Big Zigzag bird families count: 85 (+1 this week: Rollers)
Big Zigzag Lifers: 94 (+3 this week: Turquoise Parrot, White-throated Needletail, Little Buttonquail)
Campsite Lifers 23 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 136 (+3 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 187
Week’s special milestones: Big Zigzag bird #450
Bird(s) of the Week
Turquoise Parrot (Neophema pulchella), not just a beautiful lifer – also the 450th Big Zigzag bird, which happens to be seen after 6 months of zigzagging… Encouraging to see many property owners around Warby-Ovens National Park participating in Practical Parrot Action Project which helps this threatened bird.
This week new bird family for the trip – Rollers with Dollarbird – from a quicky visit to New South Wales.
Noman land Long-billed Corellas, on the bridge over Murray River, between the sister towns of Echuca (Victoria) and Moama (New South Wales).
Azure Kingfisher
Non-bird image(s)
Moama Wetlands and Horseshoe Lagoon, Murray, New South Wales
Pink Rocks
Week's Key location(s)
Warby-Ovens National Park – Turquoise Parrot stronghold.
Not the best place for White-throated Needletail as they fly high above – but this is where I ticked them…
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 21950 km (this week 945 km)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 131 (+0 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 180
Week’s special milestones: None
Bird(s) of the Week
The Middle of Everywhere. This is Central Gippsland promo slogan, which fits this Big Zigzag week, after 6 months. Somewhere in the middle of Victoria, between the golden beaches an Australian Alpine mountains, near the lakes along the sore. In between, as these Yellow-billed & Royal Spoonbills, resting on the wetlands of Sale.
White-winged Chough (Corcorax melanorhamphos) one of the two members family of White-winged Chough and Apostlebird (Corcoracidae). This family is one of the seven Australian endemic bird families, and the easier to complete. Also called Australian mud-nest builders.
White-winged Chough nest
Non-bird image(s)
Alpine National Park
Wilsons Promontory National Park
Week's Key location(s)
Wilsons Promontory National Park
Alpine National Park
Sale River Heritage & Wetlands Trail
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 21055 km (this week 835 km)
Big Zigzag bird species count: 436 (+14 this week)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 82 (+0 this week: Barn-Owls)
Big Zigzag Lifers: 91 (+7 this week: Pink Robin, Flame Robin, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Beautiful Firetail, White-throated Nightjar, Little Lorikeet, Pilotbird)
Campsite Lifers 23 (+4 this week: Gang-gang Cockatoo, White-throated Nightjar, Little Lorikeet, Pilotbird)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 127 (+9 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 159
Week’s special milestones: bird 555 on my Australia’s list, clean-up Australia’s Cockatoos
Bird(s) of the Week
Clean-up all Australia’s Cockatoos (Cacatuidae) with Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum), which is also monotype genus. Out of 22 species in the family, 14 seen in Australia:
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo
Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Glossy Black-Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Palm Cockatoo
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Galah
Pink Cockatoo
Western Corella
Little Corella
Long-billed Corella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Tough one – Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) hard to get out of the grass… patient and luck needed.
Bunyip State Park–Mortimer Picnic Ground
Flame Robin – ticked at Beauchamp Falls, photographed at Toolangi State Forest.
Pink Robin – Hopefully better photo will follow
Baillon’s Crake -not a lifer but rare and seen twice this week: at Lake Elingamite and at Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve.
Non-bird image(s)
Triangular road, Bunyip State Park near Mortimer Picnic Ground – Beautiful Firetail site
Toolangi State Forest
Toolangi State Forest
Week's Key location(s)
Great Otway National Park–Beauchamp Falls – three lifers location: Pink Robin, Flame Robin, Gang-gang Cocatoo
Triangular road, Bunyip State Park near Mortimer Picnic Ground – Beautiful Firetail site
Bunyip State Park–Helipad – White-throated Nightjar & Sooty Owl site
Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve just across St. Kilda street, Elwood – Little Lorikeet site.
Toolangi State Forest–The Tanglefoot Trails – Pilotbird site.
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 19140 km (650 km this week)
Big Zigzag bird species count: 422 (+17 this week)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: )
Big Zigzag Lifers: 84 (+2 this week: Long-billed Corella, Olive Whistler)
Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 118 (+9 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 152
Week’s special milestones: none
Bird(s) of the Week
Hooded Plover (Thinornis cucullatus), VU Vulnerable. Endemic to southern Australia sandy ocean beaches. Not a lifer, but much better distance comparing to the one seen in 2018.
Olive Whistler, Enchanted Forest, Glenelg. Back in Victoria lifer.
Surprise lifer! Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) was not on my target list as I have seen it in New South Wales in 2013 & 2018. But after posting today’s checklist on eBird of a random drive stop at Tantanoola, I found that the old reports considered as non-countable exotic species, and today’s birds from South Australia are mentioned on eBird as a lifer!
Having the biggest beak of all birds can be an advantage, although sometimes cause a headache.. Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus).
Australasian Gannet colony at Point Danger, near Portland, VIC.
Purple-crowned Lorikeet. Happy with the photo (not with the cable 😜)
Non-bird image(s)
I was trying to photograph the only inland lighthouse in Australia, at Point Malcolm (narrow passage between Lake Albert and Lake Alexandrina), but unfortunately the building is not on focus 😜
Echidna. Defiantly not a bird.
Crumpets Beach, VIC.
Week's Key location(s)
Tantanoola is a surprising key location (see Long-billed Corella above)
Enchanted Forest, Olive Whistler site.
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 18490 km (1050 km this week)
Big Zigzag bird species count: 405 (+10 this week)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: )
Big Zigzag Lifers: 82 (+3 this week: Red-lored Whistler, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Crescent Honeyeater)
Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 112 (+3 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 145
Week’s special milestones: Zigzag vird list over 400, 98th global Honeyeater – 50% of Meliphagidae
Bird(s) of the Week
Milestone Honeyeater. Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus) is not just a lifer. Not just clean-up genus Phylidonyris (With New Holland & White-cheeked Honeyeaters). This is my 98th global honeyeater, which means I have more the 50% of the 195 Honeyeaters in the world. Photographed at Scott Creek Conservation Park, South Australia.
Red-lored Whistler at Murray – Sunset NP
Elegant Parrot (Neophema elegans) ticked 2 weeks ago without photo. At Cox Scrub Conservation Park it was easier.
Dusky Woodswallow feeding chick
Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) – not a lifer – but you can see the water through his nostrils!
Non-bird image(s)
Cox Scrub Conservation Park
Scott Creek Conservation Park
Murray – Sunset National Park
Week's Key location(s)
Red-lored Whistler location – Murray-Sunset National Park–around Millewa South Bore Track at Pheenys Track
Ettrick Conservation Park, Purple-gaped Honeyeater location
Cox Scrub Conservation Park, Elegant Parrot site.
Scott Creek Conservation Park, Crescent Honeyeater site.
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 17440 km (990 km this week)
West Victoria Mallee (and both, only "Mallee" named birds, as lifers!)
In an Eggshell:
Big Zigzag bird species count: 395 (+4 this week)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: )
Big Zigzag Lifers: 79 (+4 this week: Chestnut Quail-thrush, Mallee Emu wren, Pink Cockatoo, Malleefowl)
Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 109 (+4 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 138
Week’s special milestones: Clean-up genus Stipiturus (Emuwren), Clean-up Megapods of Australia
Bird(s) of the Week
A warm Victorian welcome with Chestnut Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma castanotum) at Hattah – Kulkyne National Park
Pink Cockatoo (aka Major Mitchel Cockatoo) seems like an easy lifer in the right time and location. I spent a few hour in Ouyen with not much activity, but late afternoon they become the nosiest birds around
Malleefowl, the mound-builder or the Megapod of the Mallee, not easy to spot. On the right places, they seen feeding on roadsides, dangerous for them, may useful for spotting it. Thanks for Michal from Explore The Mallee from his help!
Mallee Emuwren – ticked at Hattah – Kulkyne National Park, photographed better a few days later at Murray – Sunset National Park
Non-bird image(s)
Crossing from South Australia to Victoria
Mallee landscape at Hattah – Kulkyne NP
Sunset near Ouyen, Pink Cockatoo time
Week's Key location(s)
Hattah-Kulkyne NP was the site for the first to lifers: Chestnut Quail-thrush & Mallee Emuwren. Striped Grasswren was seen as well. I spent most of the time on Nowingi trail.
On the 2 evenings I was in Ouyen, Pink Cockatoos seen west and north to Blackburn Park. During the day could not find them.
Seems that the best way to see Malleefowl is when the feed on roadsides as Hopetoun Walpeup Rd. May a better option is to contact
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 16450 km (this week 990 km)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+0 this week: )
Big Zigzag Lifers: 75 (+5 this week: Mulga Parrot, White-browed Treecreeper, Regent Parrot, Striated Grasswren, Black-eared Miner)
Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 105 (+6 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 131
Week’s special milestones: Grasswren #7, eBird’s 1500th checklist, 3500 species photographed, clean-up Australasian Treecreepers, Zigzag travelled over 15000 km
Bird(s) of the Week
Regent Parrot at one of Gluepot Reserve drinking points (Don and Chris Lill Bird Hide )
Mulga Parrot on similar situation
Striated Grasswren at Mallee trail
Black-eared Miner, Gluepot Reserve.
Clean-up Australasian Treecreepers (Climacteridae) with White-browed Treecreeper. The family contain 6 Australian endemics plus 1 papuan.
When you need to leave your vehical at the repairman, you better do than in a walking distance from wetlands… Australian Crake (Porzana fluminea), Barker Inlet Wetlands, South Australia
Happy hour at the bird hide
Non-bird image(s)
Barker Inlet Wetlands
Mallee landscape at Gluepot Reserve
Gluepot lifers by location
Week's Key location(s)
Two lovely morning with 50 species at Barker Inlet Wetlands while fixing my RV
Great birding opportunities in Gluepot Reserve. Including 4 active bird hides, a few waling trails, and campsite facilities.
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 15460 km (this week 720 km)
'Cause the desert had turned to sea...** (and elegant lifers, and mighty Murray River)
In an Eggshell:
Big Zigzag bird species count: 376 (+14 this week)
Big Zigzag bird families count: 81 (+1 this week: Finches, Euphonias, and Allies)
Big Zigzag Lifers: 70 (+3 this week: Slender-billed Thornbill, Elegant Parrot, Brush Bronzewing)
Campsite Lifers 19 (+0 this week)
Big Zigzag New for Australia list: 99 (+3 this week)
eBird days of checklist streak: 124
Week’s special milestones: cleanup genus Phaps (Bronzewing), passed 525 in my Australian list
Bird(s) of the Week
Lovely lifer and cleanup genus Phaps! Brush Bronzewing (Phaps elegans) was a dream bird and one of the two elegant lifers (with Elegant Parrot) this week. Belair National Park
Week’s first lifer: Slender-billed Thornbill (Acanthiza iredalei), Port Gawler, SA
Musk Duck from Barossa Reservoir, Whispering Wall
Master of nest camouflage, Varied Sittela
Non-bird image(s)
Port Gawler, Slender-billed Thornbill habitat.
Belair National Park
Lenger Reserve
Murray River at Mannum.
Week's Key location(s)
2 lifers location near Port Gawler: Elegant Parrot & Slender-billed Thornbill
Barossa Reservoir–Whispering Wall was the surprising site of the week. I stopped there after failing to find Brush Bronzewing at Para Wirra Conservation Park, just due curiosity – and found a lovely place to pass the day with interesting attraction (the whispering wall), some birding at the reservoir, and nice picnic area.
Belair National Park, Brush Bronzewing site.
Big Zigzag Travelled so far: 14740 km (this week 900 km)