Keep River National Park

Visited: very late dry season

Recommendation: This is a stunning location. The campsite enables you to walk around the sandstone formations early in the morning. That alone is worth a visit but there are also some rare and beautiful animals here. This is one of the most under-rated national parks and definitely worth a visit.

Keep River National Park is located about 450km west of Katherine. It's a hidden gem known for its stunning sandstone formations, ancient Aboriginal rock art, and diverse wildlife. The park's most striking feature is the towering sandstone cliffs that rise from the surrounding plains. These formations create a dramatic and otherworldly landscape. It is also a haven for wildlife, with over 200 species of birds recorded within its boundaries. Some of the more notable residents include the sought after Gouldian Finch, the majestic Black-breasted Buzzard, and the elusive Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby.   

Silver-crowned Friarbird (Philemon argenticeps) 

At Keep River National Park I headed initially to the campsite. It was 15km down an unsealed track and a bit rough in patches, very bone shaky but I made it. It was very, very quiet at the campsite because it was right at the end of the dry season and so incredibly hot. I found some shade and just hunkered down for the afternoon. The first bird that I saw was something that just kept flitting past the window of the van. I started to look out for it and I saw it landing at a nest in the eucalyptus tree right next to the van. It turned out to be the rather beautiful Silver-crowned Friarbird. I've seen these birds before but it was the first real opportunity to get a good look at it. I just hoped that I wasn't disturbing it but it seemed to be quite happy coming and going. I think it was heading out for a drink and then coming back to sit on eggs. A very nice way to start my stay. 

White-quilled Rock-Pigeon (Petrophassa albipennis) 

I knew that there were White-quilled Rock-Pigeon in the area and I was very keen to see them, it would be another Top End endemic for me. So as it began to get cooler in the afternoon I headed off onto the walk which takes you round the back of some of the sandstone formations. It's a couple of kilometres loop walk and I'd only gone less than 500 metres when I looked up and there against the sky was this beautiful, beautiful pigeon. I ended up seeing about four of them and interestingly when I did the walk the next morning I didn't see any. So I counted myself very blessed to have captured them in the afternoon when I did.

In the morning around the campsite I was surprised to hear the very unusual call of the Brown Quail. It's the most kind of unquail like call you can imagine. There's a sound file above you can listen to. I actually played back the call to the birds and to my surprise several of them popped up but they didn't come out too far into the open, and I didn't want to harass them. I took an ID shot and let them go about their business with the male still singing away with his weird call. 

Frill-necked Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) 

On the way out of the park or towards the park entrance I saw a Frill-necked Lizard lazily strolling across the road. These are quite large lizards and they're famed for raising the frill around their neck when they feel threatened. It's a bit like a Jurassic Park film when they do it. They look very prehistoric and I photographed this one as it moved around the bush. I didn't want to get too close to it though. As much as I would like to see the frill neck in action I didn't want to make it feel like it was being threatened in order to get the photo. 

Next stop was at the ranger station where there a billabong called Cockatoo Lagoon. It was quite dry but there were still enough water to attract lots of birds. As I stood quietly I started to see things like Nankeen Night Heron skulking around in the trees and a couple of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were sitting up. 

The lagoon stretched away from my vantage point on some rocks and I couldn't get a great view as it bent round to the left. The waterbirds gathered at this far end and were quite shy. The Brolga immediately started tot stroll away. I checked with the ranger and there is no access to the other side of the water so I had to take what I could get.