Western Australia Trip Report 2025
Day 1: October 15, 2025
A meet and greet over dinner kicked off the tour in Perth. We called it a night afterwards, with the excitement of the birding to commence in the morning.
Day 2: October 16, 2025
We started the birding portion of this tour with a visit to a local lake. An abundance of birds provided great views and photography opportunities. Pink-eared Ducks, Musk Ducks, a Wandering Whistling Duck and a Blue-billed Duck all showed nicely in the morning sun. A roosting family of Tawny Frogmouths were definitely an early tour highlight!
Paperbark Swamp © Abe Tompkins
Australasian Raven © Abe Tompkins
Day 3: October 17, 2025
Our focus this morning was at Dryandra Woodland National Park. Purple-crowned lorikeets provided brief, perched views. Rufous Treecreeper, Western Gerygone, Gilbert’s Honeyeater and Scarlet Robins were some of the other bird highlights. Shingleback lizards, a Short-beaked Echidna and Western Grey Kangaroos were enjoying the sun in various areas of the park.
Shingleback Lizard © Abe Tompkins
Short-beaked Echidna © Abe Tompkins
Day 4: October 18, 2025
An extremely windy start to the day in Stirling Range National Park made birding very difficult. We spotted banded lapwings adjacent to our accommodation and managed to find Western Fieldwren, a Wedge-tailed Eagle, White-fronted Chat, Australian Hobbies and a large flock of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos despite the conditions. We left this region to head south to Albany after lunch.
Stirling Ranges © Abe Tompkins
Day 5: October 19, 2025
Our focus of the morning was Cheynes Beach, in hopes of finding skulking species. An obliging Western Bristlebird called and showed itself reasonably nicely. A distant calling Western Whipbird didn’t make itself visible, however, White-cheeked Honeyeaters put on a show. We happened to spot southern right whales from our birding spots so that was a big win!
Day 6: October 20, 2025
Birding a nearby lake provided fantastic views of Red-capped Parrot, Western Rosella, Sacred Kingfisher and an unexpected quenda (southern brown bandicoot). We left Albany and proceeded to Pemberton spotting a handful of emus a few minutes away from our accommodation, all to the delight of all the tour group! Along the way we made a pitstop at Lake Muir where a Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo showed nicely. At another roadside stop, Western Golden Whistlers and Western Spinebills were both observed with nests.
Lake Muir © Abe Tompkins
Day 7: October 21, 2025
Morning birding around our accommodation grounds added Baudin’s Black Cockatoos, Splendid Fairywrens and Spotted Pardalotes to our trip list. Australian Pipit and Rock Parrots were seen well at Cape Leeuwin, in addition to some pelagic species (Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross). We did some evening spotlighting around Margaret River and encountered a western ringtail possum and a brush-tailed possum with young.
Looking at Rock Parrot © Abe Tompkins
Australasian Magpie © Abe Tompkins
Day 8: October 22, 2025
The focus of the morning was on a large park near our accommodation and afterwards we aimed for a strong focus on shorebirds. A Pacific Gull and a Pied Oystercatcher made brief appearances. In the afternoon we went on a whale watching cruise and spotted several humpback whales.
Day 9: October 23, 2025
We departed Margaret River today to return to Perth. Before we started the journey we enjoyed great views of a western shrike-tit and a shining bronze cuckoo in a nearby park, in addition to Red-eared Firetail, numerous Red-winged Fairywrens and pardalotes (spotted and striated). Our first views of Bridled Terns were obtained after lunch.
Day 10: October 24, 2025
A journey to Rottnest Island provided some great bird sightings which included a Red-tailed Tropicbird, Red-necked Avocets, Banded and Pied Stilts, in addition to the abundant Quokkas and the playful fur seals. Several Australian Fairy Terns were observed at the west end of the island.
Quokka © Abe Tompkins
Rottnest Island (West End) © Abe Tompkins
Day 11: October 25, 2025
The tour loaded with fantastic birds and amazing wildlife concluded after breakfast this morning.
Our group
Leave a Reply