Hi all,
I have just returned from a week spent in Townsville with family from the
21/9/2008-30/9/2008. During my trip I saw an amazing array of species and
added a whole bunch of new 'ticks' to my list.
I stayed in the suburb of North Ward which is a at the foot of Castle Hill
north of Townsville CBD. Species seen within this area include Masked
Lapwing (northern race), Brahminy, Black and Whistling Kite, Bush Stone
Curlew, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Rainbow Bee-eater (nesting) White-gaped,
Brown, Yellow, White-throated and Blue-faced Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird,
both forms of Figbird and intergrades of the two, large numbers of Pheasant
Coucal with males in full breeding mode, Channel Billed Cuckoo, Common Koel,
Great Bowerbird, Spangled Drongo, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Olive-backed
Sunbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, and many other common species.
I took a short visit down to nearby Queens Park botanic garden on the 23rd
and saw many of the previous mentioned species as well as a single
Orange-footed Scrubfowl which was scratching about under some shrubs in the
'Rainforest Walk'. The Scrubfowl was a lifer for me and the only one seen
during the whole trip.
Throughout the week I made repeated visits to Townsville Common, which is a
large area of protected tropical savannah, woodland and wetland. Apparently
during the dry season, this site isn't as productive as it is during the wet
season but I still managed to clock up a few good species here like
Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Brown-backed Honeyeater
which are in large numbers, Rufous Throated Honeyeater (a single pair) and
other more common species.
At the nearby Townsville Cemetery I saw a Red-backed Kingfisher, a pair of
Zebra Finch, many Golden-headed Cisticolas (no Zitting!), Bar-shouldered
Dove and stumbled across a large active Great Bowerbird's Bower which I
quickly distanced myself from after taking a couple of quick photos.
On the 24th I did a walk through Townsville Botanic Gardens 'Palmetum' and
saw a number of species including Magpie Goose, Darter, Great Cormorant,
Blue-winged Kookaburra, Pacific Baza, Brown Goshawk, Brush Turkey and
continued to walk along the bank of the Ross River for as far as I could.
Along the Ross River I saw more Magpie Geese, Jacana, flocks of Masked
Lapwing, White-eared Monarch, Scaly Breasted Lorikeet, Satin Flycatcher and
a small Freshwater Crocodile which appeared out of no where as I was trying
to identify a passing honeyeater.
On the 25th I did a walk around Cape Pallarenda which is at the far
Northern extreme of the Townsville local government area and managed to add
a few more species to my trip and life list including Yellow-spotted and
Dusky Honeyeater as well as little Cuckoo. There were more Bush-stone Curlew
here along with Leaden Flycatcher, Double Barred Finch and a Wedge-tailed
Eagle which circled over the ridge with a lone Brahminy Kite. Cape
Pallarenda is a great little birding spot which is home to many different
species of bird, reptile and mammal. It was originally set aside as a
conservation reserve but the QLD government has recently sold this patch of
land to a developer who is planning to turn it into another suburb. After
some limited local upheaval the developer has since offered the land back to
the state and federal governments at a price, but both governments want
nothing to do with it, despite its ecological significance.
It is not a large reserve but contains some unique habitats like costal
tropical vine scrub. Attached is some information about the park
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/find_a_park_or_forest/cape_palla
renda_conservation_park/ and here is a recent media release on the issue of
its development
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/09/30/16531_news.html .
The next day I went up to Paluma with family where I saw Noisy Pitta, Little
Shrikethrush, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Pale Yellow Robin, a pair of Azure
Kingfisher, Scarlet Honeyeater and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater around little
crystal creek. Further up the range we visited the Paluma dam where I was
able to follow a walking track to see my first Bridled Honeyeaters, Atherton
Scrubwren, Grey-headed Robin, Chowchilla, Spotted Catbird, Tooth-billed
Bowerbird and Golden Bowerbird. Along the road side back toward Paluma
Township I saw a Bowers Shrike-thrush along with many more Grey-headed
Robins and a Brush Turkey.
I was disappointed that I hadn't seen Macleay's Honeyeater and when I
noticed that the famous Paluma Tea House had closed down I thought I would
never see one. The tea house was once regarded as the best a surefire way to
see a Macleay's HE and Riflebirds as they were fed here. Instead of the tea
house we settled for the Paluma Inn, which provided some honeyeaters in its
front garden and to my excitement I found Lewin's & Yellow-spotted HE's,
Eastern Spinebill a male Victoria's Riflebird and finally a Macleay's
Honeyeater which was feeding quietly on some Grevillea blossoms.
Unfortunately saw no Cassowaries throughout the day.
On the 29th I went out to Kelso Reef on a barrier reef diving cruise and
despite the large crowds of people I managed to spot one Wilsons Storm
Petrel, Brown Booby, Black-naped Tern and Common Noddy, I also believe there
were some Black Noddy here but wasn't 100% certain on the ID.
Overall I had a fantastic trip up to the sunny North Queensland coast and
recommend it to anyone who hasn't done so already.
Regards,
Kurtis Lindsay
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