AUSTRALIA: NORTHERN TERRITORY, Darwin to Kakadu

Sept 28: Today marked our first full day of exploring Australia’s Northern Territory, beginning in Darwin, the most populous city in the territory, with approximately 125,000 people.  Named for the famed naturalist who promoted natural selection theories of evolution, Darwin has fittingly evolved from a pioneer outpost to a modern, multi-cultural city overlooking a harbour.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

From here we journeyed 40 miles east to the Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, a remnant of earlier attempts to produce rice on the Adelaide River floodplain, and not far from Humpty Doo (you just can’t make these names up!).  The habitat around Fogg Dam consists of a fringe of rainforest around the dam, and tropical savannah woodlands dominated by eucalyptus species, including Darwin Woollybutt, a favorite feeding tree of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.

The one-lane track leading over the dam was too busy for us to stop, and getting out of the vehicle is not recommended because of lurking crocodiles.  We did see a small flock of colorful Crimson Finch feeding on grass seeds on the slope down to the waters edge.  A Broad-billed Flycatcher perched in a small bush.  We enjoyed up-close views of a gorgeous Comb-crested Jacana, and there was great excitement when Lisa spotted a shy White-browed Crake scouring the shallow water along the edge.

We walked through the Melaleuca paperbark tree forest, where we encountered the first biting insects of the trip – mosquitos!  Fortunately the birding provided ample distraction.  A couple of Rufous Whistlers and Varied Triller showed well, and we found a Large-billed Gerygone at its nest.  Cuckoos were represented by a Cicadabird that Joy found, and a Little Bronzed Cuckoo. We had previously glimpsed Mistletoebird, but we enjoyed the cooperative ones seen here.  A lovely Arafura Fantail, the “Top End” counterpart to the Rufous Fantail of the East Coast, flittered about the midstory.  A Rose-crowned Fruit-dove called from the tree canopy, and was seen well by everyone.  A Brush Cuckoo did almost the same thing as the fruit-dove, moving about from one place to another, eventually showing itself.

A nice variety of butterflies included Swamp Tiger, Evening Brown, Cedar Bush Brown, Common Crow and Chocolate Argus.

Further on, we encountered Black-faced Woodswallows perched on roadside fences, and a large wetlands area hosting many wading birds. Barry was  impressed by the largest flock of Little Curlews he’d ever seen, numbering in the thousands. There was also a decent number of Wandering Whistling Ducks, and the only Red-kneed Dotterel we would see.

We stopped for lunch at the Adelaide River Queen Restaurant, home of the leaping crocodile!  It being a major tourist attraction! We joked that it ate the Mangrove Golden Whistler, which was nowhere to be found.  We found a Broad-billed Flycatcher on nest, along with Varied Triller and Paperback Flycatcher.

Barry led us to a roadside pool of water, where we enjoyed good views of Double-barred Finch and Masked Finch, as well as Diamond Dove amongst several Peaceful Doves.

We had rarely a dull moment during our journey, with clever road signs to keep us laughing.  One sign cautioned driving carefully for wildlife, saying “We like our Lizards Frilled not Grilled,” in deference to local Frilled Lizard species! On another, someone had had blotted out the two LL’s of frilled!

By mid afternoon we reached the vast Kakadu National Park, Australia’s largest, encompassing approximately 20,000 sq km.  Nearly 80% of the landscape in this expansive sandstone plateau is savannah woodlands comprised of eucalyptus and tall grasses, as well as tropical forest and billabongs. It was quite dry this time of year, though poles with foot markers hinted at the amount of water that covers some lower parts of the park during monsoon season, rendering roads impassable.

Along the South Alligator River we found a lone Black-necked Stork, known locally as the Jabiru. Little Corellas perched near the river and Torresian Crows were common.  The well-situated Mamukala Hide (aka bird blind) provided views of a marsh full of Giant Lotus Lilies and dozens of active Magpie Geese, Plumed and Wandering Whistling Ducks, Comb-crested Jacanas, Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis and Pied Heron.  We compared sizes of Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets.  We were entertained by the sight of a Willie Wagtail hitching a ride on the back of a feeding Agile Wallaby, oblivious to its presence.

Our final stop of the day was a cultural tour of the modern Bowali Visitors Center, whose building design was inspired by an aboriginal rock shelter. We learned a bit about aboriginal culture and the importance of preserving this ancient Australian heritage. While leaving, Nancy spotted a gorgeous male Red-winged Parrot feeding beside the path.

By sunset we checked into the Gagudju Lodge at Cooinda, and headed to dinner. Kangaroo was on the menu, and it was excellent! We tucked in, preparing for a full day in Kakadu tomorrow.
all photos © adrian binns