birding-aus

Dawn with a Shining Flycatcher, SEQld

To: Chris Sanderson <>
Subject: Dawn with a Shining Flycatcher, SEQld
From: Jill Dening <>
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:45:22 +1000
Thanks Chris. I have a feeling that Shining Flycatchers aren't quite as rare as we think, rather that you have to go to the right places. Certainly they are very hard to find, but they hug the banks of very quiet and narrow tidal creeklines. They are easier to find from the water, not from land. I have known for many years that a good time to find them is at low tide in the mangrove roots, which is exactly the situation I was in this morning. However, in all my years of haunting the Pumicestone Passage, I have mostly been following the high tide as it moved slowly along the passage. And my focus has been on the shorebird roosts, not the quiet creeks.

Don Cameron, who was a ranger with QNPWS, told me years ago that he had fixes on eight pairs in the Pumicestone Passage, and I don't doubt that. Now that I am armed with a paddle, I plan to find out where they are. I just didn't expect to have one in my face on my first morning of paddling alone.

I should correct the location of this morning. When I wrote, I thought I had been in Coochin Creek, but when I looked at the aerial pic over breakfast, I realised I had been right in the main passage a little north of The Skids, close to Roy's Orchard. I was on the western side of The Skids, not in the navigation channel. But I happen to know that a pair was sometimes seen at the confluence of Mellum and Coochin Creeks, and another is seen from time to time in Bell's Creek about 1km upstream from the mouth. I, myself, have seen one in Westaway's Creek. So they are out there. I'd better take the GPS unit along and take fixes on them in the future.

Cheers,

Jill

Chris Sanderson wrote:
For those who aren't sure, Shining Flycatcher is a very rare bird in the Brisbane area, but has been recorded from Boondall Wetlands before.  I've not heard of one at Coochin Creek so well done Jill!

Regards,
Chris

On Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 8:54 AM, Jill Dening <m("bigpond.com","jdening");">> wrote:
Aiy, what joy! I started the day at dawn on Coochin Creek, Pumicestone
Passage in my new kayak with a Shining Flycatcher. Water like a
millpond, sun rising over beautiful mangroves, and a Shining Flycatcher
to boot. The kik-kik-kiks of the Collared Kingfishers. My little heart
was singing with joy. Thanks, Dorothy, for introducing me to kayaking. IOU.

Cheers,

Jill

--
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

26° 51' 41"S    152° 56' 00"E

===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: m("vicnet.net.au","birding-aus-request");">
===============================


No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.0/1341 - Release Date: 24/03/2008 3:03 PM

-- 
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

26° 51' 41"S	152° 56' 00"E
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, 
send the message:
unsubscribe 
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 
===============================
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU