30.1.21
Oxley
Mr D picked me up and we were on site by 6.15. A warm, muggy, ‘heavy’ kind of day which I find very debilitating. It exhausts me, quite frankly.
It was a below average morning really with nothing of any excitement mainly notable for the birds missing – no Egrets, raptors or Cormorants. Not even any Cockatoos, Cuckoo-shrikes or Kookaburras. A Leaden Flycatcher at the top of a distant tree might have been the bird of the morning.
Most notable observation was the demise of the old dead tree that had stood in the middle of one of the paddocks providing interest and perching for raptors, kingfishers etc. It must have fallen over in recent winds, probably assisted by heavy rain weakening its root hold.
A few butterflies – Varied Eggfly, Common Crow, Lesser Wanderer and the ubiquitous Monarch and Mr D identified a skink on a log as a Wall Skink.
We headed off to our new latest breakfast point – plentiful – but found it full, so moved on to find a better place on Honour Ave - Arte & Gusto - where pancakes and coffee satisfied our inner person. We’ll be going back there in future I think.
21.1.21
Oxley
Once again – exercise, rather than serious birding. On site at 6.15, ‘cause I got out of bed slowly. The track was pretty quiet – very few passerines around, but the usual hordes of Noisy Miners seemed to be replaced by swarming Australian Figbirds. I reckoned on maybe 100 along the entirety of the track. In contrast I neither heard nor saw any Orioles, Fairy-wrens or Honeyeaters (apart from hearing a couple of Lewin’s) until I got out to the ponds.
There wasn’t much to see at the water either – again more birds NOT seen than seen…..no Egrets, Cormorants or Pelicans – just 1 Australian Darter, half a dozen Pacific Black Ducks, 3 Dusky Moorhens and ~5 Purple Swamphens.
The morning had started out dull and cloudy and still, by the time I turned around at the ponds the sun had broken through and the return walk added some of the more usually common birds to the morning list.
Apart from birds - 3 Monarchs, the only butterflies, a couple of calling Striped Marsh Frogs and one Macquarie Turtle in the left hand pond.
19.1.21
Minnippi
It had rained pretty heavily the night before and it was a damp, cloudy, still morning as a result. Everything was kind of muted, but it turned out to be an OK morning in the end.
The lake was quite busy but nothing unusual. The M1 track was dead quiet – just a single Australian Bush Turkey and a distant calling Grey Shrike Thrush.
A Yellow-faced Honeyeater showed up along the Avenue and a group of 5 Chestnut-breasted Mannikins crossed the grassy track.
Back at the lake – another 25 + Macquarie Turtles poked their heads out hopefully and a Striated Heron put in an unexpected flight escape from under the boardwalk itself, while ‘the’ Water Rat scurried along the edge of the pond near the boat ramp.
I didn’t sit at the raptor lookout cause the seat was wet and it didn’t seem worth the effort anyway. Back along the cement track and about halfway along a singing Tawny Grassbird, a couple of female Superb Fairy-wrens, Bee Eaters and the find of the day – a pair of Little Shrike Thrushesgathering nesting material. I followed their flight line and found the nest suspended over the creek. I didn’t get too close, but think I can re-locate the nest again……maybe. First time I’ve seen evidence of them breeding here and the first LST nest I’ve found.
Along that stretch I heard the only Olive-backed Oriole of the morning, Bar-shouldered Dove, a single calling Brown Quail and a Pacific Koel. The only butterflies – 3 Evening Browns along the M1 track and a single Monarch.
12 - 15.1.21
CAIRNS....AGAIN
Day 1 Tuesday 12.1.21
On Boxing Day a birder saw a wader on the esplanade in Cairns and wasn’t sure what it was. Eventually, around the 2nd January it was identified as a Nordmann’s Greenshank.
Nordmann’s Greenshanks, for those who don’t know, are extremely rare birds. Not just in Australia – although this one was a first east coast record – but worldwide. Breeding on an island off northern Japan and eastern Siberia, they winter in small numbers in Thailand, Malaysia and surrounding areas – although not a whole lot is known about their distribution. They have been recorded irregularly in small numbers (2-3 birds) in north Western Australia. They are, like most waders, declining in number and the world population may be as low as 500-1,000 birds.
Mr P and I had discussed going for it the weekend of the 2 and 3rd, but the incoming weather at the time had ensured we couldn’t or wouldn’t travel. A cyclone came in to the Gulf of Carpenteria and the resulting rain depression dropped 300-500 mms of rain over the Cairns to Ingham region between Monday 4th and Thursday 7th. Roads flooded, trees uprooted, travel would have been impossible and all in all it just wasn’t on.
So we shelved plans.
Then the lockdown hit Greater Brisbane on 8th.
Mr P had taken the following week off work to drive to the Snowy Mtns – the lockdown, and subsequent fallout as Brisbane was declared a national hotspot - put paid to those plans; so we spent the weekend making plans, but no bookings, as no-one was sure what was going to happen.
Come Monday 11th and with no new cases across the area, the Premier (God bless her) announced at 9am that the restrictions would be lifted at 6pm Monday night.
By 9.30am Mr P and I were booked on a flights to and from, I had booked an AirBnB apartment for three nights, Mr P had booked a car and we were on our way.
We flew with Virgin Australia (as always my favourite) - $180 each way. I used 25,000 points and paid $85. The AirBnB apartment in Cairns city cost $309 for the three nights and the hire car, $330 including the fee for the second driver. We had decided on an SUV style as we planned to do a bit of driving – once we saw the Greenshank…..
16.00 And Mr P and his charming wife, Kirsten, along with his son, James, picked me up and we checked in without drama. The flight left more or less on time, with us, masked as mandated, all aboard ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
We landed safely at 20.20, disembarked and, after a long wait, collected our luggage, got the hire car – a Kia thing – and headed for our accommodation. We stopped for milk and Mackers on the way before finding the AirBnB unit and getting inside with the air-con on.
Day 2 Wednesday 13.1.21
We had planned to be at the esplanade at 5.30 – basing our best chances on the tide level. We had forgotten that being further north in the tropics, the sun didn’t rise as early as Brisbane and it wasn’t dawn till 6.
We only realised this when we got up at 4.45…..
However, we set off, picking up coffee on the way and parked behind Muddy’s café as dawn started to break. The tide was pretty high and the available waders were close and easy. But there was no NG. Great Knot (~150), Bar-tailed Godwits (~30), a few Curlew Sandpipers, a pair of Beach Stone Curlews and a few Pied Oystercatchers and that was it wader-wise. They had all finished feeding and were simply standing around looking uncomfortable – as waders always seem to do. Cutting a longer story shorter….we dashed up and down the esplanade checking the small groups of waders to ensure we hadn’t overlooked anything, but eventually, at about 7 gave it away and retired to Muddy’s for breakfast.
Finishing our meal we were contemplating our next move when a birder walked past along the path – Tom Tarrant, an old friend from Brisbane. He joined us for coffee and we chatted for a while.
Tom took off and so did we, heading down to Edmonton and the turf farms I visited in early December. We dipped again – no sign of Little Curlew. We did however, find a dead snake in good nick which I retrieved and bagged – possibly a Brown Tree Snake, definitively unidentified as yet.
Tom T and a local birder he was taking around showed up shortly afterwards and we gave him the ‘good’ news.
We all headed off again, separately and Mr P and I chose the Botanic Gardens as our next stop off.
We had only parked up there, when Tom T and his mate parked up beside us!
We walked in and almost immediately had 3 Gould’s (Little) Bronze Cuckoos in a tree above us. Soon after we parted company and Mr P and I walked the boardwalk through the rainforest for some time trying for Red-necked Crake – without success. It was turning into that kind of day.
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| Gould's, or Little, Bronze Cuckoo |
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| Mudskipper |
We ended up at the Botanical Gardens in the end and, thanks to Mr B’s direction, found a Cairns Birdwing Ornithoptera euphorion (female) along the fence line outside. Inside a couple of Zodiac Moths caused some discussion – but Mr P was right – and we pulled up a couple of new ticks in the butterfly world – Lurcher Yoma sabina and Orange Bush Brown Mycalesis terminus,
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| Black-spotted Flash Hypolycaena phorbas |
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| Orange Bush-brown Mycalesis terminus |
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| Yellow-streaked Swift Sabera dobboe |
Back along the boardwalk in the 85% humidity, feeling pretty weighed down, back to the car and ‘home’ for a couple of hours R&R in the air-con.
13.30 and we were down at the esplanade again, outside Muddy’s and scanning through the increasing numbers of waders as the tide dropped. Added Red-necked Stints, Terek Sandpipers, Grey-tailed Tattlers and Greater Sand Plover to the wader list……but no funny looking Greenshanks. We hung awhile (again with Tom T) in that area, then Mr P suggested that he and I went to check the northern end of the esplanade. We promised to keep in touch with Tom T and headed off, driving to the furthest car park and walking out to scan the mud.
Almost immediately Mr P said he thought he had it – and have it he did! Nordmann’s Greenshank, one of only 1,000 members of its species in the world!! Yahoo! We called Tom T straight away and continued to watch it scurrying around on the tideline approx 150 meters away, feeding frantically and moving south. We moved with it, taking turns to move on, find it again and then overlap, managing to keep it in sight for about 25 minutes until Tom T arrived. Just as he did and just about got on it – it flew (voluntarily) and we watched it fly all the way to the south end of the bay where it disappeared.
Once again we retired to Muddy’s for a cold drink – and Tom T was there too…. Then it was back to the unit for me - and a snake-skinning session - while Mr P went to the Botanical Gardens for a while.
17.00 Mr P came back and picked me up and we headed back to the esplanade with encouraging news from Tom T re the bird being present again. Sure enough, off Muddy’s at about the same range, running madly around feeding frantically, we could almost pick it out at 150 meters with the naked eye as it scurried around among the other more sedate wader groups. It moved north, left, up the beach and we went with it and got good scope views with the afternoon light behind us. It moved really fast and eventually after about 30 minutes took off with a flock of Great Knot and disappeared into the distance over the bay.
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| Nordmann's Greenshank |
Video of Nordmann's ...
Mr P and I drove to the north end again and checked it out for a while but it did not re-appear before we quit at 18.30 and headed home. We called into Coles on the way so Mr P could get a toothbrush and I picked up a microwaveable meal. He dropped me home and took off to get himself a pizza.
Notes, discussion, butterfly identification and bed.
Day 3 Thursday 14.1.21
We woke to rain at 5.30. By the time we left at 6, the rain had eased, but was to continue in shower form for the early part of the morning.
We chose to go to the northern end of the esplanade, but at 6.15 there were just a few Godwits standing around and the tide appeared to be too high for our target bird. We drove back down to Muddy’s and met the original identifier of the Greenshank, Adrian Walsh. The bird had been in front of him for 1bout 10 minutes after dawn and his arrival, but had flown south just prior to our arrival. No worries, the views we had had the previous day were quite satisfactory. We chatted to him for a while before the rain drove us to Muddy’s where I managed to get my blog updated, minus photos. (Wifi at ‘home’ is shit, hence the delay).
We walked the esplanade between showers chasing Varied Honeyeaters and Pied Imperial Pigeons for the cameras and then returned ‘home’ to rest up for a couple of hours.
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| Pied Imperial Pigeon |
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| Varied Honeyeater |
10.15 and we headed off south in driving rain, turning off the highway towards Gordonvale. Our first stop was at Lake Barrine after a long, winding climb up the escarpment in heavy cloud and intermittent rain. It was pouring when we got to the lakeshore and we quickly scanned for Great Crested Grebe before jumping back in the car and heading on to Lake Eacham, 15 minutes down the road.
We had much better luck at Eacham. Immediately exiting the car we had 4 Double-eyed Fig Parrots (race macleayana) quietly feeding together in a low tree.
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| Double-eyed Fig Parrot (race macleayana) |
Video of Fig Parrots:
Satiated with them – after 15 minutes and ~400 photos…we noticed a tree across the car park had attracted a large number of butterflies including at least 2 Ulysses Swallowtails Papilio Ulysses. They never settled so no photos, but there were also half a dozen Black Jezebels Delias nigrina and 20 or so Red-banded Jezebels Delias Mysis.
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| Black Jezebel Delias nigrina |
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| Red-banded Jezebel Delias mysis |
While we watched and photographed them, Scarlet and Bridled Honeyeaters and Rainbow Lorikeets also came into the picture, so to speak.
We walked the road for a bit up through the rain forest and picked up a female Victoria’s Riflebird, White-throated Treecreeper and Large-billed Scrubwren, before retreating from the rain to the car once again.
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| Victoria's Riflebird |
Moving along our next stop was the Nerada Tea Plantation. A little out of the way, but worth the drive.
The Tea house on the plantation served High Teas – but I ordered a long black coffee and a steakburger. Mr P a bacon and egg sandwich and a pot of tea. It was all kind of quaint, almost like stepping through a time warp into the 70’s - and the service took almost as long, at least as far as my meal was concerned. Maybe they were insulted at my coffee order, but it took almost 45 minutes to get my food, during which time Mr P had finished his sandwich and it had rained almost constantly.
Why go there, you may ask?
Because its relatively easy to see Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, of course!
The Tea plantation is famous for their presence – or at least everyone there seemed to know about them. Beside the tea house a 30 meter wide strip of semi rainforest type trees extended for approx 100 meters, this ‘strip’ also ran back down the access road – for about 300 meters.
Once I had finished – and the rain had thankfully eased – we headed outside and began our search in the still spitting rain and gusty conditions. Mr P found a single adult after about 15 minutes, halfway along the roadside strip, about 15 meters up a tree sitting sleepily still, looking over its shoulder – maybe it was waiting for its meal too…..It wasn’t a lifer for me, having been lucky enough to stumble on one several years before at Longland’s Gap, but, let’s face it, any day is a great day when you see a Tree Kangaroo. Why they stay there I don’t know, its not proper rainforest and there must be a limited supply of food so….?
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| Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo Dendrolagus lumholtzi |
We headed on, this time to Mt Hypipamee and The Crater. It was drizzling steadily when we got there but that didn’t deter the usual Grey-headed Robin in the car park.
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| Grey-headed Robin |
We wandered the entrance road for a while adding Spotted Catbird, Bower’s Shrike Thrush and Brown Gerygone to the trip list before leaving for the drive home. Hastie’s Swamp was on the way so we stopped off there for a quarter of an hour or so. It was very quiet, but a juvenile Pied Heronwas a bit of a surprise – at least we thought so? Seems a far way south from its usual range, maybe?
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| Pied Heron |
Anyway, onward and downward, stopping off again at Lake Barrine, in a rare moment of sunshine on this otherwise soggy day, to get the one and only trip (so far) Dusky Honeyeater, a Common Emerald Dove, Spectacled Monarch and the trip’s second Cairns Birdwing, heard a Common Cicadabird and counted 80+ Great Crested Grebes on the lake.
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| Common Emerald Dove |
Then it was back down the escarpment and so to Cairns by 19.30.
Footnote: We had had every intention of spotlighting on the tablelands, but what with the constant rain and gusty winds – and no break in sight - we had decided it just wasn’t worth hanging around.
Day 4 Friday 15.1.21
We were up and out of the apartment by 6. All packed and ready to go.
I drove us up the highway towards Port Douglas where, apart from stopping for a takeaway coffee in Mossman, our first port of call was a possible location for Red-necked Crake. We didn’t get it or any reaction to show it might be there, although I was pretty positive I’d heard 2 or 3 calling a few weeks before and the habitat was perfect.
We drove on past the Port Douglas turn off to finally turn off ourselves at the Cape Tribulation road. A couple of Ks down there at the junction with Prims rd had been suggested as a location for Barn and/or Red-rumped Swallows. There wasn’t a Swallow in sight.
We went on the short distance to the Daintree River ferry crossing and checked the river….nada.
Back to the main road and south again. This time to Wonga Beach following a report of Spotted Whistling Ducks. We located the dam myself and Mr D had looked in a long time ago – but there was no sign of any ducks, Whistling or otherwise.
Sigh…..
Back down the main highway, turning off this time at Newell Beach. A k or so outside the town, a sugar cane field was providing support to insects which attracted a flock of approx 50 Tree Martins and a similar number of Australian Swiftlets – but no Swallows of any sort. Well, maybe one, but that was it. We checked the town itself (2 streets) but only 3 Welcome Swallows on the wires.
A Tawny Coster Acraea terpsicore fluttered by - a self-introduced bspecies from Asia it has spread fairly rapidly from the Northern Territory
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| Tawny Coster Acraea terpsichore |
Pretty despondent by this time we headed south again, this time to Catana Wetlands. It was sunny and hot – virtually for the first time since we had arrived – and we didn’t spend a lot of time there, seeing very few birds, but getting a number of butterfly species.
Several Bright Oak-blues Arhopala madytus, Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina, Bordered Rustic Cupha propose and one Ulysses Papilio ulysses.
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| Bright Oak-blues Arhopala madytus |
Then it was into northern Cairns and we filled up with fuel at a Puma for $1.15/litre. ($57 in). Then on down to the esplanade and Muddy’s for lunch.
14.00 We drove to the Botanic Gardens and wandered around there for a while, not much going on, even the butterflies were scarce. We did see a couple of Zodiac Moths and one Orange Palm-dart Cephrenes augiades and several Black Butcherbirds bounced around.
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| Black Butcherbird |
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| Orange Palm-dart Cephrenes augiades |
Outside in the shade we finalised packing, cleared our pockets and headed to the airport.
Our flight boarded at 16.30 and took off on time. Once again I had an empty row beside me.
11.1.21
Holland Park West
Having done nothing yesterday – still under lockdown – I decided to get my sorry ass in gear and walk down the road to the smallest, least potential patch I’ve ever birded.
I wasn’t disappointed, although acquired a few new species that I hadn’t seen on Saturday – but nothing new for the site. It’s not even worth mentioning the birds I did see, suffice to say it totalled 12 species today, and two butterflies, Meadow Argus and Evening Brown.
Then I went home and sat to watch the latest update from the Queensland Premier re lifting the restrictions tomorrow night?
With no new cases in 48 hours, she did and so ensued an immediate scramble to book flights, accommodation and transport for a trip north, leaving tomorrow, for Cairns, again…. Watch this space!!
9.1.21
Holland Park West
In lockdown again.
Due to an infection transmission from an overseas traveller to a cleaner in a Covid hotel, Greater Brisbane and surrounding suburbs have gone into a 3 day lockdown in an attempt to control any possible spread. It was announced yesterday (Friday) morning and started at 6pm (18.00) last night to last until the same time on Monday. Hopefully it won’t be extended beyond that…………
So………. figuring I needed to get out and have a bit of fresh air – and for something to do to absorb the time – I decided to walk down the road to my small patch along Norman Creek. I haven’t been down there since February 2018. It’s pretty small and of very average potential, but it was something to do and….. you never know.
Due to light showers over the past 48 hours and it being cloudy and dull, everything was very wet and the creek running more than normal, but not flooding.
I saw a total of 13 species in the 30 minutes I spent there. A Sacred Kingfisher was probably the best bird and, a bit weirdly, 2 very young Pacific Black Duck ducklings huddled alone, with no adults apparent.
Other than that it was pretty much the same as 2018.
6.1.21
Minnippi
Picked up Mr P at 5.45, on site just before 6.
What kind of morning? “Fucking dead” is the best description. The pond was quiet, the M1 track dead, the surrounding bush almost deserted, Very few passerines, even the water was largely empty.
We did see a White-banded Noctuid Moth Danuca orbigera on the M1 track – seen it here before - and in the lake at the boardwalk at least 40 Macquarie Turtles sticking their heads out of the water. It was, actually, an amazing sight. We have never seen more than 2 or 3 at one time in the pond and had little idea of the actual numbers. It’s not surprising, I guess, for there to be this number in the lake, but unusual for them all to be gathered in one place. Possibly a lack of food? Maybe a transfer from the creek? They all appeared to be of average size – so weren’t newly hatched juveniles. A weird sight.
A large Water Rat swam around the island shore too.
2.1.21
Oxley
Felt like a walk after sitting for days on the couch and in the car (working) and having been generally lazy over the holiday period.
The track was quiet, very few passerines in evidence. Not sure if that was my slightly late start (6.15) or the oppressive atmosphere. It had rained overnight and everything was pretty soaked, but one would think that would have the birds out feeding? Not so. I swear there were more non-birding-photographer-types along the track than there were individual species.
Not much to report really. The ‘same’ Black-shouldered Kite was perched up in the same dead tree – possibly overlooking a nest site occupied by its mate (?). The ‘same’ 2 Rainbow Bee Eaters were hanging around the same area as my last visit. The most prevalent bird along the track were the Brown Quail – about 12 in pairs or threesomes.
I did have two (Eastern) Water Dragons on the low tide creek bank – hadn’t recorded one since January 2018 at site, but probably just not looked hard enough. A couple of Striped Marsh Frogs calling at the main pond, but otherwise nothing very enthralling in the (only) 1 hour and three quarters I spent there.
