Driving into Terrick Terrick is a complete contrast to the surrounding area. From farming plains to trees, scrub and rocky outcrops. It is little wonder the birds choose to come and mingle with one another. Gone are the Little and Long-billed Corellas, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, replaced by Robins and Treecreepers and Thornbills. Not for the first time I found myself in bird-wonderland by myself. Everyone else must still be enjoying family and friends during the holidays, rather than visiting National Parks. I did actually see a couple of other cars, but generally had the place to myself.
Arriving at a new location is always both exciting and frustrating. Tuning your ears to the new sounds of the bush, remembering old calls once easily identified, straining to hear the "odd call out", eyes darting from treetops to ground cover. Terrick Terrick has all of the above. On the drive in towards the picnic area, I stopped upon hearing a burst of bird call activity. Red-rumped Parrots and Yellow-rumped Thornbills everywhere, just in a small pocket of woodland. I continued up the track and sat in the car in the carpark, listening, waiting to decide if here was ok. Sounds started coming from everywhere. Mainly Brown Treecreepers, but also Rufous Whistlers, Red-capped and Hooded Robins, Yellow Thornbills, Restless Flycatchers and Southern Whiteface.
Walking through Terrick Terrick is so much easier than lots of bird-watching spots I have been to. Under the tall trees is mostly open with a few fallen logs and small grass patches. The birds can be quite friendly, or sometimes extremely annoying as they chirp away high in the canopy without ever coming down. The picnic area was a good place to start, but eventually I drove through the middle of the Park until I exited on the far north western edge.
It was a fun few hours spent, and the completed list numbered 24, maybe not as many as I had hoped but there were some nice species in that lot. Some of them made taking photos pretty easy, others a little harder. ere are some of the better photos:
Arriving at a new location is always both exciting and frustrating. Tuning your ears to the new sounds of the bush, remembering old calls once easily identified, straining to hear the "odd call out", eyes darting from treetops to ground cover. Terrick Terrick has all of the above. On the drive in towards the picnic area, I stopped upon hearing a burst of bird call activity. Red-rumped Parrots and Yellow-rumped Thornbills everywhere, just in a small pocket of woodland. I continued up the track and sat in the car in the carpark, listening, waiting to decide if here was ok. Sounds started coming from everywhere. Mainly Brown Treecreepers, but also Rufous Whistlers, Red-capped and Hooded Robins, Yellow Thornbills, Restless Flycatchers and Southern Whiteface.
Walking through Terrick Terrick is so much easier than lots of bird-watching spots I have been to. Under the tall trees is mostly open with a few fallen logs and small grass patches. The birds can be quite friendly, or sometimes extremely annoying as they chirp away high in the canopy without ever coming down. The picnic area was a good place to start, but eventually I drove through the middle of the Park until I exited on the far north western edge.
It was a fun few hours spent, and the completed list numbered 24, maybe not as many as I had hoped but there were some nice species in that lot. Some of them made taking photos pretty easy, others a little harder. ere are some of the better photos:
Sacred Kingfisher
Hooded Robin
Jacky Winter
Restless Flycatcher
Rufous Whistler
Southern Whiteface
Yellow Thornbill
