|
Hi Birders,
From 1-8 July my wife and I were
staying at Rainbow Beach, Queensland with the intention, among other things, of
finding the Black-breasted Button-quail at Inskip Point, previously reported on
by Allan Benson and others. Together with Carole and John Carpenter, also from
the NSW Central Coast, and on a wet and drizzly morning at 7.30 hours we walked
along the trail that leads off the bitumen 2WD car park at Inskip Point. There
were plenty of platelets to see along this track but we had no success,
eventually swapping to the other side of the road and walking along tracks and
through the vegetated dunes down to Inskip Point. The last thing we did was to
walk back from Inskip Point along the first track to our vehicle and this time
we were in luck and found a female Black-breasted Button-quail, busily
scratching in circles beneath a Braken Fern at the edge of the track about 200 m
from the car park, and we all had good views. Only one bird was seen. Over the
next 7 days we returned on 3 other mornings and searched the area, finding
plenty of freshly made platelets but seeing no BBBQ.
In the dune rainforest and banksia
scrub at Inskip Point we had good views of Varied Triller, Rufous Whistler,
Sacred Kingfisher, Mangrove, Brown, Lewin's, Scarlet & White-cheeked
Honeyeaters, Noisy & Little Friarbirds, Topknot Pigeons, Bar-shouldered
& Peaceful Dove, Yellow Robin, White-breasted Woodswallow, Drongo,
Variegated & Red-backed Fairy-wren. A trio of Beach Stone-curlews were
usually to be found on the western side of the Spit at the end of the track on
most days, while at high tide 2-3000 waders were roosting on the sandy islands.
The main roost however was just a bit far away for good views through the scopes
and although Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eastern Curlew, Red Knot, Great Knot,
Curlew Sandpiper, Large Sand Plover, Red-capped Plover & Red-necked Stint
were all identified, I needed a boat to get closer to see what other
goodies were there. I was interested to see that about 200 Double-bandred
Plovers, most showing signs of breeding plumage were amongst the waders at the
high tide roost, along with Caspian, Crested and Gull-billed Terns, Brahminy
& Whistling Kites, Ospreys and Sea-eagles.
In and around Rainbow Beach village
were plenty of Figbirds, White-throated Honeyeaters, Blue-faced Honeyeaters,
Tree Martins and Bee-eaters, while a Grey Goshawk was seen at the edge of the
village and a Collared Sparrowhawk, Pale-headed Rosella and Red-winged Parrot at
Tin Can Bay. Carole & John also found Bush Stone-curlew and Collared
Kingfishers at Rainbow Beach. At the Bymien Picnic Area rainforest in nearby
Great Sandy NP, Topknot, Wompoo and Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves were easy to see,
as well as Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Pale Yellow Robin, Large-billed & White-browed
Scrub-wrens and Brown Gerygones. Closer to the main road, but still on the
Freshwater Track, we found Leaden Flycatchers, White-throated Gerygones and a
lone White-eared Monarch. Altogether a good weeks birdwatching and time
with our friends.
Alan
Morris
|
