Adelaide Airport, Eagle View in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker, South Australia*F.

Back in Australia with Deb and Ian, Brilliant.

Australia, Day One.

Dropping into a cloudy Adelaide.

After another 6 / 7 hours in the air we landed at Adelaide Airport which is a nice, small and extremely efficiently organized airport which meant, not long after getting off the plane I was outside in arrivals meeting friends Deb and Ian who amazingly agreed to put up with me for another 3 months of wildlife watching.

Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus).

We were soon out into the car park and on our way to what, I am sure will be the first of many visits to a coffee shop.

As we drove out of the City and then through some very wet looking countryside to the small town of Meadows, on the way I started the trip list with Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus), Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca), Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala), Australian Ibis (Threskiornis molucca), Feral Pigeon (Columba livia), Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis), Galah's (Eolophus roseicapilla), Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), Little Raven (Corvus mellori), Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata) and Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa).

Then as we were going through one of the villages I saw my first Lifer, not a bird but a very unexpected daytime encounter with a Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) which was uncommon enough for me to rummage through my case for the camera, even Deb and Ian were pleased and surprised with this encounter, a great start to what I am sure will be and brilliant trip.

Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus).

After a very nice coffee and a Scone with Jam and cream (unfortunately not Clotted) we continued on to the farm, on the way we picked up Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis), a group of Little Corella's (Cacatua sanguinea), Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata), the bird species I saw every day of my last trip a Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) and as we turned off the road onto the track to the farm the first Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus fuliginosus)

Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus).

At the farm we were greeted by Molly and Maddy the two dogs before doing some unpacking, as I was doing this I saw Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera), Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus), Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans), Grey Currawong (Strepera versicolor) and New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae).

Later Deb and I headed for Mount Barker where we did some shopping and I got an Australian SIM for the phone which eventually activated mid-morning on next day, on the way there and back again we had Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra), Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae), Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides) and White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae).

Almost a Cornish Cream Tea, well coffee in my case.

Once we returned to the farm I did the rest of my unpacking, then had a coffee with Deb and Ian, later we all headed over to see Renate, Deb's lovely Mum where we saw Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa) and Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus) before we had a very nice meal.

Unfortunately by this time I was flagging to say the least, so we returned to the farm, at 19:30 I was in bed and apart from a few minutes around 00.30 I slept right through until 06:30 when my alarm went off. Thanks to you all for a great first day.