Al Young reported a flock of 22 Swift Parrots on the Toowoomba escarpment
during the week, which the Toowoomba Bird Observers' grapevine kindly passed
my way - (thanks Michael Atzeni!).
Richard Nowotny is cruising Queensland at the moment, so we went out
together today (Friday 10th June) to see what we could see, and found two
Swift Parrots feeding in what we took to be Yellow Box in the same general
area. We also saw Musk, Little, Scaly-breasted and Rainbow Lorikeets in the
same patch of bush, along with hordes of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Satin
Bowerbirds, King Parrots calling nearby and much else.
We were very slow getting away from home this-morning, because the birds
kept coming to us while we breakfasted. A Little Eagle dropped into a tree
just across from the verandah and surprisingly for such a big bird became
inconspicuous immediately, save for his rufous head outlined against the
grey trunk of a Eucalyptus tesselaris. Meanwhile we were visited by Azure
Kingfisher, male and female Rose Robins, White-throated Honeyeaters, and
heaps more. First thing, (before Richard emerged - but he had driven a long
way the previous day!) we had Speckled Warblers in the garden and a Magpie
Goose on the creek.
We took a bit of a spin through the valley, finding all four egrets, both
spoonbills, Pink-eared Ducks and Australian Shoveler, a Wedge-tailed Eagle
in a roadside tree, multitudes of Magpie Geese and Plumed Whistling Ducks
and at Apex Lake at Gatton, a somewhat inland Brahminy Kite and
White-bellied Sea-eagle. In fact seven raptor spp during the day, although
surprisingly we didn't see Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk or Australian
Hobby, some or all of which hunt through Abberton on most days.
We also found ourselves very proximate to one of the two white Black Swans
which emerged from the same clutch about three years ago. A truly beautiful
bird with pure whit plumage, but the typical red bill and normal coloured
soft parts of the adjacent black Black Swans. I got a fairly close photo
which I'll post on the Abberton website if it turns out well enough not to
embarrass me.
More than 90 species all up in a rather short and somewhat relaxed day
around the Lockyer.
Bill Jolly
"Abberton",
Lockyer Valley, Queensland.
Visit our website at http://www.abberton.org <http://www.abberton.org/>
Email: <>
Ph: (+61) 7 4697 6111 Fax: (+61) 7 4697 6056
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