My exact same experience Graeme. Knowing that I was a birder, and due to
asthma not able to do the 20min scuba dive everybody else was doing, I was
taken around the cay also by dinghy. Got some close views and photos of
Greater Frigatebird and Brown Booby roosting on a washed-up tree at the
southern end of the cay and a Wandering Tattlers on the rocks on the
seaward side.
As you said, a "must do" for anyone visiting Cairns :-)
Yours in all things "Green"
John Harris
Owner - Wildlife Experiences
0409090955
On Dec 2, 2012 2:40 PM, "Graeme Stevens" <> wrote:
> G'Day John,
> Got exactly the same list as yourself very recently (18th November) but
> couldn't get beyond the 6!
>
> As most will know who have visited recently, access on the Cay is very
> necessarily constrained to a small strip of beach.
> I went out with "Seastar" (no commercial interest declared) and was the
> only birder aboard.
>
> The skipper was extremely obliging however - and interested - and with a
> favourable tide, took me slowly right around the Cay by dinghy. Apart from
> excellent views of nesting Brown Booby, perched Frigates etc etc I may have
> missed the Black-naped Terns had he not been so helpful.
>
> So, for anyone heading out there, and it's probably a "must-do" while in
> Cairns, I would certainly recommend "Seastar" or at least an enquiry
> whether a quiet motor around the Cay can be on the agenda.
>
> BTW - also spent two sessions at the comparatively new Cattana Wetlands -
> great spot and will only get better.
>
> Best
> Graeme Stevens
>
> > Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2012 12:19:11 +1100
> > From:
> > To:
> > CC:
> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Tern! Tern! Tern! (to misquote Pete Seeger)
> >
> > Now that you mention it Allan, I would think that Michaelmas Cay would
> come
> > close... When I visited there in 2000, I recorded Crested, Lesser
> Crested,
> > Sooty, Bridled, Black-naped, and Common Noddy. I believe that Roseate and
> > Black Noddy are also recorded there, may be others as well.
> >
> > By the way, I'm a Victorian :-)
> >
> > Yours in all things "Green"
> >
> > John Harris
> > Owner - Wildlife Experiences
> > 0409090955
> > On Dec 2, 2012 11:47 AM, "Allan Richardson" <>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi again,
> > >
> > > Too true that our recent Arctic Tern is a rare commodity around here
> not
> > > to mention the tropical blow-ins that come through from time to time.
> > >
> > > This highlights the fact that Newcastle is a transit location for a
> number
> > > of species.
> > >
> > > I'm expecting that someone from SE Qld, SW Aus, Cairns, or Broome for
> that
> > > matter, will chime with a tern mix, possibly including Roseate,
> Bridled and
> > > Lesser Crested to make up the numbers of an impressive tern score.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Allan
> > >
> > > On 02/12/2012, at 10:19 AM, Allan Richardson wrote:
> > >
> > > > HI Guys,
> > > >
> > > > There is another tern hotspot and it's in Australia - Newcastle in
> fact
> > > - who'd a thunk it!
> > > >
> > > > Recently we had the privilege of having five tern species before us
> > > (Crested, Common, White-fronted, Little and Arctic) on the rock shelf
> > > behind Newcastle Ocean Baths, while just 20 minutes by road (5 km as
> the
> > > tern flies) at Stockton Sandspit, in the Hunter River estuary, we had a
> > > further 4 species (Caspian, Gull-billed, White-winged Black and
> Whiskered).
> > > A total of nine species easily viewable within an hour or so.
> > > >
> > > > Furthermore, just recently, we also had Sooty Tern on a pelagic trip
> off
> > > Port Stephens a little to the north, but we've also had White Tern
> earlier
> > > in the year and our waters, and the Newcastle rock shelf, is
> occasionally
> > > visited by Common Noddy.
> > > >
> > > > Late October was certainly an exceptional time for us, likely a
> function
> > > of birds moving through. Although, it does highlight the importance of
> east
> > > coast estuarine and rock-shelf habitats as important stopover points
> for
> > > migratory birds in our flyway.
> > > >
> > > > As many others seem to be voicing on our forums, we are finding our
> > > migratory bird habitats here in the Hunter are under increased pressure
> > > from the community at these sites, more often than not from a lack of
> > > information about their importance.
> > > >
> > > > It has been our challenge here to find solutions that will
> accommodate
> > > the birds while including the community, and I'm pleased to say that we
> > > have a tireless group here that are working toward doing just that.
> > > >
> > > > Happy terning,
> > > >
> > > > Allan Richardson
> > > > Morisset NSW
> > > >
> > > > On 02/12/2012, at 9:00 AM, Steve wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> G'day Richard
> > > >>
> > > >> I immediately thought of Port Isabel, Texas where I had a great tern
> > > day a few years ago. I've just checked and I saw only 6 tern species
> > > (Gull-billed, Caspian Royal, Cabot's, Least and Forster's). Other tern
> > > species are to be found there so I reckon it is a good candidate for a
> > > global tern hotspot.
> > > >>
> > > >> I went on a boat with Scarlet Colley (http://www.fin2feather.com/)
> for
> > > a three hour birding trip and we also saw such birds as Great Northern
> > > Loon, Northern Crested Caracara, Long-billed Curlew, Willet, Dunlin,
> > > Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls, Black Skimmer and Mangrove Warbler.
> Lots
> > > of dolphins too.
> > > >>
> > > >> Cheers
> > > >> Steve
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> On 01/12/2012, at 10:30 PM, "Richard Nowotny" <
> > > > wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> A big tern day at the Western Treatment Plant (Werribee, Vic) today
> > > (with
> > > >>> John and Shirley Tongue and family):
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Caspian, Crested, Common, Whiskered, White-winged Black, Little,
> Fairy.
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> [I suspect there aren't too many individual sites around the world
> > > where one
> > > >>> can see 7 tern species in a day.]
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Other good birds today included Great Knot, Pacific Golden Plover,
> > > Lewin's
> > > >>> Rail, Banded Stilt, Banded Lapwing, White-necked Heron and that
> > > remarkable
> > > >>> number of Freckled Duck at Walsh's Lagoon (estimated, on the wing,
> at
> > > well
> > > >>> over 50).
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Richard Nowotny
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Port Melbourne, Victoria
> > > >>>
> > > >>> M: 0438 224 456
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> ===============================
> > > >>>
> > > >>> To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> > > >>> send the message:
> > > >>> unsubscribe
> > > >>> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> > > >>> to:
> > > >>>
> > > >>> http://birding-aus.org
> > > >>> ===============================
> > > >>
> > > >> ===============================
> > > >>
> > > >> To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> > > >> send the message:
> > > >> unsubscribe
> > > >> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> > > >> to:
> > > >>
> > > >> http://birding-aus.org
> > > >> ===============================
> > > >
> > > > ===============================
> > > >
> > > > To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> > > > send the message:
> > > > unsubscribe
> > > > (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> > > > to:
> > > >
> > > > http://birding-aus.org
> > > > ===============================
> > >
> > > ===============================
> > >
> > > To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> > > send the message:
> > > unsubscribe
> > > (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> > > to:
> > >
> > > http://birding-aus.org
> > > ===============================
> > >
> > ===============================
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> > send the message:
> > unsubscribe
> > (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> > to:
> >
> > http://birding-aus.org
> > ===============================
>
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
http://birding-aus.org
===============================
|
