The uncommon bird highlights were: Gibberbird, Orange Chat, Inland Dotterel, Eurasian Tree Sparrows at Cowra!, Bourke's Parrot, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Black Falcon, Black-breasted Buzzard, Red- browed Pardalote, Hall's Babbler, and Chestnut-crowned Babbler. Space constraints permit mention of only a few other memorable bird experiences: friendly Spotted Bowerbirds bathing; Australian Pratincoles on a clay-pan; Spinifex Pigeons nestling in the dust (west of Windorah, at the eastern edge of their range); sunlit cameos of Major Mitchell's Cockatoos; Red-winged and Mulga Parrots; clouds of zebbies and budgies around waterholes; the yapunyah in flower and alive with woodswallows and the ubiquitous miners and White- plumed Honeyeaters; the White-breasted Woodswallows all in a row; great view of Ground Cuckoo-shrike; seven wedgies in the space of 15 minutes eating road kills; Emus with chicks lolloping away from the bus; and will any of us forget the Brolgas, especially the two that danced. In all,152 species for the trip.
For the sake of those who were more botanically than ornithologically minded (and even Ian McMahon was caught surreptitiously photographing vegetative matter), mention is made of the following, enjoyed by all: mulga, coolabah (lunches under the shade of), grey box, calitris, gidgee, ghost gums, spinifex, parakeelya, nardoo, honeysuckle oak, ooline, Mitchell grass and miniritchie trees with their curly red bark.
As well as flora and fauna certain incidents come to mind: Pat's swim in Cooper Creek, Carol's ear-to-ear smile when at last we got Bourke's Parrots, Ian's relief when Hall's Babblers were finally tracked down, Margo's hysterical laughter (and ours!) when she fell backwards off a bucking bronco, the bore water at Thargomindah running since 1893; a difficult bus tyre change in a remote place; brilliant red sand dune bedecked with flowers; the lizard racecourse set-up, memorial to a racing cockroach and a shop that sold everything, all at Eulo; jump-ups and gibber plains; endles areas of sad over-grazed land; the louts at Cunnamulla who not only ate our breakfast but left without paying their bill; and on the bus the ritual of passing the lolly bag around, BOPing, and the constant fun and good humour.
We would, however, have appreciated a short time set aside each evening before dinner for the traditional bird call. This get-together over drinks and nibbles contributes to the learning process, especially for beginners, and reinforces what has been seen during the day.
Our thanks to Ian and Margaret for their expertise and conscientious attention. This turned out to be a difficult tour for them. Marg battled the flu/cold/cough syndrome right from day one and Ian became ill for the first time ever on a tour. He was diagnosed at Charleville Hospital as having pneumonia but, whilst a more prominent person languished in hosptal with the same illness, Ian battled on as best he could. About half the group succumbed to coughs and colds. Apart from those unforseeable problems this was a very good tour.
Phyl Goddard