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Trip report NQ--Part 4

To: "Mark & Lan Vaney" <>, "birding-aus" <>
Subject: Trip report NQ--Part 4
From: "The Dam Lamb Service Clan" <>
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 15:58:21 +1000
Started on the Atherton Tablelands on 15 Aug. with 170 species on trip list.Have already commented on Hasties Swamp, but were disappointed with Bromfield Swamp ,only a few birds at a distance.A trip to The Crater gave us our first Golden Bowerbird and Atherton Scrubwren.Next day headed north then west,past Nardellos Lagoon (not very accessible) and along Granite Creek Rd. where we got Red-backed Kingfisher.Spent some time at a large water storage area west of Mareeba with variety of waterbirds including Cotton Pgymy Geese and the darkest Brown Falcon we had ever seen. I had convinced myself it was a Black Falcon, everything was clear----until it flew with that slow,unhurried,loping wingbeat.Spent the afternoon at the Mareeba wetlands where new bird number 11 appeared, Black-throated Finch in a party of 10+, along with a northern Brown Treecreeper.Our first juvenile Jabiru following a parent through the lakeside vegetation was a great experience (though not in the Cassowary chick class). An easy day at Lakes Eacham and Barrine gave us 3 moreChowchilla, yet more uncertain shrike-thrush, Bridled Honeyeater and the most Spectaclrd Monarchs of the trip.
            Decided to take the Dunbulla State Forest drive, starting at Lake Tinaroo, not really expecting much.Well, it turned out to be one of our better days, with three new birds in a 30 minute period.Yellow-bellied Boatbill was the first, at Platypus Rock Lookout.We were able to look both up and down at three boatbills beside the rock, getting clear and close views of their amazing bills.A group of Stone Bush-curlews were in the carpark as we drove backto the main road where I spied  what looked like a pied treecreeper on a trunk, doing the treecreeper thing.Second new bird,Pied Monarch ,another which had somehow evaded my research-radar.And to top it off, a clear and unambigous view of the black bill of a Bower's Shrike-thrush.Well satisfied, we slowly continued the drive, stopping at Mobo Creek and being totally enthralled with seeing a Platypus cruising in shallow water right near the bridge, then just floating downstream.Wow, its been 13 years since we'd seen one.An Emerald Dove and Grey Goshawk finished the day at the Cathredal Fig.
          We left Atherton with our tally at 193 and headed to Julatten.Acting on a tip from a birding colleague (thanks John) took the back way to Emerald Creek Falls where, after two attempts, got the bird of the trip and one we'd hankered for since dipping -out on our NT trip 4 years.There in the gallery forest, just above eye-level and only 15 metres away, clutching in its talons the rear end of a White-tailed Rat was a beautiful Rufous Owl.What a sight!! After taking my fill, I carefully left to call Maria and camera.We returned ,got as close as before, and just as the camera was raised, the owl flew back and up to a higher, more distant, perch.(We still got a picture, of a dark blob in the shadows.)Completely satisified, we left and had only gone 3 or so kms when a party of 8 Squatter Pigeons waltzed by the side of the road (this was at noon, on a quite hot day). What luck,what bliss, we'd almost given up on Squatters as well!!.Celebrated with a felafel in Mareeba, got absolutely nothing of interest at Big Mitchell Creek, although pleased with Glossy Ibis and White-bellied Sea Eagle from the roadside at Lake Mitchell.
             ----- to be continued
 
            Russ Lamb, Maleny,SEQ
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