Western Australia

Karri forest, Pemberton WA

Sorry for the delay in posting but the work situation has been all over the place these last few weeks and my mind has been elsewhere. I'm not sure what's going on exactly but we've been forced to take 3 weeks holiday and so I'm heading back to Scotland on Sunday for a couple of weeks. Nice.

Quokkas on Rottnest Island

It's been a couple of weeks since I got back from my trip to Western Australia for Allan and Gemma's wedding. The wedding was a lovely little breakfast affair in King's Park in Perth. I was led to believe that King's Park was a top birding spot but a pair of Peregrine Falcons was all that I saw. Just as well I spent the week beforehand touring the South-west in a hardcore birding marathon!

Red-capped Parrot

Gould's Goanna

My trip started in the wheat-belt to the north-east of Perth before I headed south through the dry woodlands to the south coast at Albany before returning to Perth through the tall Karri forests of the south-west. Despite soaring temperatures (up in the 40's and high 30's most days) I was out and about all day every day even though the birds, in general, weren't silly enough to venture out themselves.

Little Beach, Two Peoples Bay NP

Rock Parrots

I still managed to pick up 22 new ticks for the list which boosts my total to 439. The second of my dawn starts at Two Peoples Bay NP near Albany even turned up the Western Bristlebird which is one of the south-west's rarest and most sought after endemics. It's one of the very difficult 'big three' birds that skulk in the dense coastal scrub. Several hours sitting on paths in the heath didn't turn up the other two.

King's Skink

Yum yum

The heat should have been better for the critters but I didn't see any snakes although a couple of good lizards did cross my path. I stumbled across a King's Skink giving birth on the track at one point. On seeing me, the mother high-tailed it into the scrub leaving the bemused baby to calmly eat it's own after-birth! Tasty.

Sunset over the Indian Ocean