Weekends That Were - August 2022

 7.8.22

Oxley

Mr D picked me up at 6.15 and we were on site on a surprisingly cool, bright, clear morning (10c feels like 6c).

We walked the track as usual and I, for one, was very disappointed in the lack of life. It would appear the site has not recovered well at all from the floods of several months ago. A lot of the lower vegetation was dead, missing or brown. Notably no Quail along the track, very few Fairy Wrens, no finches – we didn’t even record Kookaburra or Rainbow Lorikeet. There were a number (10) of Black-fronted Dotterels at the right hand pond and 7, at least, Australian Grebes but other than that my list was 45, below my average of 50 species per visit in winter and most were in small numbers, even the Torresian Crows. It would appear that everything moved away in the floods and haven’t returned.

We breakfasted at Arte & Gusto as usual.

14.8.22

Sandy Camp

A damp, very foggy, dull dawn. I picked Mr D up at 6.15 and we were on site at 6.30. Usual birdy morning at SC, although initially hard to see anything clearly beyond 30 meters or silhouetted but it did brighten up around 7.30 and the sun broke through. Nothing unusual or exciting. We did see a Spotless Crake cross the track between the ponds and I’m pretty sure I saw a second, briefly, fly along the edge of the right hand pond immediately beside us. Other than that it was pretty normal with a list of 45 species.

We breakfasted at The Bower (formally known as Café 63) in Stones Corner.

21.8.22

Trotter

Mr D picked me up at 6.15, on site at 6.30. Usual deathly quiet for the most part. The dam itself was very full with few water type birds. In the end we had a small bird wave around the junction where there always seem to be a few birds - Spectacled Monarch being the best, we also had both Whistlers, Grey Fantail, Leaden Flycatcher and I taped a White-throated Treecreeper.

XC744138. 

We breakfasted at Ashton & Old in the Camp Hill area on Cleveland Rd.

BIRDING PAL STUFF

 

Since I volunteered to be a Birding Pal I have had one couple from Phoenix, Arizona, USA spend a day with me (and Mr D) back in 2019. Since then – no one. Which isn’t really surprising given the worldwide pandemic.

This week it all happened at the same time.

 

Maureen from Colorado and Sam (Sandra) from Seattle had been in regular contact for several weeks and requested my ‘services’ for a day or two at each end of their PNG trip. Unfortunately Sam’s flight from Los Angeles before her PNG bit was cancelled, so we didn’t manage to meet prior. However, they both arrived back in Brisbane on Sunday (21^st) and I picked them up from their Motel on Kingsford Smith Dve at 7.30 on Monday 22^nd.

Neither had birded before in Australia which made it an exciting and very productive, and for me, an easy day!

We started at Sandy Camp and spent 3 hours (!) there. 

There wasn’t anything super exciting although playback for White-throated Gerygone also brought in a Mangrove Gerygone which was a surprise, but we got a heap of common birds and moved on feeling happy (me) and probably completely confused (them!).

We checked Fuller & Lindum briefly but there was little going on there, so headed down to Wynnum North and the Mangrove Boardwalk. Mangrove Kingfisher gave it itself up in numbers (at least 6) mostly perched up out on the low tide mud along with a handful of other ‘new for them’ species.

Next stop – lunch.

We ate at Mt Gravatt Outlook and the food was excellent, though the service a little sketchy. Then it was off to White’s Hill where we found an adult female Koala, with a well-developed joey, fairly easily. They were delighted and, I must admit, I was relieved after building the expectation!

A long drive to Mt Glorious via Samford village and we entered the rainforest walk. By now it was getting on – after 16.00 – and the light was very poor. We stuck to the top track and, with their help, found an Australian Logrunner doing its thing, along with a Yellow-throated Scrubwren. We also had a number of Green Catbirds calling and, eventually saw one, and - just after I finished telling them about it, a Noisy Pitta called a few times, but refused to show itself in the gloom … A Red-necked Wallaby put in a shadowy appearance as well. 

Back to the car, and to use up a little of the last daylight, we drove around into Brown’s Rd and tried for Sooty Owl. With some success. We had response, but didn’t see the bird, but both visitors were happy to add the species to their lifer list.

Then it was the long haul back to Kingsford Smith Dve where I left them to stagger inside at 19.30 – a 12 hour day. Maureen reckoned on approx 83 species, 70+ lifers (a few overlaps with PNG)

 

Maureen was flying home on Tuesday so it was just Sam and me at 6.30. 

We drove straight in to the city and found 6 or 7 Bush Stone Curlews in the Botanical Gardens. Then on to Mt Nebo. 

We stopped at the Spotted Quail-thrush site and found same after some effort and ‘persuasion’. We also had close views of Striated Pardalote – always worthwhile.

On up to Mt Glorious and a stop off at the café for some breakfast for Sam. While we ate, a male Satin Bowerbird came into the garden to collect sticks and a Lewin’s Honeyeater shared her muffin….  Then into the rainforest walk. This time we walked the complete track and then half way down to Greene’s Falls. 

It was very disappointing. No forest pigeons or doves calling at all. We did see a couple of Brown Cuckoo-doves, Crimson Rosella and more Pale Yellow Robins (3) than Eastern Yellow (2), but no Golden Whistlers or Rufous Fantails – both still unseen. Plenty of Brown Gerygones and a few Large-billed Scrubwrens completed the list. Very poor - I think it’s maybe a bit early in the season just yet.

We cut our losses and headed down to Gold Scrub Lane at Samsonvale and scored well, eventually, with White-eared Monarch, Varied Triller and Little (or Rufous) Shrike Thrush in the same tree. We also picked up Great Crested Grebe and Eurasian Coot on the North Pine Dam.

A very pleasant lunch at The Flying Nun followed and then it was a long haul via Gap Creek Rd to Anstead. Again getting late (15.00) it was pretty quiet and the birds I had hoped for almost didn’t show. But we did get White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, a female Australian Golden Whistler (no males anywhere), a male & female Red-backed Fairy-wren (yep, the first of the two days!) and I managed to find Varied Sitella which was lovely and very pleasing.

Perfect timing, and Sam holding up well despite a ragged throat and croaky voice, and we stopped off at Slaughter Falls just on dusk. 

I didn’t have high hopes but it was worth a try - and success we had. The White-throated Nightjar appeared right on schedule and continued calling in the area for some time afterwards – unreal! We also heard a Powerful Owl, a distant Southern Boobook and a ‘not very close, but just about audible’ Australian Owlet Nightjar which Sam was very happy to tick. An excellent end to another long 12 hour day! 30+ lifers I think.

Can I deliver or what!!

Sam had another day to wait for her flight home, but I had other ‘demands’ on me on Wednesday.

 

Wednesday morning started badly.

Alison and Stewart from Ontario, Canada had also been in touch for weeks and were also on their way to PNG, and had requested my help for one day before, and one day after, their trip.

The difference with A & S was – they had birded extensively in Australia before and had an impressive list of 500+ species already. Alison had already mentioned Mangrove Kingfisher and Pale-headed Rosella as two potential targets - the former I felt really confident about given Monday’s results, but I hadn’t seen the Rosella in weeks so….

The arrangement was that I would pick them up at the International airport on their arrival from Vancouver. The flight was landing at 6.35, they would contact me as they left the terminal and I would pick them up at the public passenger pick up area.

I was on site in the Uber holding area (I am after all a registered driver) at 6.30, 4 minutes from the pickup area.

I sat and waited. And waited. And waited.

At 7.30 I drove to the pick up area which was very busy, took my ticket for the free 10 minute wait (after 10 minutes you pay – bloody ridiculous) and drove through slowly. I didn’t see anyone who looked like them so drove back to the holding area.

I waited and waited….

At 8.00 I drove in again and took my ticket and ……. found them. They had messaged me and called me via What’s App and it seemed a mystery until I checked my phone and found I had had no phone connection at all! A reboot fixed my phone, but the mystery persists. I still have no idea what happened or why. It was very embarrassing and not the way I wanted to start.

However, we moved on and headed over the Gateway Bridge (again) to the mangroves at Wynnum (again!). 

A higher tide this time but we eventually found a couple of the Kingfishers among the mangroves for excellent scope views and Stewart’s camera. We also, unexpectedly, had Pale-headed Rosella brilliantly! Total surprise. And Mangrove and White-fronted Gerygone, Rufous Fantail and Spectacled Monarch  - the Rosella and the latter two I could have done with on Monday!

Target 1 & 2 destroyed.

I enquired  - Had they seen a Koala? No!! and we’d love to.

So off to White’s Hill again and we managed to find the same female and joey in roughly the same area which delighted the two visitors.

Target 3 gone.

Lunch again at Mt Gravatt Outlook – still great food and coffee and better service this time!

Then down to Minnippi. 

Pale-vented Bush Hen was the target here but there was no sign or response at the bridge. We walked around the lake re-visiting a few of the commoner birds for A & S and I noted 5 cygnets with the Black Swan pair – they’d obviously had a successful season again. A White-bellied Sea Eagle overhead was a nice addition. (Another bird M & S would have liked).

Back at the bridge I started to play again and, thankfully, a Bush Hen flew low across the creek disappearing immediately into the undergrowth. I didn’t see it, but A & S did and that was what mattered. A Buff-banded Rail then put in a close appearance which was a nice plus - and final bird for the day.

Target 4 down!

They had some more target birds on their list – some of which would be possible - but we agreed to wait until they return from PNG on 17^thSeptember and ‘do’ the Mt Glorious area where most of their wish list can be found – with luck!

I dropped them off at 16.00 and they seemed pretty happy with the day. All possible targets achieved within the possible area – I was both amazed and relieved …..and knacknered.