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Having celebrated my 300th bird (Richard's Pipit) at Hasting's
Point, I headed back towards Brisbane, stopping at sites along Moreton Bay
hoping to get mangrove and wader species.
At Thorneside I managed to only hear Mangrove Gerygone
and Collared Kingfisher but saw Brown Honeyeater and
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. The tide was way out but I still managed to
identify on the mudflats Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper
and Great Knot.I also saw a possible Broad-billed
Sandpiper, but it was too far away to confirm its identity.
That night I stopped and had a meal at a restaurant in
Brisbane. Around me all the tables were filled with cooing couples
looking lovingly into each other's eyes. I realised it was Valentine's Day
and I was alone in a sea of lovers. So I went and got my loved one... my
binoculars, and set them opposite me on the table. We had a wonderfully romantic
dinner. Afterwards I took my loved one for a stroll along the sea front, but we
failed to consummate the relationship as there were no birds to be seen in the
dark.
The next day I dragged Andrew out again and this time we
headed out to the Conondale Ranges, a superb area of rainforest, rivers and
mountains that is often overlooked by birders. Our main target was
Black-breasted Button-quail, and although we did find some very fresh platelets,
failed to find any actual birds. In a really enjoyable day's birding in as I
said, a really enjoyable area, I managed to add White-headed Pigeon,
Cicadabird, Paradise Riflebird, Dusky Honeyeater, Pale Yellow Robin, Black-faced
Monarch, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove and Russet-tailed
Thrush.
On the way back we finally picked up Comb-crested
Jacana, and a pair of Brolga, on the outskirts of
Brisbane.
Saturday was the pelagic trip out of Southport- my first boat
trip this far north. The boat was amazing- about five times bigger than the
little tubs we go out in further south, and very comfortable. I was
surprised to hear Laurie Knight had been sick, the boat was so big, I missed all
the action. The action I did catch was out on the waves. Just offshore, less
than a kilometre past the breakwater were masses of birds, mainly Wedge-tailed
Shearwaters, but also a Tahiti Petrel- Paul Wallbridge said this was the first
time he had ever seen one this close inshore.
Things were looking even better as headed further out with two
birds I needed, Streaked Shearwater and White-tailed Tropic-bird being seen. I
didn't, however, get satisfactory views of either species but wasn't too worried
as this was only the first hour of the trip. If it was this good now, think how
great it would be out at the shelf.
Oh how wrong I was. Apart from about a dozen Flesh-footed
Shearwaters, a pair of Hutton's Shearwaters, another one or two
Tahiti Petrels and the occasional Crested Tern, there was nothing at the shelf
all day. We barely saw another bird for the rest of the day. On the way back in,
the lack of birds seemed to have a soporific effect on most everyone on board. I
was sitting atop the ship, trying desperately to pick up something, anything on
the way back in. My lack of experience in this part of the world really showed
when in the distance I saw two large birds with pale heads sitting on the water
in the distance. I was surprised at the size of the birds and the only thing I
could think of was Frigatebirds. Of course with pale heads they were unlikely to
have been Frigatebirds but it was here that the disadvantage of a large,
comfortable boat became evident. By the time I had rushed down to the other end
of the boat, roused the enough people and explained I had something interesting,
the birds had long gone. Only one other birder saw them, and he confirmed they
were... Streaked Shearwaters. A lifer missed. It wouldn't have happened on the
tiny tub bobbing around off Portland. Everybody would have immediately heard my
cries and almost as quickly dismissed my laughable claims of frigatebird. Then
again, nobody else on the Southport boat realised what a goose I had made of
myself.
When we got back to shore, the word was just getting out about
the reputed Kentish Plover at Taree. I had planned to spend the next day (my
last full day in Brisbane) going out to Sherwood Forest Park to try for two very
tricky species, Bush Hen and Little Bittern. Taree was almost seven hundred
kilometres south of Brisbane and I had to fly out the next morning from
Brisbane on a non-refundable ticket. Could I do a 1400km twitch successfully and
be back in time to catch my flight? It seemed like madness.
So, of course, I had to try.
Leaving Brisbane at 5:30 I began the drive. Nine hours
later (3:30 NSW time) I arrived at Old Bar, just out of Taree. On the way I
barely stopped, but I did manage to add Plumed Whistling-Duck
and Black-necked Stork (Jabiru) along the way.
On the way down I began getting phone messages. At
Murwillumbah one from Mike Carter confirming that the bird was a Kentish Plover
according to reliable sources. At Grafton, a call from Tony Palliser who was at
the spot and had just dipped out on the bird. At Port Macquarie a report from
Andrew Stafford that a couple of birders from yesterday's boat trip had just
seen Bush Hen and Little Bittern at Sherwood. I had dropped the chance for two
difficult ticks to go on this wild plover chase. It had better pay
off.
Getting out of the car I realised was absolutely wiped out
from the drive. But there was no time to rest. I was greeted by a group of
birders including Anne Lindsay and Richard Baxter who had just come from looking
at the bird. But they said I should hurry. It had been at its high tide roost
for three or four hours now and the tide was rapidly going out. They all
expected the bird to head off to feed any moment now.
Mike Carter had arrived from Melbourne fifteen minutes earlier
and was rushing out along the beach to the bird. As he had the directions I knew
all I had to do was catch up with him, but Richard kindly offered to take me to
the beach and show me where to go. He was explaining to me where the bird was
seen, what it had been doing, and what features to look for. Basically I left
him there on the beach talking and rushed off to get the bird before it flew
off. Sorry about that Richard.
As I approached the site I could make out the figure of
Mike, worryingly seemingly wandering about aimlessly. When I caught up with him
he declared he couldn't find the bird. Disaster, all this way, this one window
of opportunity and I'd blown it. I knew I shouldn't have stopped for that toilet
break at Woolgoolga- there was a perfectly good empty coke bottle in the
car.
We focussed our attention on the shingle bank where Richard
said the bird had been roosting. Nothing. We put the telescope on the bank, and
as if by some Star Trek like transporter, birds began to appear amongst the
shingles, first a Red-capped Plover, then another, then another three, then a
Double-banded Plover, then a Lesser Sand-plover. But still no
Kentish.
Then Mike cried, "There's something with a white collar!" And
sure enough materialising before us was a Kentish Plover, only
the second bird ever found in Australia. Within five minutes, a couple walking
their dog had flushed all the birds and they were gone. Another five minutes
later and I would have missed the bird entirely. Thank God I had resisted the
urge to stop at The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour and gaze in awe and amazement at
this wonder of the modern world.
And so I headed back to Brisbane, even got a good sleep in at
a hotel half way, and made the flight with half an hour to spare. Mmm, maybe
that would have given me enough time to tick off the Bush Hen and
Bittern.
I left Brissy with my total now on 321. But I'll be back as
there is still unfinished business up there.
Sean
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