Terrick Terrick National Park: wonderful open woodlands and grasslands!
Tim Dolby
Terrick Terrick National Park is a fantastic Victorian birding location. It was a must visit site for my Twitchathon team when traveling through northern Victoria. A friend of mine liked it so much that he got married there! The park contains superb areas of grassy woodlands that are dominated by White Cypress-pine (Callitris columellaris glaucophylla), some reaching about 30 m high, Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) and Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa), and is also an important remnant of Box-Ironbark forests.
| Female Plains-wanderer |
Cultural Heritage
The name ‘Terrick Terrick’ is a name used by the local First Nations people, the Baraba Baraba and Wemba Wemba, for the mountain, however, unfortunately its meaning is not known. First Nations people constructed water collection wells in the granite outcrops. These wells were around 30cm deep, and when water was scarce in the warmer months these wells contained water and provided an important water source for survival. There are also a number of significant archeological sites in the park, including burial sites, shell middens and scar trees.
How to get there.
Terrick Terrick National Park is located 225 km north-west of Melbourne. From Bendigo, take the Loddon Valley Highway to Eaglehawk, turning right to Mitiamo at the Bendigo-Pyramid Rd. Mitiamo is 60 kilometers north of Bendigo. The park is 4 km north of Mitiamo and can be entered at several points off Forest Rd.
Plants of Terrick Terrick
In general, the look and feel of the forests of Terrick Terrick reminds me of the cypress-pine forests in the Flinders Ranges, particularly those around Wilpena Pound. The park supports a wide range of rare and endangered plant species, with the largest known Victorian populations of Annual Buttons (Leptorhynchos scabrous), once thought extinct in Victoria, Slender Darling-pea (Swainsona murrayna), Fragrant Lee-orchid (Prasophyllum suaveolens), and Pepper Grass (Panicum laevinode).
Along with White Cypress-pine (Callitris columellaris glaucophylla), other trees here include Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora), which I think one of Australia’s best bird-attracting trees, Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa), Drooping She-oak (Allocasuarina verticillata), Buloke (Allocauarina leuhmannii), Cherry Ballart (Exocarpos cupressiformis), and larger shrubs such as Hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa), Gold-dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea), Deane’s Wattle (Acacia deanii), Weeping Pittosporum (Pittosporum angustifolium), and Desert Cassia (Senna artemisioides zygophylla).
Some of the more common woodland flowers include Clustered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) and Golden Everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum), while around the rocky outcrops look for Snowy Mint-mush (Prostanthera nivea), Rock Correa (Correa glabra), Nodding Blue-lily (Stypandra glauca), and the delightful purple-blue Rock Isotome (Isotoma axillaris). In the wet gullies, mainly on the north eastside of Mt. Terrick Terrick, you may find Swan Greenhood (Pterostylis cycnocephala) and Woolly Cloak Fern (Cheilanthes lasiophylla).
| Cypress-pine forest |
In general the look and feel of the forests of Terrick Terrick reminds me of the cypress-pine forests in the Flinders Ranges, particularly those around Wilpena Pound. The park supports a wide range of rare and endangered plant species. It has the largest known Victorian populations Annual Buttons (Leptorhynchos scabrous), Slender Darling-pea (Swainsona murrayna), Fragrent Lee-orchid (Prasophyllumsuaveolens) and Pepper Grass (Panicum laevinode).
In terms of flowers, there is an array of colors from Broughton Pea (Swainsona procumbens), Red Swainson-pea (Swainsona plagiotropis), Dwarf Bluebush (Maireana humillima), Bottle Bluebush (Maireana excavata), Drumsticks (Pycenosorus globosus), Paper Sunray (Rhodanthe corymbiflora), Pink Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus exaltatus), Bulbine Lilly (Bulbine bulbosa), and Lemon Beauty Heads (Calocephalus citreus).
The native grasses in the park include Wallaby Grass (Astrodanthonia and Amphibromus sp.), Spear Grass (Austrostipa spp.), Pepper Grass (Panicum laevinode), Rye Beetle-grass (Tripogon logiiformis), Windmill Grass (Chloris truncata), Wire Grass (Aristida ramosa), and Yam Daisy (Microseris lanceolata).
Birds of Terrick Terrick National Park
Birdwise, Terrick Terrick contains has a significant population of Plains-wanderer. The Plains-wanderer is a mysterious little grassland specialist with no close relatives. Despite resembling quail and button-quail, it is actually more closely closer related to shorebirds ands gulls. They are shy and extremely elusive, being most often encountered when spotlighting at night. In terms of the Plains-wanderer, with an estimated population of between 250 to 1,000 birds. This makes it one of Australia’s rarest birds. When encountered, they may crane up on tiptoe to have a look around, then crouch down for cover.
In terms of birdwatching, as an indication of how good birds at Terrick Terrick are, on one particular morning, the dawn chorus I heard from my campsite in the campground (indeed, most of the birds I heard prior to me getting out of my sleeping bag!) were Gilbert’s and Rufous Whistler, Australian Ringneck, Red-rumped Parrot, Diamond Firetail, Laughing Kookaburra, Peaceful Dove, Southern Whiteface, Mistletoebird, White-plumed Honeyeater, Grey Shrike-thush, Willy Wagtail, Tree Martin (nesting next to the tent!), Brown Treecreeper, Striated Pardalote, White-browed Babbler, and White-winged Chough. That’s a pretty good dawn chorus campsite list! Wonderful stuff.
| Mt. Terrick Terrick picnic area. A very pleasant place to go birdwatching. |
The inclusion of the grassland areas into the national park was a major reason for the recent inclusion of Terrick Terrick National Park as an International Important Birding Area (IBA). The grasslands were farmed by the Davies family on a low-input basis. For nearly 100 years, they grazed stock at conservative levels, and felt there was no need to use fertilizers or chemicals or plough the land. This was fortunate for plants such as Fragrant Lee-orchid (Prasophyllum suaveolens), and Annual Buttons (Leptorhynchos scabrous). As a result, the list of grassland bird species recorded at Terrick Terrick is outstanding. These include Plains-wanderer, Little and Red-chested Button-quail, Stubble Quail, Australian Pratincole, Banded Lapwing, Inland Dotterel, Brown Songlark, Horsfield’s Bushlark, Australian Pipit, and Eurasian Skylark.
The grasslands of Terrick Terrick is also one of the last remaining places that Eastern Hooded Scaley-foot, a critically endangered legless lizard. The status of the EasternHooded Scaly-foot seems to not to have improved, with very low numbers recorded at the monitoring locations. Despite a snake-like appearance, their closest relatives are geckos. Eastern Hooded Scaley-foot, like other legless lizards, are distinguished from snakes by a broad fleshy tongues, ear-openings (a feature snakes lack), and a long tail. The tail can actually grow up to four times the body length of the lizard, and can be voluntarily broken off.
Terrick Terrick is one of the few places in Australia where you can see Grey-crowned, White-browed, and Chestnut-crowned Babbler in the same general area. White-browed Babbler quite common across the park, particularly in the areas of White Cypress-pine. There is a family of Chestnut-crowned Babbler north of Riegels Rock in the north-east of the park. While, there are several families of Grey-crowned Babbler along Bendigo Creek. The population of Chestnut-crowned Babbler is really interesting, and something that needs constant monitoring. It is an extremely isolated population and represents the most southernly community of this species in Australia.
Honeyeaters are numerous in the park; some of the honeyeaters I have seen include Black-chinned, Painted, Black, Spiny-cheeked, Singing, White-plumed, Brown-headed, White-naped, and Yellow-faced. There are also Red Wattlebird, Noisy Miner, and Little Friarbird, plus a couple of chats, Crimon and Whit-fronted Chat. That’s a nice selection of honeyeaters!
Woodland species are wonderfully represented at Terrick Terrick. The list of sought-after species includes Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Peaceful Dove, Gilbert’s Whistler, Black-eared Cuckoo, Red-chested, Little and Painted Button-quail, Rainbow Bee-eater, Crimson Chat, Southern Whiteface, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Western Geryone, Crested Bellbird, Eastern Shrike-tit, Restless Flycatcher, Jacky Winter, Hooded and Red-capped Robin, Rufous Songlark, and Diamond Firetail. I thinks that that is as good of a collection of woodland species as it gets!
| Red-capped Robin |
The best time to visit the park is in the in the spring, around late August to November, particularly if you want to catch the peak flowering and birding times. Other times of the year, aside from mid-summer, are also very pleasant and excellent for birding.
| Grey-crowned Babbler |
The park and its surrounding grassland and farmland hold a wide selection of birds of prey. On a two-day survey for Birdlife Australia, I recorded fourteen species of raptors! This was Wedge-tailed and Little Eagle, Black, Whistling and Black-shouldered Kite, Swamp and Spotted Harrier, Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Hobby, and Brown, Black and Peregrine Falcon. At night, listen for nightbirds such as Barn Owl, Southern Boobook, Australian Owlet-nightjar, Tawny Frogmouth, and there is a possibility of Spotted Nightjar.
Terrick Terrick National Park, and the surrounding land are occasionally affected by enormous floods, an overflow from the Murray River. It was unfortunate for the farming communities, but, in terms of birdlife, these floods can bring an abundance of waterbirds to the region. During these periods, you might see uncommon species in the area, such as Brolga, and Plumed Whistling Duck, while the numbers of more common species, such as Australian Shelduck, White-necked and White-faced Heron, Black-tailed Native-hen, Spotted and Spotless Crake, Red-kneed Dotterel, Australasian Grebe, Australian Reed-Warbler, and Little Grassbird.
White-winged Triller. (Photo Greg Oakley)
Birding Sites at Terrick Terrick National Park
Here is a selection of some of my favourite birding sites at Terrick Terrick National Park. In essence though, a walk anywhere is good, particularly for open woodland birds.
Mt Terrick Terrick (this includes the picnic area and campground, the mountains base, and the top)
On a good day, the picnic area and northward around the base of the rock, may produce some of the best birding in Victoria! Around here I usually see Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Diamond Firetail, Gilbert’s Whistler, which have a preference for Cherry Ballart (Exocarpos cupressiformis), Rainbow Bee-eater (summer), Ducky, Masked and White-browed Woodswallow, Rufous Songlark (mainly summer), Red-capped Robin, Mistletoebird, Sacred Kingfisher, Restless Flycatcher, and thornbills such as Yellow, Buff-rumped, and Chestnut-rumped.
Moving north around the northern base of Mt. Terrick Terrick, look for Southern Whiteface, usually feeding with Yellow-rumped and Buff-rumped Thornbill in areas of small shrubland. I have also seen Painted Honeyeater nesting in a large Yellow Box in this area, with Western Gerygone also nested nearby. Look here also for Eastern Yellow Robin; this is one of the north-west boundaries for this forest-dwelling species.
The top of Mt. Terrick Terrick commands broad views across the northern Victorian plains. Unfortunately, most of the native vegetation in the area has been cleared, and what remains is fragmented into small islands in a vast sea of farmland. From the top, keep your eyes open for raptors such Wedge-tailed and Little Eagle, and there is a chance of Black and Peregrine Falcon. On several occasions, I have seen flocks of White-throated Neddletail and Pacific (Fork-tailed) Swift, and you are likely to see Tree Martin. The area around the top is also a great place to see the showy blue-flowers of Rock Isotome (Isotoma axillaris).
Mitiamo Cemetery
Located just south of Mt. Terrick Terrick, the Mitiamo Cemetery is great peripheral zone i.e. it borders the woodlands, contains grassy areas, next to farmland. It can be rich in bird species, Here you’ll find a nice mix of This is a good site for Gilbert’s Whistler, Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Peaceful Dove, Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter, White-winged Triller, Rufous Songlark and Chestnut-rumped and Yellow Thornbill, particularly on the east side of the cemetery.
Black-eared Cuckoo
Woodland north of Riegels Rock
Located on the north side of the park, the woodland immediately north and north-west of Riegels Rock is a great place to see woodland species such as Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Painted Button-quail, Diamond Firetail, Peaceful Dove, Hooded and Red-capped Robin, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Gilbert’s Whistler, Brown Treecreeper, White-winged Chough, White-winged Triller, Rufous Songlark, Varied Sitella, White-browed Babbler, and honeyeaters such as Black-chinned, Brown-headed, and White-plumed. In spring, you get a large gathering of Dusky, White-browed, and Masked Woodswallow, all hawking the woodlands for insects. As mentioned above, this is also the only area to look for the isolated population of Chestnut-crowned Babbler; the nearest populations for this species are several hundred kilometres north, around Hattah-Kulkye National Park. Striped Legless Lizard (Delma impar) and Gould’s (Sand) Monitor (Varanus gouldi) can also be found in this area.
Riegels Rd
In the fringe habitat along Riegels Road, you can usually find mixed flocks of smaller passerines such as Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Southern Whiteface, Rainbow Bee-eater, and Restless Flycatcher. In spring and summer, this is a reliable spot for Brown Songlark, Pallid Cuckoo, and Black-eared Cuckoo. I have also seen Cockatiel along this road, probably the best place to see them in the park.
Bennetts Rock and the intersection of Molaga-Echuca Road and Mitiamo Forest Road (in the centre of the park)
Both spots are good for woodland birds, such as Rainbow Bee-eater, Australian (Mallee) Ringneck, Eastern Rosella, Brown Treecreeper, Brown-headed and Black-chinned Honeyeater, Southern White-face, Yellow and Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Eastern Shrike-tit, Gilbert’s, Golden and Rufous Whistler, Pied Butcherbird, Restless Flycatcher, White-winged Chough, Red-capped and Hooded Robin, Jacky Winter, and Diamond Firetail and, at night, Australian Owlet-nightjar.
Australian Owlet-nightjar
Grasslands near Davies Ruin
As discussed, one of the main attractions of the Terrick Terrick National Park is the grassland areas in the north-east corner of the reserve. The best area is near the Davies Ruins’, where on a good night’s spotlighting in the neighboring Spear Grass Paddock, you might see Plains-wanderer (critically endangered), Little Button-quail, Banded Lapwing, Stubble Quail, Brown Songlark, Horsfield’s Bushlark, Australian Pipit, Eurasian Skylark and, occasionally, Bush Stone-curlew, in grassy areas intermixed with a tree cover. There is also a good chance of Fat-tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicuadata). Rarer grassland birds to look for include Australian Pratincole, Red-chested Button-quail and Inland Dotterel. At night, it is a good spot for Eastern Barn Owl.
Black Falcon regularly hunt over the grasslands. I remember walking across the grasslands and flushing a Brown Songlark. Watching this bird as it flew away, there was a sudden, loud whoosh, and then a whack! A Black Falcon had just snatched the bird, not twenty feet from where I was standing. My feeling is that the Black Falcon has been circling over me, waiting for me to flush a bird or two.
Patho Plains section
The Patho Plains section of the grassland is located near the intersection of Clee Road and Tomara Road. Occasionally remarkable birding events happen there, and you find large numbers of Australian Pratincole, Banded Lapwing, and even Inland Dotterel congregating there. The Patho Plains are also good for Black-faced Woodswallow, as well as Spotted Harrier in spring and summer.
| A Brown Songlark ‘craning’ on Terrick Terrick grassland. (Photo Greg Oakley) |
Bendigo Creek
A walk along Bendigo Creek can be rewarding. The habitat is a mix of Lignum (Muehlenbeckia florulenta), Grey Box, and River Red Gum. It is along this creekline that you look for Grey-crowned Babbler. I’ve seen them at several locations, with a good spot where the Echuca-Mitiamo Road crosses the Bendigo Creek. For instance, I have seen Grey-crowned Babbler walking south down the creekline, while they also occur near the old ruins north of the road, perhaps the most reliable place to see them. There is also a chance of White-winged Fairy-wren in the Lignum along the creek.
Finally, another good place to access Bendigo Creek is from Jungaburra Road; it crosses Bendigo Creek north-east of the national park. There is usually permanent water in the creek here, and as a result, it can hold a nice selection of birds. Here I’ve seen Brogla (nesting), Black-tailed Native-hen, when there, they are often in large numbers, Spotted Crake, Australasian Grebe, Red-kneed and Black-fronted Dotterel, Scared Kingfisher, White-necked Heron, Australian Pratincole, Little Grassbird, Australian Reed-Warbler, and Southern Whiteface and Grey-crowned Babbler.
Tim Dolby
