Western Australia
birding extravaganza 9 days, June 2020
What to bring: Please travel light; Binoculars, camera,
insect repellent, sunscreen, hat. Sturdy footwear
recommended. Scopes and heavy suitcases are discouraged.
Clothing: Lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirt, over
the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as
necessary, including a thick jumper or wind-proof jacket.
Group size: Minimum & maximum 8 participants.
Cost: $14,199* per person including accommodation and all
meals, based on double or twin-share occupancy. Single supple-
ment of $1100. Not included: drinks, tips & personal expenses.
Bookings: Online at http://www,bellbirdtours.com/bookings or
please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure.
Only 8 seats available. There is high demand for this tour already.
Tour starts & ends: Essendon airport, Melbourne,
Vic.
Scheduled departure date: Tuesday 23 June 2020
Following two successful Air Safari birding tours by private
plane, we’re proud to offer the Western Australia Birding
Extravaganza from Perth to the Kimberley. Targeting all local
specialties, we’ll once again be using our own private
chartered aircraft for this trip. Visiting iconic birding
destinations such as Shark Bay, inland WA, the Pilbara, the
Kimberley (including Broome) and Mitchell Plateauthis
once-in-a lifetime tour is bound to boost your species list
significantly. We’ll be using our own private chartered
aircraft for this trip, while ground excursions will be
delivered by local bird guides in 4WD’s. This trip is a real
adventure (yet fully accommodated), taking us across the vast
expanse of the western Australian continent in comfort. Expect
to see over 200 species, including Western Quail-thrush,
Sandhill/Western/Pilbara/Black Grasswrens, Spinifex Pigeon, Grey
Grey & Kimberley Honeyeater, Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon,
Buff-sided Robin, Red-headed Honeyeater, many endemics and
a vast array of other exciting birds. While we may encounter
chilly mornings, during this time of year the weather is generally
quite pleasant. The accommodation is in comfortable en-suite
rooms and the rewards will be a great spread of Australia’s
western outback bird species!
Leader: Peter Waanders
Trip reports and photos of previous tours:
http://www.bellbirdtours.com/
*Price based on 8 participants; a surcharge will apply if
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
Departs: Melbourne’s Essendon Airport, Main Terminal on June 23, 2020
Cost: AUD 14,199 inc GST per person. Single accommodation surcharge: AUD 1100 inc GST. This price is
based on 8 participants. In the unlikely event that we receive less than 8 bookings, a surcharge will apply. In this case, you will be
given the option to either pay the extra or withdraw your booking.
Included:
- All private charter flights in our aircraft
- All ground transport in comfortable and reliable 4WD vehicles
- All accommodation on twin share basis, basic but comfortable motel or cabin
- All meals (continental breakfast (cooked on occasion), light lunch and a variety of 2 course
dinners)
- Expert guiding: the tour will be led by Peter Waanders and accompanied by local guides.
- Refillable sports drink bottle to reduce plastic water bottle use
Not included:
- Travel to & from departure and finish points, pre & post trip accommodation, any meals not
mentioned, any drinks, personal expenses, tips, insurance.
- Additional activities not included in the program
Bookings:
- Please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. We can also arrange your
pre and post tour accommodation – please contact us for details.
Reports of previous tours:
- As this is a new tour, there are no trip reports available, however, we ran a very successful Great
Grasswren tour in 2016 using the same plane and another very successful Great Northern tour in
2018 using the same plane. We have been running Six and Nine Grasswren tours since 2006 and
their trip reports can be found here: http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports/
http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports/
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
ITINERARY
Day 1: Tuesday 23 June. Melbourne-Adelaide-Perth. Early morning
departure aboard our own comfortable, pressurized private airplane from
Melbourne to Pert (WA). If necessary, we stop in Adelaide to pick up
participants there. We’ll then fly over the Great Australian Bight providing
spectacular views. We’ll stop near here, at Forrest, in the middle of nowhere, for
lunch and to re-fuel. We arrive in Perth in time for dinner. Any Perth-based
participants can join us here. Accommodation: Country Comfort Motel
Belmont, Perth (en-suite motel room; meals; L, D).
Day 2: Wednesday 24 June. Perth – Cue. We’ll make an early departure
for our short flight to Cue in inland, outback Western Australia. spend the full
day birding the area between Cue and Mount Magnet, searching for Sandhill
Grasswren and Western Quail-thrush. Another drawcard here is Bourke’s Parrot
which we’ve seen on most prior visits. We’ll also spend time looking for other
good species of the area, including Redthroat, Western Bowerbird, Little
Woodswallow, Purple-backed Fairy-wren and Slaty-backed Thornbill.
Accommodation: Motel in Cue or Mt Magnet (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B,
L, D).
Day 3: Thursday 25 June. Cue-Shark Bay. After some more morning
birding we’ll take a short flight to Shark Bay. This World Heritage site is located
on the westernmost point of the Australian continent, and its coastal habitats
have a number of exceptional natural features, the most well-known of which
are its beds of stromatolites (colonies of microbial mats that form hard, dome-
shaped deposits which are said to be the oldest life forms on earth). The
beautiful remote scenery is home to a population of Western Grasswren which
will be the main target of our visit. There are also Purple-backed Fairy-wren,
Chiming Wedgebill and Rufous Fieldwren here. We’ll stay at the Monkey Mia
resort, right on the beach where Indo-pacific Dolphins regularly come in to
feed. Accommodation: Monkey Mia Resort, Shark Bay (en-suite hotel rooms;
meals: B, L, D).
Day 4: Friday 26 June. Shark Bay – Newman. Another chance of Western
Grasswren this morning, and after watching the dolphins come in to shore, we
take a 2-hr flight to Newman, located centrally in the Pilbara and surrounded by
millions of acres of spinifex and rocky outcrops. Today’s main target is the
Spinifex Pigeon, Australian
Pratincole, Birding, Black-breasted
Buzzard, Dusky Grasswren © P
Waanders
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
recently-split Pilbara Grasswren (was whitei ssp of Striated) in the rocky
spinifex-covered hills just outside the town. Other birds we may see today
include Spinifex Pigeon, Spinifexbird, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Western
Gerygone, Major Mitchell Cockatoo and after we’ve located the grasswrens
we’ll commence the search for Grey Honeyeater, while we also stand a good
chance of Painted Finch, Grey-headed Honeyeater and Slaty-backed Thornbill.
Accommodation: Seasons Hotel, Newman (en-suite hotel rooms; meals: B,L,D).
Day 5: Saturday 27 June. Newman-Broome. If needed, another
chance for Pilbara Grasswren or any other birds desired but we’d like to make
an early departure to nearby bird hotspot Broome. We will visit the famous
Broome Bird Observatory we’ll explore famous Roebuck Bay and
neighbouring areas in search of waders (with chance of Asian Dowitcher,
Broadbilled Sandpiper and who knows: Common Redshank) and other
shorebirds, as well as Striated Heron, Eastern Reef Egret, White-breasted and
Mangrove Whistler, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Dusky Gerygone, Red-headed
Honeyeater, Yellow White-eye and many, many more excellent birds!
Accommodation: Kimberley Sands Resort, Broome (basic motel rooms with
shared facilities; meals: B, L, D).
Day 6: Sunday 28 June. Broome-Drysdale. We’ll bird the morning
around Broome and/or the Bird Observatory, then an exciting and scenic
flight over the Kimberley awaits us to reach Drysdale Station, centrally located
in the remote Kimberley. Arriving at Drysdale, we’ll check into our
accommodation and have lunch, then spend the afternoon birding the local
area. Species we may encounter here include Purple-crowned Fairy-wren,
Long-tailed and Crimson Finch, Northern Shrike-tit, Banded, Bar-breasted,
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Silver-crowned Friarbird and more.
Accommodation: Drysdale Station (basic motel rooms with shared facilities;
meals: B, L, D).
Painted Finch, Rufous-crowned Emu-
wren, © G Jones, Gouldian Finch © L
Ross
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
Day 7: Monday 29 June. We’ll spend the full day birding around laid-back Drysdale Station with further chances of Kimberley Honeyeater, as
well as other good birds such as Crested (Northern) Shrike-tit, Purple-
crowned Fairy-wren, Banded, Bar-breasted, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater
Honeyeater, Long-tailed and Crimson Finch, Silver-crowned Friarbird and
more. Accommodation: Drysdale Station (basic motel rooms with shared
facilities; meals: B, L, D).
Day 8: Tuesday 30 June. Today we’ll search for Black Grasswren. Our plane will take us to the Mitchell Falls airstrip (15min) from where we’ll be
helicoptered (15min) to the Mitchell Falls area, enjoying a stunning view of
the falls on the way. We’ll spend most of the day exploring the landscape
here, with its mix of tall grasses interspersed with huge boulders, and
spinifex-clad slopes. Having found the Black Grasswren, we’ll turn our focus
to other birds, such as Kimberley Honeyeater, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon,
Partridge Pigeon, Buff-sided Robin and more. At the end of the day, we’ll hit
the skies again heading east to arrive in Kununurra in time for a well-earned
dinner. Accommodation: motel in Kununurra (en-suite motel rooms; meals:
B, L, D).
Day 9: Wednesday 1 July. Our final morning means an early start to go birding the swamps and lagoons and surrounding bush, around
Kununurra. We aim for birds including Black-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis, Green
Pygmy-goose, Wandering and Plumed whistling-duck, Grey-fronted, White-
throated & Yellow-tined Honeyeater, Silver-backed Butcherbird, Northern
Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher, Red-collared Lorikeet and much more. And of
course there’s always a chance of Gouldian Finches and Yellow-rumped
Mannikins! Mid-morning we depart and fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock) of which
we’ll have fantastic views from the air. We land here, for lunch, and then
continue on to Adelaide to drop any SA-based passengers before reaching
our final destination, Essendon airport in Melbourne, at the end of the day.
(TOUR ENDS; meals: B, L).
White-quilled Rock Pigeon © P
Waanders, Rainbow Pitta © L Ross,
Australian Bustard © P Waanders
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
Uluru © P Waanders, Red-collared
Lorikeet © L Ross, Black Grasswren,
Black-necked Stork, Buff-sided Robin
© P Waanders
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
Western Australia 9-day birding extravaganza 2020
Emu
Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Brown Quail
Stubble Quail
King Quail
Plumed Wistling-duck
Wandering Whistling Duck
Raja Shelduck
Green Pygmy-goose
Magpie Goose
Musk Duck
Black Swan
Australian Shelduck
Radjah Shelduck
Australian Wood Duck
Pink-eared Duck
Australasian Shoveler
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Pacific Black Duck
Hardhead
Australasian Grebe
Hoary-headed Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Rock Dove
Spotted Dove
Common Bronzewing
Spinifex Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Squatter Pigeon
Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon
White-quilled Rock-pigeon
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Diamond Dove
Peaceful Dove
Rose-crowned Fruit-dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
Emerald Dove
Torresian Imperial Pigeon
Banded Fruit-dove
Tawny Frogmouth
Spotted Nightjar
Australian Owlet-nightjar
Large-tailed Nightjar
Australasian Darter
Darter
Little Pied Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Pied Cormorant
Australian Pelican
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Cattle Egret
White-necked Heron
White-faced Heron
Great-billed Heron
Striated Heron
Pied Heron
Little Egret
Eastern Reef Egret
Nankeen Night-Heron
Black Bittern
Little Bittern
Black-necked Stork (Jabiru)
Glossy Ibis
Australian White Ibis
Straw-necked Ibis
Royal Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Black-shouldered Kite
Whistling Kite
Black Kite
Brahminy Kite
Square-tailed Kite
Black-breasted Buzzard
Brown Goshawk
Grey Goshawk
Red Goshawk
Collared Sparrowhawk
Pacific Baza
Spotted Harrier
Swamp Harrier
Osprey
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Little Eagle
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Brolga
Purple Swamphen
Baillon's Crake
Australian Spotted Crake
Spotless Crake
White-browed Crake
Buff-banded Rail
Black-tailed Native-hen
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Comb-crested Jacana
Australian Bustard
Pied Oystercatcher
Sooty Oystercatcher
Beach Stone-curlew
Bush Stone-curlew
Australian Painted Snipe
Eastern Curlew
Whimbrel
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
Black-winged Stilt
Red-necked Avocet
Banded Stilt
Red-capped Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Grey Plover
Lesser Sand Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
Black-fronted Dotterel
Red-kneed Dotterel
Oriental Plover
Banded Lapwing
Masked Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Terek Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Ruddy Turnstone
Red-necked Stint
Sanderling
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Great Knot
Red Knot
Grey-tailed Tattler
Little Button-quail
Possible species list
Great Northern 12-day birding tour 2018
Red-backed Button-quail
Red-chested Button-quail
Chestnut-backed Button-quail
Australian Pratincole
Crested Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Black Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
Silver Gull
Nankeen Kestrel
Brown Falcon
Australian Hobby
Grey Falcon
Black Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Galah
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Long-billed Corella
Little Corella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
Cockatiel
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red-collared Lorikeet
Varied Lorikeet
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Regent Parrot
Eastern Rosella
Crimson Rosella (Adelaide,
Yellow)
Northern Rosella
Aust. Ringneck (Pt Lin-coln,
Mallee, Cloncurry)
Red-rumped Parrot
Budgerigar
Bourke's Parrot
Red-winged Parrot
Hooded Parrot
Pheasant Coucal
Koel
Brush Cuckoo
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Southern Boobook
Eastern Barn Owl
Barking Owl
Rufous Owl
Laughing Kookaburra
Blue-winged Kookaburra
Red-backed Kingfisher
Azure Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Forest Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Little Kingfisher
Rainbow Bee-eater
Dollarbird
Rainbow Pitta
Western Bowerbird
Spotted Bowerbird
Great Bowerbird
Brown Treecreeper
Black-tailed Treecreeper
Superb Fairy-wren
Splendid Fairy-wren
White-winged Fairy-wren
Variegated Fairy-wren
Red-backed Fairy-wren
Purple-crowned Fairy-wren
Rufous-crowned Emu-wren
(Sandhill Grasswren)
Carpentarian Grasswren
Dusky Grasswren
Kalkadoon Grasswren
Black Grasswren
White-throated Grasswren
White-browed Scrubwren
Weebill
Western Gerygone
Large-billed Gerygone
White-throated Gerygone
Mangrove Gerygone
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Slaty-backed Thornbill
Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill
Inland Thornbill
Southern Whiteface
Banded Whiteface
Spotted Pardalote
Red-browed Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Pied Honeyeater
Singing Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater
Grey-fronted Honeyeater
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
White-fronted Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Banded Honeyeater
Rufous-banded Honeyeater
Rufous-throated Honeyeater
White-gaped Honeyeater
Kimberley Honeyeater
White-lined Honeyeater
Little Friarbird
Helmeted Friarbird
Silver-crowned Friarbird
Noisy Miner
Yellow-throated Miner
Bar-breasted Honeyeater
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
Red Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Crimson Chat
Orange Chat
White-fronted Chat
Yellow Chat
Black Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Black-chinned Honeyeater
White-throated Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Dusky Honeyeater
Red-headed Honeyeater
White-lined Honeyeater
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater
White-browed Babbler
Chestnut-crowned Babbler
Grey-crowned Babbler
Cinnamon Quail-thrush
Chestnut Quail-thrush
Chiming Wedgebill
Chirruping Wedgebill
Varied Sittella
Ground Cuckoo-shrike
Possible species list
Great Northern 12-day birding tour 2018
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Cicadabird
White-winged Triller
Varied Triller
Crested Shrike-tit
Northern Shrike-tit
Gilbert's Whistler
Rufous Whistler
Grey Whistler
Mangrove Golden Whistler
White-breasted Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
Sandstone Shrike-thrush
Little Shrike-thrush
Buff-sided Robin
Mangrove Robin
Figbird
Olive-backed Oriole
Green Oriole
Yellow Oriole
Spangled Drongo
Crested Bellbird
White-breasted Woodswallow
Masked Woodswallow
White-browed Woodswallow
Black-faced Woodswallow
Little Woodswallow
Dusky Woodswallow
Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
Silver-backed Butcherbird
Black Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Grey Fantail
Arafura Fantail
Mangrove Grey Fantail
Northern Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Australian Raven
Little Raven
Little Crow
Torresian Crow
Restless Flycatcher
Paperbark Flycatcher
Leaden Flycatcher
Shining Flycatcher
Broad-billed Flycatcher
Kimberley Flycatcher
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher
Magpie-lark
White-winged Chough
Apostlebird
Jacky Winter
Hooded Robin
Horsfield's Bushlark
Eurasian Skylark
Australian Reed-Warbler
Little Grassbird
Tawny Grassbird
Golden-headed Cisticola
Zitting Cisticola
Rufous Songlark
Brown Songlark
Spinifexbird
Silvereye
Yellow White-eye
White-backed Swallow
Welcome Swallow
Fairy Martin
Tree Martin
Common Blackbird
Common Starling
Mistletoebird
Zebra Finch
Painted Finch
Red-browed Finch
Crimson Finch
Star Finch
Masked Finch
Double-barred Finch
Long-tailed Finch
Gouldian Finch
Pictorella Mannikin
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Yellow-rumped Mannikin
House Sparrow
Australasian Pipit
European Goldfinch
Possible species list
Tour Booking Form
This form contains 3 pages. Please print out and complete each page, and sign where indicated. Scan and email, or send by postal mail, with payment (see last page) to the address above.
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tick if you do not want to receive future updates, news and special offers from Bellbird Tours by email
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Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008
BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA
Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61409 763172
www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected]
ABN 40 159 352 002
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______________________________________________________________________________ Accommodation requirements (please circle):
Single Room (surcharge applies) / Double Room (2 people, 1 bed) / Twin Share (2 people, 2 beds) (If you are a solo traveller and want to share a room: we will try to team you up with another solo traveller, however this cannot be guaranteed. A single surcharge applies for single occupancy)
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______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Optional extras:
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(continued on next page)
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I/we agree to book this tour. I/we have read and understood, and accept the terms and conditions. I/we accept the release and waiver from liability.
Signature 1: _______________________________ Signature 2: __________________________ Print Name 1: ______________________________ Name 2: ____________________________ Date:______________________________________Date: _______________________________ To secure a seat, a deposit of 20% of the tour price is required at the time of booking. Full payment is due 60 days prior to the departure date. Until full payment has been received, Bellbird Tours reserves the right to change the tour price (eg due to changing fuel prices). Please tick which of the following payment options you will be using to pay the deposit:
Domestic electronic funds transfer: please send funds to the following bank account:
• bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000
• account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd
• Branch No. (BSB) 015-140 Account No. 206136528 - Please use your surname as the booking reference.
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• international swift code: anzbau3m (no IBAN codes are used in Australia)
• bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000
• account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd
• Branch No. (BSB) 015-140 Account No. 206136528 - If possible, please use your surname as the booking reference. - If you are required to provide our physical address, this is: 101 Chilton Road, Berri, SA 5343,
Australia. - Please specify AU$ as the recipient’s currency, and the correct amount. Select the option for you to
incur any charges at both ends; if no such option exists, please add AU$20 to cover the bank fee at the recipient’s end. Any discrepancy between the amount payable and amount received will be added to the final balance, or payable in cash at the start of the tour. Prices and fees are not negotiable.
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