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Hi all!
Just back from a two week trip from Dungog NSW to
Brisbane , visiting family and friends and squeezing in some birding. I saw 163
species for the trip, full list available if any one is interested in emailing
me privately.
The first day we drove from Dungog to Guyra through
Nowendoc & Walcha, stopping briefly at Dangar Lagoon near Uralla and Mother
of Ducks Lagoon at Guyra. Forty species clocked up.
We stayed overnight on a property about 30kms west
of Guyra and spent an hour from 9 to 10 A.M. around a dam with open woodland and
some scrubby tea tree. Added around 25 species and there were birds everywhere,
never knew where to look next.
Species seen included :
Yellow rumped, Brown & Striated
Thornbills
Red browed Firetails
Mistletoe Bird
Black faced Woodswallow
White eared Honeyeater
White throated Treecreeper
Varied Sitella
Rufous Whistler
The next day we travelled over to Lennox Head and
stayed with friends, adding about 20 species mostly seen whilst driving. A quick
walk around the headlands next morning added
Whistling Kite
Brown Honeyeater
Leaden Flycatcher
Red backed Fairy Wren
Brush Wattlebird
The next leg took us to O'Reilly's Guest House for 2 nights, stopping
quickly at Natural Arch on route from Murwillumbah where I added :
Spectacled Monarch - a tick! This bird has eluded me near home for so long
!
Lewins Honeyeater
Brush turkey
Arrived late afternoon at O'Reilly's and a short stroll added the 3
Scrub wrens, Golden Whistler,
Yellow Robin, Eastern Whipbird, Wonga Pigeon & King Parrot.
Over the next two days, highlights included :
Noisy Pitta 3 separate good sightings.
Bassian Thrush
Russet tailed Thrush another tick
Logrunners
ditto never tired of seeing these active creatures
especially early one morning when half a dozen were all calling and chasing each
other & actually running along logs. Saw about 14 all up and heard several
others .
Alberts Lyrebird another new one. An early morning chorus by a male
perched on a rock beside the track ( Python Rock track ), and then I followed it
up the track for about 5 minutes before it disappeared off into the bush.
Paradise Riflebird on the same track. A female came down for a close look
at us. I find the ones at Barrington Tops do the same, they seem to be very
inquisitive. Yet to see a coloured male, though have seen several
females/immatures.
Regent Bowerbirds on the bird feeder just
outside the Dining room. Great views of a male whilst having breakfast only feet
away.
Next day we travelled via Beaudesert and stayed at a wonderful BB (
"Worendo") about 30kms west of there in the Kerry Valley near the Lost World.
This is actually immediately below O'Reilly's and had the road been O.K., would
have travelled down Duck Creek Road and been much shorter and no doubt added a
few more species such as Red browed Treecreeper, Eastern Bristlebird etc,
another time.
An early morning sortie to the river about 1km from the BB proved to be too
early as no birds at all at 6 or 6.30 . It was a cool morning with a breeze
blowing . We drove onto the Lost World , nothing much there and retuned to the
same river crossing about 6.45 A.M. and it was transformed. Birds everywhere and
hard to spin the binoculars in all directions. Highlights included
Pale headed Rosellas
Double barred Finches several
Restless Flycatchers 4
Brown Quail 2 feeding in good view on the side of
the road
Bar shouldered Doves
Golden headed Cisticola
Rainbow Bee-eaters 2
Olive backed Oriole
Figbirds
Striated Pardalote
Plum headed Finches 8 feeding on road & sitting
on barb wire fence.
Tree Martins one hundred
plus, flocking, a great sight.
Red backed Fairy Wren
Scaly breasted & Rainbow Lorikeets
We then travelled via Mt Tamborine to the Gold Coast for a conference.
Adding
Pale Yellow Robin another tick
Wompoo Pigeon
Green Catbird ( had only heard them at O'Reilly's )
Little Lorikeet
A quick walk from the hotel at Broadbeach added
Pelican
Tawny Frogmouth
White breasted Woodswallow.
Blue faced Honeyeater
Next to Brisbane
Stayed at Corinda. In the back garden was a flowering Umbrella tree and we
were entertained by constant visits from Rainbow & Scaly breasted Lorikeets,
Little Friarbirds and Blue faced Honeyeaters .
Sherwood Arboretum added
Forest Kingfisher
Striated Heron ( on the river bank opposite )
Channel billed Cuckoo
Didn't see any crakes/rails or Bitterns but water levels may have been too
high and even early morning there were lots of walkers/joggers around. At least
I found the spot where the Little Bittern had been seen last year, one day I'll
get it.
Off to Redcliffe as already reported in an earlier message
Highlights were many waders in breeding plumage
Wandering Tattler
Grey tailed Tattler
Caspian Tern 3
Pied Oyster Catcher 13
Great Knot 300+ many in breeding plumage
Red Knot
Eastern Reef Egret both morphs
Whimbrel
Pacific Golden Plover
Bar tailed Godwits 30 some in breeding plumage
Curlew Sandpiper
A night at Tangalooma on Moreton Island added
On the trip over
Arctic Jaeger ? presumably as there were 6 sitting on the water as the
ferry zoomed past them , 2 light & 4 dark morph. Couldn't see their
tails but the number present and the location would indicate Arctics.
Brahminy Kite
At Tangalooma added
White- bellied Sea-Eagle
White cheeked Honeyeater
Lesser Crested Tern 2
another tick
A very quick stop at Girraween National Park near
Stanthorpe on the way home added
Weebill
Spotted Pardalote to complete the trip
list.
There were lots of birds around the picnic area
late afternoon but these were the only additions. Dipped on Turquoise Parrot,
Chestnut rumped Hylacola, Diamond Firetails but didn't have time to search too
far.
Seven new ticks for the trip and lots of magic
birding moments.
Cheers
Dick Jenkin
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