Weekends That Were - January 2018

31.1.18

Minnippi

An early morning start, as always, resulted in a relatively average day - with a couple of highlights.

I found a leaf beetle, later identified as Variole Paropsine Beetle Paropsis variolosa on the M1 track and took it home with the intention of showing it to my grandson before release. I gave it a run at home during which the little bugger climbed to the tip of my finger, spread its wings and flew off somewhere……

Variole Paropsine Beetle Paropsis variolosa

A dry, curled up leaf revealed a Graeff's Leaf-curling Spider Phonognatha graeffei, which I didn’t bring home.

Graeff's Leaf-curling Spider Phonognatha graeffei

No major excitement, but 3 Bush Turkeys were feeding in the alleyway – I’ve never seen three birds together at Minnippi before.

A Latham’s Snipe feeding out in the open among the lily pads.

Latham's Snipe

A Rufous Fantail and an Eastern Yellow Robin on the Airfield Track.

Butterflies: Wide-brand Grass Dart again, half a dozen Evening Browns, 1 each Dainty and Orchard Swallowtails, 1 Varied Eggfly and, at the (empty) Tawny Frogmouth tree, a Blue Tiger and a couple of Common Crows hovered around the vines.

I headed home and eventually to the library again to print reams more trip info.....

30.1.18

Kedron Brook Wetlands

Went to look for reported Spotted Crakes and to try to see the Long-toed Stint/s again – failed on both counts. The only Stint I saw was 1 Red-necked and there were only 4 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers away in the distance. There was no sign of any Crakes despite standing scanning the mud for over an hour so I trudged back to the car and spent a further hour getting home in the bloody traffic and then another couple of hours fighting with a PC in the library printing out reams of stuff for the up-coming trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Not the best day I’ve ever had.

27.1.18

Oxley revisited 

Mr D plumped for Oxley so I picked him up at 5.30 and we were on site by 5.45.

A relatively average day bird-wise, with the exception of a ‘pair’ of Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoos sitting exposed on the overhead wires beside the pond calling loudly. They were still there when we left and we had a bit of a cuckoo-morning with calling Channel-billed, Shining Bronze and Koel as well. Mr D reckoned he heard a Pheasant Coucal too, but I didn’t pick it up.

The place appeared to be overrun with Brown Quail, photographers and birders, lots of each along the track…..

Very muggy, hot and still and we retired quickly to Café Europa for the usual Hungarian hospitality we always enjoy.

23.1.18

Oxley

On site at 6. The path was fairly birdy and there were only a few people around, which was nice.

A normal sort of summer morning with a few highlights:

An Australian Hobby chased by the resident crows.

A Plum-headed Finch carrying, what appeared to be, building material was perched up near the very first dry dip – about 300 meters from the car park.

Double-barred Finches building two nests in the one bush while a previously used nest was also in the same bush. Must be a really good bush – although it looked pretty much like all the other local bushes……

A Pacific Black Duck with 8 ducklings and a Purple Swamp Hen with only one…..left.

As I turned back from the ponds a pair of Brown Quail shepherded their brood of (approx) 8 newly hatched chicks across in front of me. A Toressian Crow took advantage of their exposure and flew down to investigate. Despite the best attempts of the parents to deflect it’s interest it managed to hammer one of the tiny chicks.

That was about it apart from the hundreds of Monarchs, 2 Chequered Swallowtails and a couple of Lesser Wanderers.

22.1.18

Kedron Brook Wetlands

As always seems to happen when I am ‘away’ a very tickable bird turned up last week. A Long-toed Stint was found at, initially, Tinchi Tamba, then co-operatively for me, moved closer – to Kedron Brook Wetlands. I have seen this species overseas but never in Australia and, to the best of my memory, one hasn’t been reliably seen in SEQ this century. There have been a couple of one-off reports over the years, but they were never really confirmed – so far as I know.

However, when I arrived on site at 6.30 there was a posse of birders out on the marsh and I trudged my way through the shin-deep grass and mud to them to get very acceptable views of the tiny wader. I stayed for about 45 minutes, then, as the bird wasn’t getting any closer, decided enough was enough and headed off. An Australian tick – a good way to start the year.

Long-toed Stint

15 - 21.1.18

Moreton Island

A week spent on Moreton Island provided little in the way of birds, or for that matter, fish. High winds from the south east and king tides made movement and fishing difficult for the first three days. The daily temperatures exceeded 30 degrees so sitting in the shade was the main activity during the day.

All in all we caught about 15 fish between us, all of a small size, Summer Whiting, Dart, Moses Perch and Flathead – all were returned unharmed to the water.

Bird-wise, 4 Bush Stone Curlews were a permanent fixture around the accommodation, obviously very used to visitors they were quite undaunted by our presence and, in fact, growled alarmingly if disturbed from their rest. Beach Stone Curlews were seen a couple of times, heaps of Great Crested Terns roosted on the beach along with dozens of Red-capped Plovers and a handful of Eastern Curlew. Whistling and Brahminy Kites and White-bellied Sea Eagles regularly overhead. Despite the winds the only seabirds seen were a couple of Australian Gannets hunting the bait schools on the bayside of the island, but two Arctic Skuas were seen from the ferry on the return trip in the bay a few hundred meters off the island shore.

We did snorkel the Tangalooma wrecks one afternoon, once the winds had died down and the barges wrecked on the beach near our camp site. There were some interesting fish around both, but the viz was generally pretty awful.

We did have some luck with insects. I got a new butterfly tick –Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis – and we found a couple of Stick Insects, a large Praying Mantis, a Click Beetle Paracalais sp, a Green Jumping Spider Mopsus mormon and a Jewel Beetle. (Some work still required to finalise species identity)

Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis

Green Jumping Spider Mopsus mormon

Click Beetle Paracalais sp

All in all it was a relaxing week without any great excitement.

14.1.18

Sandy Camp & Lindum

A very warm morning at 6.15 – 26 degrees and a predicted high of 37/38. Quite a good morning, all things considered. Most of the usual suspects, bird-wise, but in addition……

A fleeting glimpse of a Black Bittern flying away at the base of the ‘Bittern Pond’ was confirmed later by another birder who happened to be at its landing spot and got it on video.

A small flock of ‘Swifts’ included at least 7 Pacific or Fork-tailed which were my first for several years and provided more than adequate views as they fed around the power lines, and

A calling Spotless Crake in the second pond was interrupted by a Green Tree Snake’s appearance.

Not a good shot of a Green Tree Snake - but it does show its climbing ability

In the butterfly department we had the usual Common Crows, including a feeding caterpillar, several Varied Eggflys, Evening Brown, Meadow Argus and a couple of Wide-brand Grass-darts.

Common Crow caterpillar 

Wide-brand Grass-dart

Dragonflys: Common Bluetail, Graphic and Yellow-striped Flutterer and a pair of Chalky Perchers among many other unidentified species.

I ‘rescued’ another cicada from a spider web and am awaiting ID – handy things these spider webs!

As yet unidentified Cicada

At Fuller the level was low enough to create an extensive area of mud. This had encouraged local waders and we had at least 90 White-headed Stilts, 3 Red-kneed and 2 Black-fronted Dotterels, 47 Sharp-tailed and 7 Marsh Sandpipers. Mr D called in a Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo and a single Fork-tailed Swift swooped to water level right in front.

It was stinking hot by the time we got to Lindum at 8.30 and we struggled out of the car to look at approx another 120 Stilts and 10 Sharp-tailed Sands before heading off gratefully to breakfast in Morningside.

13.1.18

JC Trotter

After two days of virtual inactivity due to the daily temperature and my self-imposed hibernation, I decided an outing was required so went to Trotter. It wasn’t worth the effort really.

Arrived at 5.30 – 24 degrees already. A warm, still, bright morning. I walked down the track to the lake without seeing one bird – although I heard a few of the usual things. I also found a large fungi - or several of them - but can only tell it's a Boletus sp.

At the lakeside I flushed an immature White-bellied Sea Eagle which flapped slowly away, probably pissed off I’d disturbed its rest. Four Pacific Black Duck, a Comb-crested Jacana and a Pelican was all that was visible.

Further along I pushed out through the eucalypt re-growth to the edge of the lake to find 8 White-headed Stilts and a couple more Pelicans. A pair of Red-necked Wallabies sat up well on the water’s edge, probably hoping I would just go away and leave them in peace.

Boletus sp

Red-necked Wallaby

Around the corner, now 6.30 and 26 degrees, sweating like a pig carrying the scope & tripod, to nothing at all in the side channel. Through the trees and back up the track was an exercise in perseverance with bugger-all else to show for the morning.

10.1.18

Mts Nebo & Glorious

Wanting to escape the horrendous heat and still do ‘something’ I got up at 4am, packed a flask, had breakfast and was on the road by 4.30. Arrived at Manorina, just past Mt Nebo village, at 5.15 and headed up the track.

All the usual, expected, rainforest type species – Brown Cuckoo Dove, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Wonga Pigeon (all heard only), Topknot Pigeons feeding in the canopy, Australian King Parrots, Brown Gerygones, Black-faced Monarch, Yellow-throated Scrub-wren, Eastern Yellow Robins, White-throated Treecreepers, a single Russet-tailed Thrush on the track ahead of me and a nicely perched up Pacific Baza near the outlook at the top.

On the return journey on the fire trail I found a nice Weevil which awaits identification and I taped the Bell Miners along the road.

Unidentified Weevil

A couple of museli bars and a coffee and I headed further up to Mt Glorious and the Rainforest Walk. Surprisingly I have only 4 recorded visits for this walk and only one of those in Summer.

Again the usual suspects as listed above plus 2 Noisy Pittas (one carrying nest building material), an Australian Logrunner, several White-headed Pigeons calling and one perched up, and at least 4 Pale Yellow Robins. One of three Red-legged Pademelons stopped long enough for me to identify as thru crossed my path and I finally managed to get photos of Yellow-throated Scrub-wrens at a nest along Brown’s Rd. (They weren't great, but OK as record shots - shitty light)

I also managed to see, but not successfully photograph, Macleay’s Swallowtail along with several Summer form Scarlet Jezebels and a couple of Blue Triangles.

I also heard a partial song and what seemed to be an alarm call of the Common Blackbird. It was near the end of Brown’s rd – where it joins Mt Glorious Rd – and I’d swear it was what it seemed to be. I didn’t manage to get much of a recording but I did get a bit before it stopped and didn’t call again. I never saw the bird, but am aware someone else reported one in this area a few weeks ago.

It was a very pleasant way to spend an early morning with temps between 18 and 22. Returning home to 32 degrees was not a similar experience…..

9.1.18

Oxley

Went to Oxley this morning. On site at 5.45 I was the only one on the track for the first 30 minutes or so. Good morning with all of the expected birds and plenty of butterflies as the temp rose to 26 degrees by 7.00.

Highlight of the morning was a pair of Plum-headed Finches, first seen near the pond feeding on the masses of Scottish Thistle that have sprung up, later at the gate to the ponds, on the way back. Only my 5^th record and the first since a single bird in April 2016 (Although I note three birds were seen here a couple of weeks ago per Eremaea)

Plum-headed Finch

Butterflies included masses (~200) of Monarchs, at least 8 Varied Eggflys, 2 Common Crows, at least 2 Lesser Wanderers, several Dainty Grass-blues, 1 Evening Brown, 3 Chequered Swallowtails and 1 Scarlet Jezebel – a new site tick for me.

Reptiles: a Macquarie Turtle peering suspiciously out of the main pond and the usual female Water Dragon at the second cement ‘causeway’.

Dragonflies: a few mating Common Bluetails and a nicely marked Australian Tiger Ictinogomphus australis

Australian Tiger Ictinogomphus australis

8.1.18

Minnippi - again....

Mr P reported a Rose-crowned Fruit-dove in the fruit trees near the raptor lookout on Sunday morning. I was otherwise engaged and so this morning (Monday) I went to see if I could add it to my site list.

I checked the lake then headed straight up to the lookout. With an early morning appointment I didn’t have very long so I didn’t do the M1 track or the Airfield track and only glanced at the lake in passing.

Nevertheless I totalled 34 species including a small flock of White-throated Needletails high over the lake again. Sadly, my list did not include a RCFD although I gave it the best part of an hour hanging around the lookout and checking everything that moved in the fig trees and, what I believe, was a heavily berry-laden Lillypilly in which the target bird had been seen yesterday morning.

There was little viable fruit on the fig trees and the berries on the (supposed) Lillypilly were mostly unripe, however, there was plenty of fruit to come, so it might be worth checking again in a few days.

6.1.18

Toohey Forest

Picked Mr D up at 6 and arrived on site 10 minutes later. Pretty quiet morning with most species heard rather than seen – thank God for the hearing aids….

Nothing surprising, apart from the addition of two species to my site list – Blue-faced Honeyeater and Oriental Dollarbird. Surprising? Yes, but when I reviewed my lists this is only my third visit in Summer so……..

Café 63 for breakfast and a review of our individual Christmas adventures – such as they were…..

4.1.18

Minnippi for a start

Mr P had reported Long-billed Corellas on the M1 track at the weekend and I hoped to add them to my site list so arrived at 6.

I didn’t get any LBCs but I did have a Bush Hen calling from the long grass near the pylon to start with.

Other interesting bits/highlights were few but…

a small flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins on the connecting track from the Alley included several newly fledged juveniles.

A 99% sure Spotted Pardalote calling over the car park beside the board walk – I know it seems the wrong time of year, but unless some other hidden birder was pulling my wire – that’s what it had to be. Ma hearin’ aids don’t lie!

14 Common Mynas feeding in the recently cut grass beside the carpark (where we always park) - an unusually high number.

A Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike on nest over the bend in the cement bike track pointed out to me by an Indian couple on holiday from Cairns. I impressed them in return with my identification of a calling Channel-billed Cuckoo and they even took a picture of me…..

Couple of strange things here – 

1. don’t see many Indian birders in Australia, 

2. why take a picture of me, I know I’m gorgeous, but really? and 

3. why would you be birding Minnippi if you live in Cairns, for God’s sake? Hadn’t heard of Kingfisher Park or Mareeba wetlands but I expect they’ll visit them now…. Nice couple and seemed pretty keen if a little inexperienced.

Other than that it was a same same kinda morning.

Butterflies: a large number of Evening Browns on both tracks, a couple of Blue Triangles, Common Crows and Varied Eggflys, the usual Monarchs and a handful of Dainty Grass-blues.