--- On Tue, 24/3/09, Richard Baxter <> wrote:
From: Richard Baxter <>
Subject: Trip report Torres Strait Feb 2009 Part 2 FINAL
To:
Received: Tuesday, 24 March, 2009, 9:15 AM
Trip report Torres Strait Feb
2009 Part 2 FINAL
Islands visited:
Little Tuesday, Saibai, Dauan & Boigu.
Those on board:
Richard Baxter (Leader/Organiser), Karen Blake, Mike Carter, Jan England,
Dougald Frederick, Andrew Humphreys, Bill & Jack Moorhead,
David Mules and Jen Spry.
24/2/09 -
On the 24th Feb after an eventful couple of days on Saibai we
repositioned to a very wet Boigu and soon had SINGING STARLING (10) near the
community church and a stroll around the airport produced Pied Heron (150),
Caspian Tern(2), White-winged Black Tern(7), Superb Fruit Dove (15), Pied
Imperial Pigeon (20), Rufous-banded H/E(1), Cicadabird(2) and Varied
Triller(2).
Non-birding high
light for today was Pearl Owl Butterfly (Taenaris artemis).
25/2/09 –
We spent the morning exploring the Boigu Wetlands on foot, followed by the
Boigu River by boat adding Striated
Heron (4), Black Bittern (3), Black-tailed Godwit (1), Whimbrel (20), Terek
Sandpiper (3), Grey-tailed Tattler (1), Lesser Sand Plover(100), Little Tern
(35), Rose-crowned Fruit Dove(4), Collared Imperial Pigeon(1), Eclectus
Parrot(1), Brush Cuckoo (1) Large-billed Gerygone(4), Red-headed H/E(2),
Shinning Flycatcher (25),and Barking Owl (2).
Non-birding high
light for today was Green Emperor Dragonfly (Anax gibbosulus)
26/2/09
- We spent the morning on a remote
beach on the western end of Saibai Island.
I’d seen this beach many times before and finally this year managed to
get ashore. We landed between wet
season downpours and spent about 2hrs birding what was very good habitat. We
all got drenched but still managed to
see Little Tern(8), Bar-shouldered Dove(2), Varied H/E (1), Barking Owl (1),
Black Butcherbird(1) and Yellow-bellied Sunbird(20). This is one place I’d
really like to get
back to.
That afternoon
we arrived at Dauan Island in improving weather conditions and after a short
walk came across a flock of Fork-tailed Swifts and amongst them, we all saw a
lone Swiftlet. Several photos were
taken but we are still yet to confirm its ID.
Other species
seen included, Greater Frigatebird, Eclectus Parrot (2) and Black-faced
Monarch.
Our Non-birding
high light was Least Blossom Bat (Macroglossus Minimus) flushed during the
day.
27/2/09 –
Our last afternoon before the trip home was spent on Saibai. We still had
unfinished business on this
island and most of our group were very keen to return. We landed just after
lunch. Bill, Jack and others went straight for
the western end of the township and into the mangrove fringed remnant monsoon
forests in search of the
mystery bird
from five days prior. Four others,
including myself headed in the other direction for better views of the
Flowerpecker.
After less than
an hour waiting, we had great views of a male Papuan Flowerpecker and decided to
head up to the garbage tip to continue birding. At 6pm Jan noticed an unusual
bird
sitting with its back to us on an exposed branch 100m away. We couldn’t
identify it, so began to
walk towards it and as we did it turned revealing an unusual looking cinnamon
breasted largish cuckoo.
It was chased
away by two crows and flew directly across in front of me at eye height
revealing the long down curved ‘sickle’ like bill I had seen on the mystery bird
five days prior. In a straight line
we were only 300m from the previous sighting earlier in the week. It landed on
another bare exposed branch
and after that, David, Dougald and Jan also had looks at Australia’s first
LONG-BILLED CUCKOO. Other species seen that afternoon were Oriental Cuckoo(1),
Metallic Starling(15), Striated Heron(2) and Pheasant Coucal (3).
Non birding high
light today was a 100 White-lipped Tree Frogs in a small wetlands on
Dauan.
We spent the
final day cruising back to Horn Island, where we spent the rest of the afternoon
in the motel pool and around the bar, celebrating a very successful trip.
A very
successful trip with some great birds seen, vindicating the decision to visit
these islands during the height of the wet season. Our total bird count for
the 8 days was
116 species, with many of these being sub-species unique to the northern Torres
Strait, including a few which could be given full species status in years to
come.
Cheers
Richard
Baxter
Birding Tours
Australia
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