Embedded Files
Visited: dry season
Recommendation: A car park with lovely shady trees leads to a short walk to the pits through more open bush. The place is active with birds and is an interesting stop while out exploring the Macdonnell Ranges.
The Ochre Pits are a geological site located between the Serpentine and Ormiston Gorges. They are known for their colorful layers of ochre, a natural pigment that has been used by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years for art, body paint, and ceremonial purposes. Today, they are a historical and cultural place of interest. You can walk along the bottom of the pit and get close up views.
The area is home to many dry specialists. Whistlers, fairywren, honeyeaters, robins and songlark can all be found here but the best for me was nesting Budgerigars. I watched them courting, mating and nesting.
Budgies form strong pair bonds. The male will often perform courtship displays, such as bobbing his head, fluffing his feathers, and singing to attract a mate. This male was certainly concerned about keeping the missus happy. They typically nest in natural cavities like tree hollows and I watched this female check several out.
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Red-backed Kingfisher (Todiramphus pyrrhopygia)
There were also a pair Red-backed Kingfisher in the pits and again I watched as the male tried to please the female. He was bringing her food. In this case a beetle which he even tenderised for her first. When I first saw photos of this dry specialist kingfisher I thought the photographer had done a fabulous job capturing it showing its red rump. Turns out they always show it when sitting!
Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse