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From:
To:
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 10:43 PM
Subject: Dawes Range
G'day all,
Just back from a day out to the Dawes Range in SE
Queensland (about 2.5 hrs north-west of Bundaberg).It's the usual dry
sclerophyll woodland typical of these parts but has rainforest mainly on the
upper slopes. The rainforest always looks drier than that around Brisbane &
some locals call it vine scrub.
Anyway, with Eric Zillmann, had a good day which
started with the Peregrine roosting in central Bundaberg. On the lower slopes of
the range, there
were plenty of cuckoos; Brush, Pallid, Fan-tailed, Channel-billed & Koels
being especially vocal. Added Shining-bronze later in the day. Good views of a
Pacific Baza were followed by discovering a female Collared Sparrowhawk
apparently incubating. Her yellow eyes glared at us as she peeped over the
rim of the nest.
It was good to see the smaller creeks running as
many of them have been dry for years. The rainforest had Regent Bowerbirds in
good numbers, 3 males & 8 females. Noisy Pittas were calling, both
the`walk-to-work' & the explosive `keow'. We
had a couple of Paradise Riflebirds, Green Catbirds, Wompoo, Topknots &
Rose-crowned Fruit-doves. Black-eared Monarchs were everywhere. We only came
across a single Spectacled Monarch but the pair of White-eared Monarchs gave us
great views, feeding together on a Hoop Pine.
On the way back, we were fortunate to pick up a
Blue-winged Kookaburra & a pair of Little Woodswallows, both uncommon in
this district.
Any one passing through might consider a stop
here. It's off the beaten track & relatively undisturbed.
Hope this might be of some interest.
Cheers,
Chris
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