--
Colin Reid
So many birds, so little time......
----- Original message -----
From: "Dam Lamb" <>
To: "Bob & Sadhna Cook" <>, "Michael Szwarcbord"
<>, "Sue Marsden"
<>, "Mark & Lan Vaney" <>,
"birding-aus" <>
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 21:15:48 +1000
Subject: Trip report Wongaling Beach, NQ
Had the good fortune to spend 8 days in a wonderful beach-front house at
Wongaling Beach in late August with dear friends from Adelaide having
their first NQ experience. Although not a birding trip I nevertheless
managed to get a fair bit of good quality birding during both excursions
and "rest days".
We stayed at the southern end of Wongaling Beach, just before South
Mission Beach ( 24km E of Tully), with views across to Dunk Island, a
little tidal creek in front, and some remnant lowland rainforest behind.
Had a dawn chorus of Mangrove Gerygone and Black Butcherbird most
mornings, and both Forest and Collared Kingfisher appeared daily in a
coastal causarina, along with a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike. A
Yellow-bellied Sunbird was spotted nest-building in a shrub next door.
Pleased to find a Beach Stone-curlew unconcernedly walking the water's
edge one morning, and also saw a pair when walking the Edmund Kennedy
walk towards Tam O'Shanter Point. A small flock of White-rumped Swiftlet
were seen one day heading out to Dunk Is.Early morning walks in and
around the rainforest patch brought forth a pair of Double-eyed
Fig-parrot, Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Victoria's Riflebird. A Common
Sandpiper put in an appearance on the banks of the creek, and Eastern
Reef Egret were also seen on the beach.The only honeyeater seen was
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, but Leaden Flycatcher, Figbird ,Yellow Oriole
and Varied Triller were regularly and easily seen. A total of 47 species
in the week within a 500m radius of the house.
A trip to Yamcutta Reef and home via Taylor Cay did not produce many
species, but there were 50+ Brown Booby on the cay ,preparing to
breed according to the skipper (he also informed me that the tern
were Black-naped but I couldn't get close enough views-- damn, a
missed tick).
Very lucky with the Cassowary, saw one twice whilst driving towards
Tully, the second time within four metres of the car for an extended
time.
A day trip to Dunk Island, an an energetic walk up to the mountain
lookout, got 24 species, best being Emerald Dove and Metallic Starling.
A day trip to the Atherton Tableland was cram-packed with touristy and
birdy action.We managed to get about 55 species with the highlights for
birders and non-birders alike being 50+ Sarus Crane in a harvested cane
paddock between Atherton and Malanda ( ?the same who use the night
roost at Yungaburra reported recently by Alan Gillanders) ,and the
wonderful Hasties Swamp where we saw a White-bellied Sea-Eagle take a
waterfowl and then rip it to bits.As usual , hundreds of Plumed
Whistling Duck were the centrpiece of a wonderful birding experience.We
got Great Crested Grebe at Lake Barrine , along with Chowchilla .Only
paid a cursory visit to the Cairns Esplanade on the way to the airport
but was rewarded with my only tick of the trip, a Varied Honeyeater (
yes, I know they're easy, but I've managed to miss them on three
previous trips!). Nutmeg Manniken and Black-fronted Dotterel at Cairns
Airport finished a great weeks holiday.
Russ Lamb, Maleny, SEQ
--------------------------------------------
Birding-Aus is now on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
--------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message 'unsubscribe
birding-aus' (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
