Capertree Valley Birds

Photo by flickr user bushie

Situated around 180 km west of Sydney, the road from Capertee to Glen Davis through the Capertee Valley offers some of the best birding in Australia. Capertee is approximately 35 k north of Lithgow on the Gt Western Highway and the valley is the largest enclosed valley in the southern hemisphere. Start birding just after turning onto the Glen Davis road by lowering the car windows and listening for birds. Stopping every time you hear a call and checking it out will probably help you to see over a 100 species in the 35 km to Glen Davis Township. Not least of which may include the stunning and endangered Regent Honeyeater. This road is one of the birds favourite areas when the right trees (usually White Box / Ironbarks) are flowering with large numbers arriving in late winter (Austral) each year to commence breeding. They’re a noisy aggressive honeyeater though their spectacular black, gold and white plumage allows for any failings they have! Apart from the Regent Honeyeater, this road is a favourite of many other honeyeaters, Turquoise Parrot, Little Lorikeets, Southern Whiteface, Australian Owlet-nightjar and many other Aussie birds including what is often referred to as Sydney’s only endemic, the Rockwarbler often found on the escarpment faces at valleys end. Other good birds to be seen along the Glen Davis road may include: Brown Quail, Painted Button-quail, Hooded Robin, Shrike-tit, Rufous Songlark, Brown Songlark, Diamond Firetail, Square-tailed Kite, Little Eagle, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Little Lorikeet, Common Cicadabird, Rockwarbler, Speckled Warbler and Fuscous, Yellow-tufted and Black-chinned Honeyeater. There is a basic camping area at Glen Davis around the toilet block though be warned, the mozzies are evil here! Regent Honeyeater may also be found around the campsite area and Rockwarbler against the mountain face. The Glen Davis Township is tremendously interesting. Once a shale oil mining town of over 2,500 residents it’s now pretty much as close as we get in Australia to a ghost town. Mining started in 1891 and ended around 1952. Recent development though of a stunning art deco old hotel building into a modern boutique hotel will once again help people discover this area.

Written by  Alan McBride.

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