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Hi All
Some good news from Paluma (Village In The Mist) a Cassowary
was seen last week near the old dump turn off, this is one of several reported
sightings of Cassowary in the Paluma area over recent months.
In regard to spring there has been a marked increase in the
amount of decoration and maintenance work at the three Golden Bowerbird bowers
that I visit regularly. Two weeks ago the bowers had a lot of dead leaves
in and around them and very little and mostly old decorations. They are now
clear of dead leaves with a fresh supply of decorations. The birds
are not easy to see at this time of year but this should improve as the
weather warms up and they start to call and display again.
On the reptile scene I had to stop on my way down the Paluma
Range road and remove a 2 metre Black-headed Python from the road last
Friday. I guess he/she was soaking up the warmth from the bitumen
and yesterday I did the same with a Scrub Python on the western slopes of the
Paluma Range just a couple of minutes before a large gravel truck came
thundering past this one must have nine lives, it was back in the same
spot on our return the second time I took it well into the bush.
Yesterday we had excellent views of 2 or 3 Platypus at Hidden
Valley 25 klm west of Paluma along with good views of Fuscous Honeyeater,
Restless Flycatcher, Darter and Australasian Grebe all at the same time in the
same pool.
On the wader front we saw Wimbrel and Eastern Curlew at
Toomulla Beach to the North of Townsville for the first time this season
yesterday, but its still not warm enough for the Currawongs to return to the
mountains, they only come down to the northern beaches in the cooler months.
Regards
Ian Clayton
Birds & Bush Tours
PO Box
6037, TMC, Townsville, Qld, Australia. 4810
Phone/Fax: 07 4721 6489
Phone/Fax
International: + 61 7 4721 6489
Email:
To a man ornithologists are tall, slender, and
bearded, so
that they can stand motionless for hours, imitating kindly
trees, as they watch for birds.
Gore Vidal
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