GOOD BIRDING AT MUNGO BRUSH & MYALL LAKES 12-13 NOVEMBER 2005
Follow That Bird Tours had a weekend trip to Tea Gardens, Hawkesnest and
Mungo Brush, all sections of the Myall River and Myall Lakes, most of the
time being spent in the famous Myall Lakes National Park. The weather was
fine and sunny throughout and bird watching conditions were ideal. Enroute
to the Myall Lakes we stopped at the Hunter Botanic Gardens at Heatherbrae
where the usual birds were found in the Blackbutt Forests there including
Rufous Fantail, Sacred Kingfisher, Fantailed Cuckoo and White-throated
Gerygone, then onto Tea Gardens for lunch along the banks of the Myall River
just after it had joined the Kuruah River. From our lunch spot we looked
across to the mangroves where under the watchful eye of an osprey perched on
a dead mangrove branch, many Little Pied & Little Black Cormorants, Pelicans
and 5 Little Egrets and 12 Great Egrets were busy herding a school of bait
fish, some frantic feeding was observed. Most of the egrets were in various
stages of acquiring breeding plumage. Whistling Kites and Sea-eagles
patrolled above, along with a few Crested Terns and Silver Gull, while a
Striated Heron skulked along the waters edge hoping to get its share of the
feed. Nearby were both Royal Spoonbills and Eastern Curlews. Figbirds were
verty prominent nearby feeding on small figs.
In the afternoon we walked out to Dark Point, from where we had good views
of Broughton Island and the sea coast. Australian Gannets were still fairly
common offshore and Australian Ravens were busy patrolling the Coastline.
Later we investigated Windy Woppa Spit, where we saw Bar-shouldered Dove,
Fantailed Cuckoo, Eastern Yellow Robin, Variegated Fairy-wren & Grey
Fantail. We stayed in Tea Gardens where Boobooks called at night, Koel &
Channel-billed Cuckoos were very vocal in the early morning and our morning
walk around the County Club revealed Pheasant Coucal, nesting Olive-backed
Oriole, Torresian Crow, Rufous Whistler, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Brush Cuckoo
calling, Tawny Grassbirds in the heath and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos
feeding in the motel grounds on Old Man Banksia cones. Then we were off to
Mungo Brush to check out the camping grounds for the recently reported
Radjah Shelducks and to explore the rainforest.
As soon as we arrived in the picnic are we were able to observed the Radjah
Shelducks begging food from two campers, then they were off to check out the
next group of campers. It was lovely to see them acting like any other pair
of Mallards or Black Ducks, that feed in the camping areas up and dowm the
coast. Our walk through the rainforest found plenty of Large-billed
Scrub-wrens including a pair feeding dependant young, a number of Rufous
Fantail, more Fantailed Cuckoos, a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Green Catbirds,
Black-faced Monarchs, Satin Bowerbirds, patrolling Whistling Kites and Wonga
Pigeons. A family party of Forest Ravens were croaking around the place.
While having morning tea in the picnic area, 3 nests of Figbirds were found
in the one Broad-leafed Paperbark, and juding by the noise and numbers of
Figbirds present, the nesting colony was propbably larger than that. A walk
along the Johnsonn Hill Track produced Leaden Flycatchers collecting nesting
material, Brown-headed Honeyeater, Rufous Whistler and about 10
White-throated Needletail, Mistletoebird, White-cheeked Honeyeater and more
White-throated Gerygone and Sacred Kingfisher.
Our final stop on our return home was at Leneghans Drive Swamp at Minmi.
Here the air was full of calling Cisticolas & Reedwarblers, while we were
pleased to be able to find a pair of Wandering Whistling Duck feeding on the
Swamp. There were 5 Intermediate Egrets here in full breeding plumage,
showing their lovel;y red thighs and bills and the green skin around the
iris, together with Great and Little Egret. Plenty of Coot and Hardhead, a
Sacred Kingfisher was perched on a fence post and Channel-billed Cuckoos
flew overhead. A fitting end for a very pleasant weekend in which 122
species were seen. (Alan Morris)
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