On the way we added more biuls to 

 lH , t lisi. Brown -headed Honeyeatcrs, 

 Sr. i lied Parualoles Cheslinil-lailcd 

 ipj Red lulled Thornbills. Grey Cur 

 rawimg. While-hrowcd Bahhlct. Pere 

 Hint Falcon (maybe the one that 

 Igeji the disused Wcdy.e-u.iled Hugh's 

 ntfM in the hig gum tree at the foot 

 „f FlagstalT Hill). WWU > 

 Honeycater. Brown Hawk. Spiuy- 

 .• ...... I Honeycater. Bron/e Cuckoo, 



Gilbert Whistles and Regent parrots. 



We approached the rise ahove 

 fievil's Pools ami saw for us. m un 

 known bird feeding beneath n Slen- 

 0V1 Pine. We vvalehed it for more 

 than five minuies as it fed at the 

 base vd the tree and flew to perch on 

 a low branch. By the tune it had 

 tl.iwn to a distant dead Iree. aiul was 

 jgatn watched, it was fairly accurately 

 observed, That evening we searched 

 unsuccessfully through all of the hud 

 hooks including Brigadier OlTiccrs 

 new one on Flycatchers that had 

 bcCfl hroiiglu to out notice thai morn- 

 ing I must admit thai in spite ol our 

 Hons we could not agree on which 

 bird we had seen. I thought it hail 

 I hrowntsh-grey hack: but Allan was 

 adamant lhat il was grey. 



During 'He night, made btiphl t>s 

 .1 full MM, I added MfiMmis, 

 Mopokes .aid Spur WitigcO Plovers U- 

 no tally 



On "b". August, the magpies had 

 been v.dlms miicv 4.30, but H 

 IHltKf later than that when we headed 

 for l aslern I ookout where wc would 

 wjlk and look lot Low an nests On 

 (he way we saw a ( hestmit-hrcaste.l 

 stuldikk Hike olf in a great hum 

 Near to thv Lookout I hue seemed 10 

 »e Mich a hu.llah.ilno fiom Pallid 

 Cuckoos that we slopped the car to 

 itIVCktiflte Then- vvvie at 1ca.sl Ihiee 

 Ot the l>irds in Ihe area, and this 

 displeased the Yellow plumed Honey- 

 eaters. Ihe latter having prodded one 

 of them out a patucubr tree desisted 



their attacks and ihe cuckoo settled 

 down to a breakfast of large. |inc\. 

 hairy caterpillars. Brown Tree- 

 creepers shrilled. Scissor Grinders 

 grated gulturallv and Red-backed and 

 Mulga parrots enlivened the scene. A 

 pair of Uiown Fl\ cachets sang 

 mclodiouslv. Here we could have 

 watched Ihe hirds all day with hardly 

 an interruption but we kept in our 

 plan and followed that lire breaK 

 track called IjOwan Track. We cov- 

 ered about five miles without sighting 

 a mound or a hud which eventually 

 proved to be our own fault. A new 

 plain Sighted was Pxnranthcr,) uumIii- 

 tlioi,lc\ with its ..Hi active scarlet 

 flowers growing on the low dark 

 green hushes. 



It was a glorious day: hlue sky. 

 little c'oud and a temperature in the 

 low eighties "I could taU- a lol of 

 this" said Allan, 1 agreed 



Under Mian's tuition 1 had learned 

 the call of a C reslcd Bell-b.rd We 

 both heard one call at the same mom- 

 ent Bll'd decided lo track it W« 

 the Hack going North with the sun 

 .it 10 o'clock and taking frequent 

 compass bearings (For doing lost 

 once was enough I If you take ehil 

 d ill 10 these places it would be .< 

 sound sc'-ente lo teach them this sort 

 i USOCVJ pa»h -finding. We walked 

 ,.t lest a Huartei of j mile appar- 

 ently following lhat faint, elusive and 

 possil.lv \cnlnloqual Call. Ihen ihe 

 mil stopped and we turned about. 



On the wav hack a couple ol euill 

 yriinis directed us tp look and see 

 a Mid lev Fowl II did not wan fot 

 an introduction but made off. al- 

 (HMjuh in no gieat haste Neat to 

 the track U Yellow -tailed IV.rd.ilote 

 t- tiled powerfully, st.mdine on liptoe 

 lot each Iti In', and strelehing so 

 vi;;o:ous|y as to make a crest appear 

 km the top ol ik head. We were back 

 ai the track and soon met up with 

 ihe girls. Simone was invesligaling a 



5tpt«vnbr-i. 1971 



257 



