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Winter shorebird high tide roost counts, Pumicestone Passage, SEQld

To: birding-aus <>
Subject: Winter shorebird high tide roost counts, Pumicestone Passage, SEQld
From: Jill Dening <>
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:39:56 +1000
Hi Everyone,

I thought some of the locals on b-a might be interested in what's in the Pumicestone Passage during the winter, as it's an area inaccessible to most birders. I'm very fortunate to have access to the area through the generosity and cooperation of our local councils. The roost run covers two council areas, and yesterday the boat and waterways officers were from Sunshine Coast Council. We cover 11 roosts on a single tide (the Glass Mountain Ck tree roost is missing below, because there were no birds on it), taking a few hours to cover the lot. This is achievable, with some discipline, because we follow the tide as it rises progressively up the passage from south to The Skids. And because we separate to cover two major areas concurrently (Glass Mountain Creek and Poverty Creek). Barb Dickson was my birding companion.

In winter we get a lot more Black-winged Stilts and other waterbirds (cormorants, spoonbills, ibis) and Gull-billed Terns than we get in summer. I noticed yesterday that a there was a high proportion of juvenile Black-winged Stilts, suggesting a good breeding season inland. Also different is the presence of Black-fronted Plovers, and this only happens in the passage when there is a lot of fresh in the water on the claypans after a long and big wet season.

There was an orange-flagged Caspian Tern, which I shall report through the system.

The wandering, shallow, mangrove-lined channels of the Pumicestone Passage are, to me, one of the most beautiful places on earth. The silence and aloneness is like a drug. Yesterday the weather was superb. There was the lightest of light south-westerly breezes, an almost cloudless sky, and bright, warm sunshine. The beautiful Glasshouse Mountains were reflected in the glassy water. There are several places where one slows to a crawl in order to get through shallow, narrow channels. In these places we were stunned by the feeling of being in the middle of such beauty. Mangrove Honeyeaters and Mangrove Gerygones were everywhere, calling and flying in front of us between mangroves. Scarlet Honeyeaters were calling everywhere in the flowering eucalypts.

On the downside, pigs seem to be rising in number in the passage, where they run wild over large areas of swampy coastal claypans and forests. We have always encountered wild horses, cattle and the odd dingo, but pigs are now more visible and making their mark on the land.

Below is a roost-by-roost count of species seen yesterday.

cheers,

Jill


-- 
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

26° 51' 41"S	152° 56' 00"E
Location_Name Species_Id Common_Name Sum Of Number_Seen Totals
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 4 Gull-billed Tern 34
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 11 Whimbrel 27
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 24 Masked Lapwing 1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 27 Red-capped Plover 8
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 43 White-faced Heron 5
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 49 Brahminy Kite 1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 58 Sacred Kingfisher 1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south 65 Black-fronted Plover 10 87
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 36 Australian Pelican 1
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 37 Little Pied Cormorant 3
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 38 Pied Cormorant 9
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 44 Egret spp 1
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 46 Spoonbill spp 10
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty 48 Whistling Kite 1 25
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 24 Masked Lapwing 2
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 27 Red-capped Plover 9
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 43 White-faced Heron 1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 45 Ibis spp 4
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 48 Whistling Kite 1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 49 Brahminy Kite 1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan 51 White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 19
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 24 Masked Lapwing 3
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 27 Red-capped Plover 19
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 33 Black-winged Stilt 17
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 49 Brahminy Kite 1
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 58 Sacred Kingfisher 2
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 64 Collared Kingfisher 2
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan 65 Black-fronted Plover 2 46
LIPK Lime Pocket 24 Masked Lapwing 6
LIPK Lime Pocket 31 Pied Oystercatcher 2
LIPK Lime Pocket 36 Australian Pelican 1
LIPK Lime Pocket 43 White-faced Heron 2
LIPK Lime Pocket 45 Ibis spp 1
LIPK Lime Pocket 58 Sacred Kingfisher 2 14
MIPT Mission Point 11 Whimbrel 1
MIPT Mission Point 22 Grey-tailed Tattler 93
MIPT Mission Point 31 Pied Oystercatcher 2
MIPT Mission Point 33 Black-winged Stilt 186
MIPT Mission Point 36 Australian Pelican 1
MIPT Mission Point 44 Egret spp 1
MIPT Mission Point 48 Whistling Kite 2 286
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 4 Gull-billed Tern 38
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 11 Whimbrel 37
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 24 Masked Lapwing 9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 33 Black-winged Stilt 9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 38 Pied Cormorant 5
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 43 White-faced Heron 20
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 44 Egret spp 9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 45 Ibis spp 15
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 47 Black Swan 5
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point 49 Brahminy Kite 1 148
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 24 Masked Lapwing 1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 31 Pied Oystercatcher 2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 33 Black-winged Stilt 12
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 37 Little Pied Cormorant 2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 38 Pied Cormorant 1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 45 Ibis spp 1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 48 Whistling Kite 2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 50 Osprey 1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth 51 White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 23
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 1 Caspian Tern 3
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 3 Crested Tern 1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 4 Gull-billed Tern 73
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 10 Eastern Curlew 16
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 11 Whimbrel 13
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 12 Bar-tailed Godwit 2
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 22 Grey-tailed Tattler 132
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 33 Black-winged Stilt 44
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 36 Australian Pelican 1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 37 Little Pied Cormorant 1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 43 White-faced Heron 1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 44 Egret spp 17
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 46 Spoonbill spp 2
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 48 Whistling Kite 1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West 51 White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 308
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 1 Caspian Tern 3
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 11 Whimbrel 98
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 22 Grey-tailed Tattler 40
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 33 Black-winged Stilt 193
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 36 Australian Pelican 10
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East 44 Egret spp 2 346
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