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Good afternoon to everyone,
I had cause to be in Mackay last week.....Billy Jnr
(9) was playing Table Tennis so we all went.
150 species in the immediate area and up to
Eungella.
Highlights:
Excellent views of Eungella Honeyeater in eucalytus
forest (E.Citrodora).No photo opportunities.
Apparently there are no good photos inhabitat....so
there's a challenge to visiting birders.
Their call is very loud and musical.It starts a bit
like a Spangled Drongo and ends like a loud Scarlet Honeyeater.Anyone visiting
should catch up with Marj Andrews.She'll direct you well.Right now the
honeyeaters are in more open forest near Crediton State Forest making
viewing easier than when they are resident in the rainforest or flocking in
spring.
In a couple of adjacent trees we had
Yellow-faced,Lewin's,White-naped,White-throated Honeyeaters,Little Friarbirds as
well as Eungella Honeyeaters.
Met up with Jim from Brisbane....a keen birder I
met in Tasmania....can't remember his surname but it was handy using his
cassette recorder for playback!
Other highlights included:
Squatter Pidgeons also at Crediton and
photographed;
Overwintering Pacific Golden Plovers at Illawong
Beach,3 in full breeding colours;
Glossy Ibis,White-eared Monarchs and lots of
Burdekin Ducks at McEwens Beach.
Downsides include the extra amount of lowland
forest cleared for cane since our last trip 5 years ago;
increase in numbers of Red-whiskered Bul-buls and
Common Mynas (not seen last time)
They have had Great-billed Herons in the mangrove
channels in town recently but I missed them.
All the best,
Bill
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