31.7.16
Slaughter Falls, Mt Cootha
At Mr P’s suggestion we headed for Mt Cootha and the
recently-become-famous-again Powerful
Owls. Every man and his dog (apparently) had been to see the Owl family in
the last week or so, posting their photos on-line, and Mr P had been to see
them yesterday himself.
He picked me up at 8.15 as we planned to meet other birders on site at
9. A later than normal start, admittedly, however, the birds were reputedly
easy to see at any time of the day.
We got there early so decided to check out the Square-tailed Kite nest
on the ridgeline – there were no birds present, possibly a little early in the
season just yet, but the nest looked in good shape and hopefully will be
re-occupied this season.
We moved on to the Falls car park and found it extremely busy – walkers
with kids, walkers with dogs, walkers with iPods, walkers in groups, walkers in
pairs, walkers with themselves…..astounding just how many people were out on a
Sunday morning and we were lucky to get a carpark.
The other 4 arrived just after 9 and we walked up the track to the owl
roost surrounded by walkers as we went…
Above the dry river bed off the main track we immediately found an adult
Powerful Owl perched up on a fairly
exposed branch.
 |
| Powerful Owl adult |
After a few minutes we managed to locate the second bird and,
subsequently, the two downy chicks, although they were not as visible as they
had been yesterday, according to Mr P - hence the less than perfect photo.
These were my first Owl chicks and they were rather cute.
 |
| Powerful Owl juvenile |
All four birds sat quite comfortably and relaxed as we scrambled around
below them trying to get a better view through the intervening branches –
obviously well used to the attention, I think one even yawned….
After we had all exhausted our Owl needs we drove up to the ridge line again
in a fruitless quest for Buff-rumped Thornbill reported by another birder. Mr P
and I both had family commitments so we left the others to it around 11.15 and
headed home.
28.7.16
Trotter
A half a bottle of wine and a latish night made me reluctant to get up
despite the 8 degree temperature I have longed for – maybe ‘winter’ finally is
here? At least for this week….
I arrived late on site, as a result, at 7.30 and headed down the track.
As usual it was quiet and it was the ‘junction’ before I saw anything –
and that was pretty minimal. Just a couple of White-throated and Brown
Honeyeaters, one Scarlet and an Eastern Spinebill.
On down to the lake through the apparently empty grassy habitat and
along the shore.
Very, very little on the lake itself or the edges. 9 Black-fronted
Dotterels was a high number for the site, but apart from that it was almost dead. A pair of Fairy Martins among the few Welcome Swallows may be early
returns? Surprisingly I haven’t listed Fairy Martins here previously so that
was a bonus, I guess.
On the exposed lake bed, as I have in previous years, I found some
Sundews – tiny carnivorous plants, which are always interesting.
 |
| Sundew |
Up through the bush and onto the back track and I came across another
new fungi - Cortinarius
areolatoimbricatus - I believe.
 |
| Cortinarius areolatoimbricatus |
I also got a second new species for site (!) Double-barred Finch – which
again was a surprise, but with a total of only 37 species and an estimated
140 birds it was the usual Trotter-type of morning.
23.7.16
Minnippi again
Mr D and I met Mr P in the carpark as arranged at 7.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – what a difference 4 (or 3)
days can make. I was on site on Tuesday in the fog and it was very quiet.
Today, Saturday, it was very birdy – numbers weren’t huge but the range of
species much improved. No fog this
morning - a bright, sunny day predicted to be 29 degrees – in the middle of
winter? This is ridiculous!
Anyway…. the lake was fairly quiet but there were huge numbers of Silvereyes accompanied by a few Yellow-faced and Brown Honeyeaters feeding in the trees around the entrance to the
M1. We searched in vain for anything ‘different’ then moved on into the track and
picked up Little and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets flying overhead. Further in and White-throated Honeyeaters appeared, a Striated Pardalote called and then Mr D called a Spotted Pardalote which responded well – only my second record of Spotted
on site, the last being on 3rd of July 2005! Rufous and Australian Golden
Whistlers also showed.
We walked up The Alley without incident and back to the lake’s edge. Mr
P picked up a previously reported – and probably two of the same ducks I saw a
few weeks ago – pair of Pink-eared Ducks
which was nice. I guess I overlooked them somehow on Tuesday, although, in my
own defence, they were, initially, fairly well hidden in floating vegetation some
distance away.
On to Stu’s Raptor Lookout then to the Airfield Track. Dozens more Silvereyes – it became a morning of ‘just another f……g Silvereye’ but we did
have a minor bird-wave including a female Leaden
Flycatcher and a Varied Triller.
A Black-shouldered Kite appeared
briefly overhead as we exited the track and returned to the Raptor Lookout.
Sitting there for 10 minutes or so, I noticed a pair of distant birds gliding
over the powerlines – these eventually became Black Kites which was a good site tick – only my third record.
That was about it apart from a surprise in the shape of two Black Jezebels fluttering past. It
would seem that this butterfly only appears in the late Autumn and mid-winter
in Brisbane.
Mr P departed for family duties while Mr D and I retired to Belesis’s
for a very extended breakfast.
22.7.16
Sandy Camp and Lindum
Where’s our
winter? Bring back our winter! We’re being robbed!
Yep – a prediction of 28 degrees and a heavy morning fog again enveloped
the whole south east.
It was very noisy when I arrived on site – but, it turned out to be
mainly Brown Honeyeaters along the
entrance track with a few Noisy
Friarbirds and Rainbow Lorikeets,
backed by a very vocal Striped
Honeyeater and they dispersed fairly quickly.
On the water the usual lurkers, including 10 Wandering Whistle Ducks and a pair of Forest Kingfishers. In actual fact there wasn’t much exciting stuff
on the rest of the wander. A couple of male Mistletoebirds put in close appearances and a single Leaden Flycatcher was welcome, the dominant
bird was Grey Fantail especially on
the track along the deep pond – they were everywhere.
 |
| male Mistletoebird |
The situation along the Bittern pond has deteriorated further with a
rock ‘bank’ now in place along the opposite side of the channel and all trees
removed on that side. A building is being constructed right on the edge of that
area and the accompanying reving trucks, beeping forklift type machinery, growling
diggers and yelling workmen was extremely intrusive and, surely, negates any
chance of ever seeing a BB there again. We’d be lucky to see anything of
substance in that pond in the future I believe. It’s a disgrace.
I went on to Fuller and found the water level very high and the place
almost completely deserted. A small group of Black-fronted Dotterels and 15 White-headed
Stilts was about all. After the last visit, when it was very active, this was
a surprise.
That was about it – apart from finding a scattering of Meadow Puffball – probably the commonest
puffball in the world – in the grass on the way in.
 |
| Meadow Puffball Lycoperdon pratense |
Lindum too was very
quiet. At first, in fact, it appeared to be completely empty, then I counted about 96 White-headed Stilts roosting at the far
end of the flooded area. Two Glossy Ibis
flew off shortly after my arrival and one remained with the Stilts.
I headed home, sweating, at 9.30……….I want our winter back!
19.7.16
Minnippi
A heavy fog shrouded the whole city as I headed to Minnippi at 7.
The lake was, as usual, quiet and the M1 track was like birding in a
cloud forest. A pair of Rainbow accompanied
by two Scaly-breasted Lorikeets
screeched at something I couldn’t see in one of the taller trees - may have
been a snake but I couldn’t see anything in the area they were targeting.
Everything was very muffled, a couple of Yellow-faced
and Scarlet Honeyeaters and a calling
Fan-tailed Cuckoo were the only
things of interest.
Up The Alley (along the forest edge) - nothing of interest, but a pair
of Pale-headed Rosellas feeding on
the grass between there and the lake provided close views for a few minutes.
The Airfield Track was, equally, quiet although the mist started to lift
and the sun shone out of a clear blue sky raising the temperature and belying
the fact that its winter.
I found a couple of fungi – probably thanks to the unseasonal warm
temperatures and recent rain. A couple, as usual, unidentifiable, but a ‘new’
Puffball type (Scleroderma cepa) will
be interesting to revisit in a week or so.
 |
| Scleroderma cepa |
Oxley
A grey, cool, flat morning. No wind, overcast, quiet. And the birdlife
was the same. Very average, everything looking very dry, awaiting the predicted
rain.
However, sometimes a surprise – this time, a Brush-tailed Possum posing near the boat ramp, very exposed,
unusual during daylight.
 |
| Brush-tailed Possum |
Further on up the track at the second culvert, a Brown Quail, badly injured, possibly by a dog or maybe a hawk. It’s
rear end exposed and bloody. It was still alive, but only barely. I moved it
into deeper, long grass, cover, but it didn’t look like it would last long.
 |
| Unidentified Fungi |
Lots of Brown Honeyeaters,
but little else really – a couple of Striped
Honeyeaters in the same tree we saw them in a few weeks ago, the usual Lewin’s but I was half way back along
the track before I found the first Grey
Fantail and Rufous Whistler of the morning!
All in all a bit of a dead morning.
15.7.16
Pt Lookout, North Stradbroke Is
Finally a south easterly wind! I headed over to the island at the usual
time and got there at 8 to find a brisk breeze, relatively flat seas and 100%
cloud cover providing excellent light to see birds over the ocean.
Unfortunately there weren’t many birds to see – in my first scope sweep I
came across masses of Common Noddys
heading south. I counted 172 birds in the first 10 minutes. The movement continued
through until about 9.30, but had died completely by 10, suggesting a large
roosting flock, rather than an actual movement of birds.
Australian Gannets crossed back and
forwards and I gave up counting them as they, too, appeared to be just lo0cal feeding
birds. One Hutton’s Shearwater was
the only other seabird of any note.
A White-bellied Sea Eagle
went to sea above a loose flock of Noddys that had stopped to feed, but
returned to land empty-clawed.
 |
| White-bellied Sea Eagle |
The wind increased during the two and a half hours I was on the point,
with white caps appearing and the scope starting to shake, but nothing else
happened bird-wise.
The Humpback Whale migration
was in full swing with most animals being a decent way off shore, however, just
before I left, a trio came quite close to the rocks. One had quite prominent
scars on it’s back – something I have not seen before.
 |
| Humpback Whale |
 |
| Humpback Whale |
Tasmania
8-11.7.16
080716 Day 1 Things started to go awry before I left home for the
airport. A txt advised me that Dave and Rob’s Jetstar flight from Sydney had
been cancelled and there were no available flights to Hobart until maybe 6am
tomorrow……
I continued on with
Jade to the airport with my fingers crossed.
What would happen
if they couldn’t make it?
Or didn’t get to
Hobart until sometime tomorrow?
Dave had organised
the whole trip and the three of us had planned to meet in Hobart. We had
arranged to travel and stay together….
A phone call an hour
later brought me up to date:
Dave ”We’re flying to Launceston, landing at 5pm
can you be there?”
Me “Launceston? LAUNCESTON? WTF??? Yes I can get
there…..”
(It’s only the
other end of Tasmania and visions of a 4 or 5 hour drive each way assailed me.
However, a quick check on my iPad and the journey was resolved to 2 and a half
hours. Assuming, of course, the roads were clear……)
A second phone
call, this time from Rob….
“There’s one other thing…..”
“Oh yeah?”
“Can you pick up 4 litres of tuna oil from Cambridge
in Hobart?”
“!!!!!?????”
“I’ll txt you the address”
“Okey dokey…...I can do that…...”
My flight was
delayed by 20 minutes but I arrived safely in Hobart at 13.20. I got my bag,
retrieved a car from Redspot – a Camry Altise @ $112 for the four days – and
headed off, firstly to Cambridge and Ray’s Big Outdoors going-out-of-business
sale. $24 and I was out with 4 bottles of potentially lethally smelly liquid –
a bargain at twice the price.
Then it was iPad
time again and a narrow twisting road over the hills, through mist and rain and
descending dark to join the central highway and head north. I stopped in Campbell
Town for groceries and a toilet break and arrived at Launceston airport at
16.45.
The boys had got
in early so we were leaving the airport precinct by 17.10 and heading south.
We stopped at
Sorrel two hours later for them to collect some food and for a much-needed
Mackers dinner for all of us, then it was on to Eaglehawkneck arriving at
20.30.
We checked into
our triple room in the Lufra and basically settled in for the night.
(PS. Worth
remembering – if flights to Hobart are difficult or expensive, Launceston is a
reasonable alternative. Yes, it’s a 2 and a half hour drive as opposed to less
than an hour from Hobart, but it’s doable)
090716 Day 2 We got to the wharf in Pirate Bay as dawn was breaking
– 7am. A mist hung over the harbour and there was great activity as several
private fishing boats put to sea. Obviously the calm conditions offered
opportunity to the locals to get out wide. We boarded the Pauletta, all 13 of
us, and set off towards the Hippolytes.
The sea was
relatively calm, a medium swell but little wind and nothing dramatic. A few Shy Albatrosses turned up, as usual, during
the first hour, but not the numbers I remembered from previous trips and I was
beginning to think the day would be a fizzer. There was no sign of the hoped
for Southern Fulmars – apparently they had not been seen for several days and
it was believed they had moved on.
We reached the Hippolytes
without incident and after a quick look at the basking Australian Fur Seals, moved on towards the shelf. Still nothing
bird-wise to get excited about. We reached the shelf at 9.15 and started to
burley.
It wasn’t long
before the Shy Albatrosses increased
in number and once that happened the rest of the morning was just full on.
The numbers of
birds seen on a pelagic are always a bit flaky given that one really doesn’t
know how many birds come and go, however, best guess counts…
2 Sooty Albatross
3 Light-mantled
Sooty Albatross
45 Buller’s Albatross
75 Shy Albatross
2 Southern
Royal Albatross
10 Wandering
Albatross
5 Black-browed
Albatross
8 Campbell
Albatross
1 Indian
Yellow-nosed Albatross
3 Grey
Petrels
25 Blue Petrels (a seriously well
considered figure and may even be an underestimate)
3 Northern Giant Petrels
3 Northern Giant Petrels
2 Southern
Giant Petrels
6 Cape
Petrels
8 White-headed
Petrels
20 Grey-faced (Great-winged) Petrels
5 Common
Diving Petrels
25 Slender-billed Prions
20 Fairy
Prions
3 Grey-backed
Storm Petrels
1 Wilson's Storm Petrel
1 Wilson's Storm Petrel
1 Sooty
Shearwater
5 Australian
Gannets
1 Brown
Skua
 |
| Light-mantled Sooty Albatross |
 |
| Typical of the day! - 3!! Blue Petrels in one shot |
 |
| Blue Petrel |
 |
| Grey Petrel |
 |
| White-headed Petrel |
Obviously the
Sooty Albatross was the lifer highlight for me, but the Light-mantled came a
very close second, and the incredible number of Blue Petrels and Slender-billed
Prions was unbelievable. All in all it was an outstanding pelagic.
Just in case you thought it was easy to take photos of birds from a boat...here's a short video of a Blue Petrel..
Just in case you thought it was easy to take photos of birds from a boat...here's a short video of a Blue Petrel..
And another short video of The Hippolytes
I also experimented with my Go Pro on a 'stick' with a remote. I was trying for underwater shots from the boat. Bear in mind this was my first attempt...
We got back to
Pirates Bay at 15.30 and returning to the Lufra, had a quick cup of coffee and
downloaded our photos, then at 16.15 it was off to Port Arthur and another try
(my fourth) for the Tasmanian Masked Owl.
We arrived on site
as the sun went down and evening descended. For a while nothing happened then a
face appeared in the well-known hole in the tree. We waited and shortly the owl
launched itself from the tree and flew off disappearing from sight almost
immediately. We looked but it seemed to have evaded us and I wondered if that
was it for the night? A very unsatisfying view and hardly ‘tickable’. Then it
called and one of the party managed to locate it high in a gum in a lovely exposed
position…..
 |
| Australian (Tasmanian version) Masked Owl |
A quick drive back
to the Lufra saw us just in time to order dinner and we spent the rest of the
evening reviewing the day before crashing at 22.00 in preparation for tomorrow.
100716 Day 3 Up again at 6 and down to the wharf to a similar morning,
condition-wise.
 |
| Waiting for the boat |
Today, however, we were expecting it to blow up in the early
afternoon. 30+ knot northerly winds were predicted so John took the Pauletta
out on a more easterly course to place us for a safe return from the north, if
necessary. In the end it didn’t eventuate – the winds remained less than 10
knots and the seas remained relatively calm.
 |
| Breaking waves |
Today with 11 on
board we had a bit more room to move around. The birds were a little slow to
start with and never reached the peaks of yesterday, however we still had a
number of Blue Petrels (7), at least 1 Grey Petrel, a couple of visits from White-headed Petrels (5), Northern Giant Petrel and a Southern Royal Albatross, heaps of Slender-billed Prions, the ‘usual’ Shy and Wandering Albatrosses and mid-morning an unexpected and very
welcome visitor in the shape of a juvenile Grey-headed
Albatross. (A lifer for most on board).
 |
| Buller's Albatross |
 |
| Grey-faced Petrel |
 |
| Grey-headed Albatross |
 |
| Northern Giant Petrel |
 |
| Cape Petrel, Slender-billed Prion and Grey-faced Petrel |
More underwater shots of Albatross feet...
We left the shelf at 12.30 and headed in stopping several times when the occasion demanded it as someone called a bird. Late on the journey 4 Common Dolphins surfed our wake, jumping clear of the water and a Brown Skua almost landed on board – by then, unfortunately, my camera battery was dead……
We left the shelf at 12.30 and headed in stopping several times when the occasion demanded it as someone called a bird. Late on the journey 4 Common Dolphins surfed our wake, jumping clear of the water and a Brown Skua almost landed on board – by then, unfortunately, my camera battery was dead……
We docked at 15.00
and by 16.00 Dave & Rob had packed and we left and headed towards Hobart
stopping on the way at Marion Bay to look for and find a small flock of Banded Stilts that were a rare visitor
to Tasmania and a large flock (35 birds) of Hooded Plovers!
We continued on to
Hobart, stopping again at Sorrel to fill up on Mackers best, I dropped them off
at the airport at 18.45 and turned, once again, for the drive back to
Eaglehawkneck, arriving at 19.45. I had a shower and crashed at 21.30.
110716 Day 4 I had planned on getting up and out at about 7 and
heading down to Taranna State Forest. It had rained heavily overnight, however,
and I figured the road in (unsealed) would be a bit too challenging for the
Camry so opted instead to head back to Marion Bay and try for some photos of
the Stilts and Plovers. I checked out at 9 and headed north.
 |
| Kelp Gull |
 |
| Pacific Gull |
 |
| Hooded Plover juv |
 |
| Hooded Plover adults |
I took a walk on Long Spit Private Nature Reserve but found only 3 Common Greenfinch - seen only in flight - a couple of Grey Butcherbirds and Noisy Miners.
Luckily the Banded Stilts came a bit closer to the causeway..
 |
| Banded Stilts |
Left Marion Bay at
10.45 and arrived at the airport at 11.45. Dropped the car keys back and
checked in with Virgin to find my 13.00 flight was delayed. The delay turned
out to be an hour so it was 14.00 before we lifted off. Landed at 17.00 and,
thanks to Jade again, got home at 18.00.
6.7.16
Boondall Wetlands
I arrived on site at the car park near the entertainment centre at 8 - my first (and only second ever) visit since 2009. A
cold, bright, sunny, but windy morning. Headed of along the bike track towards Nudgee
Rd (4 kms away).
Almost immediately I ran into a small mixed feeding flock of Silvereyes, Rufous Whistlers, a Grey Shrike Thrush, Grey Fantails and two Mangrove
Gerygones. Expectations high I moved on, but the rest of the morning was
disappointing. A lot of Brown
Honeyeaters, several Mistletoebirds
and two Fan-tailed Cuckoos were all
I could find bird-wise in the increasingly strong westerly wind. I walked most
of the way to Nudgee Beach rd then back again but little else eventuated.
I did find a couple of fungi – the first jelly fungus I have found
recently - Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae and a Calocera sp, and a Humped Golden Orb Weaver spider Nephila
plumipes but nothing else recordable.
 |
| Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae |
 |
| Calocera sp |
 |
| Humped Golden Orb Weaver Nephila plumipes |
Minnippi
Mr D picked me up at 6.15 – before dawn. It was barely light when we
arrived at the carpark 15 minutes later, a cool, clear, still winter’s morning.
The lake level was very high – a subject of discussion between us and Mr
P – how does the lake get so full? There is no apparent flow in from the creek
and we don’t believe there has been enough recent rain to warrant an increase of
this nature. It remains a mystery….
Bird wise the lake was quiet as was the M1 track, still shielded from
the rising sun. Exiting the track we encountered the first of several flocks of
Silvereyes – the main feature of the
day. We reckoned on in excess of 200 birds total in the area voraciously
feeding and moving through the forest from, literally, ground level to canopy.
 |
| Silvereye |
A few Scarlet Honeyeaters and
a few more Yellow-faced accompanied
them with the odd Grey Fantail
thrown in. A single Eastern Spinebill
close to the entrance to the M1 track was the only individual of this species
seen and a single White-throated
Honeyeater too. A calling Fan-tailed
Cuckoo took some finding, though typically was very obvious once spotted.
Back at the lake and the usual species including two Grey Teal, but lacking any Pink-eared
Ducks of recent record. A male Australian
Golden Whistler on the Airfield Track was nice and Mr D heard a Varied Triller which failed to show
despite trying. We also tried for Noisy Pitta and Rose Robin without success,
but a Striated Pardalote made itself
presentable.
 |
| Striated Pardalote |
By 8.30 we had reached the car again and retired for breakfast at
Bless - as usual when in this part of the world.
