Birding Foxes Lair, Narrogin, Western Australia

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Tara

Foxes Lair is a small reserve on the outskirts of Narrogin, Western Australia. It makes a perfect complement to nearby Dryandra Woodland, especially for parrot watchers.

Google Maps don’t show it but it is where I have made the yellow highlights.

Foxes Lair

It’s well worth planning both a morning visit and an afternoon visit here as you can get different birds. I saw more Carnaby’s Cockatoos & Galahs in the morning and in the afternoon, I got my first look at Red Capped Parrots and Regent Parrots and of course more Port Lincoln Ringnecks.

Here’s a few pics of the birds I saw over 2 days. Sorry about the silhouettes of the Carnaby’s Cockatoos, it was around 5:30am-ish! You can see birds both on the side of the road near the caravan park opposite Foxes Lair and then drive into the reserve where there is a car park and a few trails you can follow.

You can stay in Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.

Lodge Review: Bella’s Country Place, Narrogin, Western Australia

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Tara

Bella’s Country Place is a fairly new bed & breakfast in the town of Narrogin near Dryandra Woodland. It has all the charm you could hope for in a small town B&B and Lizette, the friendly, cheerful owner goes out of her way to make her guests feel welcome.

I wish I had gotten more photos but I was so distracted by all the birds in the area, I had completely forgotten to get photos of the rooms! There are some pics on their website, some rooms are ensuite and some have shared bathrooms.

What I really liked is that the house is far enough from town so there is a lot of birdlife nearby but it’s close enough for quick trips into town for meals or shopping. There is also a well-equipped kitchen if you choose to self-cater and some washing machines and a clothesline which is great news for birders on a budget.

Breakfast is included in the very reasonable rates and Lizette is happy to prepare packed picnic breakfasts if you are making an early start to Dryandra for birding.

I really enjoyed my stay at Bella’s Country Place and am happy to recommend that birders heading to Dryandra Woodland and Foxes Lair stay here!

Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Tara

Dryandra Woodland offers amazing birding only a couple hours drive from Perth! Use your miles to get here and then hire a car so you can explore this beautiful park on your own.

Although you could visit Dryandra Woodland as a day trip from Perth, I highly recommend staying a night or two here so you can visit all the water holes and birding areas. You can stay either in the park or in Narrogin, about a half hour’s drive from Dryandra.

The Lion’s Dryandra Village has the advantage of being right inside the park so no commuting and you can easily do the night tour at Barna Mia. You do need to be completely self-sufficient and bring your own food and bed linens.

Otherwise you can stay in the closest town of Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.

The official park website has a brochure you can download. I have marked some prime birding location in yellow on the screenshot below. The Old Mill Dam was the best place, I personally saw several Western Rosellas, Australian Ringnecks, Rainbow Bee-eaters and more (see bird list links below).

Dryandra birding spots

The bird list is very impressive and Frank O’Connor’s website has some great location details complete with co-ordinates for your GPS. Eremaea also has a bird list for Dryandra Woodland.

Here are some photos I took at Dryandra Woodlands.

Australian Ringneck

Common Bronzewing

Scarlet Robin wants a bath

Some New Holland Honey-eaters join in.

TBD

Western Rosellas wait for the chance to drink. I was really happy to see them after I saw a video that they were disappearing.

Although this Ringneck didn’t approach too close to the Rosellas, they still flew off when he was joined by others. It’s clear the Ringneck is the dominating species.