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Visited: winter
Recommendation: Even though it was cooler when I visited and the number of bird species wasn't great, the area has a lot of potential. Camp here to find out.
The Pertendi Hut is a restored shepherd's hut that marks the campground in the Ngarkat Conservation Park. Located on the South Australia and Victoria border, it is a great place to stop on any journey through the area. The conservation park was proclaimed in 1979 ‘to conserve the mallee heath habitat of the 90 Mile Desert’. Ngarkat is 271 000 hectares in size and is the largest patch of remnant native vegetation in South Australia. The park protects a significant amount and variety of flora and fauna. There are information signs around the campground that describe the importance and effects of fire on such mallee heath.
There are campgrounds, trails and 4WD tracks across the park and it is quite beautiful to stay in. I only stayed one night and had time to complete the short track behind the campsite, early the next morning. It was just a short loop, up to a lookout ridge and the down to the 4WD track to the border. There was a lot of noise with honeyeaters and parrots being mostly responsible. I saw the Purple-gaped Honeyeater, which I was very pleased about.
Australian Ringneck (Mallee) - (Barnardius zonarius barnardi)
Distribution of Malle Ringneck
I found the Mallee Ringneck here, one of the 4 subspecies of the Australian Ringneck Parrot. This is a beautiful, medium-sized parrot native to Australia. It's known for its vibrant green plumage and a characteristic yellow band around its neck.
They are green with a bright yellow ring around the hindneck. The wings and tail are a mix of green and blue. The subspecies color variations are:
Mallee Ringneck (B. z. barnardi) - Green head and neck, with more yellow underneath and a red band above the bill.
Port Lincoln Ringneck (B. z. zonarius) & Cloncurry Parrot (B. z. macgillivrayi) - Black head and dark green body.
Twenty-eight Parrot (B. z. semitorquatus) - Green head with some subspecies showing an orange belly band.
Another great find here was the White-eared Honeyeater. It was one of those times that you see one and then suddenly, they are everywhere. I always like seeing these birds. They are generally uncommon but when you find an area with them, they can be plentiful. I had a couple of happy hours watching and photographing them here.
It was a short stay here and I really look forward to returning in spring or summer to see what else is here.
White-eared Honeyeater (Nesoptilotis leucotis)
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