Western Australia
- Nicholas Turner
- Dec 10, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 31
9th November - 2nd December 2023
A 3 week trip to Western Australia, starting and finishing in Perth, with excursions south to Margaret River and north to Broome in the Kimberley region.
Wednesday 8th – Thursday 9th November: We flew from Manchester to Singapore and then on to Perth, arriving at 16.30 on the Thursday. Our first port of call was the beach resort of Cottesloe in Perth, an ideal base from which to explore the city and the coastline.
Friday 10th November: Unsurprisingly we awoke early and decided to explore the birdlife of Cottesloe Beach. On the shoreline we found a few Greater Crested Tern, Pied Oystercatcher, Caspian Tern, Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Australian Darter and the ubiquitous Silver Gull. Australia is reknowned for its birdlife and in the trees by the beach we quickly found Singing Honeyeater, Little Corella, Rainbow Lorikeet, Galah, Australian Raven, Australian Magpie, Magpie Lark, Laughing Turtle Dove, Feral Pigeon, Willie Wagtail, a pair of Welcome Swallows and several Red Wattlebird. Not a bad start to the trip.
In the afternoon we paid a visit to Allen Park just a few kilometres north of Cottesloe. Here we saw our first Rainbow Bee Eaters together with a Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, Laughing Kookaburra and a Singing Honeyeater.
Saturday 11th November: Herdsman Lake is a freshwater lake located 6 kilometres north-west of Perth and accessible via public transport. Upon arrival we decided the best plan was to circumnavigate the lake on foot to hopefully access most of the birdlife. The ducks were represented by Pink-Eared Duck, Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck, Australian Shelduck, Black Swan, Hoary-headed Grebe, Australasian Grebe and Great Crested Grebe. Along the edge of the lake we found Little Pied Cormorant, Australian Pelican, a distant Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Straw-necked Ibis, Australian White Ibis, Dusky Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Eurasian Coot and a very confiding Nankeen Night Heron. Other new birds encountered included Silvereye, Whistling Kite, Great Egret, Brown-headed Honeyeater, an Australian Hobby sitting in a tree and a Swamp Harrier.
Sunday 12th November: Woodman Point is about 10 kilometres south of Cottesloe, just beyond the famous port of Fremantle. Access again is very easy by public transport and the area is a well-known spot for shorebirds. Soon after arriving we saw our first Red-capped Plovers on the beach together with Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Pied Oystercatcher. On the rocky point were a mixed flock of terns including Greater Crested Tern, Caspian Tern and several Fairy Terns and we also saw a White-faced Heron and Australian Shelduck.
Monday 13th November: Early in the morning an Osprey flew over Cottesloe Beach. Later on we explored the area around Pelican Point by the Swan River and found Pied Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Darter, Greater Crested Tern and several Maned Duck. By now we had relocated and were staying in student residences at the University of Western Australia.
Tuesday 14th November: Close to the UWA residences is the very popular and extensive Kings Park which is a mixture of woodland, parkland and ancient bushland and also home to the Western Australia Botanic Garden. New birds for the trip included Striated Pardalote, Western Ringneck, a delightful Spotted Dove, Grey Shrikethrush and a few very noisy Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos. Two butterflies were found namely Klug’s Xenica and Common Brown.
Wednesday 15th November: Another afternoon walk around Kings Park added Grey Butcherbird and Peregrine Falcon to the ever growing list along with more sightings of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos and an Australian Painted Lady. A couple of days later we saw a Western Gerygone, Brown Goshawk and some Rainbow Bee Eaters.
Saturday 18th November: We were now heading south to the wine region of Margaret River and decided to break the journey by stopping off at Lake McLarty which is a freshwater lake about 90 kilometres south of Perth: A White-bellied Sea-eagle flew majestically across the lake and a pair of Splendid Fairywren were found together with Australian Pipit, Black-tailed Godwit, Pied Stilt, Whistling Kite, Australian Pelican, Osprey and an Australian Ringneck together with several Kangaroos.
Another couple of hours driving and we reached our destination of Gnarabup Beach where we had rented an Airbnb for a few days. An early evening stroll along the beach added more new sightings for the trip with New Holland Honeyeater, Nankeen Kestrel and Common Bronzewing.
Sunday 19th November: The next morning we decided to walk northwards along Gnarabup Beach towards the Margaret River Mouth Viewpoint. As we left the Airbnb a White-breasted Robin sat on the wall of our front garden. On the beach were Pacific Gull, Caspian Tern, Silver Gull and an Australian Gannet flew by. At the viewpoint a Terek Sandpiper allowed close approach and we also encountered Sanderling, Eastern Reef Egret, Greater Crested Tern and Fairy Tern. Later in the day we visited the nearby Redgate Beach and were fortunate enough to find a pair of scarce Hooded Plovers.
Monday 20th November: At the southern-most tip of Margaret River is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse from where it is possible to walk northwards all the way along the coast to Yallingup Beach. Here we saw some Rock Parrots, which are a local speciality, together with a pair of Sooty Oystercatchers. On the drive back home we spotted a few Emu in a field together with a flock of Straw-necked Ibis. Back at Gnarabup a flock of Carnaby’s Black-cockatoos flew around preparing to roost.
Wednesday 22nd November: Rotary Park is a recreational park in Margaret River with plenty of woodland trails to explore: The highlights here were a Grey Shrikethrush, Variegated Fairy-wren, Western Whistler, Western Rosella, Western Yellow Robin, Varied Sitella, White-breasted Robin, Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Ringneck and a Grey Fantail.
Thursday 23rd November: It was time to head back to Perth and again we broke the journey by stopping off at Lake McLarty. More new birds in the form of Crested Pigeon, Brown Songlark and Tree Martin as well as Welcome Swallow, Australian Pipit and Whistling Kite. Perth was now experiencing a heat wave with a temperature of 42oC as we entered the city so we headed for Woodman Point to cool down. This time we found a few Red-necked Stint in addition to the usual shorebirds.
Friday 24th November: If you visit Perth then a trip to Rottnest Island is an absolute must. The best way to access the island is via the regular ferry followed by a bicycle when you arrive which allows access to most parts of the island on a day trip. New additions were Banded Stilt, Red-necked Avocet, and Buff-banded Rail but the supporting cast was extensive with Terek Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Pied Stilt, large numbers of Greater Crested Tern, Fairy Tern, Red-necked Stint, Red-capped Plover, Laughing Dove, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Raven, Welcome Swallow, Pied Oystercatcher, Australian Shelduck, Grey Teal and Caspian Tern.
Saturday 25th November: The final leg of the trip to Western Australia saw us fly 2,000 kilometres north to Broome which is in the Kimberley Region. We knew that the weather here would be very hot and humid and we were not disappointed. Broome has a very distinctive reddish-brown landscape and is also a major migration point of tens of thousands of waders en route from Asia to Australia via the East. Our Airbnb was perfectly located near the beach at Cable Beach and on the first evening we strolled along the sand seeing our first Whiskered Terns and Greater Sand Plover together with a Little Friarbird and a Grey-crowned Babbler.
Sunday 26th November: The main concentration of waders is in the area known as Roebuck Bay which is east of Cable Beach. A four-wheel drive is an absolute necessity if you want to explore Broome. Despite a very early start, by 10.00 a.m. the temperature was already above 30oC which high humidity. Before we started to wilt we managed to add some new birds to our list including Grey-tailed Tatler, Great Knot, Gull-billed Tern, Far Eastern Curlew, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit as well as Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Terek Sandpiper and Whimbrel. The waders here form very large mixed-species flocks, often numbering in excess of several thousand.
By late afternoon the temperature had begun to drop and so we headed to the nearby Gantheaume Beach where we saw a Brahminy Kite and Lesser Frigatebird as well as a White-bellied Sea-eagle and several Greater Sand Plover.
Monday 27th November: An early morning drive and walk around Broome where we picked up a Peaceful Dove, Dollarbird and Masked Lapwing as new additions. The afternoon was spent at Broome Waste Water Plant which has an excellent viewing platform (with sunshade!). Here we saw Plumed Whistling-Duck and Black Kite as wells as some Masked Lapwings and Rainbow Bee Eaters. The evening walk along Cable Beach produced a few more Whiskered Terns.
Tuesday 28th November: We were now starting to aclimatise and so embarked on a very early morning walk along Minyirr and Cable Beach heading northwards where we had our first sightings of Great Bower Bird, Diamond Dove, White-throated Gerygone and Double-barred Finch together with Peaceful Dove, Dollarbird, Rainbow Bee Eater and Rainbow Lorikeet. On the way back we spotted a large flock of Roseate Tern on the beach. In the late afternoon we visited Broome Town Jetty, prior to dinner, and found a very elegant Royal Spoonbill together with a white morph Eastern Reef Heron and a Brahminy Kite.
Wednesday 29th November: The western end of Roebuck Bay is accessible via car from Broome and led to our first sighting of a few Brolga although unfortunately they were too quick for a photograph. On the beach were the usual shorebirds plus Red Knot, Greenshank and Little Egret. At Gantheaume Point late afternoon a Brown Booby flew past the coast and a Brahminy Kite was seen.
Thursday 30th November: Another early morning walk along Cable Beach produced a previously unseen Red-backed Fairywren and Bar-shouldered Dove together with a Dollarbird, Peaceful Dove and Diamond Dove.
We decided to finish the day with one last trip to Roebuck Bay where the highlights were a Pacific Golden Plover, that dropped onto the beach for a few minutes before flying off, and a Blue-winged Kookaburra. Other notable sightings included White-bellied Sea-eagle, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Red-necked Stint, Red-capped Plover, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tatler, Far Eastern Curlew, Gull-billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Bar-tailed Godwit, Crested Dove and Rainbow Bee Eater.
Friday 1st December: Our last day in Broome before flying back to Perth and then home to Manchester. At Gantheaume Point we found a Red-backed Fairywren, Brown Goshawk and Grey Butcherbird and at Broom Jetty there was a small flock of Roseate Terns.
During the three weeks in Western Australia we managed to clock up a total of 128 species of different birds of which 107 were ‘lifers’.
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