South Australia

The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park covers a huge area and is quite daunting. I throughly enjoyed exploring the southern and northern reaches of the park and saw wonderful creatures from Wallaroo to Fairy Tern. I will never forget wading out across mud flats to try to get closer to these Banded Stilts. The things we do! Research and planning is required to get the best out of the park but it is so worth it.

Banded Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus) 

Happy Valley Reservoir was one of the first places I explored when I reached Adelaide. It covers a large area and is surrounded by parkland and trails. I knew it was a hotspot for parrots and it didn't disappoint. Galah, cockatoo, lorikeet and rosella were nesting and feeding here in abundance. The highlight was finding the Adelaide Rosella, a hybrid between the Crimson and Yellow Rosellas. There are also lots of water birds, bush birds and raptors.

The Hutchison Monument is a huge free campsite and rest area just south of Coober Pedy. It is a stunning area and while it initially looks quite barren, it is a great place to find rare and difficult animals. I dipped out on the Chestnut-breasted Whiteface but got close up with the Pied Honeyeater. Spotlighting here gave up the tiny but lovely Helmeted Gecko. It is hard work here but very often worth it.

On the eastern edge of the Nullarbor Plain is the Koonalda Homestead. You have to take a deep breath and go off the main road to an abandoned homestead full of ancient cars. It is a legitimate free campsite and thoroughly interesting. There are lots of great birds there and the highlight being the resident Naretha Bluebonnet, one of the most stunning parrots in the country.

South east of Adelaide in Mount Barker are the Laratinga Wetlands. They are clearly a community resource with lots of joggers, dog walkers and families. If you get here early, though, the bird life is incredible. There aren't many places in the country where Australian Crakes can be seen out in the open. Ducks, grebes, honeyeaters and parrots can be found here in abundance. 

Monarto Woodlands are east of Murray Bridge and are a local open secret. Access is restricted to walkers or those who know the magic padlock combination but it is only a short walk to an open paddock where the birds are found. In a small area here, I recorded over 30 species including the Diamond Dove, a variety of parrots, robin, whiteface and one of my favourite sightings - the Owlet-nightjar out in the open. 

As you approach the Nullarbor Plain from the east, you hit the Nullarbor Roadhouse. It is pretty standard, has a caravan park, amenities and a bar. It also has some unusual features like a golf hole behind the park. It is part of possibly the biggest golf course in the world, spanning the entire plain. In that area I spent some time lying on my stomach watching the Shingleback Lizard flicking its blue tongue as it looked for food. Rare birds are also here like the Nullarbor Quail-thrush. I only got a distance shot but I will be back!