Following my recent posting
about late Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers, we found two adults up at Lockerbie
Scrub near Bamaga on May 18, then on May 27 there was a dark billed bird with
washed out orangey underparts, a white patch on the upper back and bluish top
of head along Black Mountain Road near Kuranda. It did not look like the
immatures we used to get up in New Guinea in June/July each year, being too colourful beneath
and lacking any mottling on the mantle. I presume it’s some sort of
sub-adult phase. It looks as if some may be over-wintering this year perhaps.
Little Woody Island off Bamaga,
Cape York was rewarding with 11 Pale White-eyes,
and two Yellow White-eyes amongst them. I had
not realised the two species occurred together. They kept flying out about 50m over
the sea in a noisy twittering flock, then heading back into the bushes. There
was also Mangrove Golden Whistler and a male Red-headed Honeyeater here, whilst a Beach
Thick-knee flew in and there were 2 opposite Seisia wharf the same
day, having hunted and failed miserably to find this species around the Darwin sites earlier in the month!
Mt. Lewis near Julatten May 27 still had two Blue-faced Finches, both sightings of very cryptic birds in
long grass near the clearing.
There was an unexpected Little Corella flying over Mareeba the same day, my first
sighting from the FNQ area, though feral Long-billed Corella are known from Cairns. A Rufous Songlark
was another unexpected find near Mareeba on May 16, another addition to my area
list.
Cassowary is still daily at Cassowary House near Kuranda, the 3
babies now getting very large and voracious and soon to be evicted by the
parent. The big female shows occasionally too, Sue Gregory seeing the 3 babies
making some form of appeasement display last week when she came close to their
family group. They lay flat on ground with the necks out-stretched, whilst she
towered up over them with feathers fluffed out, clearly agitated.
Phil Gregory
Cassowary House, Kuranda
www.cassowary-house.com.au
