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A brief trip to Iron Range in late June
seemed like a good antidote for withdrawal symptoms caused by the abrupt
end to 45 days of birding overseas.
Present access by road
requires several water crossings but one or two mudholes were the only
difficulties. From Atherton it is 730 km, of which only 220 are
sealed.
All of the specialties were located except the migratory
Red-bellied Pitta. These included one Black-winged Monarch.
Green-backed Honeyeaters were more numerous than usual and were seen at up to
four sites in one day. Marbled Frogmouths called only for brief periods
before dawn. White-streaked Honeyeaters were common at several sites in
the Pascoe catchment.
Best views of Palm Cockatoo and Eclectus Parrot were in or
near the Smugglers' Tree.
Other animals seen included Spotted Cuscus (three
sites in one day was an exceptional result), Brown-headed Snake, Bare-backed
Fruit-Bat and Large-eared Horseshoe-Bat. As observed in previous years,
the fruit-bats foraged mainly on cauliflorous figs. Their extremely noisy
wingbeats seem to be typical of nights spent round Gordon Creek, for
example.
On the way home, a party of Golden-shouldered Parrots by the
roadside at Artemis was the main highlight.
Glenn
Glenn Holmes & Associates
Birding & botanical
specialists
PO Box 1246 Atherton
Qld 4883
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