1.5.26
Oxley
After yet more rain it was a soggy morning, but bright, with warm sun and a light breeze. I stopped to buy fuel on Sherwood Rd at $2.39.5c/l which seemed to be the cheapest available within reasonable driving range from home, so was on site at 6.45.
There weren’t many non-combatants on the track, in fact I had it almost to myself, which was nice for a change.
Mind you the track was also very quiet bird-wise, I did end up with 47 species but the numbers were low. Nothing to write home about, no raptors at all, but I did find a Tawny Frogmouth drying out in the sun. The flooded field, although water still present, only had 3 Pied Stilts and 4 Black-fronted Dotterels and the total duck numbers came to 4 Pacific Black Ducks – as I said, numbers were low.
I did see a lone female deer of indeterminate species standing in the open grass on the opposite side of Sherwood Rd as I negotiated the turn off on arrival. I have the deer species on this site list as ‘Red’ Deer but am not convinced that is exactly what they are.
Butterflys – half a dozen fresh, chipper Monarchs Danaus plexippus and 1 Lesser Wanderer Danaus chrysippus. On the ‘other insect’ front just two spiders – a single Pacific Golden Weaver Nephila plumipes and, what I believe was, a Small Round Orb Weaver Araneus rotundulus.
4.5.26
Minnippi
I picked Mr P up at 6.30, on site 10 minutes later. Another damp morning to start with, but it quickly brightened up and was quite warm by the time we gave it away at 9.15.
Not too bad – 52 species all up – and the M1 track was quite busy for a change, with the highlight of the morning being a female Rose Robin - only my 5th sighting at this site. The other note of some interest was a single Little Shrike Thrush on the M1 track and a pair on the Airfield Track., but strangely enough we neither heard nor saw any Grey Shrike Thrushes - usually a staple species.
Butterflys were few with just a single representative of each of three species – Evening Brown Melanitis leda, Brown Ringlet Hypocysta metirius and Glasswing Acraea andromacha.
We headed home immediately afterwards – I had a plasma donation appointment and Mr P had stuff to do family-wise.
6.5.26
Hemmant Recreation Reserve - West
A new location? Yes – and no. I first visited this area in 1981 but I entered it from the far side then and crossed the railway track. Later, earlier this century, I had accessed it via the railway bridge – at risk of life and limb because the almost silent electric trains were erratic and unpredictable.
Mr P had recently ‘discovered’ lists for the location on eBird and, with his agreement, I had decided to re-visit. The access now, however, was from the Ingham factory end, the area now designated a Recreation Reserve by the BCC and open to the public. It is possible that back in the day it had been the same – but I had been unaware of its status and assumed, at that time, it was the property of Ingham’s and been wary of trespassing – not that that ever stopped me in those days. I had had some excellent birds back then and was keen to see if the possibilities for some more similar experiences still existed.
I parked up in an apparently open, public car park and started in along the wide cut tracks through the heavily grassed and semi-wild habitat finding a number of ponds and muddy ‘scrapes’ that offered potential for some good birds. I wandered the area ending up in a loop of Bulimba Creek that barred further progress and, in fact, completely missing the pond I had visited many years ago. It will require another visit to see if that pond still exists.
It was very birdy and I ended up with a 40 species list, admittedly with nothing spectacular, but, being an exploratory visit, I wasn’t disappointed with the results.
I had started a bit later than normal and it developed into a warm, sticky morning and, possibly as a result, had several butterflys including a lifer – Pale Pea Blue Catochrysops panomus.
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| Pale Pea Blue Catochrysops panormus |
There were heaps of Monarchs Danaus plexippus and I found a couple of caterpillars on a Ballonplant Gomphocarpus physocarpus– a member of the Milkweed family - that Monarchs feed on in Australia.
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| Monarch Danaus plexippus on Balloonplant Gomphocarpus physocarpus |
I also had several Small Grass-yellows Eurema smilax, Common Crows Euploea core, Common Grass-blues Zizina labradus and Lesser Wanderers Danaus chrysippus.
I found only one obvious spider - which I didn't immediately recognise. iNaturalist identified it as an Australian Garden Orb Weaver Hortophora transmarina. I accept the identification, but thought it was a bit different from others of the same species I have seen.
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| Australian Garden Orb Weaver Hortophora transmarina |
I photographed some plants and added a few more to my lifer list – not that surprising seeing as how my plant knowledge and identification skills are minimal.
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| Creeping Indigo Indigofera spicata |
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| Prickly Hibiscus Hibiscus diversifolius |
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| Silverleaf Desmodium Desmodium uncinatum |
All in all it was an interesting morning and the area does bode well for future visits with real potential for good birds – especially in the Spring and Summer.
8.5.26
Oxley
On site on a 'cold' morning at 10C. It remained cool, getting to 14C as I finished at 9.00, but bright and sunny.
The track was relatively quiet, bird-wise and humanoid-wise, but numbers increased as the time progressed. One ‘new birder/photographer’ I encountered seemed to be looking for the ‘Mallard’ – in fact, he asked me if a nearby Pacific Black Duck was a Mallard, so possibly some goombah had updated their eBird list with a mistaken identity and so had a number of amateurs out looking for their lifer.
A fairly average morning numbers wise, but a couple of minor highlights – the Australian Hobby put in a brief appearance on its favourite pylon, a Striated – aka Little – Heron on the main pond and I found the/a Tawny Frogmouth near the second culvert.
The main highlight of my morning came after I climbed the gate and whist walking in along the track towards the flooded field, an adult Red Fox Vulpes vulpes ran across the track about 30 meters in front of me and disappeared into the grass. I wasn’t particularly surprised but it was the first Red Fox I had recorded at Oxley in 20+ years and over 280 visits.
The only butterfly I saw was a single Black Jezebel Delias nigrina but the lack, generally, may have been the cooler weather – it was quite ‘chilly’.
And, a HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY to Sir David Attenborough today! One of my life-long heroes.
11.5.26
Minnippi
A nice cool morning, bright and sunny, @ 17C warming to about 24C by the time I left at 10.00. On site at 6.30 and it turned into quite a good morning’s birding.
From the base of the tower lookout, I counted at least 120 Magpie Geese with more over the back of the island bank. I estimated at least 130, probably more, the biggest number I have recorded so far. A Pied Stilt flew low across the pond, but I never saw it perched up anywhere. The M1 track was quiet with just a couple of female Scarlet Honeyeaters, the usual invisible Eastern Yellow Robin banging away and an Olive-backed Oriole ‘singing its merry song’.
Along The Avenue, a small bird-wave of Silvereyes, Grey Fantails, a full plumaged male Scarlet Honeyeater and a male Rufous Whistlergave a wintery feel to the day, but the highlight of the morning started at the top of the Airfield Track.
In the Brazilian Peppertree Schinus terebinthifolia bushes, while checking for any autumnal migrants, a Striped Honeyeater put on a very close exhibition of itself. I have taken many photos of this bird but when one exposes themselves this close, who can resist?
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| Striped Honeyeater |
50 meters further at the top of the Airfield Track a bird wave started with a single Rufous Fantail and included 4 Variegated Fairy Wrens (2 males), a Shining Bronze Cuckoo who showed very well (ditto to striped Honeyeater note above), two Varied Trillers, a couple of Silvereyes, a couple of female Scarlet Honeyeaters, a Fan-tailed Cuckoo and a male Australian Golden Whistler! It was an exceptional 10 minutes as they just kept coming.
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| Shining Bronze Cuckoo |
I continued along the track but stopped for a moth caterpillar suspended by a single thread slowly lowering itself to the ground – a Lewin’s Bag Shelter Moth Panacela lewinae.
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| Lewin's Bag Shelter Moth Panacela lewinae |
And a small eruption of Common Brown Crane Flys Leptotarsus costalis hung around in one location.
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| Common Brown Crane Fly Leptotarsus costalis |
The rest of the track was quiet, but near the end - just after a couple of Red-browed Finches flew up - when I stopped to look at an Australian Garden Orb Weaver Eriophora biapicata hanging in its web, a flick in the background turned into a White-throated Honeyeaterfollowed by a fly-in White-throated Gerygone.
Back at the lake all was calm and an Eastern short-necked or Macquarie Turtle Emydura macquarii sunned his head on a log – again couldn’t really resist the photo opportunity.
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| Eastern Short-necked or Macquarie Turtle Emydura macquarii |
Butterflys – a single Glasswing Acraea andromacha and a handful of Dainty Grass-blues Zizula hylax were seen, but it was still relatively early in the warmth of the day.
All in it was a 56 bird species morning - and that was minus Australian Brush Turkey, Grey Shrikethrush and any Cockatoo species - all usual staples at Minnippi.
12.5.26
Hemmant Rec Res - West
I was keen to re-visit the site and explore further so started out at 6.30 to walk the tracks and check the ponds.
I did eventually get to the pond I had used to visit near the railway tracks. It did involve walking around in circles initially trying to find a track that took me there – but there wasn’t one, so I ended up making my own through the bush and arrived on the track running along beside the railway. I reckoned the bush had been left untouched and untracked to discourage activity on or near the railway. I was quite safe, walking along a wide vehicle sized track but my effort was, in fact, somewhat wasted as the pond had become very overgrown and appeared impossible to access in any way reasonable. However, it had satisfied my curiosity and there was plenty going on in the Reserve without access to this particular pond.
Overall it was quite birdy – the highlights being a Whistling Kite and a Brown Goshawk neither being seen on the last visit, but both having been seen here in the past, and added Rufous Fantail to my site list.
A few butterflys around in the weak sunlight before it clouded over and drizzle started – Monarchs Danaus plexippus, Small Grass-yellows Eurema smilax, Common Crows Euploea core, Dainty Grass-blues Zizula hylax and Pale Pea Blues Catochrysops panomus again.
I added a few new plants to my site list and my lifer list and I checked the mud scrapes again – the only wader being Black-fronted Dotterel (9), before heading back, gaining the car at 10.00.
14.5.26
JC Trotter
Despite the looming rain and gloom I parked up at 7.00 then sat for a few minutes as a passing shower rained down before heading in the track. It was very quiet and I walked as far as the ‘crossroads’ before recording anything at all.
The morning continued along those lines with very few minutes between almost continual drizzly rain, occasionally heavier showers. I took shelter beside the Rural Fire Service water tank and, later, in the small cover of the signboard under the power lines, but I was generally pretty damp and soaked through by the time I got back to the car at 10.00.
Regardless, I did register 40 species, which was above my monthly average, although passerines were few and far between and noticeably missing from my morning’s list.
I did find a rather soggy looking Koala (my 9th record for the site) and a single Eastern Spinebill. I stood in the rain with water running down my face waiting in vain for it to show well for my camera, but it flew off, presumably to get under cover itself – showing more intelligence than its observer.
I didn’t see any raptors at all – but then again any smart raptor would have put its head back under its wing and gone back to dreaming of past kills or future hunts – or whatever raptors dream about.
Birds on and about the water were much as usual, continuing about their business despite the wet conditions. Butterflys and other insects were a non-starter, but the usual Red-necked and Swamp Wallabys bounced around.
I did have one strange occurrence. Halfway up the track under the powerlines, trudging along the track, I heard what could only have been a White-throated Nightjar call. It only called once and although I stood for several minutes and even tried some encouragement, it didn’t happen again. I have never heard a Nightjar call during the day or, in fact, heard OF a Nightjar day-calling but the call is so distinctive it could not have been anything else. It was just the part of the call that is a rising inflection, without the churring. Bizarre!
17.5.26
Hemmant Rec Res - West
Picked Mr P up at 6.15, dawn just breaking. It looked like being a damp morning, but, although wet underfoot, remained rain-free and quite warm and sunny eventually.
A good morning’s birding with big flocks of Red-browed and Double-barred Finches and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, heaps of Brown Honeyeaters, good numbers of Grey Fantails and Silvereyes and Chestnut and Grey Teal, Black Ducks and Australian Grebes on the ponds.
Mr P heard a Spotless Crake and there were 22 Black-fronted Dotterels on the scrapes.
Bird of the morning was a contest between a briefly seen Grey Goshawk and a flying-away-calling Restless Flycatcher – both new birds for the site for me. We also had 2 Whistling Kites and 2 Black-shouldered Kites in the raptor stakes and a fly over flock of ~20 Topknot Pigeons - 48 species all up.
Butterflys were slow to start – and probably would be more plentiful later in the day, but added Black Jezebel Delias nigrina and Purple Cerulean Jamides phaseli to the site list.
The site’s potential was fully discussed over breakfast at Mackers.
