The rain continued today and seemed to be more continuous today than the last few days. Despite that, Istill managed to pick up several new birds including one of my three top targets for this area. With the rain this morning I decided to just sleep in and take it easy instead of getting all wet and muddy. Eventually, Iheaded into Esperance to resupply and update my weblog and other things before heading west.
I got on the road just after noon and stopped a few places along the way. The best stop by far was at the Fitzgerald River Bridge. I had been told that this had once been a reliable spot for Western Whipbird as well as a number of other species. Since the rain had let up for the moment I decided to give it a shot. Amazingly, after about 15 minutes, I spotted a whipbird moving through the brush. Iowent back to the car and got the camera but over the next hour or so wasn't able to get a clear shot. However, just seeing this bird was quite an accomplishment.
Southwest Western Australia is a bit infamous with Australian birders as it is home to the three "skulkers," These three species, the Noisy Scurb-Bird, Western Bristlebird, and Western Whipbird, are endemic to the area and notoriously difficult to see. They all prefer dense cover and spend a lot of time on the ground. The Scrub-bird in particular is notorious for being easy to hear, often quite closely, but evading sight. The next week or so will be dedicated to seeing these birds as well as many other of the southwest endemics. It is my goal to see all three and photograph at least one species. We will see how it goes. I have another site for the whipbird that I will try tomorrow morning.
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