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Hello all,
Over the easter weekend I took a bit of a break from studying
finches (even crimsons and stars can get a bit monotonous after a while) to
chase some mangrove birds around Pormpuraaw (western side of Cape York
Peninsula, approx. 250 km West of Musgrave). I trekked down to a lovely patch of
mangrove forest (about 4 km south of the Chapman River) that was first
discovered by Stephen Garnett almost 20 years ago. White-breasted Whistlers,
Mangrove Grey Fantails, Broad-billed Flycatchers and Mangrove Gerygone were the
bird highlights of this pretty spot. The Mangrove Gerygones were much more
common here than they are in the mangroves that line the Chapman and Munkun
Rivers (south and north of Pormpuraaw, respectively). The White-breasted
Whistlers and Mangrove Fantails don't seem to occur at either of the above
mentioned rivers. In the early 1980's Stephen Garnett recorded Mangrove Golden
Whistler and Shining Flycatcher further south at the Mitchell River approx.
another 20 km further south. It seems likely that from south of the Chapman
River the gulf waters start to become shallower and mudflats and mangroves are
more able to form, thus providing more habitat for the specialist mangrove
birds. The mangroves that line the rivers from the Chapman northwards may not be
suitable for specialist mangrove birds. Another feature of the
mangrove inlet that I visited yesterday was the gorgeous tiny red and white
performing crabs that frequented the mud. They provided me with much
entertainment during a lunchbreak.
I spent yesterday exploring up the Munkun River for mangrove
birds without success but we did find a pair of Great-billed Herons and lots of
Common Sandpipers (so they are common after all!- I never used to see them very
often down at Newcastle, NSW {couple of hundred km north of Sydney}). A bit of a
walk through some tussock grassland produced Red-backed and Red-chested
Button-quails also. This was the first time I've found both species at the same
site. It was great getting to listen to both species calling, with the
Red-chested being deeper than the Red-backed.
Things are starting to dry out now with the wet season slowing
down, and I still haven't seen any migrating snipe!! Where are these mysterious
birds that are supposed to be using Cape York as a staging post, for their trip
to Japan and Siberia. They aren't at Pormpuraaw!
Best wishes,
Mick
Michael Todd
Finch Researcher,
Dept.of
Environment and Heritage,
Pormpuraaw, Qld, Australia,
4871
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