birding-aus

Red-necked Crake etc.

To: Birding Aus <>
Subject: Red-necked Crake etc.
From: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge <>
Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:42:30 +1000
Hi Folks,
Interesting sightings from Phil. No sign of breeding here at Kingfisher
Park B.L. of Red-necked Crakes, we usually see young around
December/Jan. as Phil indicated. Can't compete on Cassowary!

The Noisy Pittas re-appeared in the grounds after an absence of 2½
months, probably due to the extremely dry weather but only calling very
occasionally, other years at this time they are in full breeding mode
and calling day and night.

Our 3-4 Super Fruit-Doves have been calling virtually non-stop (unlike
Phil's silent ones) for the last 2-3 weeks but have only been seen
twice, many have tried to find them but they sit high in the canopy
usually above a dense clump of foliage making viewing from below very
difficult.

(Lesser) Sooty Owls behaving the same with some nights non stop calling
and then silence for a week before they carry on again.

Rainforest calling Cicadabirds are very sporadic with very little
calling and probably only a pair about when normally at this time of
year there are plenty around.

Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher has not reached us yet but they were
seen a few Klms down the road near the Mowbray National Park a few days
ago and also reported around Daintree River last Monday 1st so they must
arrive in the next few days - we hope.

Black-faced Monarch was late arriving this year with only a few birds
calling at the moment, numbers definitely down.

Cheers,
Keith & Lindsay.

   Keith & Lindsay Fisher
   Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge
   RN 6 Mt. Kooyong Road
   Julatten QLD 4871
   Ph : (07) 4094 1263
   Fax : (07) 4094 1466
   Web Site: www.birdwatchers.com.au
   Blog: http://kingfisherparkbirdwatchers.blogspot.com/



Phil & Sue Gregory wrote:
Good news for us here at Cassowary House in Kuranda, Far North
Queensland ( GPS available.....) is that the Red-necked Crakes have at
least one and probably several babies. This is quite early and also
quite surprising as it's been so dry here for some months, the little
bit of rain we got in the week is nowhere near enough yet; the crakes
seem to like the wet season proper and Dec-Jan is a peak for breeding
here, usually with 3 babies and sometimes a double brood.

The male and female Cassowaries are daily visitors, we still wonder if
another breeding attempt might be on the cards, but the male is very
wary of the female so probably not.

Noisy Pitta began calling Oct 11, but is still sporadic, we need more
rain to spark them up.

White-eared and Pied Monarchs are very vocal, ditto Black-faced, but
this year (quite unlike last when they were very noisy) Superb Fruit
Dove is virtually silent .

Cicadabird is singing well, the rain forest whistling form of course,
and this is a call I've never heard in PNG, where the birds vocalize
with a raspy call more like souther Cicadabirds- this whole complex
badly needs unravelling to see how many species are hidden therein.

Lesser Sooty Owl (one species or 3 in the Sooty Owl group? Depends how
you want to interpret the data....) has been calling a bit but has
really ben very quiet for months, just odd vocals from time to time.

Good birding
Phil Gregory
www.cassowary-house.com.au
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