Gooday all,
My wife, Laura was quite excited when I returned home from work this
morning. Only minutes before she had been speaking to Anne Donnan from
Queens Beach who had reported an injured bird in the next door neighbours
yard. She believed it was a Buff-breasted Paradise- Kingfisher but needed
confirmation.
We all set off for Annes place and ended up in Valda Wakes yard looking at
an adult female BbPK perched in a mango tree not 5m from where we stood.
Earlier, Valda had heard a "thud" and on investigation found this glorious
bird of a type that she had never seen before. Luckily the bird was not
badly injured and took to the wing flying about 10m and perching in the
mango tree. Checking the bird through my glasses, I could not observe any
real injuries to the bird. I suggested that it would be best to leave the
bird and let it recuperate by itself and hopefully it will be fit enough to
continue.
This is the second report of this species in the Bowen area the other was in
March of this year. An injured bird was located at Dalrymple Point but
eventually died.
Last night Bowen experienced some rain and stormy weather from what I can
gather as I was at Newlands, this may have caused the BbPK to visit Bowen
for a short stopover.
Tess Brickhill and Marj Andrews have conducted detailed reseach into the
nesting of this species in the Mackay region where the habitat is totally
different to that of the dry tropics of Bowen. I beleive the bird would have
been travelling through in a southerly direction and sought shelter from the
storm. The only possible nesting site I believe could exist in the Bowen
area would be Mt. Aberdeen NP where some of the gullies would provide
suitable habitat. Alas, I have only lived here for 16 years and haven't
explored this area as yet. Laura just returned with the developed photos and
they are nice clear shots of this most beautiful Australian kingfisher.
We have a great crop of mango's here at Bowen, the Rainbow Lorikeets are
into them during the day and the Flying Foxes during the night.
Jon Wren
PO Box 868
Bowen (Climate Capital of Australia)
Queensland Australia 4805
Phone 07 4786 2614H Mobile 0412 789 285
email:
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