I finally saw the Black-breasted Button-Quail on my second visit. We were
very restricted for time because we were travelling up to the Whitsundays
towing a boat so only had a few hours to spare. The first visit on 16th Sept
was fruitless, but we managed to squeeze in another vist on the return trip
on 27th Sept and slept in the boat in the parking lot and were out looking
at 5.45am. I got a bit excited after about 40 minutes but it was a Brown
Quail. No black on it anywhere and an even reddish brown all over. But I
eventually saw 4 or 5 BBBQ chasing each other through the undergrowth.
Didn't have really close views but good enough to be positive. I got the
black head on one individual.
The place is at the very end of Inskip Point road where the car ferry comes
to take vehicles to Fraser Is.
There is a long area of car-parking spaces along the left hand side of the
road and a small walking track goes off into the bush from the last parking
place. This is where I have been told by two people that they saw the birds
within minutes of leaving the car. The bitumen ends here and a sandy track
continues to the ferry. I'm sure it is possible to see them easily as there
are platelets all along the side of the track, so you just need a bit of
luck or persistance.
On the first visit 16th Sept, I had a quick look at the waders on the beach
and saw a whimbrel with a dark rump! It was certainly a Whimbrel sp, there
were E. Curlews there too so I had a good size comparison. I wasn't close
enough to see eyebrow markings but it looked fairly uniformly brown with
paler underwings ( I thought it seemed darker than I remember whimbrels in
Westerport, Vic but I haven't seen one for a long time). My book mentions
the North American subspecies 'hudsonicus'. Have there been any reports of
this sub species being seen recently?
My thanks to all the people who sent information re location and sightings.
Val Curtis
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