I've spent the past 3-weeks in Australia on a family/birding holiday. This was our itinerary:
30 June - 3 July, Sydney, NSW
4 July - 7 July, Tasmania (2 days in Cradle Mountain, 1 day in Hobart)
8 July - 10 July, Melbourne, VIC (visits to Penguin Parade and the Great Ocean Rd.)
11 July - 13 July, Perth, WA
14 July, Dryandra, WA
15 July - 20 July, Waychinicup NP (Cheynes Beach), WA
Here's a run-down on what I saw and where.
Sydney
Most of my birding was in the Royal Botanical Gardens, which is a lovely area of green space that joins up to the Sydney Opera House. Here the best birds I saw were Powerful Owl, 2 Tawny Frogmouths, Masked Lapwing, Topknot Pigeon and Little Black Cormorant (breeding colony in RBG). A trip to Toronga Zoo also added Brush Turkey to the list.
Tasmania
Cradle Mountain (stayed at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge).
I birded the area around the lodge, the campsite and also walked the Ronny Creek - Wombat Pool - return trail. I managed 9 of the 12 wintering Tasmanian endemics in these areas.
Birds I saw around the lodge and campsite include Tasmanian Thornbill, Tasmanian Native-hen, Scrubtit, Green Rosella, Tasmanian Scrubwren, Yellow Wattlebird, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Strong-billed Honeyeater, Superb Fairy-wren and Black Currawong.
Birds on the Ronny Creek walk included Tasmanian Thornbill, Scrubtit, Green Rosella, Tasmanian Scrubwren, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Strong-billed Honeyeater, Black Currawong and Striated Grasswren.
Mammal watching was quite good, considering it was winter. We took a slow night-drive from the lodge, through the park all the way to Dove Lake and back. Wombats were quite common in the area, along with Common Brushtailed Possum and a single Tawny Frogmouth. Also a Platypus along Ronny Creek plus 2-3 Spot-tailed Quoll (including one in the middle of the day) around the lodge.
En-route to Hobart I saw 4 Flame Robin, Brown Falcon, 4 Wedge-tailed Eagles at Lake Macintosh Dam, Eastern Spinebill, Forest Raven, Australian Shelduck, Tasmanian Native-hen, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Common Bronzwing, Yellow-tailed Cockatoo (20 near Cambletown), Green Rosella, Goldfinch (20), Forest Raven and Black Currawong.
In Hobart Kelp Gull was quite easy to see in the harbour and Black-faced Cormorant was also quite common. Grey-backed Silvereye (race litoralis) could be find in the parks of Hobart. A trip up the (very foggy and windy) Mt. Wellington didn't produce much other than lots of Green Rosellas and Brush Wattlebirds in the gardens on the way up plus Grey Shrike-thrush, Yellow-faced Honeyeater and Superb Fairy-wren near the start of the Radford Track.
Finally, we saw at least 4 Pied Oystercatchers under the floodlights from The Spirit of Tasmania ferry as we left Devonport Harbour.
Melbourne
The area of Albert Park seems a great place to do some birding. I only had time to drive round it and stop at a few places, but there were loads of Black Swans, Hardheads, Hoary-headed Grebes and 4 Red-rumped Parrots.
Penguin Parade
Little Penguin (500), Shy Albatross (c15), Giant Petrel sp., Fluttering/Hutton's Shearwater (20), Austrian Gannet, Cape Barren Goose (8), Purple Swamphen, Straw-necked Ibis, Whistling Kite,
Great Ocean Road
We drove the road from Torquay to Wye River. I managed a single Rufous Bristlebird in the coastal scrub, but the best birds for me were offshore. Lots of Shy Albatrosses lingered offshore, plus a single Black-browed Albatross just west of Anglesea and a Wandering-type Albatross off Aireys Inlet lighthouse.
Western Australia
Perth Area
King's Park
The park is a massive area (for a city) of bush land and open space just SW of the CBD. It's a great place to bird in and brought me my fist ticks of the trip. The area around the 'reservoir' always proved to have lots of birds, but it's worth spending at least a few hours in the park, especially in the quieter, bushier southern section. Birds included White-checked, Brown and Singing Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebird, Western Spinebill, Western Gerygone (common), Spotted Pardolate, Silvereye, Rufous Whistler, Grey Butcherbird, Tree Martin, Australian Ringneck, Rainbow Lorikeet and Black-faced Cuckooshrike.
Swan Valley
We went on the (highly recommended) Taste Bud Tours (http://www.tastebudtours.com.au/) tour of the Swan Valley, where a couple of noticeable birds were Pallid Cuckoo and Grey Butcherbird.
Other Areas
Dryandra
We spent one night in Dryandra Woodland Village. The birding was quite hard going, presumably because of the time of year and also the rather wet weather. I still managed a fairly good tally though. I birded mainly in the areas around the paddock and the dam, plus some stops along Tomingly Road.
Rufous Treecreeper, Dusky Woodswallow, Australian Ringneck (Twenty-eight Parrot), Regent Parrot, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Western Rosella, Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-rumped and Western (in scrub by junction of Kawana and Koomal Rds) Thornbills, Weebill, Jacky Winter, Red-capped and Scarlet Robin, Yellow-plumed, Western White-naped and White-eared Honeyeater, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Australian Pipit and Varied Sittella.
Waychinicup NP and Cheynes Beach
We stayed in one of the well-equipped cabins at the Cheynes Beach Caravan Park (http://www.cheynesbeachcaravanpark.com.au/) which proved to be a beautiful location, but aesthetically and from a birding point of view.
The caravan park itself is great for birds with Red-eared Firetail, White-breasted Robin, Red (common) and Western (rare) Wattlebird, New-Holland Honeyeater, Brush Brozewing, Golden Whistler, Western White-naped Honeyeater, Carnaby's Black-cockatoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Red-winged and Splendid Fairy-wren, Red-capped Parrot, Purple-crowned Lorikeet and Grey Currawong. Mammals included Quokka and Southern Brown Bandicoot.
The main targets for me here were Noisy Scrub-bird and Western Bristlebird, plus quite a few SW Australian endemics that I missed at Dryandra. There are a series of 4WD tracks behind the caravan park, which I walked in the mornings. The right-hand-most track proved to be the best with quite a few Western Bristlebirds, Western Whipbird, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Western Spinebill, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel, Black-faced Cuckooshrike and Southern Emu-wren.
The track to Channel Point was also very good, with 2 Western Whipbirds singing on the hillside near the end. The point was very good too - Humpback Whales take the short-cut between the mainland and Bald Island and come very close. Also at least 2 Killer Whales offshore plus lots of Australian Gannets and Brown Skua off there, plus Hobby and White-bellied Sea Eagle. I reckon this would be a great place to seawatch from in a strong south-easterly as I'm pretty sure lots of seabirds will use the same technique as the whales.
Noisy Scrub-bird is actually quite common in the area, but seeing it is another thing. The best location when I was there was the first beach access track off Cheynes Rd, just east of Bald Island Rd (caravan and 4WD access road). Stand by the road and watch for the birds running across the access track. It's unlikely that you'll get a great view of the birds as the zip across the track.
The beach was also good for birds (as well as a female Southern Right Whale and its calf), with Caspian Tern, Crested Tern, Sooty Oystercatcher, Pacific Gull and Osprey.
Also, the 2WD Waychinicup Rd, which brings you out at the very picturesque Waychinipcup river mouth provided Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Whipbird, Spotted Pardolate, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Australian Darter and Sacred Kingfisher.
Stirling Ranges
We took a day trip to the ranges and birded mainly around the Stirling Ranges Retreat, plus the first two fire-brakes off Bluff Knoll Rd. Western Yellow Robin was quite common around the retreat, as were Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Tawyn-cronwed and Yellow-plumed Honeyeater, Red-capped Parrot,
Also smaller numbers of Owlet-nightjar (in tree next to retreat office), Elegant Parrots, Spotted Pardolate, Peregrine and Weebill.
In total 155 species, which can be viewed here
If you have any questions about any of the birds I saw or are planning a trip to any of the places I visited, please feel free to get in touch.
All the photos from my trip can be found below.
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| Dusky Moorhen, Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens |
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| Little Black Cormorant, Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens |
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| Roosting Powerful Owl, Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens |
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| Roosting Tawny Frogmouths, Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens |
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| Masked Lapwings, Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens (note the yellow bony spurs) |
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| Black Currawong, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Western Brushtailed Possum, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Wombat, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Wombat, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Wombat, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Rufous-bellied Pademelon, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Tasmanian Native-hen, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Tasmanian Scrubwren, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Scrubtit, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Scrubtit, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Scrubtit, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Tasmanian Thornbill, Tasmania |
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| Tasmanian Thornbill, Tasmania |
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| Flame Robin, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania |
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| Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo, nr Cambeltown, Tasmania |
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| Kelp Gull, Hobart harbour, Tasmania |
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| Black-faced Cormorant, Hobart harbour, Tasmania |
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| Forest Raven, Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Green Rosella, Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Green Rosella, Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Brush Wattlebird, Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Brush Wattlebird, Hobart, Tasmania |
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| Cape Barren Goose, nr Penguin Parade, Philips Island, Victoria |
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| Welcome Swallow, Great Ocean Rd, Victoria |
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| Australian Gannet, Melbourne Harbour |
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| Shy Albatross, Great Ocean Rd, Victoria |
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| White-cheeked Honeyeater, King's Park, Perth |
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| Red Wattlebird, King's Park, Perth |
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| Rufous Whistler, King's Park, Perth |
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| Rufous Whistler (female), King's Park, Perth |
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| Rainbow Lorikeet, King's Park, Perth |
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| Tree Martin, King's Park, Perth |
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| Willie Wagtail, King's Park, Perth |
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| Western Spinetail, King's Park, Perth |
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| Western Spinetail, King's Park, Perth |
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| Australian Ringneck ("Twenty-eight Parrot"), King's Park, Perth |
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| Australian Ringneck ("Twenty-eight Parrot"), King's Park, Perth |
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| Singing Honeyeater, King's Park, Perth |
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| Wedge-tailed Eagle mobbed by Australian Raven, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Wedge-tailed Eagle mobbed by Australian Raven, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Wedge-tailed Eagle mobbed by Australian Raven, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Western Rosella, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Rufous Treecreeper, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Rufous Treecreeper, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Western Thornbill, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| (Western) Grey Kangaroo, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Red-capped Robin, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Red-capped Robin, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Red-capped Robin, Dryandra, Western Australia |
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| Golden Whistler, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Red Wattlebird (with wattles expanded), Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| New-Holland Honeyeater, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| New-Holland Honeyeater, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| New-Holland Honeyeater, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Spotted Scrubwren, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Spotted Scrubwren, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Spotted Scrubwren, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Brush Bronzewing, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Brush Bronzewing, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Grey Fantail, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Red-eared Firetail, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Caspian Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Caspian Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Caspian Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Crested Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Crested Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Crested Tern, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Western Rosella, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Western Rosella, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Nankeen Kestrel, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Nankeen Kestrel, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Southern Emu-wren, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| (Western) Grey Kangaroo, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| White-breasted Robin, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| White-breasted Robin, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Red-capped Parrot, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Australian Pelican, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Osprey, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Australian Hobby, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| White-bellied Sea-eagle, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Yellow-plumed Honeyeater, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Dusky Woodswallow, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Western Yellow-Robin, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Western Yellow-Robin, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Western Yellow-Robin, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Western Yellow-Robin, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Splendid Fairy-wren, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Australian Owlet-nightjar, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Grey Shrike-thrush, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Grey Shrike-thrush, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Scarlet Robin, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Weebill, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Weebill, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Inland Thornbill, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Elegant Parrots, Sterling Ranges, Western Australia |
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| Australian Hobby, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Sooty Oystercatcher, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Sooty Oystercatcher, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Sooty Oystercatcher, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Cheynes Beach, Western Australia |
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| Australian Darter, Waychinicup river mouth, Western Australia |
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| Sacred Kingfisher, Waychinicup river mouth, Western Australia |
