A little bit south-east - Wickepin and Dryandra Woodland

Wickepin

20 – 21 October 2018

Mick had been in touch with a local birder who suggested a visit to Toolibin Lake, so a stop in nearby Wickepin was next. We drove through drizzling rain, and more wind. After a late lunch stop in Narrogin we arrived in Wickepin. We found the small council caravan park, but the caretaker was out and not expected to return until 6.30pm – a sign on the gate suggested phoning her for the code for the amenities if required. I phoned but the call went to message bank. Debating what to do, we decided to try calling again, then drive out to Lake Toolibin.

The caretaker returned my call when we were just out of town, so we continued on to the lake knowing that we could stay at Wickepin. The lake was a winner, with the birds Mick was after in the trees as we pulled in to the car park. Lake Toolibin is the last seasonal lake left in the Wheatbelt of WA and is a RAMSAR listed site. We spent a while there before returning to Wickepin.

The information I received from Greg was spot on. We saw Elegant Parrots as soon as we arrived at Lake Toolibin.

The Elegant Parrots were very shy so this is taken from some distance.

We drove out to the lake again in the morning and were rewarded with clear skies and more birdy action. From there we drove the back roads into Narrogin and went to the Visitor Information Centre where curiously, the volunteer didn’t seem to know anything about the nearby Dryandra Woodland. I found a brochure with information and a map, so we were on our way again.

Dryandra Woodland - Gnaala Mia Campground
21 - 23 October 2018

On the way to the campground we made a couple of short stops within the woodland - at the Old Mill picnic area and the Arboretum. We arrived at Gnaala Mia campground and took a drive around to find the best spot. There are two "loops" with camping for caravans and tents scattered around. Each loop has a couple of toilet blocks and also a camp kitchen - covered BBQs, tables and food prep area. We chose a site in the first loop and had the place to ourselves for most of our time there.

Colourful new growth on a Banksia.

Grevillea flower

Beautiful wildflowers were plentiful.

Juvenile Western Spinebill.

Western Thornbill

Black Honeyeater.

A WA endemic, the Gilbert's Honeyeater .

Grey Currawong.

Rufous Treecreeper.

Western Yellow-robin, another WA endemic.

Juvenile Red-capped Parrot, a WA endemic and new bird for me.

Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo

Mick was happy with the birding and spent a lot of time in and around the campground. We also went on the 3 km walk that took us through a couple of different looking habitats. Before we left on our second morning we drove over to the Lions Dryandra Village for one of the walks there that a fellow birder had suggested. The Kawana Walk is a moderate (Class 2) 3.3 kilometre walk though brown mallee plantation and kwongan heath. It wasn't as productive as we had hoped but the big bonus was, on the way there, we saw a numbat run across the road in front of the car. Fortunately it was close enough for a good look, but far enough away that there was no danger I would hit it. Once on the other side of the road Mick saw it stand up on a log, but it had disappeared into a hollow before he could get the camera out.

We set off after lunch for the drive back to the coast and a few days in Busselton.