> My first experience - the big twitch! Last minute decision to go it
> alone.....
> Started at the edge of Wivenhoe Dam west of Brisbane, not very far
> west, as I didn't fancy being out in the dry Lockyer at midday and I was
> on storm standby for my job so had to be within relatively easy reach of
> Brisbane!
> I had never actually birded this area before so arrived an hour
> early to find the best place. Found a side road to Billie's Landing and
> decided it was as good as anywhere. Ahhhhh 11.40 - Brown Falcon hanging
> high - slowly slipped out of sight as midday approached.....
> 12.00 and a good start - lots of water birds - Coot, Dusky Moorhen,
> Cattle and Intermediate Egrets, Hardhead, Black duck, Darter, Great
> Crested Grebe and the like. Once cleared those, checked out the bush in
> the immediate vicinity - Willy Wagtail, Red-backed Wren, Swallow and both
> Martins, then, yeah, great - a pair, no three, White-winged Trillers!
> Cisticola indignant; are they White-naped or White-throated Honeyeaters
> (white-throated in the end) - oops flushed a Night heron - excellent!
> Finally exhausted the immediate area so headed along the Brisbane
> Valley Highway to check out a little bit more of the Wivenhoe margins -
> Glossy Ibis in the distance, Whistling Kite over the hills, that is a
> Spoonbill on that mudbank but...... it's asleep so don't know what species
> and too far away to wake!
> Started up the hill towards Mt Glorious stopping anywhere there was
> water - Rufous Fantail, Grey-shrike Thrush, Koel calling (does that
> count?) Rufous Whistler, Myna, Figbirds, Drongo, Red browed Finch. Bits
> 'n' pieces here and there. Near the top - Bellbird colony, noisy buggers.
> I had decided to try the rainforest at Mt Glorious in the hopes of
> Pitta, Logrunner ect. - figuring at this time of day birds would,
> possibly, be more active in cooler forest..... No such luck - probably too
> many people. Golden Whistler the only 'twitch' in the forest - Wompoo
> Fruit Dove calling, but not seen. Moved on at 3.00 to Manorina guessing I
> wouldn't make the whole walk (about 2.5 hrs birding style) picked up Pale
> Yellow Robin, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, White-throated Treecreeper.
> Had arranged to meet my, non-birding, partner for tea at Jolly's
> Lookout and try some spotlighting. ( Driving there nearly ran off the edge
> trying to see a pair of Satin Bowerbirds!) Cooked a couple of small steaks
> on a portable barbeque in the carpark (total fire ban in Qld at present)
> well away from any timber/trees etc. No luck spotlighting but did have a
> GREAT view of a Tawny Frogmouth half way down the hill on the way home &
> the adrenalin pumping experience of chasing a 5ft carpet snake off the
> road so he/she wouldn't become another statistic. Didn't want to leave the
> warm bitumen and was quite agressive is saying so!
> Sunday - slept in, damn, didn't get to Samsonvale lake until 6.00.
> Completely overwhelmed by the birds calling - if it's not a Kookaburra or
> a Whipbird - I have to 'see it to believe it' - which wastes heaps of
> time....(Note to partner - get some of Dave Stewart's bird call CDs for
> Christmas).
> Got Forest Pigeon, Mistletoebird, Whiskered, Caspian and Gull-billed
> Terns, Swamp Harrier in the distance, Brown Goshawk in the Hoop pines.
> Variegated, but no Superb, Fairy Wren, Forest Kingfisher and
> Bar-shouldered Dove. probably missed HEAPS - actually, I'm a little
> embarassed right now! Met another twitch team of 4 who were just heading
> in, THEY got EVERYTHING I'm sure!
> Left the lake and checked a swamp area nearby - Grey Goshawk, Bee
> Eaters and Channel Billed Cuckoos in 5 minutes - excellent.
> Headed for a Fuscous Honeyeater site I had visited before - nothing
> but a Collared Sparrowhawk carrying food for young.... tried a local dump
> for possible Black Kite - nope.
> Headed for Bribie and wader time! (My BEST birds - NOT, but I'll
> give them a go!)
> Not much in Buckley's Hole - buckleys in fact! - no Roseate Terns on
> the sandbank for me. Did get the expected Chestnut Teal, Sharpies, Crested
> and Common Terns, White-breasted Sea Eagle, Little Corella and Eastern
> Curlew. Sadly the migrant waders I had expected to struggle through must
> have left to feed on the receding tide - there was nothing at the new hide
> area either - oh Red-capped Plover on the beach!
> Midday - finished - 111 species, but what I DIDN"T get is more
> interesting!! Starling! Reed Warbler! Brahminy Kite - (how many times
> would one go birding in these areas and NOT see a B Kite?), Sacred &
> Collared Kingfishers! the list goes on.....
> I learned that if there is nothing where one expects something, then
> one should have a back up!! I don't know Bribie very well and, hence, had
> no back up to pick up some of the missing species like Richard's Pipit..
> soooo embarassing. However, I gave it a go, the plan worked in general
> terms and it was an challenging exercise.
> Have to be more species specific next time I think!
> Congrats to the winners - I'd love to see the completed lists if
> that's possible?
>
> Colin Reid
> Brisbane.
>
>
>
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