Sundown National Park
27th-28th October, 2000
Our weekend began Friday afternoon. Before our weekend began, we had to head
down to Alstonville for a farewell dinner for a few work mates who are
leaving shortly. The dinner was most enjoyable and started to wrap up at
about 11:00pm. After saying our farewells, we headed towards Tenterfield and
Sundown National Park. The plan was to go as far as we could before we got
too weary to drive. We made it to Richmond Range National Park at about
1:00pm and set up camp on a side road just past the entrance.
While setting up camp, at least one, and probably more Yellow-bellied
Gliders were calling very close to the track. So after the tend was
successfully erected, I headed of into the night while Al slept in an
attempt to find them. After about an hour of chasing the punks without a
glimpse, I gave up hope and headed back to the camp for the night.
With the late night behind me, I struggled out of bed for a early morning
look around. Starting at about 7:00am, in two hours I had a good list of
about 30 species, but nothing unusual. By the time I arrived back at the
camp, Al was up. After a well needed Breakfast, we continued our journey,
off into the Sundown NP. We arrived at about lunch and meet up with Joana
and Rob Morgan. Rob and I hit it off very quickly and after setting the tend
up we spent most of the day looking around wood piles and rocks finding
skinks and geckos. Just in the afternoon we found about 7-8 species of
Reptile.
Come dusk, We headed out into adjacent private property in the search for
Frogs, which was the main reason for the trip. It was not long before we had
found 9 species including Barking Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes fletcheri). Most
other frogs found that night are common species around Brisbane.
Early the next morning, I set of to find what birds were around, the first
time I had really set out to do some serious bird watching for the weekend.
I had only walked about 50m when a high pitch whistle alerted me to a fast
flying small parrot - Turquoise Parrot. It quickly disappeared into the
distance and showed no sign of stopping. Not long after I had found a spall
group of Diamond Firetails, two Hooded Robins, a small party of three
Grey-crowned Babblers and some Speckled Warblers. Unfortunately, despite
several hours of looking, most trees were not flowing, so the Honeyeater
count was quite low, definitely no Regent Honeyeaters.
After several hours, I decided it was time to return to the camp and on the
way back had much better looks at the Turquoise Parrots and also spotted
some Musk Lorikeets. At the camp a apparently lone female Red-capped Robin
was calling and a Crested Shrike-tit and Little Woodswallow kept us company
while eating breakfast.
Joana had also been out birding that morning, but had gone the other
direction from me and missed the Turquoise Parrots. So I headed of with her
and Rob and we had not preceded far before we got excellent looks at a pair
feeding. We also added White-winged Triller, Little Eagle, and Sittellas to
the ever growing list.
While birding, Rob and I were constantly turning up logs and fallen debris
in the hunt for reptiles. This particular morning we were well rewarded with
about 5 Excitable Delmas (Delma tincta) and an assortment of other small
lizards including Robust Rainbow Skink (Carlia schmeltzii) and several Wood
Mulch Sliders (Lerista muelleri). However, by far the best reptile for the
weekend, and possibly the best animal on the trip turned up just at the end
of our search. Under a small short most unlikely piece of timber we found a
Border Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus). This very distinct
species has a limited distribution and is listed in NSW as Vulnerable (but
not in Queensland).
With still plenty of time left in the morning, Rob, Al and myself headed up
the creek to the permanent waterhole. Here we added two new species of
reptiles as well as White-eared Honeyeater, Azure Kingfisher, Great
Cormorant and a Clamorous Reed Warbler in a most unlikely spot with very few
reeds or other cover.
After a short lunch, we left the National Park, stopping at several spots to
add a few more species to the list including Apostle birds and Double-barred
Finches. As well as Cunninghams Skinks and a Tree Dtella.
In total we saw 108 species of Birds, 10 species of Frogs, 9 species of
Mammals (mostly introduced) and at least 15 species of Reptile (still
awaiting photo id of possibly two separate species of Dragon). A complete
list is provided below.
Frogs
N = 10
Beeping Froglet Crinia parinsignifera
Barking Marsh Frog Limnodynastes fletcheri
Spotted Marsh Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis
Rugose Toadlet Uperolia rugosa
Smooth Toadlet Uperolia laevigata
Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog Litoria fallax
Broad-palmed Rocket Frog Litoria latopalmata
Stony-creek Frog Litoria lesueurii
Emerald Spotted Tree Frog Litoria peronii
Little Red Desert Tree Frog Litoria rubella
Reptiles
N = 15
Tree Dtella Gehya variegata
Bynoe's Gecko Heteronotia binoei
Border Thick-tailed Gecko Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus
Excitable Delma Delma tincta
Agamidae spp.
Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii
Sand Monitor Varanus gouldii
Robust Litter Skink Carlia schmeltzii
Tussock Rainbow Skink Carlia vivax
Striped (Robust) Skink Ctenotus robustus
Cunninghams Skink Egernia cunninghami
Eastern Water Skink Eulamprus quoyii
Wood Mulch Slider Lerista meulleri
South Eastern Morethia Skink Morethia boulergeri
Eastern Blue-tongue Tiliqua scincoides
Birds
N = 108
Little Pied Cormorant Black Cormorant Little Black Cormorant
White-faced Heron Large Egret Straw-necked Ibis
Yellow-billed Spoonbill Black Duck Wood Duck
Black-shouldered Kite Brown Goshawk Wedge-tailed Eagle
Little Eagle Nankeen Kestrel Dusky Moorhen
Swamphen Masked Lapwing Peaceful Dove
Bar-shouldered Dove Common Bronzewing Crested Pigeon
Wompoo Pigeon Galah Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Rainbow Lorikeet Musk Lorikeet King Parrot
Eastern Rosella Crimson Rosella Red-rumped Parrot
Turquoise Parrot Shinning Bronze-cuckoo Boobook Owl
Azure Kingfisher Kookaburra Sacred Kinfisher
Dollarbird Pipit Weclome Swallow
Tree Martin Fairy Martin Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Little Cuckoo-shrike White-winged Triller Noisy Pitta
Red-capped Robin Hooded Robin Eastern Yellow Robin
Jacky Winter Crested Shriketit Golden Whistler
Rufous Whistler Grey Shrike-thrush Leaden Flycatcher
Rested Flycatcher Grey Fantail Willie Wagtail
Grey-crowned babbler Eastern Whipbird Red Warbler
Superb Blue Wren Variegated Wren Red-backed Wren
White-browed Scrubwren Speckled Warbler Brown Thornbill
Buff-rumped Thornbill Striated Thornbill White-throated Warbler
Weebill Sittella White-throated Treecreeper
Brown Treecreeper Spiny-checked Honeyeater Striped Honeyeater
Noisy Friarbird Little Friarbird Bell Miner
Noisy Miner Lewin's Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill Brown Honeyeater Scarlet Honeyeater
Mistletoebird Spotted Pardalote Striated Pardalote
Red-browed Finch Diamond Firetail Double-bar Finch
Starling Olive-backed Oriole White-winged Chough
Apostle bird Magpie Lark Grey Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird Magpie Pied Currawong
Australian Raven Torresian Crow Little Woodswallow
Red-winged Parrot
Mammals
N = 9
Three introduced mammals, only native are listed
Northern Brown bandicoot
Red-necked Paddymelon
Yellow-bellied Glider
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Swamp Wallaby
Red-necked Wallaby
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