Alan,

I finally bought a copy of “The Complete Guide to Finding Birds in Australia” early last week. I was impressed with the detailed information in it and I think it will be a really useful update for those who want to find particular species and/or good birding sites.

I was surprised, however, that the Eyre Bird Observatory was not featured in the book. I spent a lot of time at Eyre in the 1980s (for my Ph.D research) and 1990s (follow-up research) and it is one of the most interesting birding sites I have visited in Australia. Over 240 bird species have been recorded within a 20 km radius of the Observatory. The area is important habitat for coastal mallee birds, arid zone and semi-arid zone species; the protected coastline provides important refuge and foraging habitat for seabirds and migratory shorebirds.

Malleefowl by Geoffrey Jones, Barra Imaging

Malleefowl, Southern Scrub-robin and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo are iconic species within walking distance of the Observatory buildings. In fact the wardens reported in a recent EBO newsletter that a Malleefowl strolled past the kitchen window in February of this year while everyone was having breakfast. This is the first time that the Malleefowl has been found so close to the building.

At the right times one can witness spectacular irruptions (’000s of individual birds) of species like White-fronted Honeyeater, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Purple-crowned Lorikeet and Richard’s Pipit (the latter species found mostly in the coastal dunes and on the beach rather than in the mallee). I suspect that the honeyeaters and nectarivorous parrots move east-west along the coastal mallee between Israelite Bay and Eucla (about an 800 km stretch along the coast) in search of abundant nectar and fruit sources and just invade these areas en masse. In the case of Richard’s Pipits, they tend to move through the coastal dunes and along the beaches where they feed on localised insect, isopod/amphipod and other terrestrial invertebrate infestations.

Eyre is also Australia’s oldest bird observatory and is now 43 years old. It is one of the few remote places where bird-watching can be conducted in comfort. A daily log book of bird sightings is kept by the wardens and more systematic bird surveys of the mallee and beach are conducted once a week. There are few bird sites in Australia that can boast being surveyed for birds in such detail for such a long period of time.

From August to October, female Southern Right Whales come within 30 metres of the shoreline to wean their calves off milk. It is very spectacular watching a calf engage in all sorts of aquatic acrobatics in an attempt to suckle underneath the mother in water that is too shallow. A good vantage point for these observations is at Kanidal Beach (about 300 metres south of EBO) or the cliff face at Twilight Cove, about 10 km to the west. Admittedly, not bird-related, but I’m sure would be of interest to all birdwatchers.

Kanidal Beach is also a good location for spotting vagrant migratory shorebirds, usually North-South American species that have been blown off course while on migration and finally reaching the western coastline of the Great Australian Bight.

I’m not sure why Eyre was not included in the book. Perhaps the authors have not visited EBO or perhaps it was left out because of the remoteness of the location. Perhaps it has just been over-shadowed by the magnificence of Broome Bird Observatory. If yet another edition of the book is produced in the future, I’d be happy to contribute something more substantial about EBO if you think it is appropriate.

All the chat species have been recorded at Eyre too, although the desert chats have been recorded more on the Hampton Tableland, above the coastal escarpment and about 10-15 km inland from EBO. Scarlet-chested Parrots have been recorded periodically (but rarely) at Eyre. I recall seeing them several times in the early 1980s but less so after that time. Don’t know if they have been seen lately with all this rain that has fallen inland.

Incidentally, the Council of (the then) Birds Australia wanted to close EBO down in the late 1990s as a cost-cutting measure. Of course, the WA Group didn’t accept this. Consequently, there are no salaried wardens at Eyre any more, just volunteer wardens who are appointed for 3-month terms. It’s been a successful system so far and I understand that there is a line-up of volunteers for at least the next 18 months