Birding at Browns Road Monarto
New Holland Honeyeater at Browns Road Monarto
This afternoon my wife and I took a detour coming home from Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills. We had been there for a appointment, after which we had a relaxing lunch in one of the local cafes. Instead of taking the South-Eastern Freeway home to Murray Bridge we took the old Princes Highway route. It is a longer, more circuitous route but far more interesting.
Just past Callington we turned off into Browns Road near Monarto. We stopped at a spot where we could park the car safely before going on a short walk through the scrub. The sign on the gate says “Monarto Woodlands” but local birders usually refer to this area as Browns Road.
The scrub here is a confusing mixture of plant species. While there are some species common to the surrounding region, many of the trees and shrubs are introduced from other parts of Australia. A quick glance shows many Western Australian species, for example. This has come about due to extensive planting back in the 1980s when this area was designated as a satellite city to Adelaide. While a large area of farming land was purchased by the then state government, and the city was planned, no building ever occurred and much of the land has been returned to productive agricultural use. The only exception has been the establishment nearby of Monarto Open Range Zoo, part of Adelaide Zoo (and well worth a visit too, I might add).
We didn’t have all that much time on our visit this afternoon and my back and hips were being quite a pain. In the few minutes we were there I managed to record the following species:
- White-winged Chough
- Singing Honeyeater
- Red wattlebird
- New Holland Honeyeater (pictured above)
- White-browed Babbler
- Peaceful Dove
- Crested Pigeon
- Grey Fantail
- Willie Wagtail
- Yellow Thornbill
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
- Silvereye
- Grey Shrike-thrush
- Common Starling
- Adelaide Rosella
- Australian Magpie (white backed)
- Weebill
While this is not a great list it is not bad for about ten minutes of birding. In recent weeks many other South Australian birders have visited this area and have reported far more species. I must visit more often, seeing it is about a 20 minute drive from home.
Some of the plants flowering are shown in the photos below.
Further reading:
- Purple-crowned Lorikeets at Brown’s Road Monarto
- Emus at Monarto Zoo
- Water-birds at Monarto Zoo
- Black Kite at Monarto Zoo
- Brown Falcon at Monarto Zoo
Flowering eucalypt
Acacia species in flower
Noisy Friarbird and a few other birds
On our current trip to Sydney to visit family, we stopped a few times along the way. As I said yesterday, the journey is over 1300km, so we need to stop a few times for fuel and to change drivers. We also stop occasionally for a cup of tea and a meal break. On these occasions we usually choose a place well away from towns and in a bush setting; the birding is often better.
On the second morning of our trip we stopped at an unnamed rest area on the side of the Sturt Highway between Hay and Narrandera, NSW, in the locality of Tubbo Station. While having morning tea and a cuppa I saw a number of bird species, including Australian Ravens, Australian Magpies, Willie Wagtails, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, Grey Shrike Thrush, White-winged Choughs and the tiny Weebill. All lovely birds but very common in this area, and all birds I’d seen many times while driving along.
We also saw several Yellow Rosellas, a beautiful bird and less widespread than many parrots. Another interesting bird is the Apostlebird, one I always enjoy seeing on the journey over to Sydney. Undoubtedly the highlight of this brief stop was to see several Noisy Friarbirds, one of the honeyeaters of Australia. While this is a common species in the eastern parts of Australia, it’s not one I’ve seen very often, making it an extra special sighting. I didn’t get a photo of it, but you can read more about this species and see a photo here.
Apostlebird
An afternoon walk in Monarto Conservation Park
Monarto Conservation Park, South Australia
A few Saturdays ago I took my elderly mother-in-law on a short drive to Monarto Conservation Park. This park is about 20 minutes by car from our home in Murray Bridge, South Australia. The open range Monarto Zoo is just north of the park. This area is one of our favourite places to see native Australian plants.
The park preserves a large parcel of remnant mallee scrub between the lower reaches of the Murray River to the east, and the Mt Lofty Ranges to the west. The park has several mallee forms of eucalypt (eg Eucalyptus dumosa), native pines (Callitris preissii) and a variety of understory plants like correas, native orchids and a many others.
There is one established walking trail through the north eastern corner of the park starting and ending at the car park. This easy 45 minute walk takes the visitor through a range of plant habitats giving a good overview of the vegetation native to this area. When in flower in winter and spring this is a delightful walk with much to interest keen botanists.
In my experience of many visits to this park over the last three decades the birding can be fickle, largely dependent on what is flowering. Many of our honeyeater species, for example, are highly nomadic, moving quickly to areas of abundant food sources. On this recent visit the birding was rather poor.
The following list is a poor representation of the bird life present in this area:
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike: 5 seen, an unusually high number together
- Grey Currawong: several heard and one seen
- New Holland Honeyeater: often present in large numbers, perhaps only 4 or 5 seen this time.
- Red Wattlebird: one seen and several more heard calling
- Little Raven: heard calling from adjacent farmland
- Welcome Swallow: several seen swooping low over the treetops
- Adelaide Rosella: two disturbed from a tree as we walked along the path
- Australian Magpie: many seen in nearby farmland
- Weebill: a small flock heard nearby
As we were driving home via a different route we had fabulous views of two Wedge-tailed Eagles gliding low over the scrub in front of us. Nice end to a slow birding day.
This article was updated in July 2015.
Monarto Conservation Park, South Australia
Monarto Conservation Park, South Australia
Up into the mountains again
4 Comments »14th October, 2007; Category: Trip reports
2007 New South Wales trip report #31
After lunch we continued our drive through the Royal National Park south of Sydney. This drive took us through some beautiful forest areas as we continued to meander our way south towards the city of Wollongong. We didn’t stop along here and three are only a handful of parking spots anyway. Because the road was extremely windy and unfamiliar to us, and as it was now my turn to drive, the birding opportunities were very limited.
The obvious birds flying across in front of the car included Laughing Kookaburras and Pied Currawongs. Leaving the national park we took the road that hugs the coast. Here we drove through a series of small towns dotting the ocean front with some million dollar views along the way. At one stage to elevated road is actually a bridge over the ocean. This was done after landslides caused havoc a few years ago.
Near Woolongong, New South Wales
We skirted around the large city of Wollongong and headed further south, this time travelling on the motorway. I noticed a few Australian Magpies and Common Mynas, the occasional small flock of Galahs and pairs of Eastern and Crimson Rosellas if my memory is correct. I didn’t write them down because I was driving and my wife was busy navigating. (This was only the second time we’d ever been this way; the last time was over thirty years ago.)
We turned off the main road south along the coast and headed inland again. The road was relatively flat for the first fifteen kilometres or so before we climbed rapidly up the Illawarra escarpment. I estimate we went up over a thousand metres about ten kilometres. Whatever the figures it was very steep, twisty and very interesting. On some corners I had to change down to second gear; I was pleased I was not towing a caravan. Some longer trucks would have trouble actually getting around some corners, and there were signs warning about this difficulty.
As we topped the range the views back over the coast were spectacular. It was a pity we could not stop to enjoy another national park on our way up; time was getting away from us. The increased altitude soon dropped the temperature dramatically, and, combined with a cool change moving through, I donned my jumper at the next town we stopped in.
We headed down the main Sydney to Melbourne freeway and then on to Canberra and we were able to make good speed. We were aiming to reach Canberra before dark. Along this section my wife was driving and there was no navigating to attend to, so I was able to observe birds in the fading light. Just north of Canberra I saw three Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, a small family of White-winged Choughs, and more Magpies and Ravens.
I also saw a single White-necked Heron feeding by a creek in a nearby paddock. This is one species I rarely get to see and I don’t know why. It is relatively common, yet I’ve only seen it on a handful of occasions. In fact, I just checked my database – this was the second sighting in twenty years. I am obviously looking in the wrong places – or I don’t get out enough.
Near Woolongong, New South Wales
Cromer Conservation Park
3 Comments »21st October, 2006; Category: Wrens
Cromer Conservation Park
Last Saturday my wife attended a workshop at Mt Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills. The workshop was to help her to identify some of our native grasses, a particularly challenging task. To read about what she learned click here.
While she was at the workshop I drove a few kilometres up the road to Cromer Conservation Park. I’d never been there before so I was keen to explore this small park. It is only about 50 hectares in area but it certainly packs a great deal into its pocket size. As soon as I left the car at the start of the walking trail my attention was drawn to the numerous flowers everywhere. In fact, I was so distracted taking flower photos that I temporarily forgot about the birds.
Burchardia umbellata (",milk maids",)
Eventually my attention drifted back to the birds and to the walking track through the park. This was formerly a two wheel track but over the years it has grown over with plants, leaving a single walking track for the most part. The area is open eucalypt woodland with a significant understory of ground covers, small to medium bushes. Many were in flower. The park is surrounded on two sides by farming land, while Mt Crawford Forest (Radiata pine) is situated on the the other two sides.
Xanthorrhoea semiplana
The bird life is varied and interesting, though only having about two hours to observe, my list is far from complete. A Laughing Kookaburra flew across the road as I arrived, along with several Australian Magpies. Adelaide Rosellas flew through the trees landing occasionally but never in a spot allowing a good photo. Striated Pardalotes were present in good numbers, their calls a constant backdrop sound. Tree Martins swooped for insects just above the treetops.
One of the real delightful sightings was of a number of Eastern Spinebills, a species of honeyeater. I tried to get close enough for a photo but they are restless little critters. They also have a great skill in getting a bunch of leaves, a few twigs or and branch between themselves and my lens. Another day, perhaps. I also had good views of several Buff Rumped Thornbills, not a species I have seen very often.
Superb Blue Wren
I spent about fifteen minutes waiting for several Superb Blue Wrens to come into good photographic view, including a male in full colour breeding splendour. Eventually he did come into view – sort of. The above photo show him peeping nervously through the leaves of a bush. If you click on the photo you will get a better view of this beautiful creature. Again – someday one will come up in clear view, full sunlight and right in focus.