Weekends That Were - February 2021

27.2.21

Jeff Skinner Reserve, Wellington Pt

Mr P suggested going to see the waders so I met him at his place at 6 and we arrived on site just before half past. Wellingtons were a necessity (it was Wellington Pt after all, har, har…Jesus save us) and we trudged out across the mud stopping on islands of samphire to scope-scan the flocks ahead.

It’s been a while since I looked at flocks of roosting waders – apart, that is, from the small numbers on Cairns esplanade – and there certainly were flocks. 

Approx 1,200 Bar-tailed Godwits, ~600 Red-necked Stints, ~30 Curlew Sandpipers, ~ 350 Eurasian Curlews, ~50 Whimbrels, ~400 Lesser Sand Plovers, ~5 Pacific Golden Plovers, ~5 (probably more) Grey-tailed Tattlers, ~100 Great Knot, ~25 Common Greenshanks, ~20 White-headed Stilts, ~50 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, ~25 Ruddy Turnstones along with 1 Eastern Osprey and Little and Great Egrets. Impressive and great potential.

The local birder, Michael D, joined us after an hour and shared his experience of the site.

It was freaking hot and very humid standing in the full sun, even at that hour of the morning and I was a little relieved when Mr P called it and we headed home around 9.

Also had 4 White-throated Needletails overhead and a singing Striped Honeyeater, several Australian Pipits and a few other common birds around the low tree belt.

Butterflies: 2 Blue Tigers, 3 Common Crows and a single Varied Eggfly. Out on the marsh we had ~20+

Samphire Blues Theclinesthes sulpitius a common, but local coastal species which I hadn’t ‘seen’ before.

 

Samphire Blue Theclinesthes sulpitius

As Manly is off-limits to birders (a bone of a contention and pathetic in the developed world in 2021, but that’s Australia for ya. Don’t for God’s sake, allow people to look at birds or, shock, horror, actually build a hide!! It’s the only developed – and commonly ‘developing’ country – that does not build hides or provide reasonable access anywhere to birders.…….don’t get me started…….)

Anyway…….. as Manly wader roost is now basically inaccessible, this is an excellent alternative and well worth a visit, especially on a higher than 2.5m tide (apparently).

23.2.21

Minnippi again

Back to Minnippi again – just to try to chase down the elusive Button-quail of Sunday morning.

I spent some time on the track – moving very quietly and slowly and tried for both species (Painted & Red-backed) using the usual methods. No luck, not a murmur, not a movement. Noting that they apparently breed ‘in Spring and Autumn’ – it will be worth following up in the coming weeks.

I walked the usual track around the lake and up to the Lookout – but nothing else worth noting, just the usual stuff – and a Purple Line-blue Prosotas dubiosa around the mango trees, which I’ve had here before.

By 7.30 it was super-humid and I dragged my sorry ass back to the car’s welcome air-conditioning.

21.2.21

Minnippi

With both my usual birding buddies unavailable again and wanting to get out, I was on site alone at 6.30. A small Water Dragon scurried along the bridge ahead of me.

The lake was much as usual, nothing astounding. I heard a Pale-vented Bushhen call once as I walked towards the M1 track, but couldn’t stimulate any further interest from the boat ramp.

Initially the M1 track was dead as the proverbial Dodo, however, 100 meters in and I flushed a small dark brown Quail from beside the track, it flew right and away behind me at an angle so I only got a brief glimpse. Now, given the environment I figured it was either Painted or Red-backed Button-quail. Based on its very small size, what appeared to be small white flecks on its back and absence of red - so far as I saw – (Painted often show red shoulders and are close to Brown Quail in size) and, basically, a gut feeling, I plumped for Red-backed Button-quail. I spent the next half hour or more trying to re-find it – predominantly using playback – without any success. This is a first for Minnippi so far as I know.

I exited the track and texted Mr P knowing he would be immediately interested. He called me back within 5 minutes and I waited 10 minutes or so for him to arrive. I attracted a Brush Cuckoo into overhead flight while I waited. 

We spent another 30 minutes or so trying to re-find the bird but came away defeated. Frustrating.

As we left the track again he noticed a Titan Stick Insect Acrophylla titan clinging to my back. Nice!

 

Titan Stick Insect Acrophylla titan

We went on up The avenue, back to the lake and then to the Lookout. Nothing much else – a Royal Spoonbill asleep in the tree on the island was a nice morning’s list addition, but apart from that and the (don’t–ask-me-about-the-) Black Swan still sitting on the nest, it was uneventful.

Butterflies increased in number as the morning progressed – Common Crows, Monarchs, Blue Tigers, Blue Triangles, Orchard Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Evening Browns, Meadow Argus and Varied Eggfly – again, nothing new.

It turned into quite a birdy morning with a couple of nice additions – would have been nice to see the Button-quail on the ground, but there’s always next time…..

20.2.21

Oxley

With neither Mr D nor Mr P available I decided to just go to Oxley – again – with thoughts of butterflies and taping stuff in mind. So I didn’t make a big effort to get there earlier, arriving on site at 6.45. A cool, pleasant morning the track was quite birdy but I still ended up with only 36 species. The ponds almost deserted, only 3 Australian Darters on the main pond.

Highlights:

A single White-throated Needletail low overhead as I approached the gate.

A perched up, presumably juvenile, Channel-billed Cuckoo suffering under the harassment of 10 or 15 Noisy Miners just inside the gate.

A family party of 2 adults and 4 well developed juvenile Brown Quail crossing the track a few meters from my feet.

An Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher perched on a log (my first confirmed record for this site, but I’ve seen it before at Minnippi and Anstead, a fairly common skink in SEQ).

Elegant Snake-eyed Skink Cryptoblepharus pulcher

And, I re-taped Grey Butcherbird, Australian Figbird and Brown Quail, and added Spotted Dove and Masked Lapwing to my tape list. Well, you gotta start somewhere!

Butterflies - Monarch (6), Common Crow (3), Blue Tiger (1) Evening Brown (1) and 2 female Varied Eggflys.

18.2.21

Lake Samsonvale

Having planned to call in on Mr B in Ferny Grove mid-morning, I decided to start the day with a wander at Samsonvale – The Cemetery, to be specific. Leaving home at 6.30 I was on site by 7.15. A cool, pleasant, damp morning with regular heavish showers which forced retreat to the car at one stage – and soaked me to mid-thigh walking through the heavy grass to the Hoop Pine circle.

I walked down to the back of the cemetery (for those of you who know it) with the intention of scanning the available water, but the tree line planted years ago along the bank of the dam had grown to such an extent that it prevented any access to the shoreline and almost totally obscured the water itself- although what I could see appeared to be at a very low level.

Very disappointing as this used to be a good site, but Qld Water in their infinite, unfathomable wisdom had done everything to prevent access to the dam itself for anything. In the distance I could see a lot of bird activity on the water, but appeared to be of the common variety with just one Great Crested Grebe visible. It started to rain at that stage so….the retreat, as the shower passed over. 

Hoping for more I walked up to the afore-mentioned Hoop Pine plantation, but it was as dead as. Very quiet, nothing but distant Lewin’s Honeyeaters and Eastern Whipbirds calling and absolutely no activity anywhere. I contented myself with checking the (very few) butterflies present – Common Crow (2) Orchard Swallowtail (1) and Yellow Albatross (1) and arrived back at the car 30 minutes later, wet and discouraged. (No sign of the Owlet Nightjar in the tree that it occasionally used to visit)

Yellow Albatross Appias Paulina

I actually saw more birds in the car park than in the forest - a brief glimpse of a Striped Honeyeater was bird of the day......

I drove on up to the Picnic Grounds and had a look there, but it was even deader, if that’s possible, so I gave it away and headed to Mr B’s for a coffee and a chat.

15.2.21

Anstead

Headed out to the western suburbs and was on site at 7. I was targeting butterflies and possible recordings rather than massive numbers of bird species. Lucky I was too as I saw a total of 26 species of birds through a slow 2 hour walk. There were no small birds. Remarkable by their absence, the smallest birds I did see were Lewin’s Honeyeaters and Noisy Miners. No Fairy-wrens, no finches, nothing in that size range whatsoever. The place was dominated by a scourging flock of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes (with 2 White-bellied among them), Pied Currawongs and Pied and Grey Butcherbirds. A couple of Little Lorikeets flew screaming overhead to keep me honest, but even the Rainbow Lorikeets and (one) Pale-headed Rosella were few in number. And, no, I don’t think it was my hearing that completely let me down! 

The butterflies were out in number, again dominated by one species – Glasswings everywhere. Well, I reckon I saw about 30. I also had Blue Tigers, No Brand Grass Yellows, Common Crows, Meadow Argus, Small Dusky-blues, Small Grass Yellow, Lemon Migrant, Long-tailed Pea-blue and added Varied Eggfly to my site list. I did get a new moth Forest Day Moth Cruria synopla.

Forest Day Moth Cruria synopla.

Apart from that it was pretty average. Taping wasn’t very successful either – a Pied Butcherbird and more Eastern Whipbird with a Pied Currawong thrown in the background. It had been a pleasant morning at 7, but by 9, when I left, it was turning into another warm one.

13.2.21

Minnippi

Minnippi again. 

I know this year it’s been ‘Oxley, Minnippi, Oxley, Minnippi’, but really there has been minimal incentive to travel further - in the Brisbane area anyway. The patch thing is always interesting anyway – looking to find new site-ticks or just to see some of the local birds up close and personal. 

Mr P and I were on site at 6 and it wasn’t a bad morning. Mostly the usual birds ect but good numbers and a bit more activity than of late. The weather had cooled down a little - especially overnight – and had not been quite as tiring over the last few days; maybe that accounted for it.

The highlight of the morning was the butterflies. Although we only had one new species – a lifer for me and a site tick for us both – we ID’d about 10 species altogether. The new one was a Pale-orange Darter Telicola colon – one of those frustratingly difficult to identify Skipper type things (Thanks Mr P for nailing it).

 

Pale-orange Darter Telicota colon

We also had the usual Evening Browns and Monarch, Blue Tigers and Triangles, a Meadow Argus, Common Crows a-plenty, a couple of Varied Eggflys, Orchard Swallowtail and Glasswings along the Airfield Track that we walked for the first time in ages.

There were, again, 40+ Macquarie Turtles sticking their heads out of the pond attracted by the bread being fed to them by a small boy.

Bird-wise, nothing outstanding although a female Australian Golden Whistler was the first in months – Rufous & Grey Fantail, White-browed Scrub Wren, 2 Latham’s Snipe ect.

We didn’t stop for breakfast, just headed home after the walk.

9.2.21

Oxley

On site alone at 6.30. (dawn was at 5.30). A pleasant, bright, relatively cool, (23C) morning with a small breeze from the south.

The track was dead. D.E.A.D. So much so that I thought maybe my ears were blocked or my hearing had completely disintegrated. Then I realised I could hear my footsteps, the distant traffic and so I hadn’t finally fallen under the wheels of complete pensioner-ism.

But the track remained deadly quiet. Silent Spring stuff.

Eventually, well after the first bend, it brightened up a bit but overall it remained very, very quiet.

A Fan-tailed Cuckoo calling was the most exciting thing before the pond turnoff. Along that section of track I videoed a trio of Red-backed Fairy Wrens preening each other which was kinda cute.

 Video:

https://youtu.be/ZeKqFExt0aA

I also managed to tape a calling Golden-headed Cisticola. 

Taping is something I have done on and off for a few years using my Tascam DR-05. It’s been an incidental activity, low in my priorities – find the bird, see the bird, photograph the bird, video the bird, then maybe if I think about it AND the bird is still there, AND the bird is calling, AND there is not too much background noise, AND I have time – tape the bird. 

I’ve accumulated 83 individual species calls (total of 115 calls) worldwide, with 48 (72) of those being Australian birds. Recently I have found that using Audacity allows me to ‘photoshop’ the calls and produce reasonable (in my opinion) results. As the bird scene is so freaking quiet lately (did I mention that at all?) this is another aspect of birding that provides a small challenge and another ‘thing’ to collect and store and cause the kids to shake their heads and ‘tut’ when I eventually shuffle off this mortal, godforsaken, coil. Along with the 1000+ CDs, the 28,000+ photos etc. Oh well, I guess that’s what the delete button is for.

Lucky for you I haven’t figured out a way to load them here or you’d be stuck listening straining to identify the species from low quality recordings and looking for an excuse not to read this lame assed blog.

(It’s OK! I don’t know who you are anyway so……)

 

The ponds were quiet as well apart from a few Double-barred Finches looking suspiciously like they were breeding and a possible Striped Honeyeater that flew past but I was unable to re-locate on landing.

I was back at the car by 8, and 25C, as both the day and the morning warmed to its usual tiring self.

6.2.21

Moggil SF

 

Picked up Mr D at 5.45 and on site by 6.15. We spent the first 10 minutes standing in the road compiling a list of birds ‘heard only’ – Wonga Pigeon, Eastern Whipbird, Pied Currawong, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Pheasant Coucal, Bar-shouldered Dove, Striated Pardalote, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo & Fan-tailed Cuckoo.

Starting in on the track we added other ‘heard only’ species – Common Bronzewing, Olive-backed Oriole - and a few others which we eventually saw along the way.

Several juvenile Black-faced Monarchs and one Spectacled, Spangled Drongos, Large-billed and White-browed Scrub Wren, Eastern Yellow Robin, Rufous Fantails, White-throated Honeyeater, Little Shrike Thrushes ect.

Quite birdy and I added 2 new species to my site list – Brown Quail (H/O) and Little Friarbird.

Quite butterfly-y too. Blue Triangles, Orchard Swallowtails, Common Crow, Blue Tiger, Evening Brown, Large Grass-yellow, Brown Ringlet, Large Purple Line-blue & Dainty Swallowtail among others.

A female Cicadabird was possibly the bird of the morning.

We retired eventually to Plum café in Kenmore for a rather disappointingly expensive breakfast which encouraged me to suggest we try somewhere else next time we are out this way.

 4.2.21

Minnippi

Another warm, dull, still morning, on site at 6.15.

The lake was busy enough – but the only ‘new’ additions from last visit were 2 Hardheads (another one later near the boardwalk). The M1 track was very quiet again, apart from a dumb Galah, a couple of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and half a dozen Evening Browns.

Along the Avenue it became a little more interesting with a distant Swamp Wallaby and 4 Spangled Drongos trying to catch one of 3 Willy Wagtails. The latter kept up his merry song between swooping attacks by the Drongos. So much so that I managed to tape him for posterity. A Sacred Kingfisher put in an appearance and 4 White-throated Honeyeaters fed nearby, undisturbed. A further point of interest – a pair of Leaden Flycatchers, also feeding unconcernedly, a little further along.

Back at the lake the Black Swan continued to sit on the ‘new’ nest in the middle of the small water area. I took a photo as I realised, to my horror, that I didn’t actually have a photo of a Black Swan on its nest…..

 

Black Swan on a nest in a sloping lake

Over the lake a single White-throated Needletail passed by and later at the Lookout I saw another, or possibly the same, single.

In the lake the Macquarie Turtles were putting up the same demonstration in support of ‘More Bread for Wildlife.’ I counted at least 40 and took a pretty useless photo of a small number immediately below me.

 

A pretty uninteresting and uninformative photo of Maquarie Turtles 

The Lookout produced nothing (apart from the aforementioned WTNT) and I headed back towards the car not even bothering to check for Little Curlews on the Airfield.

No sign of the Little Shrike Thrushes I saw nest building last visit. I couldn’t actually pinpoint the nest so it’s possible they have succeeded and are currently brooding eggs…… we’ll see.

Just near the Tawny Frogmouths’ usual roost, the event of the day – I heard a call I couldn’t identify (Surprise, surprise I hear you say! A call YOU couldn’t identify? It wasn’t a Kookaburra then?), anyway I found a Channel-billed Cuckoo perched up and just as I saw it, a Toressian Crow flew in and the Cuckoo dropped into a begging stance, wings spread, bill open, begging calls. It was obviously a young, but very well advanced, bird and apparently a successful end result to a local parasitic event. Clear evidence of breeding I guess. Unfortunately, it flew off immediately after the Crow, denying my camera and tape recorder.

Other butterflies – a single Monarch, a single Common Crow and 2 or 3 Blue Triangles.

On a side note, of sorts. Hanging out the washing when I got home I disturbed a small brilliantly coloured Green Tree Snake sunbathing on top of the clothes line. I managed to catch it and have a few words with it before releasing it back into the wild. Very cool.

 

Weekends That Were - January 2021

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 2^nd 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 3^rd, 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 4^th and Thursday 7^th. 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 8^th.

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 11^th 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.

Gould's, or Little, Bronze Cuckoo

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, Black-spotted Flash Hypolycaena phorbas and Yellow-streaked Swift Sabera dobboe

Black-spotted Flash Hypolycaena phorbas

Orange Bush-brown Mycalesis terminus

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.

Nordmann's Greenshank

Video of Nordmann's ...

https://youtu.be/hOXiYVrQjbw

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.

Pied Imperial Pigeon

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. 

 

Double-eyed Fig Parrot (race macleayana)

Video of Fig Parrots:

https://youtu.be/l-XxcwHbHWE

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. 

 

Black Jezebel Delias nigrina

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.

 

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….?

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. 

 

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?

 

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.

 

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

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.

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.

Black Butcherbird

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.

Weekends That Were - December 2020

28.12.20

Minnippi

Feeling a little more motivated? Not working cause I reckoned it’d be really quiet? Whatever, I decided to go to Minnippi. On site at 6 and bumped into Mr P who had, basically, decided the same thing. It was nice to have his company around the lake.

Predictably there was little of real interest. Probable bird of the visit was a calling Brush Cuckoo near the bridge or was it the single White-throated Needletail overhead? The latter have been in short supply in SEQ this year – possibly because of the lack of electrical storms? We’ve had wind and rain but little electrical activity which I suspect pulls the insects up into the Needletail’s hunting ground. That remains to be seen.

One behaviour which was notable was the presence of 4 Eastern Yellow Robins on the ground in the grass in The Avenue. Joined by a Brown Honeyeater and, briefly, a Grey Shrike Thrush, while a couple of Lewin’s Honeyeaters seemed to be watching from the sidelines, the Robins appeared to be washing in the dew and/or feeding on some small insects. Not only the behaviour was unusual, but we didn’t think there were 4 of the species in the area at all – a pair definitely, but 4? Possibly a family party?

We didn’t have enough motivation between us to do the Airfield Track, just walked back to the cars from the Raptor Lookout. Getting warmer, steamy and becoming uncomfortable.

26.12.20

Oxley

I needed a walk having had little exercise of late and was on site on a clear, sunny, pleasant morning at 5.45.

Not much to write about- overall it was pretty quiet despite the early hour (dawn was at 4.45) and the low number, initially, of walkers ect.

Most species recorded in single (literally) digits- for example 1 Pacific Black Duck, 1 Little Friarbird, 1 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo etc Mostly noted for missing species – no Cormorants, Egrets or Darter at all, only one Australian Pelican, one Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, one Double-barred Finch…..

The highlight, if you could call it that, was (one!) Fan-tailed Cuckoo, which I thought was a little unusual at this time of year, but, as I am fond of saying, ‘what do I know?’

19.12.20 

Sandy Camp Rd

I picked Mr D up at 6 and we were on site at 6.15.

Pretty average morning, only things of note:

A number of Leaden Flycatchers (approx 5) and a nest with well-developed chicks pointed out to us by another birder/photographer.

A Little Friarbird’s nest – hung over the water with a bird sitting.

Other than that it was pretty quiet and we went to Nine Bar Kitchen for breakfast as usual.

 Cairns and Beyond......

7 - 13.12.20

I’d been chasing Little Curlew for a few years now.  I’d missed seeing it several times – around the Cooktown area 10 (?) years ago, Archerfield many years before that, Amberley airfield a few years ago and, more recently, two attempts in the Lockyer Valley had failed. 

It’s been the ‘hole in my Australian list’ in the wader area that has frustrated me for a long time. Not that I’ve seen everything else, but it had stood out since time immemorial….

 

A rare visitor to SEQ, I was aware that a few birds visited a turf farm in the Cairns area on a relatively regular basis in the summer months so I started thinking of a potential one-day-dash similar to the effort - the successful effort, I might add - I made last year for Rufous Owl.

Checking E-Bird I saw recent reports of up to 4 birds at France Rd Turf Farm in the Edmonton area, 30 minutes south of Cairns. The birds had been seen most days in November – the gaps I attributed to a lack of observers rather than missing birds as the location was a little out of the way and there were undoubtedly a minimum number of birders chasing/reporting sightings.

My thoughts started to firm up.

My commitment level rose.

I had plenty of points to fly my favourite domestic airline, Virgin, there and back without any significant cost. The hire car would, undoubtedly, cost me more than the airfare. No real need to stay overnight, I felt confident that a single day would do the job and, hey, if it didn’t? - I’d do it again later in the summer, maybe?

 

I mentioned my thoughts in conversation over coffee with Ms B and that’s when it all started to come together  - brilliantly….

 

Within 48 hours: 

Dates were agreed. 

Flights? Booked. 

Accommodation? Sorted. 

Car Hire? Fixed. 

 

We were on our way.

 

Day 1 Tuesday 7.12.20

I got the Uber from home at 7.45 ……………and disembarked from my tourist class seat in Cairns at midday. 

The Uber cost me $51 including the $3 tip and the return flights had cost me $1 less + 36,000 points.

I had a smoke then picked up the transfer bus to the Bargain! Car Hire company just outside the airport perimeter. (I had dawdled over the car hire by 24 hours and the price had increased dramatically. I think because it went from 6 days notice to 5 and the car I had wanted was gone, the price for the Hyundai Kona SUV-thing was $25 more and the quality of the vehicle less.) However, I had a car I was OK with and set off south, with MapsMe, as usual, doing the guiding thing. 

It wasn’t difficult. Take the main road south, basically, but it took ages. What with road works, traffic lights and pathetically low speed limits – and pathetically slow drivers – the trip took about 10 minutes longer than it should. But finally I turned off left as directed and quickly found a turf farm right where it was supposed to be.

I scanned the open ground. It wasn’t huge and easily visible from the surrounding roads but Little Curlews are relatively small brown birds and easily overlooked I reckoned, against recently turned earth or between tufts of grass or whatever. Anyway, I scanned, moved, scanned and moved – but no sign of anything that looked like a Curlew. I could see Dove sp on the ground at 300 meters and even Pipits, so I figured I wasn’t missing anything by not having a scope.

Yes, I hadn’t brought my scope. The photos on E-bird had been so clear and the bird/s obviously so close, I had figured it wasn’t worth the effort to drag the tripod and scope with me.

So. No target birds.

Hmmm what to do?

I could return later in the afternoon? 

Or first thing in the morning?

Bummer if I had to.

I was, in fact, starting to feel unwell. Rare for me, but I felt tired, very tired, slightly nauseous and just plain unwell. I really didn’t want to have to come back if I could avoid it, but….

I checked the name of the turf farm I was overseeing – it wasn’t ‘France Rd’. 

Hmmmm, could there be another turf farm hidden away among the sugarcane?

I drove further down the road towards what I could see was the end.

Another area of turf growth appeared on my left. No signs, but could this be it?

I de-cared and scanned the field. Smaller than the last place, I didn’t need to move from the one spot.

And then.

There.

Over against the fence and sugarcane plantation on the right, a small brown wader. Could it be the elusive target?

YES! Finally. It wasn’t the best of views, but I did locate 3 definite Little Curlews at the 300 meter distance. Chased occasionally by a paranoid Masked Lapwing I hoped they’d come closer but they didn’t. I did see them in flight however and watched them run around and feed for about 45 minutes before deciding enough was enough and my air-conditioned hotel room seemed more attractive. Still feeling a bit like death I headed back and checked into the Sunshine Tower Hotel. I was on the 7^th floor – the top of possibly the tallest building in Cairns – certainly the tallest building along Sheridan st, so easy to find.

I didn’t do anything for the rest of the evening.

If you squint very hard, open the bedroom window, say the alphabet backwards and use your imagination - you could, maybe, convince yourself it was a Little Curlew....

 

Day 2 Wednesday 8.12.20 – Day 5 Saturday 12.12.20

 

I felt a bit better when I woke up – after a broken night’s sleep – and headed down to Muddy’s on the esplanade for breakfast and coffee.

(Hundreds of Torresian Imperial Pigeons, Varied Honeyeater, millions of Peaceful Doves and other common birds. Hadn’t brought my bins so couldn’t scan the waders, but at least 1 Whimbrel and several Godwit sp….)

 

Back to the hotel, packed up and checked out and headed to the airport for the 9.00 pick up.

That completed we headed north along the coast and the lovely drive to Port Douglas. 

 

We spent the next 4 days doing very little, just relaxing, swimming in a jungle type pool at the apartments, watching TV, going out for massages, dinner and coffee. On Friday we drove up to the Daintree River, then across on the ferry and right up to Cape Tribulation. We had the road almost entirely to ourselves, it was all very quiet, and I had hoped to see a Southern Cassowary, but we were denied that experience.

 

(Australian Swiftlet, Black Butcherbird, Raja Shelduck, White-bellied Sea Eagle)

 

(Serenaded every evening by the dozen or so Bush Stone Curlews lounging around in the park across the road, Orange-footed Scrubfowl wandering around the street, Green Orioles calling continuously, but difficult to see)

 

On Saturday we packed up and headed south for our last night at Thala Beach Eco resort. What can I say? Very nice, very luxurious, very private, very…..romantic. Beautiful.

 

(More Scrubfowl, Olive-backed Sunbirds, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater (& nest), Metallic Starlings and Hornbill Friarbirds everywhere, Eastern Reef Egret, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes, Dusky Honeyeaters, calling Red-legged Crake, but no sighting, Agile Wallaby, Green Turtle and 2 ‘new’ butterflies – Ambrax Swallowtail Papilio ambrax & Bordered Rusticn Cupha prosope.)

 

Day 6 Sunday 13.12.20

 

A late checkout and we headed south again, back to Cairns, at midday. I dropped Ms B off at the airport as her flight was earlier than mine, but after I dropped the car off and returned to check in myself, we had heaps of time for coffee before she had to board and depart for home via Jetstar.

 

I had a couple of hours to kill before my Virgin BUSINESS CLASS (!!) flight left at 17.00.

When I booked the tickets I had used points and pay (my choice) and when I got to pick my seats, the only seats offered to me on the return flight were in rows 1 and 2. I didn’t think too much about it at the time – just assumed the flight was close to full, however, when my itinerary arrived I noticed it said ‘Business class’ on the return flight! Wow!! I’d never flown business class before so felt suitably impressed!

It was pretty cool – drinks and food offered, priority boarding and bags off on the carousel immediately. It’s tempting to repeat, but……..I could never justify the extra expense. But Thank You Virgin!!

 

Hairy landing in very heavy rain and cloud as SEQ had been getting hammered over the last 48 hours under 100’s of millimeters of rain. Uber home @ $64.

 

(Note: this was NOT, of course, a birding trip – apart from the Little Curlew effort - I just noted birds etc in passing)

Weekends That Were - November 2020

29.11.20

Oxley

Mr D picked me up and we were on site by 6.

Not too bad a morning, but, again, nothing to write home about apart from a new moth species. Flying around looking like a thick bodied Jezebel, the Mistletoe Day Moth Comocrus behri didn’t really come close, but finished up perched on the underside of a Cedar tree branch. Hence the photo is not great.

Mistletoe Day Moth Comocrus behri

 

Other than that there wasn’t much excitement. We had breakfast at Plentiful in Graceville again and sat until we were, politely, asked if we could vacate the table…

22.11.20

Minnippi

I picked up Mr P at 5.35 and we were on site by 5.45. A warm, calm, bright start that developed into a humid, hot morning by 8.00.

The water level in the lake was high again due to recent rain and the vegetation lush where before wader-friendly mudflats had been.

The M1 track was very quiet and although the lake was relatively busy small passerines were low in number. A good morning list of 51 species (inc a Varied Triller only Mr P heard) but, apart from a scattered flock of between 10 and 15 White-throated Needletails, all stuff we had seen commonly in the past. The original pair of Black Swans were nesting again, while their 4 mature offspring hung around some distance away.

Butterflies : Evening Brown, Blue Triangle, Caper White, Common Grass Blue, Common Crow and Monarch and a Water Dragon, Macquarie Turtle and Water Rat added to the excitement........

21.11.20

Anstead

I picked Mr D up at 5.45 and we were on site by 6.15. It was quite birdy with almost immediate close sightings of a pair of Cicadabirds low down in the trees on the first section of track.

Fan-tailed Cuckoos called and near the end of the walk – a pair of Brush Cuckoos, while Channel-billed Cuckoos flew around overhead and two calling Pheasant Coucals made it a good ‘cuckoo-morning’.

Red-browed and Double-barred Finches, a Varied Triller, all three species of local Fairy Wrens, a pair of Apostlebirds at the farm dam and a good selection of more common species made it a worthwhile morning. I added a new site species - much to my surprise it was the first White-breasted Wood Swallows I had seen there and a flock of 22 Topknot Pigeons on a fly-over were only my second record for the site.

Butterflies included Meadow Argus, Dainty and Clearwing Swallowtails, Blue Tiger and at least 1 Caper White.

We stopped at Plum in Chapel Hill for the usual extended breakfast.

19.11.20

Oxley

On site at 6, alone, on a bright, calm, warm, but not hot 21 degree spring morning.

The track was quite birdy and fairly quiet – a few joggers and walkers, but quieter than I’ve seen it lately. Nothing spectacular to report – a good list of 50 species including a Black Kite, a Black-shouldered Kite and a distant Brown Falcon. The Fairy Wren numbers appeared to have increased and both Double-barred and Red-browed Finches showed in the first couple of hundred meters. Most noticeable – the complete absence of any Cormorant species (apart from two Darters) despite the decent water levels. Otherwise the birds were as expected.

Butterflies totalled just a single Blue Tiger and a few Monarchs and that was about it. A fairly average, pleasant spring outing.

14.11.20

Rainbow Beach Swallow Hunt

There had been a Barn Swallow reported from Rainbow Beach, 240 kms north, a couple of weeks back. 

For the unaware, Barn Swallows are common in just about every continent on earth – except Australia. One or two turn up more or less as annual visitors, usually way north or in the northwest, rarely within driving distance of SE Qld. I have listed one in North Queensland many years ago with Mr W and wasn’t particularly keen to see this most recent one, however, Mr P wanted it for his Australian list and I suggested I go with him for the company.

I guess cause I’m just a nice guy……. Or something……………

Anyway, we left his place at 6 and stopped in Gympie two hours later for a coffee and a burger (for me) then on to RB, arriving at 9.

We quickly located the street the swallow had been seen on, outside the backpacker’s place and set up, keen and ready to rock n roll. There were approximately 30 Welcome Swallows – the Australian equivalent – hanging around and we eagerly, at least for the first two hours, scrutinised each one as they perched up on the overhead wires between feeding flights.

At about 11, we decided to give it a break and headed down to Inskip Pt for a walk in the bush at the tip. We didn’t see much and apart from a trio of juvenile Bush Turkeys giving us palpitations (thought they were Button Quail, of course) saw little of real interest. Oh, a raptor flew over the low canopy and we were pretty sure it was a Little Eagle, but the very brief view didn’t really confirm ID.

Back to Swallow watching. Another hour and we broke for a late breakfast, 100 meters away, where Mr P kept half an eye on the wires across the park. Then back to more sweating in the shade on a very hot day, until, finally, at 14.00 we gave it away and headed home, Barn-Swallow-Challenged.

 

F….d Off Note: The bird showed up the next day……

7.11.20

Trotter

Mr D picked me up at 6 and we were on site at 6.15.

Trotter…..

……never fails to disappoint….

I’ve probably said that before, but it’s true of almost every visit. It’s such, apparently, good habitat, but it remains almost sterile in the main. The reservoir, too, always shows promise………but, once again, was relatively empty. 

The highlight of the morning was a Grey Butcherbird scolding in a tree – and the object of its ire, a Carpet Python Morelia spilota. A medium 2 meters or so, not a big snake, but obviously disturbing the Butcherbird for a few minutes before it lost interest and flew off.

Apart from that there was little to write home about and we headed off for breakfast at 9 Bar & Kitchen as usual.