Weekends That Were - April 2017

29.4.17

Lake Samsonvale

I checked the Glossy Black road on the way through with no success and arrived at the cemetery at 7. It was a truly beautiful morning, hardly a cloud in the sky, windless, cool – and my eyes were playing up something awful. It felt like my contacts were jumping around and my eyes themselves so itchy and watering, and stinging from my rubbing them. Half the time I could see only vague shapes and blurred images with moments of clarity. As a result I was relying as much on my ears as my sight and as we all know that’s a joke in itself. I’m really over this at the moment. Hopefully the upcoming cataract op with help rectify the situation…..

Anyway back to the birding…….

Most of the usual species expected although numbers were pretty low, apart from the Hardheads on the lake – at least 300, Common Coots – 100?, a couple of nice close Great Crested Grebes, Australian Grebes, Cormorants and Black Swans (Oh Great!). A Whistling Kite flew low overhead and a female (judging by its size) Brown Goshawk glided across to the other side. A juvenile Black-faced Monarch on the way back to the car was a nice sighting.

Scope back in the car and into the Hoop Pine plantation track. A Little Shrike Thrush and Brown Thornbills notable while a pair of Whistling Kites sat perched up.

Whistling Kites

The main circuit track had been recently slashed, but the side track off to the right was thigh deep in dew-wet grass with a couple of small trees down across it, one of which I managed to fall over……Jesus Christ my morning was just getting better and better, between trying to find my feet and avoid damaging my right leg, avoid any potential snakes, fiddle with my contacts, rub my eyes, bird……..f..k me!

I flushed a covey of four small, dark quail which I was sure were King Quail and 50 meters further on another 4 similar birds lifted followed by a larger browner individual – I’m sure, again, they were King, followed by one Brown Quail.

There wasn’t much else of note around the Hoop Pine circle; checked the Owlet-Nightjar tree, no one home; and back to the gate that nearly did for Mr W – there’s still a bend in the top rail when his foot slipped and he nearly lost his gonads many moons ago – I always smile when I climb, carefully, over.

Butterflies – Scarlet Jezebel (1), Cabbage White (1) and Glasswing (1) – all new for me for site and Evening Brown (1).

Did see a couple of dragonflies but they were high fliers and never landed within my chronically poor sight.

Reptiles & Amphibians: a couple of Striped Marsh Frogs called along the lake shore.

27.4.17

Spotlighting - Oxley

Another night, another spotlighting expedition….parked outside the gate again, it was fortunate I did as the gate was closed and locked when I returned.

One of my targets here was Bush Stone Curlew as I had seen a report of them on site some time ago. Unfortunately I was to be disappointed and generally the track was very quiet. There were hundreds, possibly thousands of spiders' eyes gleaming back at me like randomly scattered diamonds on the ground. I checked a few here and there and all appeared to be of the same species – a new one for me, as it turned out, but a very common spider no less – Brisbane Wolf Spider Venatrix brisbanae (ornatula). (A close relation of the Dark Wolf spider I found at Minnippi on Sunday night.)

Brisbane Wolf Spider Venatrix brisbanae (ornatula)

A handful of Cane Toads on the track were not unexpected and I came across two Tawny Frogmouths – both sitting very low, head height, right beside the track. I would swear the first one had its eyes closed to avoid the light, something I have never noticed before. One distinctly bigger than the other, but well separated by a couple of hundred meters. Probably the same two Mr D and I saw a few years ago……

On the insect front again – I found a couple of Looper Moth caterpillars each hanging from a single strand, mid track. I can only identify them to family level – Geometridae – they are also known as Inchworms or Twig Caterpillars.

Looper Moth caterpillar

And a small unidentified (so far) spider which I have referred to the Qld museum.

Unidentified spider

Finally, on the return journey – a single Common Brush-tailed Possum near the gate.

Pretty unexciting – no more than would be in the average Brisbane, suburban garden, but I hadn’t expected more. I had, again, used red cellophane over my headlight lens – taped on this time which made it easier to retain. Still not sure if its making a difference, but it didn’t seem to make any difference apart from, possibly, reducing the distance range of the light.

26.4.17

Oxley

I left it a later to go than normal – thinking that the bird activity would be fairly consistent in the cooler weather we are experiencing and maybe butterflies would be more active - consequently I started on site at 7.45.

It wasn’t very birdy as it turned out, but I’m not sure the time made any difference. It was a cloudy, dead still day with a light shower late in the piece. Butterflies were not any more active than recent either, so my cunning plan was foiled. I did notice the flowering trees along the track were the same as the ones in Minnippi – Flax-leaved Paperbark, no less – and felt quite pleased that I was able to identify a tree. (I know!….Jesus Christ!!….small things, small things…..)

I did have a pair of Mistletoebirds – always nice to see – and a male Leaden Flycatcher, and in the trees beside the pond a Grey Shrikethrush perched up for easy photographs.

So what? I hear you say.

I thought the same thing myself until I got home and downloaded the photos and prepared to add them to my database only to discover I had no photos of Grey Shrikethrush before, ever! I know I’ve tried but must have always dumped them, so I was quite pleased to add this common species to my photos at last.

Says a lot for my photographic skills…………it just keeps getting better and better!

My first successful photo of a Grey Shrikethrush

25.4.17

Norman Creek, Holland Park West

Another quiet morning with wet-drenched thigh high grass making walking uncomfortable. The site dominated by the flock of resident Noisy Miners and local Rainbow Lorikeets clamouring and squabbling. A few Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and one Pale-headed Rosella also present. The only other birds of any interest – a single Noisy Friarbird and a pair of Spangled Drongos. No butterflies or dragonflies seen – possibly because it was still cool and the grass very wet.

23.4.17

Spotlighting - Minnippi

What is a naturalist to do on Sunday night? Go spotlighting of course….

I parked outside on a side street, aware there would be a barrier across the carpark exit at some stage, and walked in.

I had decided to try red cellophane over my torch lens for the first time. My head and hand torches are Led Lensers and dispense a high number of lumens which has always worried me a little regarding eye damage to wildlife. I don’t think it permanently affects their sight, but must certainly affect their immediate visual capability. In any event the red cellophane did not seem to create any problem as I picked up eyeshine easily within the normal range of my headtorch, although a true test would require a companion without the cellophane.

Started on the M1 track at 18.45 almost walking into a large spider web with a beautiful female Garden Orb Weaver Eriophora transmarina settled in the middle.

Garden Orb Weaver Eriophora transmarina

Another example: Garden Orb Weaver Eriophora transmarina

Along the track I spotted 5 Common Brushtail Possums Trichosurus vulpecula and heaps of ground spiders, two of which were ‘ticks’ - Brisbane Huntsman Heteropoda jugulans and Dark Wolf Spider Lycosa obscuroides.

Brisbane Huntsman Heteropoda jugulans

Dark Wolf Spider Lycosa obscuroides.

Bird wise it was a complete washout. I tried for Owlet Nightjar at several locations and Boobook and White-throated Nightjar without any success whatsoever. It is, possibly, not the best season to try being Autumn and certainly would not put me off a repeat attempt. The only other item of any interest was a couple of Cane Toads near the lake.

I have managed to identify the flowering trees I mentioned in a previous post (22.4.17). I am confident they are Flax-leaved Paperbark Melaleuca linariifolia.

Flax-leaved Paperbark Melaleuca linariifolia.

22.4.17

Minnippi

I arrived in the car park at 6.45 on a cloudy, damp, cool morning. As I prepared to disembark, a light drizzly rain started so I had a smoke and sat it out for 15 minutes. In some conditions I might not have bothered but I was a little stir crazy having had no transport for a few days so….

The river was very high and the pond completely full, almost at flooding level although once again little recent rain continued to confuse the issue. There was almost nothing on the water apart from a couple of Little Black Cormorants and Dusky Moorhens paddling across the ripple-free surface.

The M1 track was quiet apart from a bird wave of sorts involving my first of season (2) Grey Fantails, 3 Australian Golden Whistlers (incl a male) and a Rufous Fantail. Standing quietly produced a couple of silent Eastern Whipbirds foraging in the undergrowth and a brief view of a Varied Triller. A trio of Rainbow Bee Eaters perched up on a dead tree and a couple of Spangled Drongos also hunted through the scrub.

Along the Alley there were a number of flowering trees but nothing seemed to be taking advantage of them. Maybe not enough nectar in the damp conditions? Back at the lake were the usual birds along with a single Common Coot – my first since September last year – and perched up in the closest tree on the island (best bird of the day) a Nankeen Night Heron. (Last recorded by me in June 2013 and only 4 records total) Surprisingly it was mobbed by the Noisy Miners and, eventually, a single Torresian Crow chased it off. It didn’t move far but I lost sight of it behind the trees – most likely perched up elsewhere on the island.

At the Raptor Lookout, where I sat for a while, and was visited by 4 curious male Pied Butcherbirds, nothing showed in the sky so I moved on to the Airfield Track. There were a few birds, but nothing noteworthy apart from a pair of Double-barred Finches. I tried for Noisy Pitta at several locations with no success – they have to be coming through here at some stage!

Again the Raptor Lookout didn’t live up to its name and I headed back to the car. A couple of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins showed in the long grass and the Tawny Frogmouths were back again in their favourite tree.

Butterflies – none seen.

Amphibians – none seen.

Reptiles – none seen!

20.4.17

Norman Creek, Holland Park West

Having spent most of the weekend with my lover and other social interactions, and the following days my car being in for some work, I haven’t been doing much birding. So I walked down the road this morning looking forward to seeing some stuff. I was a bit disappointed as my usual patch was very quiet – and wet. A heavy dew soaked my pants to thigh level, although my gortex-lined boots kept my feet dry.

In all 11 species. Best bird – a pair of White-browed Scrubwrens. No butterflies, although that may have been due to the cool morning and earlyish time period, and nothing else of note.

13.4.17

Oxley

There was a light mist across the fields when I arrived at 6.30. It soon dispersed in the morning sun, although it remained very pleasant with low humidity and temperature. I really do love Autumn, Winter and Spring.

The first stretch of track was quite birdy with heaps of Brown and Lewin’s Honeyeaters apparently bathing in the dew drenched leaves as there was no obvious flowering trees or bushes. Almost needless to say this activity tapered off fairly quickly and the rest of the walk was……you guessed it - very quiet. Most of the usual birds – but all in small numbers. Once again I questioned my senses, skills and current in-abilities, but, once again, decided I definitely wasn’t missing stuff. Sure, I concede, I probably didn’t hear some calls and, probably, missed some birds as a result, but there was definitely still little around.

The path to the ponds showed the results of recent flooding – the fences piled almost waist high with lily plants washed out of the ponds – not such a bad thing, I thought, as there had been little open water left due to the encroaching plants. The rotting vegetation also fed numbers of insects which resulted in food for locals so, overall, a good outcome.

There wasn’t much on the lakes – and again small numbers – 2 Grey Teal, 7 Pacific Black Duck, 1 Little Black Cormorant, 1 Australian Pelican….you get the idea. There were 2 Australian Grebes, which are the first I’ve seen here for some time so that was good.

Amphibians: A number of Striped Marsh Frogs clucked away in the grass beside the main pond.

Butterflies: Half a dozen Monarchs as always, a couple of Lesser Wanderers and a single Common Crow.

I arrived back at the car after 2 and a quarter hours feeling a little strained, but with plans to go to the Museum with my daughter and grandson – that, more or less, finished me off for the day……

11.4.17

Instead and Moggill Road wetlands

An early morning Facetime call from Ireland delayed my planned departure, but I was on site at 7.15 anyway. The morning looked good - calm, sunny and cool and it started out OK. 

On the first section of the track I quickly acquired a good list including a juvenile Black-faced Monarch, but then it died off and was very quiet for the rest of the walk. I did the complete circuit including the up and down section out to the river lookout which challenged my strength. I really didn’t see many birds - even if my eyesight is currently half what it should be, my hearing is poor to say the least and I had to concentrate on the path ahead so I didn’t fall over, it was still very quiet!

I did see a fly that turned out to be a Golden Tachinid Fly Microtropesa sinuate and found a Frasers Banded Snail Sphaerospira fraseri and a Centipede – possibly Giant Centipede - under one of the logs I managed to turn over. I also saw a couple of butterflies, one of which is most likely a Black-winged Ochre Trapezites petalia which is a new tick. Finally in the field beside the car park I found a mushroom that, apparently, is very poisonous - False or Green-spored Parasol Chlorophyllum molybdites, also a new tick, so the effort was worthwhile.

Golden Tachinid Fly Microtropesa sinuate

Frasers Banded Snail Sphaerospira fraseri 

Centipede - possibly Giant Centipede

Black-winged Ochre Trapezites petalia

False or Green-spored Parasol Chlorophyllum molybdites

I headed out to check Moggill Road wetlands as I had seen some reports indicating that once again it was flooded.

It was, but there wasn’t a lot around – a couple of Australian Grebes, Purple Swamphens, Dusky Moorhens and Wood Duck – what you would expect - but then a nice surprise as a pair of Black Kites circled low overhead.

As I started to drive away a shape caught my eye at the back of the swamp, a quick turn around and it was what I thought it was - a White-necked Heron, which was also a nice bonus and suggested my eyesight may not be as bad as I thought…..

10.4.17

Medical update on everything.....

So, 5 weeks out of hospital, 16 weeks since 'it' happened and I am improving slowly. I guess the big gains were to made early on, now its just a case of slogging along, doing my exercises, gaining strength.

I'm still on 5mg Targin and, now, 75mg Lyrica twice a day. I also take 6-8 Panadol a day depending on whether I remember - or bother - to take two at night. I am, of course, long over the stick and my limp only becomes more pronounced after an hour or so - if I'm paying attention to it, that is. My left side (gravel rash) is completely healed but is all sorts of pink and purple. The burn on my inner right thigh is finally dressing-free as of Thursday last week. It's pretty ugly looking, but then that fits in well with the rest of me! Thankfully, it is smooth and the final scarring shouldn't be too dramatic, although I doubt hair will ever grow there and it will remain a shiny surface I think.

So - today I went to my eye surgeon. I haven't seen him since 9th December last year when the latest injection in my eye showed a small reduction in the fluid on my pupil. Alas, the fluid has increased again and I think we're running out of options. On the other hand the cataract that had been showing then has increased d dramatically so I am now, potentially, scheduled for an operation on May 11th to replace it. It'll be day surgery only - and probably just a local injection to deaden my eye - but will probably knock me out of doing much for a week or so. That should help clarify my sight - its pretty awful at the moment incidentally and annoying the hell out of me. He'll give me an injection at the same time for the fluid so fingers crossed it'll start to reduce again. Bear in mind this is my right eye only - my left eye is fine.

Sometimes it feels like I'm struggling and I get a bit depressed. However, I watch the news and I think I'm better off than a lot of people in Syria, Stockholm, Egypt, Iraq, London, Paris......and even locally, and I've been incredibly lucky. Just to be here typing this - hey, can't complain!!

9.4.17

Trotter

Picked Mr D up at 6.15 and we set off down the track at 6.30. As ALWAYS the place seemed so dead with so much potential. Anyway, (avoiding my usual repetitive moaning/wonderment at this place) we walked down to the lake and along to the powerlines and back along the back track – our normal circuit.

We really did see very little. A couple of White-throated and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, the ubiquitous calling Bar-shouldered Doves and one distant Peaceful, 3 Striped Honeyeaters together in a dead tree and a couple of Grey Fantails.

Presumably newly arrived/returned Scarlet Honeyeaters basically completed the non-exciting list.

The lake levels had risen following the recent rains, but nothing was taking advantage of it. Butterflies and dragonflies were in short supply with one Lesser Wanderer and a handful of Orange Ringlets (new for site) with a single Blue Skimmer being the only representative of the latter group. I did take photos of a pair of horny Mayfly type things that remain unidentified so far and a fungi that was more attractive in the photo than in reality and turned out to be species of Boletus.

We ended our morning with a long breakfast at Belesis where we discussed Mr D's upcoming 3 week Easter getaway to Malaysia.

Boletus sp 

8.4.17

Pt Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

April is not usually a month to go seawatching in Queensland, but after whinging for two years that the winds were never right and with south easterlies blowing for the last seven days I thought it was wasteful – and hard-nosed – not to go again.

Car, boat, bussed it, to arrive, as usual, at 8.00. The weather forecast was as good as its word and a stiff 25 knot east south easterly blew straight into my face. The sea was grey and messy, white capped and choppy with a sizeable swell causing Whale Rock to live up to its name.

The birds were much as Tuesday, but many more Wedgies. They were scattered across all spectrums, i.e. from close in to the horizon, making it very difficult to count the passage. I was busy scanning backwards and forwards, avoiding patches of glare, up and down, trying to cover everything that moved. A couple of spontaneous quick moving feeding flocks developed within easy scoping distance and I searched for anything out of the ordinary, coming up with nothing unusual. In the last 5 minutes of the first hour I did count the Wedgies and came up with 50. That equals 600 an hour. There weren’t that many, I guess I just got a busy period, but I estimate there were 400 an hour at least and settled for that.

Common Noddys were difficult, moving backwards and forwards, joining together to feed, briefly, then dispersing again – probably about 60 all up?

Common Terns were quite regular – maybe 110 in the 2.5 hour watch. I also had one Arctic Skua and a single Hutton’s Shearwater.

An adult White-bellied Sea Eagle flew in off the sea, empty handed, where it too seemed to have been attracted to a feeding flock and I noticed, for the first time, several Silver Gulls in the feeding flocks – I don’t remember ever seeing that before. That indicates, too, how close these flocks were.

At 10.20 I started packing up, intending to catch the bus at 10.50. As I did so, yet another in-shore feeding flock erupted – they seemed to appear out of nowhere and didn’t usually last very long – and so I decided I had time to scan one last time. 

In among everything else a paler tern came to my attention and when it turned and flared its tail the tail streamers were immediately obvious – a second Roseate Tern for the week. There may, potentially, have been a second, but it was hard to follow at close range in the melee, so I settled for one definite.

Happy with that I groaned back onto my aching knees, legs and back and struggled back up the 68 (!!) steps to the boardwalk. I feel I’m doing OK, all things considered, but I just get stiff (and not in a good way) and sore when I’ve been sitting or lying for a while. 

Once I warm up I’m like a sprung (sic) lamb again!

7.4.17

Norman Creek, Holland Park West

Before my physio appt at 9, I thought I’d just run down the road to my patch along the creek.

Well, ‘run’ may be exaggerating my progress, especially in wellies, but anyway I got there about 7.05. Running in reality is probably still a couple of months off, if ever.

To say it was quiet would actually be another exaggeration. There was f all around. I’d almost term it a waste of time - no excursion is really a complete waste of time – but this came very close. In total 8 bird species, one butterfly and one, as yet unidentified, dragonfly. I did see a pair of female Superb Fairy wrens. They’ve been in short supply in recent weeks as is normal for this time of year. Other than that it was a complete waste of time – did I say that?

My physio appointment was more exciting………..

PS As it turned out the dragonfly was a species I've seen before, but not at this site. A female Scarlet Percher. So maybe the trek wasn't a complete waste..... (Thanks Chris B for the ID assist)

Female Scarlet Percher Diplacodes haematodes

5.4.17

Minnippi

Mr P wanted an early one so I picked him up at 5.45 and we left the car at 6.

The area around Minnippi had been under water for a day or so following cyclone Debbie’s dump and the surrounding grass areas were very soggy and mushy. However, unless one knew that there was little other evidence of the flooding.

The pond was, of course, full to brimming and the water birds low in number. Approx 10 Intermediate Egrets and 1 definite Great flew out of the pond area as we approached – suggesting a roost of some sort. Our arrival immediately after dawn may have presented this ‘spectacle’ whereas normally we would arrive a little later and miss it.

All in all it was quite birdy. Interesting stuff included 43 Magpie Larks on the airfield – an amazing number for this species - 2 Eastern Yellow Robins on the M1 track, 4 Eastern Whipbirds in total, a Rufous Fantail, 9 Rainbow Bee Eaters and a Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Nothing to get excited about admittedly, but not a bad morning either.

The butterflies were, not unexpectedly, low in number with only 1 Common Crow and 2 Evening Browns. I did photograph a small dragonfly which I thought was something different, but turned out to be a Common Bluetail which I have recorded here before. 

Fungi were springing up in shaded areas – a large growth of what I took to be Yellow Stainer along the M1 track, I later identified as most likely Agracybe praecox, also referred to as California Fungi. Field Puffballs were scattered randomly in the grass. 

A couple of turtle snouts poked out of the muddy pond waters and I now know, thanks to Chris B, that they are Macquarie Turtles, and groups of Striped Marsh Frogs called at each end of the main pond.

We did the Airfield Track which was pretty wet, but negotiable, in a couple of places and sat for a short while at the Raptor Lookout without any luck. I was pretty knackered by the end of the two and a half hour session and was glad to head home after dropping Mr P off.

Common Bluetail Ischnura heterosticta

Agracybe praecox - California Fungi

4.4.17

Pt Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

It had been 5 months since I was on the island, but nothing had changed. I managed my way down the rocks from the steps – wasn’t as bad as I’d feared – and settled down in the shelter of the rock. The wind was as predicted – 25-30 knots, the sea grey and dirty looking as a result of the recent drenching rain run-off. Somewhere off the coast Cyclone Debbie was disintegrating into a tropical low, hence the strong coastal winds.

During the next 2 and a half hours there was a steady flow of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and Common Noddys heading south. Some did get blown back north, but the masses seem to make it. Four immature Australian Gannets slowly ploughed south as well and one Black Noddy showed among the Commons. An Intermediate phase Arctic Skua was a distant passerby, while a much closer dark phase showed an hour later. Not long after I settled in a slim, fast moving tern attracted my attention. It’s direct flight, steady wingbeats low over the ocean surface was so different from the Crested and Common Terns and convinced me it was something different. It’s long tail streamers clinched the probability of Roseate Tern, my first off Pt Lookout.

I gave it away at 10.15 in the face of an incoming rain storm, that turned into a wind whipped shower as I struggled back along the boardwalk. Back on the smooth, flat sandy track I came across a line of caterpillars moving nose to tail across my path. Something I haven’t seen for years and I can’t remember what species of moth (I think) they represent. I thought I’d take a picture on my phone and stopped to do so. Without thinking I started to kneel – forgetting my right leg wouldn’t get that far - and ended up tumbling to the ground in a clumsy heap, scope, seat, bins and all. Much more embarrassing than painful, I struggled back to my feet again and headed off to get the bus.

2.4.17

'Kentish' Plover Twitch

Sunday morning 9am and Mr P rang to tell me that Mr J had found an unusual wader, thought it might be a Kentish Plover and did I want to go for it?  After some discussion I replied that I was up for it and so at 11.00 we set off for the clay pan off Dohle’s Rocks Rd.

It required wellies and a 400 meter walk through flood water and gelatinous mud to reach the bird. We met several other birders returning from their viewing – opinions seemed to vary as to exactly what the bird was, but all agreed it was something unusual.

We found it feeding with a flock of Red-capped Plovers but relatively easy to pick out being much paler than the other birds.  Having the checked the distinctive field marks for Kentish on the way we were looking for a larger bill, longer supercilium, a white collar and wing projection beyond the tail. The bird in question exhibited all the features, but the collar was not clearly distinct and a buffy off-white colour, rather than a clear broad white.

Along with several other ‘twitchers’ we watched it for about 40 minutes taking photos and discussing its attributes. We headed back and departed still unsure as to the bird’s correct identification.

My photos are not particularly good - requiring some photoshopping as the bird didn't come closer than about 40 meters when we were there - and we were reluctant to approach closer in fear of flushing it for others.

PS Monday morning - discussion on-line continues, it appears opinion is swinging towards an unusual Red-capped Plover currently. Having no experience with Kentish or similar plovers, I have little to add. However, I have never seen a RCP with a collar.