Hi All,
Just back from four days in the wet tropics and a few days at the tip of
Cape York QLD. I followed this with 3 weeks in Torres Strait which I'll
report on in a separate posting.
Main target was Buff-breasted Button-Quail, but alas very few birds seem to
be present in the usual haunts this wet season. Despite walking b/n 5 and 10
km a day at various sites between Mt Carbine and Mareeba for four days the
only quail I came up with were Brown Quail. Many thanks to Lloyd Neilson for
all his help with the BBBQ search. Saw lots of other nice birds including
Black-throated Finch, Oriental Cuckoo and Bustard but highlight would have
to be two HOUSE SWIFTS in company with 1000+ Fork-tailed Swifts (many in
tail moult) and 100 White-throated Neddletails about 10 km south of Mt
Malloy on 13/1/02 (sorry for the delay in reporting this).
Also nice to 'touch base' with many of the wet tropic endemics including
good numbers of Blue-faced Parrot Finches on Mt Lewis (at the grassy
clearing).
Other highlight was a single Red-rumped Swallow near the Daintree River
Ferry (also on 13/1/02) that local guide and Hirundina expert Del Richards
helped me track down.
On the 15/1/02 flew up to Horn Island and then caught a water taxi across to
the uninhabited Tuesday Islands were the Pale White-eye (Torres Strait
endemic) was probably the most common bird. Beach Thicknee, Rose Crowned
Fruit Pigeon and Red-headed Honeyeaters were amongst the 17 or so species
recorded in the two hours ashore. Thanks to Jon Wren, Michael Hunter Dave
Stewart and others who provided birding or logistical info that proved
useful in planning this little side trip.
Spent two days in the Lockerbie Scrub near the tip of Cape York (16-17/2/02)
recording half a dozen or so Red-bellied Pittas and many of the other Cape
York endemics that occur this far north. Also fortunate to see a spotted
cuscus in the forest and a dugong from the plane as it came into to land at
Horn.
All the best
Rohan
Rohan Clarke
PhD Candidate
'Conservation Biology of the Black-eared Miner'
Department of Zoology
La Trobe University
Bundoora Vic. 3083
Tel 03 9479 1672
Fax 03 94791551
Email
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