Jandowae Region (3 ½ hours west of Brisbane) – Painted, Pied, and Black
Honeyeaters
Beth Symonds and I joined friends in Toowomba (Plaxy Barratt and Peter Kyne) to
go looking for Painted and Black Honeyeaters that were reported in the Jandowae
area (north of Dalby, SE Queensland). Most of the areas we birded are
described online at
http://www.wambo.qld.gov.au/visitors/visitors_birdingtrails.shtml (specifically
the first birding trail -
http://www.wambo.qld.gov.au/visitors/resources/birdtrail_1.pdf). We had an
excellent morning exploring and birding the area with a great array of western
birds that we rarely or never see closer to the SE Queensland coast. All four
areas of bushland that we searched held multiple singing and displaying Painted
Honeyeaters and Black Honeyeaters were probably the commonest honeyeater of the
day. Two records of Pied Honeyeater comprised the most unexpected sightings of
the day but were closely followed by Crimson Chats and Little Button-quails. I
will detail the better birds for each stop below.
Thanks to the group of birders who reported the Painted and Black Honeyeaters
on the Birds Queensland website
(http://birdsqueensland.org.au/cgibin/listsightings.cgi?list=Short). It really
was a delight to watch the display flights of the Painted Honeyeaters and to
listen to their full repertoire of calls and songs at every stop we made.
Cheers Dan, Beth, Pete, and Plaxy
Site 4, Jandowae Trail (see above website)
An unscheduled stop but there was a lot of activity in the roadside trees close
to the small dam. The area held a good selection of honeyeaters including –
Painted (2/3 birds), Black (5/6 birds), Singing, Spiny-cheeked, Brown
honeyeater, and Yellow-throated Miner. Many of which were either nesting,
displaying, or in full song. Other birds noted were Leaden Flycatcher,
Olive-backed Oriole, White-winged Trillers, Apostlebirds, calling Brown Quail
and Red-rumped Parrots.
Site 5, Jandowae Trail (see above website)
This area was alive with bush birds, notably large numbers of White-winged
Trillers which were undoubtedly the most conspicuous bird in the area. Again,
no sooner had we left the car than we heard and then saw Painted Honeyeaters.
There were probably a minimum of three or four birds in the area and the high
display flights were again much in evidence. Black Honeyeaters were apparent by
the dozen with up to 5 birds in one tree. Plaxy and Pete had a single male Pied
Honeyeater 100m along the track from the road.
Site 6, Jandowae Trail (see above website)
We stopped at the crossroads on the Warra-Canaga Creek Road (near Site 6) and
continued the trend of hearing Painted Honeyeaters calling before we had even
stopped the car. These birds (at least one pair), along with commoner Black
Honeyeaters, were feasting on the flowering mistletoe in the roadside brigalow.
We noted our first White-breasted and White-browed Woodswallows of the day here
and saw Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo and Common Bronzewing.
Warra-Canaga Creek Road (700m south of the crossroads near site 6, Jandowae
Trail)
This stop provided the most memorable birding of the day with a large mixed
flock of woodswallows (Masked, White-browed, and Black-faced) feeding in the
weedy, fallow paddocks. Painted Honeyeaters (probably 3 or 4 birds) and Black
Honeyeaters (common) were again present in the roadside brigalow, along with
the ubiquitous White-winged Trillers. A male and a female Pied Honeyeater were
also observed at this site and we all wondered just how much closer to the SE
Queensland coast birders have recorded this species. I guess they may have been
found in the Lockyer Valley (90 minutes east) at some stage. Brown Songlarks
and Rufous Songlarks added to the great array of birdsong in the area (we met
Dave Stewart with some American friends doing their best to record the bird
calls in the windy conditions). Blue Bonnets, Red-winged Parrot, Pallid and
Channel-billed Cuckoos, Diamond, Bar-shouldered, and Peaceful Dove,
White-winged Chough were also present in the area whilst Crimson Chat (a
minimum of 4 or 5 birds) added further unexpected colour to the birding.
Finally we flushed two Little Button-quail from the weed- and grass-filled
paddocks. We did not enter the cultivated fields and had earlier asked
permission from the land owners whom we met whilst birding along the road. They
were happy to chat and were interested in our sightings but of course no one
should stray from the roadside birding without their permission. With the
exception of the button-quail, it is also totally unnecessary to the leave the
road.
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