birding-aus

Bribie & environs end-year birding

To: "BirdingAus" <>
Subject: Bribie & environs end-year birding
From: "Russ Lamb" <>
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2010 14:56:10 +1000
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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