The Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda) is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia; also known as the Blackheart Finch, Shaft-tail Finch, Heck’s Grassfinch, Heck’s Grass Finch, and Heck’s Finch.
They have a large range across northern Australia. I saw them very well at the finch spot on Edith Falls Road in the Northern Territory.
Foraging in the grass.
Drinking water
Small flock in Mataranka
The Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould’s Finch or the Rainbow Finch, is a colourful passerine bird endemic to Australia.
I took these close ups a few years ago at the Rainbow Jungle in Kalbarri, WA, at least they’re my shots and not a Wikipedia shot!
And here’s a flock of juvenile Gouldians at the Edith Falls Road spot.
They are endemic to northern Australia with small populations in the Northern Territory and north-western Queensland. The best place to see them is the hotspot near Edith Falls Road. There is a detailed hand-drawn map in this book that I can’t print here for copyright reasons.
I wish a flock like this would come in my back yard! Watch for the red-heads.
Joining other finches at a watering hole.
Mini-doco on Gouldian Finches.
We first visited Edith Falls a few days before but didn’t really know where the best birding spots were. Now that I had the “Top End Birdwatching” book, it was easy to find the place where Gouldian Finches are best seen. It’s not down near the caravan park where we were before. It’s a few kms off the main road.
A small flock of young Gouldian Finches, a couple of them were starting to get the adult colouring.
Long-tailed Finches were also plentiful here.
And Double-barred Finches.
Should I bathe here?
Mike Reed, the author of “Top End Birdwatching” was there, we were lucky to meet him here!
The Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus), also known as Brown’s Parakeet or Smutty Rosella (Huh?), is found in Australia’s Top End. It is found in open savannah country throughout the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley.
It was first described by German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin venustus “charming, lovely or graceful”. (That’s more like it!)
This lovely, graceful bird was seen near the Katherine Hot Springs innocently having dinner and not acting smutty in the least!
They have a large range from the Kimberley in WA across the Northern Territory’s Top End to far north-west Queensland. I saw one quite well in Katherine and some others streaking past at Copperfield Dam near Pine Creek. They are also seen regularly in some parts of Kakadu.
Surprisingly, there isn’t much on wild birds but I did find this short clip of a pair foraging in the grass.
The Varied Lorikeet (Psitteuteles versicolor) is a cute and colourful species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to northern Australia. Unbelieveably, I stumbled across a small flock at Donkey Camp Weir near Katherine!
The Varied Lorikeet lives in tropical eucalypt forests, wetland and grassland areas in northern Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. They are highly nomadic so it’s a matter of luck, but you can see where I got lucky at Donkey Camp Weir.
Stunning close-up to show off their beauty.
Look for them in flowering gum trees like this one.
The Red-collared Lorikeet (Trichoglossus rubritorquis) was previously considered a subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet, but today most major authorities consider them as separate species. They have become world famous for their drunken antics which sounds like it could be funny but really isn’t as it exposes them to predators.
They are easily found within their range, especailly in Australia’s Northern Territory and are very noisy so you can’t miss them! I saw them around the Darwin area, Pine Creek, Edith Falls, Katherine, Outback Northern Territory, Nitmikuk and Kakadu.
Lets start with some sober parrots foraging as usual.
And here’s a story about the drunk lorikeets.
This is post #1 about Edith Falls in the Northern Territory because I was not to know it at the time but we missed the prime birding hotspots. I didn’t realize this until I bought the “Top End Birdwatching” book at the Katherine Museum a few days later. Anyway, we got an early start out of Pine Creek and drove about 50kms to the Edith Falls turn-off which is well marked, you can’t miss it.
We drove slowly along the Edith Falls Road and kept our ears and eyes open. It proved to be a parrot paradise with all kinds of psittascine psightings! First up was this Galah.
Then came a Red-collared Lorikeet.
And an acrobatic Red-winged Parrot.
Pied Butcherbird watches from above.
The Edith Falls Road enters Nitmiluk National Park.
We saw lots of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.
A young Red-winged Parrot foraging.
Willie Wagtails are also everywhere.
There is a campground and snack bar at the end of the road. You can also park here and walk the various trails.
I decided this little bridge would be a good vantage point so set up the cameras to wait for birds.
I didn’t have to wait long for Red-collared Lorikeets.
White-gaped Honey-eater
Helmeted-Friarbird
Elegant Red-collared Lorikeets
Collared Sparrowhawk.
Information boards at the campground
Camp reception and snack bar
Men take notice!
Aboriginal art decorated bathrooms
Red-winged Parrot
Camping facilities, looks like a nice place to hang out!
Bar-shouldered Dove
Torresian Crow
Shy birds hiding!
Leaden Flycatcher
Great Bowerbird
Peaceful Dove
I hope I got all those birds right, if I didn’t please comment so I can correct it!
We hung around a couple hours, then headed off towards Katherine as we still had a long drive to Victoria River Crossing ahead!
The Hooded Parrot (Psephotus dissimilis) is found in savannah and open woodland and is one of two extant species in its genus that breed in termite mounds. In the photos below which I took at Pine Creek you can see the difference between the males and females. The males have the brilliant turquoise bodies while the females are more subdued light green.
This speckly little cutie is a young male just coming into his adult colouring.
This looks like a juvenile female from the big eyes and subdued colouring.
Hooded Parrots are endemic to Australia’s Northern Territory and most easily seen around Pine Creek and Edith Falls.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
A quick drink
Foraging in the grass.
Birding tour group finds some Hoodies in a termite mound and in trees.
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) also known as Banksian- or Banks’ Black Cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo native to Australia.
C. b. banksii is found in Queensland and, rarely, in far northern New South Wales
C. b. graptogyne, (Endangered) known as the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, is found in southwestern Victoria and southeastern South Australia in an area bordered by Mount Gambier to the west, Portland to the south, Horsham to the northeast and Bordertown to the north
C. b. macrorhynchus, given the name great-billed cockatoo by Mathews; is found across northern Australia.
C. b. naso (Near Threatened) is known as the forest red-tailed black cockatoo and is found in the southwest corner of Western Australia between Perth and Albany.
C. b. samueli exists in four scattered populations: in central coastal Western Australia from the Pilbara south to the northern Wheatbelt in the vicinity of Northam, and inland river courses in Central Australia, southwestern Queensland and the upper Darling River system in Western New South Wales. Birds of this subspecies are generally smaller with smaller bills than the nominate banksii.
Good places to spot this gregarious and cheeky cockatoo are: Along the coast of Western Australia, the Northern Territory south of Darwin, most parks in South-east Queensland.
Beautiful close-ups of cockatoos foraging and pair bonding.
Filmed at Paradise Park, this slo-mo clip shows the bird in flight.
Flock roosting near Cairns
The Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. They are sometimes referred to as Bicheno’s finch; and also as owl finch, owing to the dark ring of feathers around their faces.
The name of the species commemorates James Ebenezer Bicheno, a colonial secretary of Van Diemen’s Land appointed in September 1842.
I saw these guys at the Edith Falls Campground in the Northern Territory.
And these are from Wikipedia
They have a good sized range in Australia but to date the only places I have seen them is Mosquito Creek Road near Lake Coolmunda and Edith Falls in the Northern Territory.
Up close and personal with Double Barred Finches, very cute little bird!