Nepabunna back to Eagle View, South Australia.

A cracking morning in the hills near Nepabunna.

Australia, Day Thirty.

A view from the hill to part of the Flinders Ranges.

After Breakfast we drove to a spot near to the Village and went for a walk up onto one of the hills hoping to see my 6th Grasswren species for SA, the Short-tailed Grasswren (Amytornis merrotsyi) but as hard as we tried we only managed to hear them a couple of times, it was a little breezy so the birds were sitting very tight amongst the Spinifex grass tussocks.

Greg and Ian on the way up.

Near the top, I was behind because I was taking photo's and not knackered, honest.

Deb putting her amazing hearing to work, the Grasswren call is so high pitched I was struggling.

During the really stunning walk we did record Inland Thornbill (Acanthiza apicalis), Grey-fronted (Ptilotula plumula) and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Acanthagenys rufogularis), Weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris), Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus), Brown Falcon (Falco berigora), my first Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) of the trip which completed the Falcon list for the state, Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and the bird which seemed to surprise everyone a very smart Chestnut Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma castanotum) which we all saw well initially but when we tried to get photo's it became very difficult to see but very easy to hear as it called regularly.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides).

Euro / Common Wallaroo (Osphranter robustus).

Also seen up there was a mother Euro / Common Wallaroo (Osphranter robustus) and well grown Joey, Red-barred Crevice-Dragon (Ctenophorus vadnappa) and another smaller Lizard which I still need a name for.

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We eventually decided we were flogging a dead donkey with the Short-tailed Grasswren so we started to make our way down to the cars again, on the way we saw a couple of Willie-wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys) mobbing a none to impressed Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides).

Rock Wallaby habitat.

I had seen some of Greg's photo's of the beautiful Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) and once we got near to the cars Deb and Ian went back to Greg's and we continued on a short distance up a nearby gorge where we had a chance of seeing them but I didn't think we were going to be as lucky as we were.

On our way through the Gorge.

We moved up the Gorge and suddenly Greg beckoned me forward and I scanned the hills where he was pointing expecting a speck sat on a rock way off but he said not there, here and I was amazed to see a sunning female Rock Wallaby sat just a few meters above us and she was so well behaved and just sat there whilst we took 100s of pictures of her and her Joey that popped its head out of her pouch every now and then, I was assured that they are not normally as easy as this and this encounter was as good as Greg had had, another amazing experience to add to the list.

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus).

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus).

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus).

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus).

We returned to the car adding Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) and Grey Shrikethrush (Colluricincla harmonica) before returning to his house where Deb and Ian had already packed ready to continue on South but we found a very nice looking Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) sat in the middle of the road right outside the house so Greg got out to move it off but it just sat there forcing him to pick it up and actually move it.

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Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) Male.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) Male.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) Male.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) Male.

Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris) Female.

Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) whilst being moved off the road.

We thanked and said Goodbye to Greg and continued on West then south stopping at Copley Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe for Coffee and a Quandong Pie, species seen during the drive included Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea), Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans), Yellow-throated Miner (Manorina flavigula), Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca), House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Black (Milvus migrans) and Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), Black-faced Woodswallow (Artamus cinereus), Emu, Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) and Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax).

Art Work / Signs at the entrance to Nepabunna.

We stopped at Port Augusta hoping to eat at the Arid Lands Botanic Garden but it was already closed, we added White-browed Babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus), Red Wattlebird (Anthochaera carunculata) and Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), plus on the way south Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis) and a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) which I missed as I think I had nodded off in the back.