This tour explores the woodlands, grassy plains and wetlands of northern Victoria. On the warmer and sunnier inland side of the Great Dividing range the landscapes and habitats open out under vast skies. This region will provide lively birding all year around. Open forests of box, ironbark, mallee and gum open out to plains with rocky outcrops. Rivers flow north here filling wetlands in season and environmental watering programs are underway to provide waterbirds with a refuge even during drought and even the surrounding productive irrigated farmland all adds to the mix of birds.

The woodlands are diverse here, with mighty River Red Gums along the creeks and rivers, Yellow Box and Grey Box forests on the fertile lands, Yellow Gum and Ironbark on the poorer soils and mallee scrubs where the ground is most weathered. The diversity of eucalypts, with some flowering all year around make this region attractive to nectivorous birds, with some 25 species of Honeyeater recorded as well as Lorikeets and in winter the endangered Swift Parrot

Some of the scarcer birds that may be encountered in these drier woodlands include Square-tailed Kite (spring and summer), Painted Honeyeater (spring and summer), Powerful Owl, Barking Owl, Spotted Nightjar, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, Speckled Warbler, Painted Button-quail, Spotted Quail-thrush, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Shy Heathwren, Southern Scrub-robin, Purple-backed Fairy-wren, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Diamond Firetail, Gilberts Whistler, Hooded Robin, Australian Ringneck, Blue Bonnet, Grey-crowned Babbler, Bush Stone-curlew, Little and Purple-crowned Lorikeet, amongst a wide range of other species.

Across the plains some remnant native grasslands are now protected and provide important habitat for one of Australier birds the Plains-wanderer. A night walk in search of this bird may be included in this tour if the season is favourable. Other grassland birds may be seen such as Stubble Quail, Bushlarks and Songlarks, and Little Button-quail in summer. During the daytime this open country may reveal Banded Lapwing, White-winged Fairy-wren, various raptors and Zebra Finch amongst others. In spring rare wildflowers appear in a few locations

Wetlands in the area can be highly productive especially as they dry up through summer after winter spring flooding. They range from fresh to brackish and saline. Plumed Whistling Duck, Magpie Geese, Brolga, Glossy Ibis, Intermediate Egret, Australian Spotted Crake, Australasian Bittern, Azure Kingfisher, Freckled Duck, Blue-billed Duck, migratory shorebirds, Banded Stilts and Red-necked Avocets all occur with regularity amongst the masses of commoner waterbirds. Every few years there are one or two sightings of the endangered Australian Painted Snipe, usually as wetlands are drying out in summer following very wet periods.

PRICES: Private booking $3,360-00 total - single person price $3,685-00 total - two person/shared room SHARED tours - $2,130 per person (single rooms) when split two ways , $1,720 per person (single rooms) when split three or more ways Prices includes two night’s accommodation and meals starting lunch day one to lunch day three plus drinks (non alcoholic) and snacks.