Winter shorebird high tide roost counts, Pumicestone Passage, SEQld

[Jill Dening <>]

Hi Everyone,

I thought some of the locals on b-a might be interested in what's in the Pumicestone Passage during the winter, as it's an area inaccessible to most birders. I'm very fortunate to have access to the area through the generosity and cooperation of our local councils. The roost run covers two council areas, and yesterday the boat and waterways officers were from Sunshine Coast Council. We cover 11 roosts on a single tide (the Glass Mountain Ck tree roost is missing below, because there were no birds on it), taking a few hours to cover the lot. This is achievable, with some discipline, because we follow the tide as it rises progressively up the passage from south to The Skids. And because we separate to cover two major areas concurrently (Glass Mountain Creek and Poverty Creek). Barb Dickson was my birding companion.

In winter we get a lot more Black-winged Stilts and other waterbirds (cormorants, spoonbills, ibis) and Gull-billed Terns than we get in summer. I noticed yesterday that a there was a high proportion of juvenile Black-winged Stilts, suggesting a good breeding season inland. Also different is the presence of Black-fronted Plovers, and this only happens in the passage when there is a lot of fresh in the water on the claypans after a long and big wet season.

There was an orange-flagged Caspian Tern, which I shall report through the system.

The wandering, shallow, mangrove-lined channels of the Pumicestone Passage are, to me, one of the most beautiful places on earth. The silence and aloneness is like a drug. Yesterday the weather was superb. There was the lightest of light south-westerly breezes, an almost cloudless sky, and bright, warm sunshine. The beautiful Glasshouse Mountains were reflected in the glassy water. There are several places where one slows to a crawl in order to get through shallow, narrow channels. In these places we were stunned by the feeling of being in the middle of such beauty. Mangrove Honeyeaters and Mangrove Gerygones were everywhere, calling and flying in front of us between mangroves. Scarlet Honeyeaters were calling everywhere in the flowering eucalypts.

On the downside, pigs seem to be rising in number in the passage, where they run wild over large areas of swampy coastal claypans and forests. We have always encountered wild horses, cattle and the odd dingo, but pigs are now more visible and making their mark on the land.

Below is a roost-by-roost count of species seen yesterday.

cheers,

Jill

-- 
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

26° 51' 41"S	152° 56' 00"E

Location_Name	Species_Id	Common_Name	Sum Of Number_Seen	Totals
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	4	Gull-billed Tern	34
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	11	Whimbrel	27
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	24	Masked Lapwing	1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	27	Red-capped Plover	8
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	43	White-faced Heron	5
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	49	Brahminy Kite	1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	58	Sacred Kingfisher	1
BULL Bullock Creekmouth south	65	Black-fronted Plover	10	87
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	36	Australian Pelican	1
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	37	Little Pied Cormorant	3
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	38	Pied Cormorant	9
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	44	Egret spp	1
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	46	Spoonbill spp	10
DOJT Donnybrook Jetty	48	Whistling Kite	1	25
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	24	Masked Lapwing	2
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	27	Red-capped Plover	9
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	43	White-faced Heron	1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	45	Ibis spp	4
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	48	Whistling Kite	1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	49	Brahminy Kite	1
DONN Donnybrook Claypan	51	White-bellied Sea-Eagle	1	19
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	24	Masked Lapwing	3
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	27	Red-capped Plover	19
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	33	Black-winged Stilt	17
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	49	Brahminy Kite	1
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	58	Sacred Kingfisher	2
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	64	Collared Kingfisher	2
GMCK Glass Mtn Ck claypan	65	Black-fronted Plover	2	46
LIPK Lime Pocket	24	Masked Lapwing	6
LIPK Lime Pocket	31	Pied Oystercatcher	2
LIPK Lime Pocket	36	Australian Pelican	1
LIPK Lime Pocket	43	White-faced Heron	2
LIPK Lime Pocket	45	Ibis spp	1
LIPK Lime Pocket	58	Sacred Kingfisher	2	14
MIPT Mission Point	11	Whimbrel	1
MIPT Mission Point	22	Grey-tailed Tattler	93
MIPT Mission Point	31	Pied Oystercatcher	2
MIPT Mission Point	33	Black-winged Stilt	186
MIPT Mission Point	36	Australian Pelican	1
MIPT Mission Point	44	Egret spp	1
MIPT Mission Point	48	Whistling Kite	2	286
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	4	Gull-billed Tern	38
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	11	Whimbrel	37
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	24	Masked Lapwing	9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	33	Black-winged Stilt	9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	38	Pied Cormorant	5
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	43	White-faced Heron	20
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	44	Egret spp	9
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	45	Ibis spp	15
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	47	Black Swan	5
PCMP Poverty Ck behind Mission Point	49	Brahminy Kite	1	148
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	24	Masked Lapwing	1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	31	Pied Oystercatcher	2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	33	Black-winged Stilt	12
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	37	Little Pied Cormorant	2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	38	Pied Cormorant	1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	45	Ibis spp	1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	48	Whistling Kite	2
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	50	Osprey	1
POCK Poverty Creekmouth	51	White-bellied Sea-Eagle	1	23
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	1	Caspian Tern	3
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	3	Crested Tern	1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	4	Gull-billed Tern	73
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	10	Eastern Curlew	16
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	11	Whimbrel	13
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	12	Bar-tailed Godwit	2
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	22	Grey-tailed Tattler	132
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	33	Black-winged Stilt	44
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	36	Australian Pelican	1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	37	Little Pied Cormorant	1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	43	White-faced Heron	1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	44	Egret spp	17
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	46	Spoonbill spp	2
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	48	Whistling Kite	1
TINW Thooloora Is North-West	51	White-bellied Sea-Eagle	1	308
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	1	Caspian Tern	3
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	11	Whimbrel	98
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	22	Grey-tailed Tattler	40
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	33	Black-winged Stilt	193
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	36	Australian Pelican	10
TLSE Thooloora Is South-East	44	Egret spp	2	346

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