BASNA runs birding tours for Birds Australia members. These tours provide a service to our members enabling them to access many remote areas of Australia, which often are only reachable by extended 4WD expeditions. Many of our members then have the opportunity to experience these unique areas and the wonderful birds that inhabit there. Whilst camping trips are frequently used for the more remote areas, accommodated tours are also available for those who prefer this style. For many Birds Australia members an organised trip is the only way they can access these areas.

The tours also play an important role in bird conservation as a proportion of the price for each trip goes to BASNA, which is then used for a variety of conservation purposes within the organisation. Since these tours began in 2004, hundreds of Birds Australia members have participated and thousands of dollars have been raised for conservation as a result. The BA projects that have benefited from the tours include the Cowra Woodland Birds Project, Regent Honeyeater Recovery Project, North Head Bird Monitoring and Port Botany surveys. To download any of the tour brochures visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Current Tours

6 Day Birding at Newhaven – Accommodated
3rd – 8th July, 2011 Accommodated $2,100pp

10 Day Birding Newhaven and Western McDonnell Ranges  
30th July – 8th August, 2011 $2640 pp

16 Day Birding Cape York
4th – 19th August, 2011 Camping $3,400pp

9 Day Birding South West WA
21st – 29th September, 2011 Accommodated $3,750pp Twin Share
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Book now for just $3100pp, SAVE $650pp

9 Day Birding Eyre Peninsula
5th – 13th October, 2011 $3720pp Twin Share
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Book now for just $3100pp, SAVE $620pp

9 Day Birding North West NSW & South West QLD
22nd – 30th  October 2011, $3840ppTwin Share
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Book now for just $3200pp, SAVE $640pp

Newhaven Birdwatching 2011 - Accommodated

Departing 3 - 8 July, Ex Alice Springs - Experience our semi-permanent camp set up at Newhaven Station for a limited time. Our luxurious tents are extra spacious, including camp beds with sleeping bags and liners included. The camp includes a full dining marque that will be our area for meals. After the success of this experience in 2010, we will again be repeating this semi-permanent camp in 2011.

Newhaven Station has many of the characteristics of the remote Great Sandy Desert and yet it is very accessible. The area is extensive, complex and intact. It is home to at least 15 nationally threatened species of animals and plants. It boasts ten vegetation communities and a wide array of landforms, none of which are well represented in existing reserves.

Most intriguingly, however, Newhaven is also the site of one of the latest sightings of a pair of Night Parrots. Habitat suitable for the parrots remains intact and abundant because of the unusually conservative stocking rates and careful management in the past. It is essential that this habitat, which is also favoured by grazing stock, is protected for Australia's most enigmatic bird. If the property were sold elsewhere, we could not be certain of continued good management.

Birds we hope to see
Grey Falcon, Black-breasted Kite, Bustard, Banded Lapwing, Inland Dotterel, Spinifex Pigeon, Flock Pigeon, Major Mitchell Cockatoo (pictured right), Princess Parrot, Bourkes Parrot, Budgerigar, White-backed Swallow, Ground Cuckoo-Shrike, Halls Babbler, Spinifex Bird, Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, Dusky Grass wren, Grey Honeyeater, Pied honeyeater and many others.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Birding Western MacDonnell Ranges & Newhaven 2011

Departing 18 -27 July, Ex Alice Springs - Good rains during 2010 have brought renewed growth to the Red Centre and the area is alive with lush vegetation and many birds. This tour will visit some of the best birdwatching areas at Newhaven Reserve and in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

On Newhaven Reserve some of the species that we hope to find include Major Mitchell Cockatoo, Budgerigar, Pied, Black and Grey-headed Honeyeaters, Banded Whiteface, Crimson Chat and Slaty-backed Thornbill. Rufous-crowned Emu-wren, Grey Honeyeater and Orange Chat are occasionally recorded. The stately Bustard might been seen striding through the grasslands. Dingoes are often heard howling at the campsite at night.

Birds we hope to see
In the gorges of the MacDonnell Ranges, we will be looking for Spinifex Pigeon, Dusky Grasswren, Little Woodswallow, Spinifexbird and Painted Firetail. The bowers of Western Bowerbirds can be found at some of the camp-grounds. While travelling, we will be on the lookout for raptors. Brown Falcons and Black Kites are common but Black-breasted Buzzards and Wedge-tailed Eagles are often seen on the way to Newhaven.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Birdwatching to the Tip of Cape York 2011

Departing 4 - 17 August, Ex Cairns - Join us for a birding tour to Cape York! Highlights include Lakefield National Park and Iron Range National Park. Departing from Cairns as we spend 12 days travelling up to the tip of Cape York and back. We spend time exploring the track with its history Aboriginal Art and swimming holes. There will be plenty of time to birdwatch along the track.

As we leave Cairns to travel north, we will start to see the commoner birds of Far North Queensland such as Whistling, Black and Brahminy Kites, Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Forest Kingfisher, Australian Swift, Metallic Starling, Little Friarbird and Blue-faced Honeyeater. With luck at Daintree River, we may see Azure, Collared and Little Kingfishers, Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern. From Daintree to Cooktown, we pass through excellent rainforest supporting a wide variety of birds including Southern Cassowary, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Papuan Frogmouth, Noisy Pitta, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Spectacled, White-eared and Pied Monarch and Victoria’s Riflebird. Pigeons include Superb, Rose-crowned, Wompoo, Topknot, White-headed and Brown Cuckoo-Dove.

Around Cooktown, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-winged Parrot, Lovely and Red-backed Fairy-wren, Black Butcherbird, and Yellow Oriole are all possible. While travelling, we will pass many wetlands which support a vast range of waterbirds including Australasian Darter, Black-necked Stork, Pied Heron, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Magpie Geese, Plumed and Wandering Whistling-Duck, Radjah Shelduck, Cotton and Green Pygmy-geese, Swamp Harrier, White-browed Crake and Comb-crested Jacana. Care must be taken with Brolgas to ensure that Sarus Cranes are not overlooked. In Lakefield National Park there will be opportunities to see many of these species.

The Golden-shouldered Parrot is an endangered endemic restricted to the Musgrave area of the Cape. We will look for it at Artemis Station where the owners, Tom and Sue Shepherd are active in saving this rare and beautiful parrot. Other birds which we may see include Squatter Pigeon, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Great Bowerbird, Masked Finch and Black-backed and Pied Butcherbird. Flowering trees, especially along the watercourses should be checked for honeyeaters such as Helmeted, Silver-crowned and Little friarbirds and White-throated, Black-chinned, White-gaped, Yellow, Bar-breasted and dusky Honeyeaters, Yellow-bellied Sunbirds may also be present.

Birds which can only be seen at Iron Range or further north include Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus and Red-cheeked Parrots, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, White-faced Robin, Yellow-legged Flycatcher, Northern Scrub-robin, Frilled Monarch, Tropical Scrubwren, Green-backed Honeyeater, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Magnificent Riflebird and Trumpet Manucode. White-streaked Honeyeater lives in a wide range of habitat but rarely in rainforest. Four nights at Iron Range National Park will allow plenty of time to look for these specialties but there will be opportunities further north to find any that are missed. Spotted Whistling-Ducks are occasionally recorded at Chilli Beach near Iron Range and at Weipa.

At Portland Roads, seabirds that are possible are Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds, Brown Booby, Crested, Lesser Crested and Bridled Tern and Black and Common Noddy. In the mangroves at Portland Roads and Weipa, Great-billed Heron, Beach Stone-curlew, Mangrove Robin, Shining and Broad-billed Flycatchers, Grey Whistler, Fairy, Mangrove and Large-billed Gerygone and Varied and Red-headed Honeyeater are all possible. It is hoped that a trip by launch can be arranged to an island of Seisia at the tip of Cape York. Here it is possible to find Pale White-eye which is restricted the islands off the Cape York Peninsula.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Birding South West Western Australia 2011

Departing 21 - 29 September, Ex Perth - This tour explores Dryandra, the Stirling Ranges, Porongorup National Park, Cheynes Beach, Pemberton, Cape Leeuwin – Naturliste National Park and Margaret River. We will have the opportunity to see the endemic species of the south-west.

Our first introduction to the western birds will be at Wungong Gorge and Bungendore Park where we will be looking woodland species such as Western Rosella, Red-capped Parrot and Red-eared Firetail. Two nights will allow plenty of time at Dryandra Woodland where we hope to find Square-tailed Kite, Bush Stone-Curlew and Blue-Breasted Fairy-Wren but we also hope to see some rare marsupials – Numbat, Brush-tailed Bettong and Tammar Wallaby.

We will be on the lookout for raptors and parrots as we travel across the open plains to Stirling Range and Porongurup National Parks. Birds here include Short-billed Black-Cockatoos but we must also check for Long-Bills which are also here. Other birds include Elegant Parrots, Purple-Crowned Lorikeet, Western Yellow Robin and Western Whipbird.

Cheynes Beach is one of the best sites to see most of the south-west endemics and near endemics including its most furtive birds: Noisy Scrub-Bird, Western Bristlebird and Western Whipbird. Rock Parrots are a chance in the sand-dunes along the beaches. Watchout for Humpback and Southern Right Whales offshore.

Western Corellas are often recorded along the Muir Highway between Rocky Gully and Manjimup. The tall forest east of Manjimup and around Pemberton will provide more opportunities to find the specialties including the Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Western Thornbill, White-breasted and Western Yellow Robins and Western Spinebill. Square-tailed Kites can also be found in the area.

Cape Leeuwin is at the far south-west corner of our land where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. Rock Parrots are occasionally seen near the lighthouse but seabirds such as Yellow-nosed Albatross and Australasian Gannets can be spotted out to sea. Whales, dolphins and seals are also possible. Hooded Plovers can be found along the beaches near Augusta or along the coast from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste.

Our last opportunity for birdwatching will be in Tuart Forest National Park, the last remaining stand of these forest giants.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Birding Eyre Peninsula 2011

Departing 5 - 13 October, Ex Adelaide - Join us for a birdwatching adventure to the Eyre Peninsula which marks the eastern range of many endemic western species such as Rock Parrot, Western Yellow Robin, Western Whipbird, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren and Rufous Treecreeper.

Departing from Adelaide, our first major area for birdwatching will be at the Arid Lands Botanic Garden at Port Augusta. Flowering native plants attract many species of honeyeater and you may spot Singing, Pied, Black and White-fronted Honeyeaters. Rufous Field-wren, Redthroat, White-browed Babblers, Chirruping Wedgebill and White-backed Swallows can all be seen in the grounds.

As we travel down the west coast of Spencer Gulf, we will be on the lookout for raptors such as Wedge-tailed Eagles and Spotted Harriers. Thick-billed Grass-wrens can be found at a reserve near Whyalla.

Using the fishing town of Port Lincoln as our base, we will explore the picturesque Lincoln and Coffin Bay National Parks. Here we will be searching for some of the western specialties such as Rock Parrot, Western Whipbird, Western Yellow Robin and Blue-breasted Fairy-wren but Brush Bronzewings, Purple-gaped Honeyeaters, Shy Heathwren and Southern Scrub-robin are also found there.

Travelling along the coast from Port Lincoln to Streaky Bay, Banded Stilt maybe seen in roadside lagoons but we will also be on the lookout along the beaches for Hooded Plovers. Along the coast, we will find Osprey, Black-faced Cormorants, Sooty and Pied Oystercatchers, Fairy Tern and Pacific Gulls. Seals and dolphins are often spotted off-shore. We may be lucky and see Southern Right Whales which visit the area during winter.

The rugged Gawler Ranges are a spectacular contrast to the coast. Within the park the birdlist is extensive and includes some species of conservation significance at a national, regional and state level such as Major Mitchell Cockatoos, Rufous Treecreeper, Malleefowl, Scarlet-breasted Parrot, Gilbert's Whistler and mammal species such as Hairy-nosed Wombat, Greater Long-eared Bat and Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby. Other special birds include Black-eared Cuckoo, Crested Bellbird, White-browed and Rufous Treecreeper and Splendid Fairy-wren.

Lake Gilles Conservation Park is situated on the Eyre Highway west of Port Augusta. Key species in this semi-arid, mallee landscape are Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Australian Ringneck, Rufous Treecreeper, Splendid Fairy-wren, Blue-breasted Fairy-wren, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, White-fronted Honeyeater, Western Yellow Robin and Crested Bellbird.

We travel back to Adelaide through Mt Remarkable National Park where it is possible to find Purple-crowned Lorikeets and the exquisite Elegant Parrot but the Adelaide form of the Crimson Rosella can also be seen there.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.

Birdwatching North West NSW & South West QLD 2011 - Accommodated

Join us for a 9 day tour to North-West New South Wales and South-West Queensland. The tour is fully accommodated in shearers quarters/cabin-style/motel-style rooms. Note that due to restricted accommodation, there is a maximum of 10 passengers on this tour.

This tour will provide the opportunity to see a great variety of birds ranging from the waterbirds of inland wetlands, bushbirds of the mulga and saltbush of the outback plains to the mixed woodlands of the western slopes.

Goonoo National Park near Dubbo protects a large area of woodland and is an important refuge for many threatened species including the endangered Malleefowl. Although our time will be limited, with luck, we may see a Malleefowl at one of the active mounds within the forest.

Mt Oxley near Bourke has outstanding 360 degree views over the surrounding perfectly flat landscape. Our farmstay on Rossmore station at the base of the mountain will provide plenty of time to explore and birdwatch on the mountain and the surrounding farmland. Species that could be seen include parrots such as Red-winged, Blue Bonnet, Australian Ringneck, Cockatiel and Budgerigar. Red-tailed Black-cockatoos are regularly seen along the river at Bourke.

In the mulga country on Kilcowra we will be looking for Bourkes Parrot, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Halls Babbler and White-browed Treecreeper. Grey Falcon and Black-breasted Buzzard can also be seen. Other birds include Spotted Bowerbird, Splendid and White-winged Fairy-wrens, Slaty-backed Thornbill, Halls and Chestnut-crowned Babblers and Chirruping Wedgebill.

The mixed Ironbark and Cypress Pine woodland in the Pilliga National Park and State Forest is an important refuge for many of the species of the woodlands of the western slopes including the endangered Glossy Black-cockatoo. Other threatened species found in the forest are Turquoise Parrot, Speckled Warbler and Hooded Robin. Square-tailed Kites nest near the township of Barradine.

For further details and prices visit the Outback Track Tours website.