AUSTRALIA: NORTHERN TERRITORY, Kakadu to Pine Creek

Nourlangie Rock

Sept 30: Today we ended our brief birding tour of Kakadu National Park, in Australia’s Northern Territory, with a pre-breakfast run to Nourlangie Rock.  We tracked down a Rainbow Pitta in the tree canopy adjacent to an interesting display of aborigine rock-art.  The morning was overcast and drizzly, which cooled the normally high temperatures; birding activity was markedly increased at this time of day, versus late morning.  We enjoyed some common birds – Grey and Rufous Whistlers, and Bar-shouldered Dove – and added some new species to our list, including several Northern Rosellas feeding atop a eucalyptus tree, endemic Sandstone Shrike-Thrush,  elusive Banded Fruit-Dove, and three Little Woodswallows flying around the escarpment.

Walking up the trail to the overlook, we saw a pair of Spangled Drongos flying onto the trunk of a eucalyptus picking off green ants.

Returning to Gagudju Lodge for breakfast, we spotted three Partridge Pigeons besides the road, and watched them walk away into the woodland leaf litter.  We checked out of the lodge, and birded the parking area while Barry settled our bill, getting great looks at Blue-faced and Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, Mistletoebird and Peaceful Dove.

Our ultimate destination was Pine Creek, located off the Stuart Highway, about 250 kms south of Darwin.  We took our time getting there, stopping to bird several places.  Barry spotted a Black-tailed Treecreeper flying across the road, and we pulled over to find two of them.  This stretch of road was good for raptors, including Brown Falcon, Brown Goshawk and Little Eagle. At the Gungurul Bridge, several Dollarbirds perched on a high vantage point, making sorties out and back, and we saw Olive-backed and Green Orioles.

We turned off the main road and headed 37 kms to Gunlom, still inside Kakadu National Park. The rock outcroppings reminded us of landscape at Nourlangie, appropriate habitat to find Peregrine, Brown Falcon and the rare Grey Falcon soaring around the escarpment. While Lisa and Barry took a swim in the clear pool at the base of the 200 foot waterfall, the rest of our group explored the site.  Red-collared Lorikeets and Red-capped Parrot flashed across the landscape, Black-chinned Honeyeaters nectared on eucalyptus, and we found a Helmeted Friarbird sitting on her nest.  Back on the road, we stopped to watch a Common Bronzewing walking into the sparse woodland.  Our last birds of Kakadu National Park were a small flock of Varied Lorikeets and a Pheasant Coucal.

Termite Mound at Pine Creek

We reached our destination, the old gold mining town of Pine Creek, with about an hour of daylight remaining. We made a brief stop in the local Cemetery to see an impressive 18-foot termite mound.  Grey-crowned Babblers chased each other through vegetation, and we found Olive-backed Oriole and Crested Pigeon.

After checking into the Railway Hotel in downtown Pine Creek, we took a short stroll around the parks adjacent to our accommodation. Three species, Australian Figbirds and Red-collared Lorikeets and White-browed Woodswallows, were active in the area.

We walked to the nearby Pine Creek Hotel for dinner, stopping along the way to admire the Flying Fox (Fruit Bat) colony roosting in a residential backyard. It was the cooks night off, so it was basically do it yourself. Fortunately, Barry’s abilities as a chef were on par with his birding skills, and he did a masterful job grilling steaks for us at the local pub!
all photos © adrian binns