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Visited: early autumn
Recommendation: This is a stunning location, worthy of a visit regardless of the wildlife. There is alot of potential for wildlife here and a good variety of uncommon species has been reported. Definitely one to go to.
Before I start with the inlet, I must mention Hopetoun. It is a lovely, well catered for, settlement right on the coast. There is a lot to explore and see here. Most notably are reliable sightings of Honey Possum in the surrounding banskia laden bush land. However, visiting in autumn after a very dry year meant that I didn't see an awful lot around the area. I intend to return another time, probably spring.
Hamersely Inlet is west of Hopetoun in the Fitzgerald River National Park. The area is well serviced with bitumen roads, an excellent campground and lots of walking tracks. To get to the inlet, you pass through Culham Inlet and the bridge gives great views of it. Next is the East Mount Barren peak, the highest in the area and a walking track will take you to the top if you so desire. I stopped here at night to look for the Honey Possum as the car park is surrounded by banksia. At the end of the season there were only a few still flowering and without a thermal imager, I knew I didn't have much of a chance. Saw some interesting ants though!
I stayed at the campground and spent the afternoon listening to the chatter of dozens of Silvereye. They were certainly finding enough food here and it was lovely to see them in such good numbers. Someone had put out a tub of water for the wildlife and I sat watching the Silvereye when to my delight, a Purple-gaped Honeyeater flew in and very quickly out. Enough time for a single shot.
Purple-gaped Honeyeater (Lichenostomus cratitius)
Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)
Around the area are an unusual plant that I don't think I have seen before. Turns out they are the park emblem, the Royal Hakea. Almost cabbage like leaves of orange, green and yellow grow high.
Royal Hakea (Hakea victoria)
There is a trail running from the campground through the dunes to the inlet. I actually walked around the inlet to the ocean and back along the trail. It was very pleasant and I was surprised about how much vegetation was able to grow on the sand dunes. New Holland Honeyeaters and lots more Silvereye chattered away punctuated occasionally by the buzz of the Spotted Scrubwen. I got a glimpse of the Southern Heath Monitor but he didn't want to be photographed.
Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis)
Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus)
It is about a kilometre and a half along the inlet to the beach and there were some small waders and I spotted a few Red-capped Plovers and a larger group of Red-necked Stints. The migratory waders are getting ready to leave and the stints were starting to colour up.
Around the inlet were groups of shelduck. They are very skittish and didn't hang around. I only seem to get a good luck at these attractive birds in southern Western Australia and I will miss them when I return to the east.
I only just learned that the female has the white eye-ring and the male has an all black head.
Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides)
Best of all on the inlet was a large group of Red-necked Avocet. They were feeding on the far side and I wondered how close I would be able to get to them. Turns out that with a slow gait and a long lens, I got close enough to get great views of them feeding. I'd never seen this before and it was very cool. I always relish the opportunity to see these nomadic Australian endemics.
Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae)
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