Birding Western Australia Endemics Tour - 7 Days

Arrive in Perth and make your own way to our hotel (room and dinner included in tour price) for dinner and introductions. Overnight hotel in Perth (en-suite hotel room; meals included: D).

An introductory walk around Kings Park, directly adjacent our rooms, before we visit some magnificent wetlands where we can see Blue-billed and Musk Duck along with many other waterbirds and several raptors. Further afield, the Wungong Gorge is a good spot for Western Australian endemic such as Western Rosella, Red-capped Parrot and Red-winged Fairy-wren. The Dryandra Woodlands are our final destination today and we’ll look for Short-billed Black (Carnaby's) Cockatoo, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren, Western Thornbill, Elegant Parrot and Purplecrowned Lorikeet. This is also a good area to observe native animals such as Numbat, Brush-tailed Bettong and Echidna. Spotlighting for these and for Bush Stone-curlew and Tawny Frogmouth is an option for those keen to get out again in the evening. Overnight Narrogin (en-suite motel room; meals included: B, L, D).

We will spend a large part of the day exploring the Dryandra woodlands, in addition to the species listed above we also expect to see the western race of Regent Parrot, which is quite different from the eastern sub-species; Western Gerygone, Rufous Treecreeper, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren, Painted Buttonquail, Western Yellow Robin, the western race of Varied Sittella and other good species. Later in day we drive to the beautiful Stirling Ranges. On the way we check a site for the recently-split Western Fieldwren, and may be lucky enough to come across our first Western Whipbird! Overnight Stirling Ranges retreat (en-suite cabin; meals included: B, L, D).

This morning we explore the beautiful Stirling Ranges where we'll search for Malleefowl, Square-tailed Kite, Purple-gaped and Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters and Southern Scrub-robin. Late afternoon brings us to the South Coast ready for an early start tomorrow morning. We’ll head to Cheynes Beach to look for Brush Bronzewing and Western Wattlebird. We’ll have our first attempt at tracking down one or more of the three skulkers that inhabit this area: Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristle-bird and Western Whipbird. Overnight Cheynes Beach Caravan Park en-suite cabin; meals included: B, L, D).

We'll spend the entire day birding the south coast for the notorious and often elusive trio of Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristlebird and Western Whipbird. Noisy scrub-bird, one of our rarest and elusive species was only re-discovered in 1961. We should hear each of these species multiple times as we attempt to get views of them. This is a very scenic and photogenic landscape with moors, buttongrass plains, eucalypt-covered hills and rocky outcrops. Other possible species here are Brush Bronzewing, Southern Emu-wren, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Rock parrot, Stubble Quailand Red-eared Firetail. Overnight Cheynes Beach Caravan Park (en-suite cabin; meals included: B, L, D).

A back-up morning for any species we may still need at Cheynes beach; then we pack up and head west towards the giant Karri forests around Pemberton and Manjimup. En-route, we'll stop to look at Lake Muir, a Ramsar listed wetland, where we'll find the geographically limited population of the Western Corella. In Pemberton itself we'll visit the tall Gloucester Tree, where we'll find Western Rosella, White-breasted Robin, Red-winged Fairy-wren and Common Bronzewing presenting good camera opportunities. Overnight Augusta Chalets (ensuite room in large cottages on the edge of the forest with scenic views; meals included: B, L, D).

Our last full day and after picking up any species we still need in the Karri forests we bird around Augusta on Cape Leeuwin where species we hope to find birds including Hooded Plover, Rock Parrot and Brush Bronzewing. Seawatching off the headland may produce Yellow-nosed, Black-browed or Shy Albatross and Great-winged Petrel. Overnight Augusta Chalets (en-suite room in large cottages on the edge of the forest with scenic views; meals included: B, L, D).

Our final day and another visit to the headland again this morning and/or we may pull in at the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to pick up any other species we require. En-route to Perth we'll visit the harbour at Mandurah to check for terns and we'll finish the day with a visit to Penguin Island (with its Little Penguins and Bridled Tern colony) while checking for any missing birds on our list, to arrive back in Perth in the afternoon. You will be dropped off at a hotel of your choice in the city centre, or at the airport (not before 4pm) (Meals included: B, L).