I took advantage of an airline seat sale, flew from Melbourne to Brisbane,
drove a hire car to Rainbow Beach and stayed there for two nights. I spent
a total of 10 hours at the Inskip Point Black-breasted Buttonquail site and
saw one female well for about 5 seconds. There were other quails glimpsed
during that period but not long enough to raise the binoculars. Peter and
Lisa from Melbourne were also there on one day and claimed approximately the
same degree of success with the BBBQs but also saw Brown Quail (I did not).
Thomas and Thomas mention a Grass Owl site in nearby Cooloola National Park
(p. 79) and I went out there on the first evening from about 1800 to 1900
(sunset was at about 1720). After an hour of nothing except distant Boobook
Owl calls, I started to drive off from the grasslands but saw in the
headlights a shape come down in the grass to the left of the track. I
stopped the car, got out and played the Grass Owl tape from the BOCA CD
which I had copied to my tiny voice recorder. The owl immediately responded
to the tape, flying around me quite low a few times before heading off. I
saw a pale Tyto in my spotlight but was unable to coordinate the spotlight,
the binoculars and the flying bird to get better views. The experience was
very similar to that described by Niels Poul Dreyer in his posting to
Birding Aus of 28 June 1998. I returned the following evening hoping to see
the dangling legs and "dark wingtips contrast[ing] with pale patch on centre
wing" but did not see the bird. I assume that I saw either male Grass Owl
or Barn Owl, which has similar calls. I would appreciate comments from
birders familiar with either the bird or the area.
There was a Beach Stone Curlew at Inskip Point and a Bush Stone Curlew at
the Grass Owl site. I think I heard Ground Parrot calling after sunset at
Cooloola on the second evening but neither saw them nor Emuwren when I
returned during daylight hours.
My thanks go to Richard Johnstone and postings to Birding Aus by Niels Poul
Dreyer, John Reidy and Allan Benson for information on the sites.
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