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Hi all,
Just back from a month from travelling to Cape
York
from Bundaberg staying a week at Townsville for my
eldest son's Table Tennis.
All up 255 species....which wasn't too bad
considering
winter is not the best time for many CY endemics or
waders along the way.
Highlights include:
14 Goldened Shouldered Parrots near Windmill
Ck.
Close up views feeding and preening in
trees
22 diurnal raptors.Best....Red Goshawk....single
bird
~10km north of the Weipa turnoff.Black Falcon at
Lake Emma
in Lakefield NP.Also saw our only Black-breasted
Buzzards
there too.It is well worth the drive through
Cooktown via Battle Camp
and then go north through Old Laura.
Feral pigs are doing an enormous amount of damage
to
swamp margins throughout the Cape.
Jullaten ,of course, involves staying with Ron at
Kingfisher Park.
Best there for me was the 3 HE's
Yellow-spotted;Lewins &
Graceful together on the feeders! Not at all
similar when seen
so close.3 Papuan Froggies in the orchard were new
to me.
Townsville provided Diamond Doves,Black
Falcon,Red-backed ButtonQ
and probably prettiest were Budgies at close range
in dead trees nesting
That area around Toonpan on the Charters Towers
road is fantastic.
Big Mitchell Ck near Jullaten provided the best
views possible of
White-browed Robin and (hopefully) good photos.Also
huge Olive Python.
On the tip itself Magnificent Riflebirds;Frilled
Monarch and a very
obliging (and loud) Yellow-legged Flycatcher the
highlights.
Lockerbie Scrub the best area.
A trip on boat to Little Woody Is. in Torres Strait
provided Pale White-eye
and great views of Mangrove Golden Whistler....the
yellow collar
being so much mor obvious than the
Golden.
Non birds highlights included Striped Possum;Giant
White-tailed Rat;
Grasslands Melomys. At Undara Lava tubes Eastern
Horseshoe Bat;Common
Sheathtail Bat.
Rock Wallabies....Godmans,Mareeba,Allied and
Unadorned.
Blew up the front Diff on the way home which was a
bit of a dampener
but the roads in places were a bit interesting
for our 11year old Landrover
All the best,
Bill
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