A pardalote in a snow gum tree

While parts of the States enjoyed real snow in the days leading up to Christmas...

US Radar map - 23 December 2014 (Intellicast)

...Matt and I enjoyed the Snowy Mountain off-season: when the skiers leave the slopes, in come the birds (and birders). Near the NSW-Victoria border, we camped in true Aussie Christmas spirit...

Lounging at our campsite by the river (Corona and field guide in hand)

...or at least trying to. Between an unexpected stomach ailment and some stormy weather, our planned 4-day camping trip became a stopover in Canberra plus 2 days of camping. But that still left plenty of time for some quality birdwatching.

In Canberra, we did manage to see heaps of Galahs, magpies, sulphur-crested cockatoos, and some green birds with blue wings (stop the car, honey!!) that looked a heck of a lot like turquoise parrots... but were probably something more common, like juvenile crimson rosellas.

But the Snowy Mountains gave us the most fun, with several new species sightings. On the first day at our campsite (the Diggings), we took a leisurely 5-km walk to the east along the Thredbo River, enjoying a picnic lunch under the shade trees to a chorus of birds, including white-eared and yellow-faced honeyeaters.

Walk along the Thredbo River

Yellow-faced honeyeater calling near the Thredbo Diggings campground

An alert kangaroo

 We spotted a pair of kangaroos on the trail, avoided feeding the cute maned and Pacific black ducks, and ended the day surrounded by choruses of kookaburras and striated pardalotes.

Foraging duck family

A striated pardalote calling from a snow gum tree

The highlight of the trip was the Dead Horse Gap trail, which we tackled on day three. Each year, this gap through the mountains serves as a funnel for millions of migrating birds and insects.

Map of the area, showing Dead Horse Gap

 The trail itself leads up through the snow gum forest...

...and into the high alpine grasses.

Nerd alert #357

View from the summit

On the way up we spotted lots of yellow-faced honeyeaters, a couple crimson roesllas, loads of ravens, some vibrant flame robins, and a few grey fantails.

Male flame robin singing high in a tree

A grey fantail flitting and singing in the trees

So to sum up, we had a productive Christmas adventure, spotting:

Twelve galahs perching

Eleven ravens circling

Ten maned ducks wattling

Nine ducklings groveling

Eight kookaburras laughing

Seven rosellas singing

Six yellow-faced honeyeaters

Five fairy wren breeders

Four fantails

Three flame robins

Two kangaroos

And a pardalote in a snow gum tree.