Finished the year with a full days birding on and around Bribie, in company
with Leo, a visiting Dutch-born birder currently residing in Christchurch,NZ.
(Leo is on his third or fourth trip to Qld, but we still managed to snare 5
lifers for him from our Maleny verandah and walk along Wells Rd on Tuesday,
when planning some local trips).
So we left Maleny at 0630 heading for Toorbul, where the expected high tide
was very, very high, and made even higher by a strong south-easterly pushing
waves up onto the grass. The roost was crowded, with godwits covering almost
all of the grassy area, and some on top of the mound.We only got 15 mins
scoping before a sea-eagle put all the birds up.The only birds to return were
the Pied Oystercatchers, Pelicans and Black-winged Stilts. A number of flocks
of waders (both godwits, sharpies, Great Knots, Curlew Sandpipers,Whimbrel)
flew back and circled the roost but none attempted a landing as the only
above-water surface was now grass.We counted 35 Black-tailed Godwits in one
circling flock, and their calls provoked nostalgia in Leo's Dutch heart (he had
previously worked with the godwits on islands off the north coast of Holland).
Despite recent rains, Bishops Lagoon was bone-dry with only a pair of magpies,
so we set-off for Kakadu Beach roost on Bribie. Managed to add a lone Lesser
Sand Plover to my year list, and had a new year chat with fellow birding-auser
Bob Inglis in the northern hide.
Buckley's Hole was next and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours there
observing the Latham's Snipe (4), Buff-banded Rail(5), Chestnut Teal and a
solitary Marsh Sandpiper. Little Tern were on the sand bar with Crested &
Caspian Terns. (We were to return to Buckley's later in the day to get Spotless
Crake at each end of the hole, but never got the Lewin's Rail seen there a few
days earlier).
After lunch headed over to Godwin Beach on the half-tide and added Eastern
Curlew amongst the many sharpies, White-faced Heron, Little Egret and Striated
Heron(3) feeding on the mud. A walk along the bush track to Sandstone Point
gave great views of Mangrove Honeyeater, Mangrove Gerygone, Rainbow Bee-eaters,
Channel-billed Cuckoo.
Back to Buckley's for the crake and a quick count revealed we were on 96
species. The century loomed large in our thinking as we headed to the road into
the STW . We quickly added Magpie Goose, Forest Kingfisher, Red-browed Finch,
Scarlet Honeyeater and we were there. By the time we left the island we were up
to 104 , with two lifers for Leo and a year bird for me.
A great way to see out the old year.
Russ Lamb, Maleny,SEQ
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