G'day, mates & mate'ettes....
A brief note from sunny Norway, where Redshanks
are common and Arctic Warblers breed.....
We are two keen birders (Bruce Hansen &
myself) who will travel Down Under for the fifth time on August 11th -
28th.
Earlier we have birded the southwest, west,
northwest (yes, we did find the Black Grasswrens by ourselves), southeast
(even saw Fiordland Penguin - [pictures on my page below] & Hudsonian
Godwit here...) and Tasmania last February (O-b Parrots, 40Pardalotes and
seabirds galore from Freycinet & Cape Bruny).
Our aim is to enjoy your magnificent country
whilst seeing as much of your birdlife as possible.
So, arriving in Cairns on August 11th, we will
rent a 4WD (as we did in the Kinberleys) and head for Iron Range
N.P.
On the way there we will try the waterholes near
Windmill Creek for the Golden-shouldered Parrots.
Any updates on their whereabouts will be greatly
appreciated.
Iron Range N.P. will be covered, but one question
pops up; Are there any chanse of overwintering Red-bellied Pittas in mid
August? If so, will they call?
We will stay awhile at Kingfisher Park.
Apparently there are resident birders there, that might be persuaded to go for
a night out spotlighting. As well as help look for the Blue-faced Parrotfinch.
Anyone have any comments on this?
On August 18th we will try Michaelmas Kay for
some seabirds. Any comments on the presence of Black Noddies present, Masked
Booby and Redfooted Boobies roosting?
I have heard of John Young in Ingham who is
a specialist on owls. Does anyone know how to contact him by e-mail or
otherwise - an evening spotlighting with him would be great!
On August 19th we will arrive Eungella for the
endemic honeyeater here. Any views on how to find this species will be great,
we have also heard that Marj Andrews might be a potential contact here. Anyone
know of her e-mail address?
After this, we have a rather longish drive from
Eungella via Mt. Isa to Alice Springs, driving during daytime to avoid
decimating your population of marsupials....
At Mt. Isa we will of course be looking to add to
our Grasswren-list (Black, Thick-billed and White-throated aldready
appreciated & enjoyed). Apparently the Kalkadoon-race of Dusky are being
split Down Under? Not yet so in Clements 2000, but as we are highly into
subspecies as well, this is a key species to find. As is the Carpentarian
Grasswren.
Apparently Bob Forsyth is a local expert, and
again, an e-mail address sure would hit the spot!
Alice Springs and surrounding area are next,
around August 24th to 28th.
It would be splendid to get in touch with local
birders whom are up to date on the honeyeater situation in the
area.
Maybe we can meet?
This is a lot of questions from us far up north,
any help will be greatly appreciated.
We can of course reciprocate concerning Norway
& birding here. We have great birds like King & Steller's Eiders,
breeding Little Stints, Spotted Redshanks, auks galore and suchlike just
waiting for your 25 hour journey up here.
And if anyone (in the future) want to explore
Congo (ex. Zaire), my website below is dedicated to that country.
On the Index-page you can also view a few
pictures "grabbed" from our digital videorecorder. Amongs them Fiordland
Penguin near Melbourne.
Hoping for a positive reply from you Down there
is....
Tommy
Tommy Pedersen
Havreveien 28
N-0680 Oslo, Norway
