Hello naturalists,
This is a trip report from Iron Range, 3-13 December 1999.
Party: Martin Cohen, Jo Wieneke, John McGlaughlin, Evan Schmidt (a
non-birder) and David James.
We flew in to Lockart River with Sky Trans ($420 return ex Cairns), stayed
at the "Green hut", near the Rangers Station (ie Between Lockart and Iron
Ra NP), and rented a local's landcruiser tray back for 6 days. The weather
was excellent, with fairly mild temperatures. 600 mm of rain fell in
November but the rain stopped more or less as we arrived.
We mostly birded and herped and spotlight around the Green Hut (rainforest
regrowth, where we found most of the areas specialities), the Claudie
River/Old Cohen Rd/Gordons Ck/Cooks Hut section of Iron Ra, Chili Bch and
Cape Weymouth. most nights we spotlighted for about 3 hours. We also went
out to Restoration Rock off Cape Weymouth, where Bridled terns and Common
noddies breed, and made a trip up to the Pascoe river in a tinnie. Shorter
trips were made to Tozers Gap, West Claudie River, Portland Roads, etc.
The birding was brilliant, and highlights were nearly countless.
Red-bellied pittas were not calling at first, but we heard one on about day
three and then tracked them down on day four, getting brilliant views after
a bit of patience and persistence. Likewise Chestnut breasted cuckoos were
not calling at first but gave sensational views on day 7. Palms, Red-cheeks
and Eclectus flew through the camp site daily. One morning around our camp
before (a late) breakfast I saw red-bellied pitta, Northern Scrub-robin,
Magnif rifle, palm, eclectus, fig parrot, Buff-breasted paradise,
yellow-billed and azure kingfishers, Chestnut-breasted cuckoo,
yellow-breasted boatbill, and a host of lesser deities. We watched
thousands (or tens of thous) of metalic starlings staging on Chili beach at
sunset and flying in wheeling flocks to a nearby islet to roost. Quite
sensational. Yellow-billed kingfishers were troublesome, though calling
everywhwere. We missed green-backed Honeyeater, but big-deal I say!
Otherwise we gort repeated views of most local specialities. Raririties
were few (read nil) but a couple of short-talied swifts in a large flock of
fork-tailed swifits, suggested possible house swifts. They turned out to be
fork-tails moulting the outer pair of tail-feathers and outer primaries!
Spotlighting was sometimes slow but generally excellent. One night produced
3 species of frogmouth, Masked Owl (heard only) and 2 nightjar species near
the campsite. We saw lots of cucus, about 7 commons (3 by day) and 2 greys.
frog choruses were great following November's rain, but frog diversity at
Iron Range is not spectacular. We didn't find a lot of species of reptiles
by some standards, but green python was a serious contender for bird of the
trip.
Thanks to Martin Cohen for much of the organising, to Carl the assistant
ranger for hospitaility and spotlighting and boating trips, and Brian
Venebles for showing us around Cape Weymouth, Chili Beach and Restoration
Rock. Brian gets the Red-bellied Pitta Award for the most colourful birder
on the Cape.
In all, 12 frogs, 21 reptiles, 131 birds and 13 mammals:
FROGS
Marbled Frog Limnodynastes convexiusculus
Ornate Burrowing-Frog Limnodynastes ornatus
Northern Sedgefrog Litoria bicolor
Green Treefrog Litoria caerulea
Graceful Treefrog Litoria gracilenta
White-lipped Treefrog Litoria infrafrenata
Striped Rocketfrog Litoria nasuta
Tawny Rocketfrog Litoria nigrofrenata
Red-eyed Treefrog Litoria rothii
Shrill Chirper Sphenophryne gracilipes
Australian Bullfrog Rana daemeli
REPTILES
Cane Toad Bufo marinus
Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus
Green Turtle?? Chelonia mydas
New Guinea Snake-necked Turtle Chelodina novaeguineae
Saw-shelled Turtle Elseya latisternum
Short-tailed Dtella Gehyra baliola
Pelagic Gecko Nactus pelagicus
Cape York Pad-tail Gecko Pseudothecadactylus australis
Burton's Legless Lizard Lialis burtonis
monitor lizard Varanus keithhornei
Rusty Monitor Varanus semiremex
skink Carlia longipes
Littoral Skink Cryptoblepharus litoralis
Cream-striped Shinning-Skink Cryptoblepharus virgatus
Water Python Liasis fuscus
Amethystine Python Morelia amethistina
Green Python Morelia viridis
Brown Tree Snake Boiga irregularis
Northern Tree Snake Dendrelaphis calligastra
Common Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata
Brown-headed Snake Furina tristis
King Brown Snake Pseudechis australis
BIRDS
Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami
Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra
Great Egret Ardea alba
Striated Heron Butorides striatus
Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae
Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrhocephalus
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
Sarus Crane Grus antigone
Red-necked Crake Rallina tricolor
Buff-Banded Rail Gallirallus philippensis
White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius
Beach Stone-curlew Esacus neglectus
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus
Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis
Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Common Tern Sterna hirundo
Little Tern Sterna albifrons
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus
White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
Common Noddy Anous stolidus
Black Noddy Anous minutus
Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana
Brown Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia amboinensis
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis
Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus
Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus regina
Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolor
Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus
Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi
Double-eyed Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma
Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus
Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus
Chestnut-Breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis castaneiventris
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites lucidus
Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites minutillus
Common Koel Eudynamys scolopacea
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Rufous Owl Ninox rufa
Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae
Grass Owl Tyto capensis
Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides
Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis
Marbled Frogmouth Podargus ocellatus
Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argus
Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus
White-rumped Swiftlet Collocalia spodiopygius
Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus
Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea
Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera sylvia
Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii
Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro
Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
Red-bellied Pitta Pitta erythrogaster
Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor
Lovely Fairy-Wren Malurus amabilis
Red-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus melanocephalus
Tropical Scrubwren Sericornis beccarii
Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster
Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris
Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa
Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides
Tawny-breasted Honeyeater Xanthotis flaviventer
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Meliphaga notata
Graceful Honeyeater Meliphaga gracilis
Varied Honeyeater Lichenostomus versicolor
White-streaked Honeyeater Trichodere cockerelli
Brown-backed Honeyeater Ramsayornis modestus
Dusky Honeyeater Myzomela obscura
Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala
Yellow-legged Flycatcher Microeca griseoceps
White-faced Robin Tregellasia leucops
Mangrove Robin Eopsaltria pulverulenta
White-browed Robin Poecilodryas superciliosa
Northern Scrub-Robin Drymodes superciliaris
Grey Whistler Pachycephala simplex
Little Shrike-thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha
Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica
Yellow-breasted Boatbill Machaerirhynchus flaviventer
Black-winged Monarch Monarcha frater
Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus
Frilled Monarch Arses telescophthalmus
Broad-billed Flycatcher Myiagra ruficollis
Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula
Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto
Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca
Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris
Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus
Black-Faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
White-Bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis
Cicadabird Coracina tenuirostris
Varied Triller Lalage leucomela
Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus
Figbird Sphecotheres viridis
White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
Black Butcherbird Cracticus quoyi
Magnificent Riflebird Ptiloris magnificus
Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii
Spotted Catbird Ailuroedus melanotis
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Chlamydera cerviniventris
Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis
Yellow-bellied Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis
Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum
Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis
Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis
Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica
MAMMALS
Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus
Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta
Spotted Cuscus Spilocuscus maculatus
Grey Cuscus Phalanger intercastellanus
Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis
Red-legged Pademelon Thylogale stigmatica
Eastern Tube-nosed Bat Nyctimene robinsoni
Bare-backed Fruit Bat Dobsonia moluccense
Spectacled Flying-fox Pteropus conspicillatus
Cape York Melomys Melomys capensis
Dingo Canis lupus dingo
feral Horse Equus caballus
feral European Cattle Bos taurus
feral Pig Sus Scrofa
David James
PO BOX 5225
Townsville Mail Centre,
Qld 4810, Australia
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