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South-east Queensland Trip 16-24 Nov 2002 Part Three

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Subject: South-east Queensland Trip 16-24 Nov 2002 Part Three
From: "Edwin Vella" <>
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 18:42:17 +1100

MALENY

 

Visited the lovely rainforest in Mary Cairncross Reserve were both Wompoo and Rose-crowned  Fruit-doves were both quite common and easy to see as well as a Paradise Riflebird, a pair of Spectacled and Black-faced Monarchs and 5 Red-legged Pademelons. This reserve offers superb views of the Glass House Mountains and the coast and while admiring all this, I saw some (20 plus) Spine-tailed Swifts fly over.

 

DOBOY (near Lytton)

 

Saw the large colony of Black Flying-foxes in the mangroves along Bulimba Creek and this was another new mammal tick for me (we usually only see Grey-headed Flying Foxes back in Sydney).

 

MOUNT GLORIOUS

 

I spotlighted in this rainforest a couple of nights where I heard both a Sooty Owl and a Marbled Frogmouth and saw several Fawn-footed Melomys (some almost touchable as they paused while on the ground or half way up the palms), a couple of Mountain Brushtail Possums and a few Red-necked Pademelons. Heard a few calls from the Great Barred Frogs ?Wauk wauk?.

 

SHERWOOD ARBORETUM

 

I found easily in the heat of the day and well out in the open 2 male Black-backed Bitterns (formerly Little Bittern) and a single Baillon?s Crake.

 

There were lots of tadpoles in the ponds which I think belonged to Bufo marinus (Cane Toads)!

 

CARINDALE

 

Sheryl Keates kindly devoted some of her time to help me find my first Bush Hen (have only heard them previously up in the Daintree) and was lucky to see one walk across the track.

 

 

LOCKYER VALLEY

 

My first point of call was Atkinsons Dam which still had plenty of water and birds including a pair of Black-necked Storks, 5 Little Egrets, 50 plus Pink-eared Ducks amongst 1000 plus of both Hardheads and Grey Teal, 60 plus Pacific Golden Plovers, 200 plus Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, 10 Marsh Sandpipers, 20 plus Red-necked Avocets, a White-bellied Sea-eagle and 5 Whistling Kites. A male Brown Songlark, several Pale-headed Rosellas and flocks of Cockatiel were in the surrounding areas.

 

Met up with Bill Jolly for the later part of the morning and Jan and John England for most of the day were the star bird of the day were 5 Australian Painted Snipe (good views of 4 males and one female out in the open beside a small dam). Surprisingly, there was not much cover for them but was good for us to see the birds quite well. Have seen these a few times before in Sydney but rate it amongst one of the most beautiful Australian birds.

 

Jan and John showed me the loads of ducks at the Gatton Agricultural College comprising of 500 plus Magpie Geese, 1300 plus Plumed Whistling Ducks and 1000 plus Pink-eared Ducks.

 

We also saw 30 Freckled Ducks in the small dam on the other side of the road and opposite Atkinsons Dam. This is certainly the largest number I have seen of this species at any one time.

 

Just to the east of Atkinsons Dam we also saw 4 pairs of Banded Lapwing.

 

My last good find of the day were a pair of Cotton Pygmy Goose feeding amongst floating water weed with a Comb-crested Jacana nearby as well as many other water birds.

 

In the Lockyer Valley I was hoping to see again Ground Cuckoo-shrikes (which are often present in the turf areas) so I could achieve seeing all species of Cuckoo-shrike and Trillers in one week.

 

I thank everyone who gave me assistance in finding a good variety of interesting birds and especially to Tom and Marie Tarrant for their hospitality for the 4 nights I stayed at their place. The various trip reports shared on birding-aus have also really helped make my trip very worthwhile and I thank everyone for their contributions.

 

If anyone is interested, I have made a full species list with further information of my trip in excel (which I have spent hours doing) and would be happy to send a copy via email.

 

-------------

 

Edwin Vella

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