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trip - Toowoomba-Grafton

To: "birding-aus" <>
Subject: trip - Toowoomba-Grafton
From: "chris bedwell brumbie" <>
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 06:21:41 +1000
Late September we did a short trip, visiting relatives and friends and a little birding along the way.
We went to Toowoomba, Leyburn, (overnight half way to Kalara), Coolmunda Dam (overnight) Inglewood, Texas, Sundown NP (overnight), Bonshaw, Ashford, Kwiambal NP (2 nights), Inverell, (overnight half way to Glen Innes), Old Grafton Rd (overnight in Mann River Nature Reserve), Grafton, Glenreagh (overnight on road to Woolgoolga), Coffs Harbour & then onto
Nambucca Heads and then straight back up highway.
 
Sundown NP (we were in the conventional vehicle end) only stayed one night here and did a short walk in the afternoon to the rockpool.  Sundown is a lovely under-developed park and I want to return, it was rather hot when we were there.  There are no graded paths here but the one walk we did to the rockpool was well marked (and well trod).  There were only two others camped here even though it was school holidays, maybe dry conditions scared people off.  The walks (about 4) were all follow creek, etc.
 
Kwiambal NP, established in 2000.  was made up from reserves - Ashford Caves, McIntyre Falls, etc.  Lovely spot, been here years ago. Not many walks developed, but we did all of them (about 11km in total) on the one day.  The weather still hot though slightly cooler but more humid (storms gathering)

Old Grafton Rd, lovely drive - follows Mann River where there were heaps of callistemons in bloom, attracting heaps of Noisy Friar Birds, Rainbow Lorikeets and Scarlet Honeyeaters.  Many campsites along here (all being utilised)  Had a good look at a tailed cupid - now its called orange-tipped pea-blue.

my highlights were,
Laidley - Striped honeyeater (first I've seen for a little while)
Leyburn area: sub-adult pallid cuckoo, flock of 200+ masked & white-browed woodswallows, red-winged parrots, musk & little lorikeets, speckled warblers, diamond firetails, inland thornbill.
Coolmunda Dam (near Inglewood). close look at pink-eared ducks feeding. white-winged fairy wren (eclipse), rufous songlark.
Sundown NP - Turquoise Parrot, speckled warbler, weebill building nest, and
just south of Sundown - white-winged triller.
NSW/Qld Border near Mole River - white-backed swallow, rufous songlark
Kwiambal NP - Channel-billed Cuckoo & Dollarbird (first for season),
Turquoise Parrot, white-bellied cuckoo shrike (dark morph), inland thornbill, a few glimpses of a white-browed babbler (frustrating - not at all obliging)
Bald Nob area (east of Glen Innes) - red-browed treecreeper, varied sittella, (nominate race - may have been an immature)
Mann River Nature Reserve (Mitchell township campsite) lovely spot, Azure Kingfisher fishing, brown-headed honeyeaters
Grafton - Cowan Ponds: Jabiru pair, pink-eared ducks, red-kneed dotterels. white-winged triller
Glenreagh-Woolgoolga Rd - superb lyrebird (heard only).
Saw 172 birds in total
 
 
Jan Bedwell
Mapleton, Qld
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