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Hi all,
Just spent 3 days in Townsville primarily for
shopping but managed as much birding as possible with 4 young kids and a wife in
tow.
Stayed at Rowes Bay, close to Townsville
Common. Plenty of garden birds about including White-gaped
and Brown Honeyeaters, Great
Bowerbird, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and
Helmeted Friarbirds quite easily seen.
Townsville Common was good - Varied
Triller, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Bush Stone
Curlew, what looked like a Broad-billed Fly-catcher in
woodland habitat, heaps of Brown-backed Honeyeaters and
Sunbirds, three cuckoos species - Horsefield's
Bronze, Shining Bronze and Fantail
Cuckoo. Wetlands were all dry except for a small pool with not
much in it except Pelicans, Black-fronted
Dotterels and a White-faced Heron. Other days
might reveal different waterbirds though. I got over 40 species at the
Common in about an hour.
Went up to Ingham on Saturday 1/10/04 and there are
heaps of Metallic Starlings nesting in the main street
trees. Pied Imperial Pigeons also flying about street
trees. Went to Tyto Wetlands right in Ingham....worth the short walk
through the wetlands and got Crimson Finches,
Red-necked Stint and Buff-banded Rail - this
was between 2 and 3pm in the afternoon and extremely hot and stiflingly
humid. Probably a really good place for crakes - especially on a dam at
the wetlands, but needed scope, patience and no kids running around. Tyto
wetlands is a great place for the Crimson Finches, there are even signs
directing you to good Crimson Finch habitat - although none were seen in the
particular location, we caught up with them beside the dam.
On the way back to Townsville Saturday evening
popped into Jourama Falls N.P. - worth spending more time there but only spent
20 mins before dark. Got White-naped
Honeyeater, more Brown-backed
Honeyeaters and Sunbirds, and
White-rumped Swiftlets above the forest canopy. Interp
signs state Mahogany Gliders (possums) are apparently found in the camping area
here.
Sunday morning on the way home, went to Oak Valley
Reserve (only about 15 k's out of Townsville - turn off the Flinders
Highway). At the reserve is a big sign all about Black-throated
finches. Thought I saw some, but every finch in sight was a
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin or Double-barred
Finch. Len Ezzy reported over 80 bt-finch there a few weeks ago
according to the Birds Aus NQ newsletter, but we didnt come across them
unfortunately. The best thing I saw was a Fairy Gerygone
(finally!). On the way out of the valley was a Hobby harrassing
peewees. I must admit Thuringowa Council and the local Townsville Bird
Observers Club have done a good job with the b-t finch interp sign.
Quite a few Koels at Townsville
around the suburbs - I now know why I dont miss living on the coast and being
woken at 3 am to "Ko-elle......ko-elle....."
Cheers
Marc Gardner
Julia Creek QLD
P.S. - the closest I've seen a Koel to Julia Creek
is 100k's north - and they can stay up there......or with Bob at Mt
Isa.......
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