I meant to send this to the chatline on Tuesday afternoon but somehow got sidetracked. I took a birdwatcher from Cairns up to the New Chums, Lees Creek and Blundell’s Creek Roads for a morning birding. About 2/3 of the way back uphill on
BCR I flushed a Painted Button-quail from the side of the road. The habitat was quite dense low dampish vegetation characteristic of the wetter gullies in the area. I have been travelling these roads since the mid 1960’s and have never seen a button-quail
anywhere near here although there is quite a bit of suitable habitat not too far away on the drier western facing slopes.
mark
