At one of our club meetings early last year, members of the Hunter Valley Finch Club were invited by our patron Mike Fidler to travel to the east Kimberley region of Western Australia for the annual Gouldian Finch Count around Wyndham. Seven members of our club: Bruce Hockley, Richard Law, Brian Davies, Vince Perkins, Sue Abrams, David Myers and myself, Mark Jolly, joined Mike and Elisabeth Fidler and a group of others who participated. A ring-in to the Hunter Valley group was Save the Gouldian Fund member from Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter, Ian McDuie. Ken Parsons was originally part of the group, however his illness prevented him from taking part.
On a wet, drizzly Saturday morning Bruce, David, Richard, Brian, Vince, Ian and I assembled at Sydney Airport and endured the security boot and belt removal routine to be able to board our QANTAS aircraft. We had cloud cover all the way to Darwin, surely unusual, with rain on arrival; a short wait and then on to Kununurra where we were greeted by sunshine and bright blue skies.
Hire vehicles previously arranged with Thrifty were collected and at the airport we were met by “Strop” Oliver, an aviculturist from Kununurra who had joined the count for the week. More about “Strop” later.
As we sallied out of the airport to load essential supplies for the week ahead we were met by Black-rump Double-bars and Crimson Finches on the roadside, on the fence, in fact everywhere! This was to continue for the next 10 days! Pandanus and water equals Crimson Finches!
Strop took us to a park on the shore of Lake Kununurra, part of the impressive Ord irrigation scheme, where again we saw more lovely Crimson Finches. Regardless of where we found them Crimson Finches were very approachable, whether in town parks or in the bush. We could get much closer to the Crimson Finches than most other birds with the possible exception of the Double-bars. We were also shown a Greater Bower Bird’s bower in the front garden of a licensed club in Kununurra. It was quite a work of art. Favouring pale green and cream ornaments. These birds are very common and can be seen almost everywhere. Jacanas on the lake and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos feeding on the ground completed a good start to the week.
On to Parry’s Lagoon. The resort at Parry’s is a 120 hectare park inside a 35 000 hectare Ramsar listed nature reserve, located 15 to 20 minutes drive from Wyndham. A range of accommodation is available from camping and powered van sites, to units with shared facilities, through to self-contained cabins. Two central ablution blocks complete with washing machines (which even David Myers was able to operate) are also available. A swimming pool, restaurant and bar complete a nice place for bird watching. Large boab trees and many mango trees dot the grounds. The staff are friendly and hospitable with the exception of the cook who is a rabid AFL fan - at the time of our visit the AFL finals, with his team involved, were in full cry.
Parry’s Creek Farm supplies a printed list of the birds that can be seen in the area. While many would be seasonal visitors, a large number were seen by our watchers. Marlgu Billabong is a short drive from Parry’s Creek Farm with a well constructed hide and walkway. It is well worth a look or two as different birds will be seen on each visit. It is important to remember all these flood plain lagoons, lakes and waterways have the potential to house saltwater crocodiles. A visit to the Wyndham Crocodile Farm reinforced how dangerous these reptiles can be. I won’t be putting my toe in the water up there anytime soon!
Sunday featured an early morning visit by the Hunter group, under the stewardship of Mike Fidler, to see the Gouldian Finches on the lawn in front of the Shire Office block in Wyndham. The birds come there in large numbers at this time of year (September) as the lawn is watered each morning and they flock to pools of water formed on the roadside and the droplets of water adhering to the grass leaves. I was there ondifferent 3 days; visiting on the Sunday, counting head colours on Thursday and visiting again on the following Saturday morning for one last look. The first day I had no idea of how to count them as there were just too many birds. By the Thursday I had been through the orientation process presented by Sarah Pryke and Mike and Elizabeth Fidler, and had some experience at other sites. This experience at other sites enabled me to get reasonably close to agreed totals on the Thursday: 300-350 Gouldians and the Saturday morning: 500 Gouldians. On the Thursday I counted 100+ black-headed and 30+ red-headed Gouldians. The regularity with which these birds arrive encouraged some cynical person (who shall remain nameless) to suggest that these were homing Gouldians released each day for this event. A poem was even written about it!
The counters assembled at the Big Crocodile in Wyndham at 5am each morning and were allocated the various places to record numbers: the quarry and reservoir may have been visited by Gouldians in the past (pre Captain Cook days) however the watchers failed to be excited there this year! The pump station was a blue, plastic wading pool placed in a dry stream bed, filled with water daily for a wonderful array of finches, but alas no Gouldians! A stunningly beautiful Red-backed Fairy Wren sat 600mm from my head at the pump station and soundly berated me for invading his space! Each site had a team leader who was sort of “in charge”. Sue Abrams was lucky enough to draw Wyndham Oval, home of “The Crocs” AFL team. A large flock of Star Finches came there each day as well as some Gouldians and Masked Finches. Sue also had some unreliable watchers: one who wandered about (not conducive to good bird watching) and one who wrote in “that bloody book”!
Interesting moments included Vince Perkins, on the first morning, seeing 200+ Gouldians who drank at a dripping tap at the cemetery, and David Myers being invaded by dogs and aboriginal school children at his water hole early one morning making the likelihood of seeing any Gouldians fairly remote. Sarah Pryke had a close encounter with a large reptile and Greg Wightman was visited by a dingo at his waterhole! Never a dull moment!
On a particularly satisfying note was the opportunity to see the artificial nest boxes in the natural habitat that are thought to be doing a good job for the Gouldians, as well as the chance to participate in assembling them. I think Greg Wightman went home with all his fingers after working with me! Some of the intrepid lumberjacks who braved the hot conditions to collect hollow logs from the rocky, spinifex covered hillsides came back in a sorry state!
The small, volunteer run, historical museum in Wyndham Port and the “Grotto”, a site of aboriginal art are to be recommended. Emma Gorge is a short drive down the Gibb River Road with some spectacular scenery with a relaxing bar and restaurant on arrival. An evening hosted by Mike and Elisabeth Fidler at the Bastion (Five Rivers Lookout), a spectacular lookout overlooking the estuary at Wyndham Port was a relaxing evening. The pool and mango smoothies are a good way to pass an afternoon at Parry’s Farm after several 4am rises!
Evenings were spent at Parry’s resort where many and detailed were the in depth discussions on birds and the day’s events. We were not to know that the hilarious recount by “Strop” Oliver of his experiences filming with Malcolm Douglas would be a forerunner to Malcolm’s unfortunate death the following week.
The trip was memorable for all of us. We saw Crimson Finches, Yellow-rumps, Masks, Chestnuts, Longtails, Zebras, Double-bars, Stars and Pictorellas, and some of us were lucky enough to see Gouldians at other locations away from the shire offices. However, the massed flock of Gouldians on the lawn in front of the Shire building each morning was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip! Some of the other birds we were lucky enough to see included Red-backed Fairy Wrens, Australian Pratincoles, White-fronted Wood Swallows and Spinifex Pigeons. Some of the groups saw White-quilled Rock Pigeons and Northern Rosellas. An array of falcons, hawks, kites and eagles were also seen. Many waterbirds including the magnificent Brolgas and Jabirus were often present. One smart little inhabitant is the Buff-sided Robin which is definitely a must see. We saw them at Zebra Rock which is a tourist place selling polished stone of a very unusual type. We also saw this lovely bird in the caravan park near the Pumphouse Restaurant in Kununurra. There is no truth in the rumours that the driving skills of several members of the Hunter group were tested and found wanting, or that a valuable rusty, metal artefact was removed from a ‘sacred site’.
If you can go to Wyndham for the Gouldian count and stay at Parry’s Creek Farm you’ll enjoy the experience. The week was highlighted by the Gouldians on the lawn, closely followed by the Pictorellas and by Bruce Hockley and I spending a memorable afternoon in Maggie Creek surrounded by Crimson Finches, Stars, Longtails, Masks and Red-backed Fairy Wrens. The wonderful Buff-sided Robins, the Pratincoles, all the honeyeaters and ..........!!! We had a wonderful time and I have booked my accommodation again for next year. Next year I’ll have a list of birds I want to see!
All the Hunter Finch Club contingent would like to thank “Strop” and his wife Lisa for looking after us so well while we were in Kununurra. Mike and Elisabeth Fidler are also to be thanked for encouraging us to go and for making sure we were well catered for and entertained while we were there.
The Parry Poem
I was birding up at Parry’s with Tom and Dick and Harry
And of course there were some ladies there as well.
We were counting for the census and where ever else they sent us
Once a week at least it wasn’t swell.
Now the reservoir or Quarry didn’t give you any worry
For the birds were thin up there or not at all.
At the Cemetery or Station you could hear the exclamations
As the tally of the birds grew nice and tall.
But by far the best location was the Shire Council Chambers
Where the birds would soon arrive just right on cue.
So the birders got suspicious and the rumours got fictitious
That something else was happening in lieu.
The story got round quickly and the conspiracy grew thickly
That a noted aviculturist had been seen,
Releasing homing finches behind the Council benches
Though not a shred of evidence was gleaned.
So if you’re free about September take a journey with this member.
You’ll enjoy your stay at Parry’s that’s not all.
And of course you’ll see those homing finches
If that noted aviculturist is parked around the corner from the hall.
by Mark Jolly
(with apologies to A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson’s ‘The Man From Snowy River’)