Weekends That Were - November 2015

28.11.15

Minnippi

Picked up Mr D at 5.45 and met Mr P at 6.00 in the car park. It was really good to be birding together again – it’s been the rare occasion when all three of us have managed to get together - and I needed to tell them of my pending changing circumstances.

There was a Bush Hen calling from cover near the bridge and, closer by, a quieter call that finally resolved itself into a Buff-banded Rail. The lake was almost empty of birds – but very full of water? Where from? It hasn’t rained for several weeks and there is no inflow into the lake we are aware of……

The M1 track was quiet with only Channel-billed Cuckoos flying around calling raucously, Sacred Kingfishers perched up and a Common Crow (butterfly) passing by….A single Oriental Dollarbird put in an appearance but otherwise the activity was minimal.

The island end of the lake was, similarly, quiet – Black Duck numbers were down and the Hardheads, Swamphens and Moorhens looked tired and sleepy in the warm conditions. The Tawny Frogmouth was back on the same nest used earlier in the season – we were unsure whether the first brood survived and is this a second brood? Or a replacement?

A disturbance among the smaller birds had us scanning the surrounding skies for a threat and Mr D spotted a raptor heading away across the lake – consensus arrived at Collared Sparrowhawk when it attacked something and landed, distantly, in a tree.

Leaving Mr D at Stu’s Raptor Lookout, as he was feeling the effects of the previous night’s Christmas party, Mr P and I continued on around the Airfield track. Bird-wise it was pretty quiet although a Forest Kingfisher and a Rufous Fantail were two good birds to find – especially the latter at this time of year- and a Green Tree Snake on the track gave us both a startle. 

The butterflies, however, were exciting! I took photos and later identified Meadow Argus, Dainty Grass Blue and Stencilled Hairstreak – the photos weren’t brilliant, but were adequate. Mr P spotted a moth and it turned out to be a relatively common, but beautifully marked, species found from Cairns to NSW, but without any common name – Donuca orbigera.

Dainty Grass Blue 

Donuca orbigera

Meadow Argus

Meadow Argus

Stencilled Hairstreak

A couple of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and a pair of Oriental Dollarbirds in a new, possibly breeding, location finished us off before our return to pick up Mr D.

While we sat in the shade I broke the news of my changing circumstances and my new ‘role’ from mid-December – Retiree? Pensioner? Unemployed? At a loose end? A free agent? Take your pick! It’ll certainly give me plenty of time to do this sort of thing.

We retired to Belesis for breakfast and further chat about Mr D’s recent overseas trip and my travelling future…..

22.11.15

Nathan Rd wetlands

Recent reports regarding vagrant waders were positive and, as I was in the area, I decided to check it out. On site at 8.00 and started searching through the (approx.) 500 Sharp-tailed and (15) Marsh Sandpipers, 40+ Red-kneed Dotterels, 90 Red-necked Stints and 45+ White-headed Stilts. The reported Black-necked Stork was outstanding and the 3 Glossy Ibis less so.

An hour searching and I finally found a single Wood Sandpiper (2 had been reported recently) hidden among the dead sticky type things at one end of the flooded mud. It was difficult to see and impossible to photograph, but I figured I’d give it a go from the other side of the marsh.

I returned to the car, drove back to the first right hand turn and parked near the last house on the right beside the open park area. Walking through the park I found my way to the ‘back’ of the wetlands and slowly worked my way along the edge of the reed beds until I re-found the Wood Sand again. I also found the Ruddy Turnstone in the same environment - an unusual bird in such a setting.

I was settling in to await the WS presenting itself in the open, when another birder appeared on the Nathan Rd side of the water and methodically and indiscreetly picked his way around the edge of the mud, successfully flushing all the birds out of the ‘sticks’ and away to parts unknown. I wasn’t particularly impressed by this behaviour but there was no point in crying over spilt milk so resigned myself to the fact. He hadn’t even seen the WS in the sticks.

The day wasn’t a complete waste, however, as I got a couple of shots of a Marsh Sandpiper, a bird I have struggled to get successfully on ‘film’, which I was happy with, and noted a few butterflies, which I believe were White Capers, flying through on the gusty southerly on some sort of minor northerly migration.

Marsh Sandpiper

13.11.15

Sandy Camp & Lindum

The eye surgeon was happy with the improvement – but wanted to repeat the injection-in-the-eye stunt so I took another day off work to attend to that – hence a second week day morning birding.

With the current reports of vagrant waders on the north side I thought Lindum would be worth a visit – and might as well do Sandy Camp at the same time.

A later start – arriving on site at 7.00 – I probably missed the best of the morning, however, it was still quite active and I got a good list for the day.

The best bird at SC was a single Pink-eared Duck on the back pond perched self-consciously on a log. It’s only the second time I have recorded this species here and, according to another birder’s E-bird list, only the second record for SC. I had White-throated Honeyeaters down at eye level beside the second pond, although the light was shit I managed to get some OK shots…

White-throated Honeyeater

Walked around the BB pond for no result but as I came back out onto the track a Leaden Fly perched up very, very close and I grabbed some shots before it realised what I was and took off. The white chin is unusual I think? Maybe a juvenile bird?

Leaden Flycatcher

Back at the entrance way I picked up a female White-winged Triller – I couldn’t remember where the nest was as described on E-bird, but didn’t see any sign of a male.

On to Fuller and a quick check of the water – nothing outstanding, still 2 Glossy Ibis and an unusually dark duck that I think was a juvenile Wandering Whistle Duck.

Lindum and the usual White-headed Stilts, Red-kneed Dotterels and Black-fronted Dotterels. 3 Marsh and 8 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers also on site, but nothing to challenge the northside vagrants unfortunately. Burnby rd was quieter than usual, but I did see, and failed to photograph, a Blue Triangle fluttering around a small Camphor Laurel.(Look at me – all butterflied and treed up!!)

Then it was home and cycling into the city for the needle-in-the-eye thing and a quiet weekend resting the affected item watching the ‘medicine’ swirl around………

12.11.15

Oxley

An appointment with my eye surgeon late in the morning gave me the day off and an opportunity to bird first thing in the morning – so off to Oxley at 5.45. Fairly quiet morning – birdy enough, but nothing to write home about. Monarch butterflies were plentiful – I noticed as I pursued my ‘new’ interest.

Monarch

Monarch underwing

Surprisingly the Yellow-rumped Thornbills appeared to be using the same nest for a probable second brood – assuming, of course, the first brood got away OK. They were certainly in and out of the old nest which has increased to a considerable size.

My ears seemed to be in good working order as I actually heard a White-throated Gerygone singing as I returned along the track! Note: this is the first WTG I’ve heard voluntarily in years and it was a real ‘What’s that?’ moment. I suspect I have got lazy over the years as others heard and identified birds before I got onto them. Lately Mr H’s visit and, again, questions such as ‘What’s that singing’?’ have pushed me to actually try and hear stuff – and hence my improved ocular abilities. Maybe?

On my return journey a Common Eggfly gave me the opportunity for another butterfly photo.

Common Eggfly

Common Eggfly underwing

7.11.15

Mooloolaba Pelagic

Left home at 4.40am and arrived at Mooloolaba Mackers at 6.00. Got a cup of coffee and by 6.25 was down the wharf meeting with Stu and Paul W and hanging out waiting for the others to arrive.

The Cat-a-pult finally turned up at 7.00 and we headed out into a choppy one meter, white-horsed, south-easterly swell under a 15 knot north-westerly wind and catapulted ourselves towards the shelf at 16+ knots…..2 and a half hours of bucking, slamming, heaving travel later, during which we all experienced weightlessness, and which included a passing visit from a couple of Common Dolphin, we settled, slightly bruised, to drift the current.

It took a little while but soon enough we had Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and, immediately afterwards, Tahiti Petrels arriving to feed on the shark liver burley we put overboard. Later a couple of Wilson’s Storm Petrels, 3 Bridled followed by 3 Sooty Terns, 2 Short-tailed and a single fly by Hutton’s Shearwaters and, right at the end of the drift, a single Black Noddy. A large Manta Ray put in an appearance too.

Tahiti Petrel

Tahiti Petrel

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Nothing new for me unfortunately and, coincidentally, almost all the birds I had seen in their thousands just a few weeks ago on LEI!

We headed in at 13.00 and 2 hours later docked back at Mooloolaba, having hung on for grim death through the returning spray-lashed journey. A Brown Booby flew past as came back in – another bird I had seen several of recently….sigh….now it was just the drive home……..