we visit world-renowned Uluru (Ayer’s
Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) to view amazing geological features,
learn about cultural significance to local aboriginal people, and maybe
catch sight of a Crimson Chat or White-fronted Honeyeater, before we
witness sunset at Uluru. A special tour to special places!
See below for detailed itinerary.
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here to download a registration form
Photos by
Lin Steedman |
Detailed
Itinerary
Day 1. Arrival in Darwin
Our tour starts at 7:00 pm in our hotel in Darwin for a welcome dinner.
Depending upon arrival times, we have the options of some initial birding,
perhaps visiting the nature reserve at East Point or mangroves at Nightcliff.
Figbirds and Pied Imperial Pigeons are conspicuous, and Brahminy Kites
sail lazily overhead. Shorebirds are a main attraction at East Point,
and include Gray-tailed Tattler and Red-necked Stint, as well as Eastern
Reef-Heron and maybe Rose-crowned Fruit-dove. Night in Darwin.
Days 2-3: Birding Darwin’s Hotspots
In these two days, we bird several highly productive and exciting
locations around Darwin - Knuckey’s Lagoon, Buffalo Creek, Howard Springs,
Palmerston sewage ponds, and more; our tally will be very impressive
and could include such choice species as Rufous and Barking Owls, Tawny
Frogmouth and Northern Rosella . Knuckey’s Lagoon is a delightful
spot, teeming with wildlife, from Pied Heron, Rajah Shelduck and Green
Pygmy-Goose to Comb-crested Jacana and many shorebirds including Little
Curlews. The mangroves at Buffalo Creek hold many special birds including
Chestnut Rail, Great-billed Heron and Azure Kingfisher, and shoreline
nearby supports Beach Thick-knee. Howard Springs is well-known for
Rainbow Pitta, and woodlands here are home to a wide variety of honeyeaters,
orioles, cuckoos, flycatchers and drongos, as well as Black Flying-Fox.
The Palmerston sewage ponds hold Freshwater Crocodile and several mangrove
specialties. Nights in Darwin.
Day 4: Fogg Dam
Today we drive to Fogg Dam, and then on to Katherine on the road to
Alice Springs. The nature reserve at Fogg Dam hosts large concentrations
of
Magpie Geese, and a host of waterbirds, including Brolga, Black-necked
Stork, Royal Spoonbill and Tawny Grassbird. On the way to Katherine,
we keep a look-out for Hooded Parrot and Varied Lorikeet. Night in
Katherine.
Day 5: Transfer to Alice Springs
We drive back to Darwin, and take a flight to Alice Springs. The landscape
is dominated dry desert red rock, but there is surprisingly diverse
avifauna. We plan to visit Simpson’s Gap National Park, for a
good selection of open country scrub birds including Pied Butcherbird,
Gray-headed Honeyeater,
Zebra Finch and Black-faced Woodswallow. Black-flanked Rock Wallaby
occurs here. There is always the possibility of finding species that
are rain-dependent,
such as Budgerigar and various larks and finches. Night in Alice Springs.
Day 6: Birding Alice Springs
Where we go will be determined by recent rainfall and local knowledge.
We target Spinifex Pigeon, Western Bowerbird, Red-browed Pardalote
and Bourke’s Parrot, and we watch for Common Walleroo. Night
in Alice Springs.
Day 7: Uluru
Today we charter a flight to Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and Kata Tjuta
(Mount Olga), imposing geological features known world-wide. We learning
about these features’ natural history and their significance
to the local Aboriginal people, and we stay to watch the sunset at
Uluru,
then fly back to Alice Springs after dark. Night in Alice Springs.
Day 8: Transfer to Cairns
Time permitting, we may visit local ponds for waterbirds such as Hoary-headed
Grebe and Hardhead, and with luck Red-necked Avocet. We then catch
a flight to Cairns to join our Eastern Australia tour.
What
to expect
Our
daily travel schedule varies. Most days involve a full day of birding,
usually with a picnic lunch in a prime birding
spot. Driving distances vary from short to moderate, and we make frequent
stops during each day’s travel. You can expect some early morning
walks. This tour involves easy to moderate walking and hiking, as well
as short forays away from the van. Most days we return in late afternoon
to our accommodation. After-dinner activities are optional.
Climate of tropical Australia is hot, with high humidity, especially
in the Darwin region. Overcast conditions are frequent with possible
rain and high humidity in coastal areas. The sun can be intense, so
sunscreen and a brimmed hat are advised. Wet weather protection is
recommended with light waterproof pants and jacket ideal.
Our itinerary includes two internal flight and one charter flight to
Uluru. The list of birds and other wildlife seen will be reviewed each
evening, and plans for the next day discussed.
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