Tag Archives: northern territory

Yellow Waters Sunrise Cruise, Cooinda, Kakadu

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A Yellow Waters Sunrise Cruise is the perfect companion to the Sunset Cruise, especially if you book them together as I wrote about here.  It will be an early wake-up call so you can get the shuttle to the dock but the sunrise is spectacular!

The birds gradually fly in……………… Nankeen Night Heron

Water Lilies

Royal Spoonbill

Radjah Shelduck

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Little Kingfisher

Black-necked Stork

Comb-crested Jacana

Crocodile

Azure Kingfisher

Our guide, Adam knew the birds a lot better than I did and it was with his help that I was able to log them all on eBird.

Yellow Waters Sunset Cruise, Cooinda, Kakadu

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The best way to see LOTS of birds (and a few crocs) with no effort at all is to book a Sunset Cruise with Yellow Waters at Cooinda.  It’s a short drive from the Kakadu Lodge Cooinda and they have a shuttle bus between the lodge and the boat dock.  Not only do you see more birds but you avoid the crowds at the mid-day cruise who are day-tripping from Darwin!

When you book, do it online and be sure to scroll all the way down to where you can add a Sunrise Cruise the next morning (incl bkft) for $36!

The boats are open but try to sit in the front if you are into photography.

Crocs before even leaving the dock.

Darter

Darter

“I will eat you!”

Plumed Whistling Duck

Black-necked Stork

Rainbow Bee-eater

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Darter

Little Corellas

Comb-crested Jacana

Nankeen Night Heron

Azure Kingfisher

Whistling Kite

Towards the end of the cruise, they parked the boats at a nice vantage spot to watch the sunset.

I actually saw more birds than I got photos of.  Here is my full eBird list.

Lodge Review: Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda

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Staying at the Gagudjdu Lodge Cooinda in September wasn’t cheap!  For some reason, this month was higher than August or October and I did plan the trip outside of school holidays.  I was able to bring the cost down somewhat by using Le Club Accor certificates.  40 Euros was equal to about $60 each and between my husband and I we had a few of them.  If you are birding in Kakadu, you really do need to stay at least one night here because this is where the Yellow Water Cruises depart from and they are a MUST!

This was our room in a building that had 4 rooms (I think), 2 on each side.

Very neat and tidy room.  Since it was my birthday, they gave me a bottle of white wine!

Nice assortment of toiletries!

One thing is that they don’t have that many tables in the restaurant.  We ended up on a couch with a coffee table in front of us.

I had a lamb shank which was really good.  They  didn’t have birthday cakes so I ordered this pineapple flavoured dessert.

The next morning, a breakfast buffet was included as part of the Yellow Waters package I bought.  It had a good selection, but again we had to take the same couch as the tables were all full.

We weren’t in a hurry to leave so had a quick swim after breakfast.

A few birds were hanging around the pool, including a Blue-faced Honey-eater, a Great Bowerbird and a pair of Torresian Imperial Pigeons.

There is a small gift & food shop and info centre near reception.

I really liked this lodge for the location and the nice rooms.  The people were very nice and helpful.  There is no wifi but you are way out in the bush!  I was sorry we could only afford one night here, 2 would have been better.

Planning A Birding Trip To Kakadu

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Kakadu National Park is one of Australia’s top attractions so unlike the other places I have been so far on this Northern Territory birding trip, I ran into LOTS of other tourists!  Most of them are there for crocodiles but a few are also interested in birds.  I also found accommodation here to be proportionately more expensive than the other places in the Territory as well.

TOP TIPS FOR BIRDERS IN KAKADU

  • Come in the cooler dry season – April to October.
  • Be aware that many of the roads are accessible only by 4×4 such as Jim Jim, Gubara an Gunlom.
  • Buy your Kakadu Pass in advance online.
  • Visitors Centres have restrooms, maps, information, shops and food available.
  • Download the Kakadu Birds app if you have an iPhone or Android.  I found it extremely useful.  It even has bird calls!

With only a 2WD car, we were still able to do this itinerary that took in most of the park.  We entered from the Pine Creek side and stayed the first night at Cooinda.  Then we stopped for a visit to Nourlangie Rock before going to our 2nd night’s accommodation at Jabiru.  The 3rd day, we made a couple other birding stops before leaving the park and staying at Mary River.

All of this will be covered in detail in future posts!

 

Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)

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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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-TAILED FINCHES

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Australian Finches

VIDEOS

Foraging in the grass.

 

Drinking water

Small flock in Mataranka

 

 

 

Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)

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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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GOULDIAN FINCHES

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

Australian Finches

VIDEOS

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.

 

 

The Katherine Hot Springs

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Katherine’s Hot Springs are a “Must See”, mostly for their natural beauty.  They are definitely not hot, they seemed more like a swimming pool temperature.  They attract both tourists and locals and best of all are totally free to visit!

Just follow the signs!

Turn right at the cockatoo (just kidding).

We didn’t walk the trails (too hot) but they are there.

Keep an eye on the trees near the car park, it was a good place for birds-especially cockatoos, lorikeets and a lifer for us – the beautiful Northern Rosella!

There’s a crocodile warning, not sure why as there were lots of people swimming there.  Head down the long stairway.

There’s some seats and a smaller set of stairs down to the hot springs.  They are slipery so be careful.

After swimming, I was thrilled to spot this little guy.  He was flying from tree to tree and thankfully landed so I could get a good look. 

He was just there to have dinner.

Varied Lorikeet (Psitteuteles versicolor)

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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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VARIED LORIKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

VIDEOS

Stunning close-up to show off their beauty.

Look for them in flowering gum trees like this one.

 

Lodge Review: Knotts Crossing Resort, Katherine

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When planning this trip, I was really torn between staying out at Katherine Gorge in one of the caravan parks or in town.  The deciding factor came down to price (town is much cheaper) and the fact that the Gorge is only a half hour drive from town.  Even better, Knotts Crossing Resort is out on the main road heading towards the Gorge, plus I stumbled on a special rate that included breakfast.

After checking in, they told me how to find the car park closest to our room.  The grounds are very nice, full of trees and birds of course!

Our room was in this block fairly close to reception and the swimming pool.

The rooms are neatly furnished with a double bed and 2 bunks which is standard for a caravan park.

I found that if I lie on the bed near the open door I can JUST barely connect to the wifi.

A nice little swimming pool, we didn’t have time to use it though.

We were happy with Knotts Crossing Resort as a budget option in Katherine and would stay there again if we went back.  Be on the look out with online booking sites for special deals like the one we got that includes breakfast.  They were happy to pack a breakfast for us to take to Katherine Gorge as a picnic, the 2nd morning we got up early and ate at the buffet which opens around 6am-ish.

Katherine – The Town & The Museum

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Firstly I need to say that Katherine gets HOT even in September which is supposed to be spring!  Driving around town revealed some nice informational signs.  Katherine’s location, about 320 kms south of Darwin and in the centre of some great birding hotspots make it an ideal place to stop over, refuel both your car and yourself and pick up some groceries as it has a couple small shopping centres.  If you are traveling around the Northern Territory, you are likely to pass through at least a couple times.

We saw some birds just driving around, starting with these Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.

The area near the tourist information centre is supposed to be good for finches but I think we got there at the wrong time.

White-gaped Honey-eater

Willie Wagtail

The best thing to do during the heat of the day is visit the excellent Katherine Museum. 

I would have bought one of these except I didn’t want to pay for checked luggage on the way home.  What I did buy was the excellent “Top End Birdwatching” by Mike Reed, I just wish I had found it sooner!  The gift shop also has Aboriginal art, didgeridoos, historical books, tea towels and more!

They have a film about the great flood in Katherine, best seen after you’ve driven around town a bit to see the comparison between normal and flooded.

The exhibits include information about the settlers, Aboriginals, railway, mining and more!

I love this wedding dress and couldn’t believe how tiny it is!

Wallabies on the front lawn.

The next building has displays on the Overland Telegraph Line.

Another building has a very old airplane and some exhibits on the Flying Doctors.

The museum will keep you entertained for a couple hours and closes at 4pm…..which is a good time to catch the Bowerbird on the front lawn!