Cloncurry

Cloncurry is another rural town relying heavily on the main roads running through it. Seemingly thriving, I found it a pleasant place to be. I stayed at the caravan park opposite the Mary Kathleen park and was immediately delighted to be greeted by Apostlebirds and Grey-crowned Babblers. Quite a noisy welcome at that but it was great to relax in my camper and watch the babblers collecting nesting material. The Apostlebirds just seemed to be squabbling with no purpose as usual.

Grey-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis)

Visited: winter

Recommendation: You will probably be in Cloncurry on your way to somewhere else but it is worth stopping over and exploring the local parks. Hard to see species like the Varied Lorikeet are spotted easily here.

At the park over the road I encountered Varied Lorikeets for the first time and was thrilled at their antics as they fed on the flowering gum trees. It seems a bit unjust that their cousins are labelled 'rainbows' whereas they are just 'varied'. Their plumage is stunning and I am reminded of a Picasso painting. Considerably smaller than the Rainbow Lorikeet, they are equally as noisy so easy to find when they are close by.

Varied Lorikeet (Psitteuteles veriscolor)

At the back of the park was a rough area of ground surrounded by fencing and private property on one side and the hill up to the lookout on the other. At the back of that space I found a conveniently placed set of bushes with a broken water pipe in front of them. The pooling water attracted several different birds and I sat (in roo poo) and watched Diamond Doves, Budgerigars (my first good look at wild ones), Zebra Finches and woodswallows as they came down to drink in the hot afternoon.

Budgerigar (Meloppsittacus undulatus)

Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata)

Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus)

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