Have seen some interesting birds here in past couple of
days.Started on Thurs.evening driving home, about a kilometer outside town I
spied a rail on the roadside looking anxiously to cross the busy road.Turned
around and found an adult Buff-banded Rail acting as traffic
monitor to another adult and three juveniles.The group finally made it safely to
the other side(this time) but I did notice that a fourth fledgling had met its
maker in the same spot a few days earlier.
We have some eucalypts in full blossom at the moment close to the
house.Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are
regulars and were feeding-up when in flew five Little
Lorikeets. This is my first sighting of LL in the valley in
the 7 years here, and they're certainly not a common bird on the Sunshine Coast
in my experience.They've returned every day since just before dusk.Also
partaking of the nectar were Lewin's, Scarlet and Brown
Honeyeaters,Little Wattlebird whilst a White-throated Gerygone
flicked through the lower branches.
Spooked a Rufous Night-heron at Gardners Falls and saw two
groups of 12 White-throated Needletails over the carpark at
Mary Caincross Park.Once inside the rainforest saw Logrunner,
heard the ever-present Woompoo Pigeon and the
late-summer Rose-crowned Fruitdoves.But the highlight was
finally seeing ,in good light and for a good few minutes a Russet Ground
-Thrush. Now I'd seen Zoothera sps.any number of times in this Park but
had never been able to convince myself they were any different to White's Thrush
I'd seen in my earlier birding days in SA. But this time ,for the first
time, I felt sure enough to claim it.
Was rewarded on the way out by
a sighting of a female Richmond's Birdwing.
Russ
Lamb, Maleny,SEQ
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