Gouldian Count 2011

[Diane]

SAVE THE GOULDIAN FUND
WYNDHAM GOULDIAN FINCH CENSUS
Sunday 4th September to Thursday 8th September, 2011
This year’s annual Gouldian Finch census will be held at Wyndham, in the eastern Kimberley
region of Western Australia, during the first week of September, 2011.
We need as many volunteer helpers as possible to successfully complete the census this year.
It is essential that each volunteer has a good pair of binoculars of his/her own.
Volunteers intending to participate in the census will need to make their own travel and accommodation
arrangements. Visit our website: http://savethegouldian.org/AnnualCount.html
Sunday 4th September
•Assemble at Parry Creek Resort by 2.00pm.
•Presentation - Sarah Pryke - Update on what is happening to the Gouldian and habitat; plus an
overview of the research projects.
Induction - Sarah Pryke and Mike Fidler - Guidance on what we are going to be doing for the following
five days.
Monday 5th September
•Bird counting at waterholes at dawn
Rest of the day free
Tuesday 6th September
•Bird counting at waterholes at dawn
Rest of the day free or volunteer to participate in nest box building workshop
Wednesday 7th September
•Bird counting at waterholes at dawn
•Rest of the day free or volunteer to participate in nest box building workshop
Evening barbeque at sunset at Bastion Lookout
Thursday 8th September
Bird counting at waterholes at dawn
So if you fancy:
1.A wonderful excuse to visit this spectacular area - the whole area is a birder’s paradise with
Marlgu, a Ramsar listed wetland, adjoining Parry Creek Farm. The area around Wyndham
also hosts a number of mangrove habitats, as well as the savanna grasslands, which host a large
diversity of finches and other birds that are well worth seeing.
2.A unique opportunity to see Gouldian Finches in the wild, together with a large diversity of
other native finches, including Star, Crimson, Long-tailed, Masked, Yellow-rumped, Chestnutbreasted,
Double-bar, Zebra and Pictorella Finches. Less than an hours drive away you should
be able to also find the lovely Painted Finch.
3.Help in a really good cause.
4.Meet up and make friends with some wonderful like-minded people.
5.Get away from it all and chill out!
For further information and registration please contact
David Myers - email [email protected] or phone 0410 422386


Printable flyer Gouldian Count

[casehulsebosch]

Gouldian Count 2013

I know it is early days but I am hitting the outback again in mid April so have started planning my time in Oz.

The 2013 Gouldian Count will start on Sunday 1 September 2013.

More details will now doubt follow, but for those interested and intending or hoping to come to Wyndham, pencil this week in.

cheers, Case

[Craig52]

G'day Case, How did the 2012 count go? There was very little if any thing on this forum,even from the resident mod who went. As i went in 2010 i was very impressed by not only the gouldians but more so with the other finches seen. i have been looking forward to some pics but none seen yet.
Part of the problem is that you are not allowed to take your camera to the count site early in the morning but you can return to the sites after the count but buy that time it too damded hot and the birds don't come in to drink.
One of the sites we were at early morning had at least 300 stars drinking at a small puddle so we agreed to go back after the count to take some pics and two birds turned up.
Anyhow,next time i will spend a few days either before or after the count to be able to get some great photos to put up on the forum but i must admit i did get the first pics of pictorellas in the area much to Mikes disgust. Craig

[casehulsebosch]

Hi Craig.
Thanks for posting cause we need to keep this thread going to make people aware of the facts and the dates.The STGF needs as many volunteers as possible to properly carry out this (scientific) survey.

I have taken part in the Gouldian count two years now and have penciled in the first week in September 2013 as well.
In the 2011 count I did not quite know what to expect and water was still so plentyful that the Gouldians were thin on the ground. Lake Argyll was way above full and they were dumping water like crazy to make room for the wet. That season we counted on average 200 Gouldians a day; as a group that is.
It is true that Mike Fidler discourages the use of camera's. I agree with this policy from a survey point of vieuw as it is near impossible to carry out the survey properly as well as taking pics.
Wyndham is only 100 km from Kununurra which is an absolute finch heaven. Crimsons, Stars, Bichenows, chestnut breasted, yellow rumps, pictorella's all within easy reach. Only for the Emblema Pics you have to travel back to Halls Creek as they are not in the East Kimberley.

This year- 2012- I had a great run.
I knew what to expect at the count. I travelled from Margaret River, across the Nullarbor and through the guts to Darwin, than back across the Victoria Highway to Wyndham.
By the time I got the Wyndham I was birded out. Some six months on the road and going birding every day is probably too much of a good thing.
Also I had already seen a lot of Gouldians at different locations before reaching Wyndham.

Again I stopped for a few days at Lake Argyll and this time the lake level was low and the spillway was as dry as a bone. Unbelievable how it changes from one year to the next.
The count went well and on average we counted 400 G's a day; twice as many as the previous year.

A LARGE flock of G's presented themselves every day during the count at one of the locations and we went back the day after the count to take pics. Among the hundreds of pics I took were some of a Yellow headed G. They represent 0.01 percent of the wild population.

It is true that anybody considering taking part in the count should allow themselves a few days before and after the count so they can explore the area. Mike Fidler and one of the members here on the forum from Kununurra, who also takes part in the count, will only be too pleased to point anyone to the right locations to view birds. After the count volunteers should know the locations themselves as we get spread around the different locations during the count so as to give everyone the best opportunity to see the G's and all the other birds.

Keep River National Park is also a good location to see finches.It is only three km East of the WA border, and approx 55 km East of Kununurra, well within reach.
The best advise I can give people coming to thew count is to allow themselves a few days on either side. You will see finches!

As for photo's. I have 59.619 bird photo's. I know this number as my old computer just died and i had to transfer them onto a new hd. I am reluctant to post them here as I simply don't like the size in which they are/can be presented. On other forums I post photo's at 800 x 600 format, a much better size to do them justice.

cheers, Case

[Craig52]

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Just a few pics from the 2010 count,including the first pics of pictorellas in the area.The pr of longtails show their true charactoristics for identifying a pr,the large crocodile was the meeting place for the early morning count and after the count.In pic 6,there is a yellow headed hen gouldian.Cheers Craig

[casehulsebosch]

You got some good pics of the Gouldians Craig. And in good numbers!

I do a lot of birding and come across people who have spotted over 500 species of Australian birds but have never seen a Gouldian in the wild.
I maintain that once you know where to find the birds, it's a piece of cake. I saw lots of Gouldians this year all the way from "South of Darwin" all the way to Wyndham.
You could almost put your clock to them. Came in every morning at the same time to drink.
With the camera at the ready you can get to within 5 meters of them.

Cheers, Case

[finches247]

Great Pics really like the Spinifex Pigeons.

[TomDeGraaff]

Is number 2 a mistletoebird? Thanks for sharing. Shame others haven't got any more photos. I can't find the Yh Gouldian I'm rather (very) envious

[Craig52]

G'day Tom, pic 3 is a mistletoe bird,and if you hold control and tap + it will enlarge the pic 6 and then -- back to size. Craig

[TomDeGraaff]

Oh I see ! Thanks