Ellery Creek

Visited: dry season

Recommendation: The Western Macdonnell Ranges are hugely popular for hikers and day tourists. In the dry season when it is a little cooler, spots like Ellery Creek can become crowded but it is still worth visiting. The permanent waterhole, trails around the area and the creek all draw a variety of birds. Add in the stunning scenery and this is a wonderful location.

Ellery Creek is about 90km west of Alice Springs in the West MacDonnell Ranges. The campsite is next to Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is, of course, a big hole. Full of water and quite magnificent. it stretches through a gap and into the creek itself I assume. It looks like nature's version of an infinity pool.

The campsites themselves are in a circle with a space in the middle for seating and fires. The first thing that greets you on arrival are the Diamond Doves and Zebra Finches which are all looking for food in that area. I have not been able to walk up to these shy birds anywhere, but here you can. In the surrounding trees, the incessant double beep of the Striated Pardalote rings out along with the melodious call of the Pied Butcherbird and bell like 'ting' of the Port Lincoln Ringneck Parrot. It is a quite lovely setting.

Diamond Dove (geopelia cuenata)

The Diamond Dove is the smallest dove species native to Australia. They are tiny, measuring around 15-17 cm in length with a wingspan of 30-37 cm.

Other Australian doves, like the Peaceful Dove and the Common Bronzewing, are slightly larger than the Diamond Dove.

Some resources might mention the Peaceful Dove as being similar in size to the Diamond Dove. However, the Diamond Dove is generally considered to be slightly smaller and slimmer with a proportionally longer tail.

So, while size can be a variable characteristic, the Diamond Dove holds the title of the undisputed smallest dove species native to Australia.

Along the short path to the Big Hole, honeyeaters zoom about as usual and I saw a pair of Australian Kestrel playing high in the sky. I saw them several times during my stay but they stubbornly stayed too high to me to photograph them. I was quite surprised to see a number of birds in the water. A Pacific Heron appeared at dusk but during the day a Little Pied Cormorant, numerous Grey Teal and a pair of Australian Grebes were often swimming on the far side of the pool, away from the shrieks of the silly humans who dared to swim. The water is extremely cold I understand. I did not try it myself.

Australasian Grebe (tachybaptus novaehollandiae)

Male Purple-backed Fairywren (malurus assimilis)

I completed the Dolomite Walk which took me twice as long as estimated as I go so slow looking for birds. The spinifex grass stabbing at your legs doesn't help. I saw Brown, Grey-headed, Singing and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters on the walk but frustratingly, again they stayed too far away for decent photos.

I also walked back along the track to the main road looking for Dusky Grasswren. I was only rewarded with Purple-backed Fairywren but the moulting male did sit out for me which is always nice. He looks like he has singed his crown a little. Across the road from the entrance and running parallel with the creek itself was another track that I followed. Lots of Weebill taunted me pretending to be other thornbill but I am never sorry to see the Weebill, they are so interesting with their acrobatic displays.

There were other raptors here, my first shots of a passing Black-breasted Kite which I was really pleased to get. I have only seen them in passing when driving before. An Australian Hobby sat in a nearby tree for me but AGAIN, just too far away to get a sharp shot.

Australian Hobby (falco longipennis)

Black-breasted Kite (hamirostra melanosternon)

The highlight of my stay here was a bird that, thankfully, allowed me to get close. In fact, the Pink Cockatoo seemed very curious about me and twice scooted down its tree to have a look at me. Encounters with this bird are rare and always special. Cockatoos are fabulous birds.

Pink Cockatoo (ophochroa leadbeateri)

A last wonderful surprise on the way out of the ranges was a Wedge-tailed Eagle on the side of the road. Normally if you stop, they will fly away but this bird just sat and let me get pretty close. There were a pair of them circling and landing.

Wedge-tailed Eagle (aquila audax)

Just beyond the turn off to Ellery Creek the road dips and crosses the creek, which also seems to have water in it permanently. There are a couple of tracks accessing the area on the left hand side and I found this to be a great place to explore away from the tourists. In the trees lining the creek I have seen 8 Pacific Herons sitting, a variety of raptors, cockatoo and lots of bush birds. I loved it here because you can never predict what you might see. My favourite sighting was of a group of Cockatiel. I watched them a few times as they circled, sat, mated and chattered away. It was a wonderful experience and the photographs I took are amongst my favourite.

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

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