Trip Report North Queensland

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Hello birders,

Between 7th and 24th November 2002, Bruce Cox, Bob Way . John Duranti and I travelled from Sydney to North Queensland, as far as Musgrave, and back to try and fill in some of the gaps in our life lists. the expedition was successful, with a bird list for the entire trip of about 275, and multiple lifers all round

Highlights, in no particular order, included:
 

- Perfect views of a Blue-faced Parrot Finch (a single bird amongst a flock of Red-browed Finches) at "the clearing" on Mt. Lewis

- Two juvenile Lesser Sooty Owls seen on a spotlighting walk led by Carole and Andrew, the birding guides at Kingfisher Park

- Brief but excellent views of a Red-necked Crake (in good light!) at Kingfisher Park

- Seeing the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher at the same venue

- The gorgeous plumage of an adult male Superb Fruit-Dove perched low in a tree by the side of the road up Mt. Lewis

- Red Goshawks (a fledgling and an adult female) at the nest near Musgrave

-  A group of about half a dozen Eungella Honeyeaters seen on Diggings Road at Eungella

- Spotlighting a Masked Owl by the roadside at Finch Hatton in the Pioneer Valley

- And finally a real windfall - the Isabelline Wheatear at Mt. Carbine
 

Our thanks to all those, subscibers to birding-aus and others, who were
generous in their assistance to us before the trip and during it.
 
 
 
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