The King's Highway - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

To say it's a long way from Perth to Port Hedland could be construed as something of an understatement, but that is the plan. In the absence of my friend Hugh Dampney the idea of doing the drive to Darwin has simply been postponed until Hugh gets freed-up on the farm and can accompany me. As the Bikers Grave shows there are some who don't make it.

Apart from this 45Km stretch of bush fire there are a multitude of tidy sea-side villages

on the northbound leg of the journey,

with an intent to visit as many of these as is possible in the time allowed. The return journey will be in stark contrast, but we'll get to that later!

First I had to overcome a road-hazard of my own as a pair of

AUSTRALIAN SHELDUCK decided to scrub round using the Pelican Crossing (surely that's racist?).

 CRESTED TERN

By-passing Lancelin, as the road is a dead-end and would necessitate a lengthy drive back, the first port of call if you like Jurien Bay where it was hostel style accommodation.

However, the beach and the small jetty was alive with Crested (I like to call them GREAT Crested) Terns

and on closer inspection the odd CASPIAN TERN.

another CRESTED

The surf beach had its share of SILVER GULLS which I never did discover what food they were finding on the Kelp swamped sands.

 

CASPIAN TERN

SILVER GULL along with PIED OYSTERCATCHER.

A fortunate decision to back-track a little further inland

afforded me distant views of one of my favourite World Raptors

the delicate but deadly BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE. Via the photographs I have been able to eliminate Letter-winged Kite as this individual had the extended black marking 'behind' the eye.

SALT STICK

The extensive Salt Pans just north of here were devoid of birds today, but thought well worth another look on the way back should time allow.

A last look at the beach before supper and bed found another juvenile PACIFIC GULL,

a PIED CORMORANT

and a road-side CRESTED PIGEON. These are novel little Doves that sound and look every bit like a Partridge when in flight.

As can be seen access has been found again today, while the layout of the Blog page remains totally displeasing. In 'edit mode' everything looks in order, but press that Publish button and everything turns to 'ratshit'. Hope to talk from further NORTH tomorrow.

On the Road to Geraldton

The evidence is now conclusive, the Jinx, the Jonah, the Fly in the Ointment is ME! Having struck an Internet deal with the lovely Christine at the camp I managed to get yesterdays Blog away then the whole system crashed. Guess that's why they call me lucky. Yet another Plan B and a 100 'click' drive back to the library just shows how dedicated I am, but the maintenance man is on his way to fix Chris's gear so here's hoping.

Agggggh, it's 14:00 local and there isn't a free spot until 16:00 so I sat down to twiddle my thumbs, thought I would just try to log-on and Bingo. The drive from Leeuwin to Geraldton is a fairly pleasant one, but as darkness fell last night what I needed was some sleep. Returning from whence I had come, Perth Airport, I parked in the Hire Car Return Bay and got my head down. Only 200Km at a steady pace and stopping for birds on the way made for a pleasant day resulting in the following images.

WHITE-BROWED SCRUBWREN

COMMON BRONZEWING

GALAH a pest to many a great sight for the Birder.

BANDED PLOVER (Lapwing) 

A 'Lifer' of which there could be others but there has been little time to check so far.

 

This part of the world is considered the 'OUTBACK',

but not too many miles from civilisation you start to pick up

these mountainous inland sand dunes - impressive!

and finally, for today at least, WHITE-BREASTED WOODSWALLOW.

Let's hope the repairman get there and we have a bit more luck with the Internet tomorrow.

Captain Matthew Flinders RN (1774 - 1814)

There was only one reason for driving the 320Km to Cape Leeuwin in the south west corner of Australia

and THIS was it, Larus Pacificus with any sub-adult birds being of particular interest.

I don't ever remember another Gull with proportionately such a colossal bill, even though Cape Gull has a big and possibly 'longer' one I doubt its of this size?

Standing on the very tip of FLINDER'S BAY, the Cape is the only place I had previously seen this mighty Gull, but on that visit in 2007 only a single adult, in flight, was seen during a 2 weeks stay. There had been much to see on the way down, but all focus was on

 PACIFIC GULL

that all else seemed to go by the board.

Nearing the destination, it was no more than a hunch to alter course to port and visit the caravan camp, often good for birds generally, which paid off a treat! A Gull that takes 4 years to mature, at this single site there were, along with a few adults, examples of

 First Winter

 and as the Field Guide describes altogether paler Second Winter birds

Now, if it's good enough for the birds to ignore the signs, then it's 'free gangway' for me!

The camp proved productive with a few other sightings including

INLAND THORNBIRD (wot, on the coast?)

SOOTY OYSTERCATCHER

a CATERPILLAR

a distant AUSTRALIAN KESTREL  

along with WHITE-WINGED FAIRY-WREN, WHITE-FRONTED CHAT and what looked every bit like BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN 

Eventually I managed to pull myself away from the new found 'hot spot' to drive the remaining few miles to

where stands a commemorative plaque to Captain Matthew Flinders RN the distinguished navigator and cartographer, who was first to circumnavigate Australia and identify it as a continent. Most sailors will be familiar with the name after his innovation to place a vertical 'soft iron' bar, in a tube on the fore side of a compass binnacle. The Flinders bar is used to counteract the vertical magnetism inherent within a ship and is usually calibrated as part of the process known as swinging the compass, (my 'winger' Captain Lifton will know all about that - he made his fortune doing it) where deviations caused by this magnetism are negated by the use of horizontal (or quadrantal) correctors. Couldn't have put it better myself!

CAPE LEEUWIN LIGHTHOUSE seen from the north.

None will be more pleased than I to be waking up to a Post this morning. I do feel rather like Ban Ki-moon (Secretary-General of the United Nations) this morning having been in long negotiations to get something of a permanent Internet Access. In addition, my new approach to the Google F.U. also seems to be working, but maybe a little early to start 'crowing' just yet. I now hope to be with you until the end of the trip - whenever that is! KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED - Thanks.