G'day all,
Earlier in the day I posted this same message with the heading
"Oriental Plovers ..."
Although they were present, I meant to highlight the much rarer (to
Qld) of the Oriental Pratincole
I visited Lake Moondarra's Wide Bay again last
Sunday to check out if the 17 Oriental Pratincoles were still
present
They were, and at the same spot along the 4 km
shoreline of Wide Bay.
Marc Gardner from Julia Creek (258km E of Mount
Isa) took time off from Christmas shopping at the Isa to drive out
& get another lifer.
I did note several individuals on the north
side.
All but a few of the Oriental
Plover had gone. But remaining were the
Sharp-tailed (1000s) &
Marsh Sandpipers (~100), Bar-tailed Godwits
(90) and a single Common Greenshank (The previous week I counted a total of 50 Greenshanks on the
Eastern side of the Lake when looking for a Gallinago
Snipe (Swinhoe's ?) reported by new resident Ian
Fox.
I then visited Stone Axe Creek Bay to the north and
was surprised to see a pair of Brown Falcons resting on the
grasses and likewise a 100m away a Black-shouldered Kite.
Honeyeaters included Grey-fronted,
Grey-headed, Spiny-cheeked, Brown, Rufous-throated.
Strangely the only finches present were a few
Double-bars. No Zebra, Painted, Long-tail, or Pictorella
Mannikin
The almost always present Black-necked
Storks were on duty slowly patrolling the shore-line.
A Curlew Sandpiper was alone
amongst the Sharpies
Regards
Bob Forsyth, Mount Isa, NW
Qld.
Route charts to these locations are available
from the Gazetteer section of
