POPULAR TOUR OPTIONS

NORTH-WEST VICTORIA MALLEE TOUR (2 or 3 DAYS).

The north-western corner of Victoria has the state's lowest rainfall and highest temperatures.
The vegetation is adapted to the long hot dry summers and includes Cypress Pine-Casuarina woodlands, mallee woodlands, heathlands, and combinations of all the above. 
The region is bordered by the Murray river to the east and north, where River Red Gum and Black Box woodlands grow along the floodplain, and salt lakes are also a feature of the region.
There are many reserves and large areas of habitat.
For example the Murray-Sunset NP covers some
633,000 hectares, with Wyperfeld NP and the Big Desert forming a continuous block of similar area. Much of this country is wilderness, and requires serious planning to explore. Fortunately there are good sites for the specialist bird species accessable by 2WD vehicle without venturing too far off the beaten track.

 
Owlet-Nightjar, Chestnut Quail-thrush photo Rohan Clarke.

A tour to this region can be two or three days long, but one day is not enough to do the area justice given the travel distances involved.
There are many Victorian species only found in this corner of the state, with resident birds regularly seen including Emu, Malleefowl, Pink Cockatoo, Regent Parrot, Australian Ringneck,
Blue Bonnet, Mulga Parrot, White-browed Treecreeper, Splendid Fairy-wren, Mallee Emu-wren, Striated Grasswren, Shy Heathwren, Rufous Fieldwren, Redthroat, Inland Thornbill, Striped Honeyeater, Yellow-throated Miner, Yellow-plumed and White-fronted Honeyeaters, Southern Scrub-robin, Chestnut-crowned Babbler, Chestnut Quail-thrush, Crested Bellbird, Gilberts Whistler and Apostlebird. The Red-lored Whistler may be found, but usually require some extra time and effort. We have located the Black-eared Miner a number of times, but this species is shy, unpredictable, and is being swamped genetically by the commoner Yellow-throated Miner. This tour travels through unpopulated country, with an outback feel. 


Splendid Fairy-Wren and Pink Cockatoos photos David Stowe

 

CENTRAL VICTORIA TOUR

This tour can cover a wide range of habitats across
central Victoria. Open floodplains and grasslands, saline and freshwater wetlands, box-ironbark forests and mallee woodlands, grassy woodlands and granite outcrops. A range of birding experiences is to be expected, from scanning wetlands for waders and crakes to looking for skulkers such as Heathwrens and Scrub-robins in the mallee heaths.


Orange Chat photo Chris Tzaros

Flowering eucalpyts attract many honeyeaters (up to 23 species use the region) and the rare Swift Parrot (during winter). In spring and summer scarce inland migrants usually appear such as Black and Painted Honeyeaters, Australian Pratincole, Orange Chats, Little Button-quail and Cockatiels. Amongst the many resident species are stunners such as White-winged,Variegated and Superb Fairy Wrens, 6 species of Robin, Diamond Firetails, Brush Bronzewing, 15 raptor species including Spotted Harriers and Black Falcons, Painted Button-quail, 5 species of Woodswallow, and up to 15 species of cockatoo and parrot. Well over 100 species can reasonably be expected in a full day, and often more during the peak of spring.
 

Masked Woodswallow, and view of Mt Korong.

FIRETAIL TOURS PLAINS WANDERER EVENING

The Plains Wanderer is a rare and elusive Australian endemic, the world's only member of the family Pedionomidae. Virtually impossible to observe in daytime, Plains Wanderers are best found by spotlighting after dark in their sparse native grassland habitat. This tour commences at dusk and involves walking at a comfortable pace. We can spotlight for up to 3 hours. A variety of other grassland fauna may be observed depending on the season, such as Stubble Quail, Singing Bushlark, Brown Songlark, Little Buttonquail, Fat-tailed Dunnart, Curl Snake etc.  

PLEASE NOTE: Since the breaking of the drought in September 2010, Plains Wanderers have moved on from the National Park where I successfully conducted these tours for many years. Since that time I have explored many other native grasslands across the northern plains of Victoria. With these changed conditions has come an increased chance of missing this species. Before Sept 2010 success was 95 percent assured. Since Sept 2010 there have been 3 tours that have failed to locate any Wanderers, with a hit rate of around 80 percent.
I have had to move on to new sites 3 or 4 times , and there can be access problems after heavy rain. Even though there is always something to see out on the grassy plains at night, I do not charge for this tour if we fail to find a Plains Wanderer. Currently (Jan 2012) I run this night tour based from Kerang in nothern Victoria.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENTLY THIS TOUR IS ONLY RUN IN CONJUNCTION WITH A 1 DAY CENTRAL VICTORIA TOUR OR A 2 OR 3 DAY MALLEE TOUR.

Female Plains Wanderer, photo Paul Dodd, male Plains Wanderer with 4 young, photo Chris Farman.

MELBOURNE TOUR 1 or 2 Days, 

This tour starts and finishes each day at a convenient location in Melbourne. One option takes us to the tall sclerophyll forests and temperate rainforests forests in the mountains to the east of Victoria's capital city. Towering Eucalypts and giant tree ferns combined with iconic species such as the Superb Lyrebird to make this area a very special part of the country. Colourful Parrots and skulkers such as the Pilotbird provide a range of birding experiences. Depending on the season birds to be found include Red-browed Treecreeper, Satin Flycatcher, Pink and Rose Robins, Crescent Honeyeater, Olive Whistler, Eastern Whipbird, Gang-Gang Cockatoo, King Parrot and many more.
 

Mountain ash and tree fern, Superb Lyrebird photo Chris Tzaros.

Small wetlands and other sites may be visited on the way around to add to the species list.

A second option covers the country immediately to the west and south-west of Melbourne. Within this area would have to be one of the most diverse avifaunas in the state. Ramsar declared wetlands, ocean beaches and headlands, heathland,wet forest and some drier rainshadow woodlands combine to offer a wide range of birding experiences. The very localised endemic Rufous Bristlebird lives here, and Albatross can be seen from shore. A wide range of waterbirds are to be expected with some of the scarcer species possible such as Hooded Plover, Black-faced Cormorant, Blue-billed Duck, Rails and Crakes, Terns such as the Fairy Tern, Cape Barren Geese and Brolga.

    
Red-capped Plover photo Chris Tzaros, Gull-billed Tern, Great Egret, Red-kneed Dotterel and Buff-banded Rail photos David Ong

Along the Great Ocean Road aswell as enjoying world class scenery, the birding is never dull. Southern Emu-wren, Striated Fieldwren, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Blue-winged Parrot, Gang-Gang Cockatoo, Satin Bowerbird, Olive Whistler and any of the cooler climate Robins are among the birds that may be seen.

Gang-Gang Cockatoo photo Chris Tzaros

It is possible in the longer days of summer to visit both sides of Melbourne, east and west in one day.


RAINFOREST TO DESERT TOUR

The complete Victorian birding experience !
 
Covering many of the major habitats over 5, to 8 or 9 days. The itinerary for this tour is flexible but typically combines all the above tours with a possible extension to wonderful East Gippsland. If you want to sample what Victoria has to offer, but only have a few days, then this could be the tour for you. For more details on potential itineraries please contact me for advice.