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Visited: very late dry season
Recommendation: It is definitely worth a stop here but I'm not sure whether you would want to stay. I think the wildlife may be hit and miss.
Hamelin Pool is located just off the southern end of the road up to Shark Bay. There's a caravan park advertised there, which is originally why I was going to stop. It is next to an historic old telegraph station. Also in the tourist information is that this is one of the best locations for Stromatolites. These are layered sedimentary formations that are the oldest known lifeforms on Earth. So, in theory, this area has a lot to offer. On the day of my visit, I was both disappointed and thrilled. The caravan park is less than welcoming, the boardwalk to see the Stromatolites is closed (and has been for some time) and the telegraph station was nondescript. I did not stay here but I still had a great time.
As I approached the telegraph station, I could hear a huge noise, just a cacophony of birdsong. And when I looked out the window of the van, I could see Cockatiels and Zebra Finches in large numbers. They were just circling, taking off, coming down, taking off, coming down, over and over again in one particular spot. So I pulled up and had a look. There, just in front of the telegraph station, was a little patch of ground with a couple of trees around it. Either a sprinkler or a leaking hose pipe had made a bit of a puddle on the ground and hundreds and hundreds of birds were coming down to drink.
Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)
Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)
Amongst the melee were Budgies and Diamond Doves as well as, the odd Crested Pigeon, a couple of crows. They were all much fewer in number and sitting shyly in the trees (well maybe not the crows). All were thinking more carefully about the drop down to the water.
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata)
Most interestingly was a kestrel that sat at the back of the area, higher up above the other trees. Every now and again, it would circle down through the area where the water was, to try and snatch a finch. You can imagine the uproar that caused and yet the little birds kept coming down to drink. Thankfully, the kestrel was not successful when I was watching but it was quite a sight.
Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)
After watching this performance for some time, I went down to the Stromatolite boardwalk, which unfortunately was closed and had been closed for some time. But no matter, because I was distracted by a lot of bird noise in the scrub between the car park and the boardwalk. After chasing around for some time, I found some thornbill but the bird making the most noise was the Redthroat, which came up and sang right in front of me. It was lovely.
Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus)
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some fairywren but then I saw a big fat version of a fairywren, which of course is the grasswren. Previously classified as the Thick-billed Grasswren, it is now the Western Grasswren. I chased that for a while, but it wasn't hanging around and didn't let me take any photographs. I will be trying again for that one. Also in the area were some Red Kangaroo, which I haven't seen since Port Augusta. It was nice to see them, particularly as they were very red.
Red Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus)
And lastly were a pair of Emu wandering through the scrub. And they looked really beautiful. Very dark plumage on these birds. Really contrasted against the green of the scrub.
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
On my way out of the area, I spotted a brightly patterned dragon on the side of the road. They are a relatively small lizard, typically growing to around 15-20 cm in length. The distinctive pattern of lozenge-shaped markings on their backs, gives them their common name.
Colours can vary depending on their environment and sex, ranging from brown and grey to reddish-brown and males often have brighter colours and larger heads than females. They are primarily found in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia, inhabiting areas with sparse vegetation, rocky outcrops, and sandy soils.
I was really happy with the wildlife I found here and I stopped again on my way back from Shark Bay. The sprinklers weren't on, the birds weren't present and the caravan park manager was not friendly. I didn't stay
Lozenge-marked Dragon (Ctenophorus scutulatus)
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