1.4.25
Minnippi
Nope its not an April Fool’s Day joke – I did go out birding alone again.
Another damp soggy, muggy, overcast morning. We have had extensive rain over the last few weeks and were expecting more within 24 hours. The ground was saturated and quite boggy underfoot with patches of ‘flood water’ to walk through, but my Gortex lined Zamberlains handled it perfectly and kept my feet dry. (Looking for some sponsorship here…). Even the M1 track was wet – a rare occurrence.
It was pretty quiet and, in fact, I only totaled 36 species, well below my average list for Autumn of 45 species. Virtually no Honeyeaters, only a few Lewin’s clicking away, but towards the far end of the M1 track, while fending off the hordes of flesh-eating mosquitoes, an Eastern Yellow Robin was calling away somewhere in the undergrowth – that call that drives everyone mad cause they sit dead still when they do it.
The lake was quiet with no egrets or cormorants on the water and only a few Pacific Black Ducks, Australian Wood Ducks and 1 Australian Grebe. I did have a Buff-banded Rail near the carpark and a pair of White-breasted Woodswallows on the wires.
An interesting record, however, was a single Oriental Dollarbird on the overhead wires. This was the first one I had ever seen in April – out of 90 Autumnal recorded visits since 2002. All of my previous records were prior to mid-March and I wondered if this guy got held up by the very wet weather further north?
The only other things of any sort of interest were a flock of 9 Rainbow Bee Eaters passing overhead and a glide-past of a, presumed female due to size, Brown Goshawk.
7.4.25
Oxley
The track was fucking dead. That may have been due to my late start – I was on site at 7.15.
It was a bright, clear, sunny morning but still little activity. I did end up seeing all three Fairy-wren species but all female or heavily moulting males, apart from one Red-backed male.
The ponds were dead as – 3 Dusky Moorhens, an Australian Darter and 1 Australian Pelican. There were about 20 Eastern Cattle Egrets hanging around the cattle and I did have a Plumed/Intermediate Egret and a White-faced Heron near the Red Shed, but all in all 34 species was a very low morning’s count.
11.4.25
Minnippi
Another day, same same. A bright, calm morning. Generally very quiet. The same Eastern Yellow Robin calling in the same area on the M1 Mosquito infested track. A large number – approx 55 – Australian Wood Ducks on and around the water, 2 Great Cormorants and a single Eurasian Coot were somewhat notable beyond the usual stuff. The Black Swans were missing in action – shock horror! A trio of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins and a Golden-headed Cisticola in the reeds were also nice to see. Other than that it was a pretty freaking quiet, 36 species, morning.
14.4.25
Birding Pal stuff
I picked up Wade & Carol from Jacksonville, Florida at the International Cruise Ship Terminal in Pinkenba - on the north side of the Brisbane River near the mouth, a long way out from the city through pretty shitty looking degraded habitat, small industry, trucks, buses and roads in terrible condition – welcome to Brisbane….. The cruise terminal itself was very modern, shmick and organised, but the road from there to the city? Embarrassingly depressing, ugly and third worldish.
I was there at 8.20 and there weren’t many cars waiting at the drop-off/pick-up spot. They didn’t appear till just after 9 – the security were pretty good, considering you’re only supposed to be there for two minutes, but most of the pickups seemed to be taxi cabs and buses set off to one side out of the way.
We headed off straight away to cross the toll bridge again back to the south side and Sandy Camp wetlands.
It was dead as. I have never seen it so quiet. It was a humid morning, dull, overcast with bright spells but there was almost nothing on the ponds and very few passerines. I managed to scratch together a couple of Spangled Drongos, same number of Brown Honeyeaters, one Rufous Fantail that performed well, a Grey Shrikethrush, about 5 Bar-shouldered Doves and a few Willy Wagtails. With 3 Rainbow Bee Eaters, a Grey Fantail, 5 Pacific Black Ducks, a couple of Dusky Moorhens and Australian Swamphens that was, literally, about it. Carol needed a sit down at one point for about 10 minutes before we got back to the car and headed down to the mangrove boardwalk.
She sat it out in a park shelter while Wade and I walked the boardwalk and I managed to get him Toressian Kingfisher, Mangrove Gerygone and Australian Bush Turkey.
They agreed it was a good time for lunch so we drove to Mt Gravatt Lookout and had lunch while it poured rain on the way and rained most of the time we were there.
Finally at around 14.00 we drove the short distance to Isabella St and walked in for the Australian Boobook, which thankfully, was perched up and showed well. The 20 minute round walk took us about 30 minutes and we started to head towards the Port of Brisbane as I thought that might be an easy location with minimal walking where we might see some other stuff. However, as we drove, the rain set in more and the traffic was horrendous, despite the school holidays, so I decided that we didn’t really have enough time to do anything else and we should head for the ship. I dropped them off at 15.15. They had had to be back by 16.00 anyway.
They said they were happy enough with what we’d done – although I felt disappointed because we had really seen very little compared to what might have been.
18.4.25
More Birding Pal stuff
Hugo and his wife from Cordoba in Argentina arrived at my place at 6.00, both in their 60’s but fit enough. His wife (whose name I didn’t get) did not have bins but was happy enough to follow us around. We left their car there and I drove them in mine – it was easier. I didn’t speak much Spanish – in reality, nil – and Hugo’s English was ‘basic’. It made for a relatively quiet day, but we managed to communicate ok.
On site at Sandy Camp at 6.20. It was very quiet, but we managed to pull a few goodies out of the proverbial bag. A Nankeen Night Heron perched up on the far side of the main pond was nice. But better still a Black Bittern seen quite well but briefly perched up from a flush off the side of the track was only my tenth for the site. Even better still a poorly seen (not even sure if Hugo got onto it) Rose Robin was my first for site. We had most of the usual stuff - Grey and Rufous Fantails, Rufous Whistler, Little Friarbird, Rainbow Bee Eaters, White-breasted Woodswallows and one Hardhead but no Egrets and very few other small birds. I did hear two Spotless Crakes but wasn't really in a position to play for them.
After about two hours we moved on to the Mangrove Boardwalk where I managed to get Mangrove Gerygone and Toressian Kingfisher for him and he got Pale-headed Rosella for himself. I could not get any Leaden Flycatchers to respond.
We sat and had coffee from a coffee truck in the carpark for about 30 minutes afterwards.
I figured we might as well concentrate in the same area and so took them down to the visitor’s centre at the Port where we had the usual suspects plus several Mangrove Honeyeaters that responded well to encouragement and an overflying immature White-breasted Sea Eagle was the only raptor of the day.
It was sort of lunch time then and being Good Friday and everywhere closed we had lunch in MacDonald’s before driving to Toohey Forest and walking in for the Australian Boobook still perched up in the same tree. As we walked out we met a mother and son, who was about 11 or 12, and he asked us if there were any birds around? He knew what he was talking about – I was very impressed – and during the chat his mother suggested we look for Koala from the Mt Gravatt Outlook. I had planned on White’s Hill but decided to apply her advice and we found a single Koala about 100 meters from the car park.
Finally we went to Minnippi and I found a pair of Tawny Frogmouths in a Paperbark tree where Mr P had suggested they might be based on a photo he had seen recently. We again got the usual species including a single Magpie Goose, although the Black Swans appear to have disappeared.
We headed home and I left them at their car at 16.00.
19.4.25
And again.....
Once again Hugo and she-who-shall-remain-nameless were at my place at 6am. We headed west to Anstead arriving on site at 6.25 thanks to almost 100% green lights and little traffic.
We walked the track as usual finding the main area completely dominated by Noisy Friarbirds and really little else – there must have been several hundred birds hunting nectar through the canopy. We did have 3 Red-necked Wallabys and a Koala, the latter perched up above the track showing well, if a little sleepy.
Along the bitumen in desperation I hung the speaker on a tree and played for a number of species, most of whom responded very well. Scarlet Honeyeaters in number although only a single coloured male, Striated Pardalotes, two Shining Bronze Cuckoos, Grey Fantails, a female Golden Whistler, Rainbow Bee Eaters and a male Mistletoebird that showed voluntarily.
We finished there and I suggested coffee, but West Vets was inexplicably closed so we headed back towards Brisbane. As we were in the area I thought Moggill might be worth a try.
It was dead. As dead as dead can be. I had been hoping for Large-billed Scrubwren, White-throated Gerygone, Brown Thornbill and maybe a Monarch or two. Nothing showed – or responded - so we left and headed back east.
Back in the Oxley area we went to Arte & Gusto for coffee and muffins – apparently the Argentinians preferred something sweet to savoury for a late breakfast and I joined them. At Oxley we walked in but again it was very, very quiet. I managed to get Golden-headed Cisticola for Hugo, but could not raise a Tawny Grassbird for love or threats.
All in all it was a medium success day with a lot of effort for minimal reward, however, they appeared happy and thanked me for the effort when I dropped them at their car at 13.00.
26.4.25
Minnippi
I picked Mr P up at 6.15, on site 10 minutes later. Very wet underfoot – in fact Mr P wore wellies – thanks to the previous two days heavy rain. This year so far would seem to be the wettest year we have had in many years.
We flushed a Buff-banded Rail from just below the pylons, but the water itself was very quiet. Walked the usual tracks – M1, Avenue, back to the lake, but not the Airfield Track.
Nothing unusual, but a 46 species morning which was significantly better than my recent visits. Definitely more activity, especially with recent autumnal arrivals in the number of Grey Fantails.
The Tawny Frogmouths were still in the same tree near the bridge and a single Black Swan had re-appeared (wayhay….) 9 Magpie Geese was a little unusual in the Model Airfield field and the 2 Great Cormorants were still in the usual Cormorant Tree.
Breakfast in Stones Corner followed by a visit to Mr D’s Australian Boobook in Toohey.
29.4.25
Oxley
On site at 7 on a pleasant, cool, bright morning. It turned out to be an OK morning, an average species list, but numbers were low. The track was relatively quiet, human-wise as well.
Two ‘surprises’ – a Whistling Kite dropped out of the big tree on the left beside the first pond, glided low over my head and disappeared over the ponds. I had stopped to check the Rainbow Lorikeets that had been calling in that tree, but had not seen the Kite before it flew.
While walking back from the end of track point a few minutes later, a Comb-crested Jacana flew across the track heading away from the ponds towards the market area. Considering this was only my 4th record of the species at this site since 2002, it was a bit unusual and I wondered where it was heading.
I also had the first Scarlet Honeyeaters of this season – a nice male and a few females on one of the few flowering trees along the track.
All in all, a 44 species morning, a big improvement on my last visit, but still low – and the general bird numbers were very low too, with a total (estimated) number of 154 birds, compared to an annual average of 275.
