Brisbane area Aug/Sep 2010 - RFI (1 Viewer)

Flights booked, so finally returning after 5 years, and intending to be better prepared this time! Also should have a little more free time for birding this time around; only a token half day or so on my previous two visits.

I've been given a "free pass" to stay at O'Reilly's (on my own, for intensive birding) for 3 nights. It's quite pricey and looks a little "dudey" but having read the recent Birding World article and looking at their website, seems to me that by walking more than a few hundred yards I should be able to escape the crowds, and I assume it will be a fairly quiet time of year anyway. However, I have been told in the past (thanks Edward!) that Maiala NP has similar species without the crowds. With limited time, should I consider looking for accommodation near Maiala, or should I take the easy option and plump for O'Reilly's? I know the Maiala area is watched by Tom Tarrant, and there's other sites in the vicinity such as Samsonvale Cemetery and Mount Glorious which I'd like to visit, but they seem to be a little too far from our base for a quick trip.

On our first visit we stayed at Noosa Heads, and my wife would like to go back there for a couple of nights. Cooloola Way (Ground Parrot) and Inskip Point are both nearby, and it would be rude not to consider a visit, but are they "non-birder friendly" sites, or are they so close that an early am pre-wife-waking trip is possible?

The rest of the holiday will be spent cooing over granddaughter #2, but short, morning trips will be possible. These would need to be within easy reach of Morningside (which is south of the river, near Carindale). Pete Woodall's patch at Minnippi Wetlands looks good, but if anyone else has any suggestions I'd be most grateful!

Hi Mark, It's a shame you don't have time to reach NSW. If you're travelling between Brisbane & Sydney it's hard to go past one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia.

I'm trying to network northern NSW for birders & conservation, my website is linked to my signature, below. We're generally cheaper than the Queensland accommodation you're staying at, with all the same birds & more.

Cheers

Maybe next time Simon! We did spend a couple of nights at Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, on our first visit (when we drove from Brisbane to Sydney) but no plans to travel south this visit.

I forgot I had saved this link, which has almost too much detail; does anyone have any practical experience of the Brisbane sites listed that they'd care to share?

http://birdsqueensland.org.au/bird_places.php

Hi Mark,

I've been to O'Reilly's a couple of times and it's very nice there, although it is pricey and a bit touristy. However, as suggested, if you head off on some of the walks away from the guesthouse, you don't usually see too many people. The Python Rock Track was probably best for birds last time I was there (inc. Albert's Lyrebird).

I also was fortunate enough to have a days private guiding with Glen Threlfo, which was excellent (although not cheap) if that's your sort of thing. I also booked into one of their 3hr bird walks and ended up being the only one doing it, so it ended up basically being another 3hrs of private guiding and is loads cheaper - no guarantee that you'll be the only one though

That said, you can probably get almost all of the species at other rainforest areas with cheaper accomodation, so might be worth looking into

Thanks John - I think I'll hold back from booking O'Reilly's for a while to see what alternative suggestions pop up. I must admit I'm happier doing my own thing rather than guided, although the free "orientation" guided walk that seems to be part of a 2+ day stay would probably be worth doing.

MSA said:

Flights booked, so finally returning after 5 years, and intending to be better prepared this time! Also should have a little more free time for birding this time around; only a token half day or so on my previous two visits.

I've been given a "free pass" to stay at O'Reilly's (on my own, for intensive birding) for 3 nights. It's quite pricey and looks a little "dudey" but having read the recent Birding World article and looking at their website, seems to me that by walking more than a few hundred yards I should be able to escape the crowds, and I assume it will be a fairly quiet time of year anyway. However, I have been told in the past (thanks Edward!) that Maiala NP has similar species without the crowds. With limited time, should I consider looking for accommodation near Maiala, or should I take the easy option and plump for O'Reilly's? I know the Maiala area is watched by Tom Tarrant, and there's other sites in the vicinity such as Samsonvale Cemetery and Mount Glorious which I'd like to visit, but they seem to be a little too far from our base for a quick trip.

On our first visit we stayed at Noosa Heads, and my wife would like to go back there for a couple of nights. Cooloola Way (Ground Parrot) and Inskip Point are both nearby, and it would be rude not to consider a visit, but are they "non-birder friendly" sites, or are they so close that an early am pre-wife-waking trip is possible?

The rest of the holiday will be spent cooing over granddaughter #2, but short, morning trips will be possible. These would need to be within easy reach of Morningside (which is south of the river, near Carindale). Pete Woodall's patch at Minnippi Wetlands looks good, but if anyone else has any suggestions I'd be most grateful!

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I thought Maiala was great (didn't see a soul there on two visits) and was thrilled to be looking at my first Logrunners and Satin Bowerbirds only 20 minutes after leaving my brother's house. So yes, Maiala does have many of the species of O'Reilly's but not Albert's Lyrebird and it'd be worth going to O'Reilly's for that alone in my opinion (I'll let Stuart Reeves tell the slightly embarrassing tale of how we finally caught up with the lyrebird - what a pair of dudes we were). As you mentioned you don't have to venture far to escape the crowds at O'Reilly's and it's far more fun to see Regent Bowerbirds in the half-light of the forest than sitting on someone's head in the car park. And if you're really keen there are Rufous Scrub-birds out there somewhere (I'll be back for those one day) Oh what I'd give for a three-day birding pass in SE Queensland!

MSA said:

Thanks John - I think I'll hold back from booking O'Reilly's for a while to see what alternative suggestions pop up. I must admit I'm happier doing my own thing rather than guided, although the free "orientation" guided walk that seems to be part of a 2+ day stay would probably be worth doing.

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Yeah, I was there for a week and didn't have my own transport, so the guiding was a chance to get some farther afield species in the Kerry Valley etc. I wandered around a lot on my own as well

Edward said:

So yes, Maiala does have many of the species of O'Reilly's but not Albert's Lyrebird and it'd be worth going to O'Reilly's for that alone in my opinion.

And if you're really keen there are Rufous Scrub-birds out there somewhere

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Albert's is definitely a pretty special bird, I was stoked to finally see a couple last time I was there. The Rufous Scrub-bird is out along the Border Track in the Antarctic Beech Forest - the nearest habitat was about 6km each way from the guesthouse. Sadly, I only managed to hear it, not see it :-C

The thought of trying to get to grips with the Rufous Scrub-bird really appeals to me! I'll earmark the second full day for that.

A bit of practical advice, please - what clothing should I take for O'Reilly's? Reasonably warm clothing seems sensible, plus a lightweight waterproof coat I presume, but will I need heavy-duty walking boots, or would a stout pair of shoes suffice? Don't want to over-pack.

MSA said:

I know the Maiala area is watched by Tom Tarrant, and there's other sites in the vicinity such as Samsonvale Cemetery and Mount Glorious which I'd like to visit, but they seem to be a little too far from our base for a quick trip.

Click to expand...

Hi Mark, just saw your post, have you seen our Samsonvale site at www.kobble.aviceda.org?

Drop me a line sometime if you need a hand with your plans....

Tom

Hi Mark,

In case this might help:

Eagleby wetlands just south of Brisbane and east of the highway might be worth a look if you have time, depending on what you want to see. Many wetland species possible.

Inskip point is a fairly "nice" spot attracting non-birding holiday makers, so could be good for a non-birding partner to relax while you look for the buttonquail.

The Ground Parrot site at Caloola Way involves a dirt road (but we did it in 2WD), and is a barren flat open heath, maybe not somewhere most non-birders would like to hang out, and it would take time getting there from Noosa Heads. The town near Inskip point (Rainbow Beach?) might be interesting for a non-birder to explore though, while you try and see the Ground Parrots, if you are trying in the day time or evening. If you go before dawn though from Noosa Heads, it might not take too long to get back to Noosa Heads for brekky if you get lucky and see one at first light. They stop calling before it is actually light enough to see very far, and stop calling long before most non-birders would want to be awake. Maybe there's somewhere nice to stay in the town near Inskip point (Rainbow Beach?).

If you can get to Sundown NP, a few hours drive west of Lammington, this is an excellent area for a whole heap of dry country birds, including Turquoise Parrot etc, without having to go way outback.

Here's a link to the page of our trip report for the Brisbane area.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100901&page=10

Thanks Larry! Eagleby looks fine for a quickish trip as we're not too far away from there. Hopefully I'll get chance to give the Ground Parrots a go, but I'll play it by ear once I'm there (don't want to push my luck!). Inskip will certainly get a look-in.

Thanks also to Tom - I'll PM you nearer the time if that's OK. Samsonvale link now in favourites....

Cheers, Mark

In terms of clothing, it was pretty warm last time I was there but that was December so it'd probably be cooler in September. The waterproof coat would be a good idea, although again, may not rain as much in Sept.

A stout pair of shoes would work for most of the tracks close to the guesthouse (e.g. Python Rock trail, Tree-top walk etc.) and probably for the Border Track at least to the first potential scrub-bird area. Some tracks further afield would probably need hiking boots and I used a fairly solid pair of hiking boots when I was there.

MSA said:

The thought of trying to get to grips with the Rufous Scrub-bird really appeals to me! I'll earmark the second full day for that.

A bit of practical advice, please - what clothing should I take for O'Reilly's? Reasonably warm clothing seems sensible, plus a lightweight waterproof coat I presume, but will I need heavy-duty walking boots, or would a stout pair of shoes suffice? Don't want to over-pack.

Click to expand...

Hi Mark

Accomodation at Mt Tambourine is cheaper and not too far from Lamington. Witches Falls in Tambourine NP was also good for Albert's Lyrebird. See my report on a few days around Brisbane at http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=123171

Mark

MSA,

Despite being in the rainforest, winter up on top of the Dividing Range can be surprisingly cool when the clouds move in. So it would be worth keeping some warm clothes with you. Also after a good wet season I'm sure the leeches will be pretty friendly as well, although being winter they may not be too bad.

Just saw this trip-report on Birding-aus from Greg Oakley which might be of use. The original (plus list) can be found on http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/2010-04/index.html

Hi all,

Just back from a brief (3.5 days) but excellent trip to SE Queensland which
incorporated the Rainbow Beach area of the Sunshine Coast, Inskip Point,
down through western Brisbane (Lake Samsonvale, Mount Mee), Binna Burra
(Lamington NP), finishing on the Gold Coast (Coolangatta).

Inskip Point, Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Way
The primary target here was of course Black-breasted Button-quail. Soon
after arriving at Inskip Point, I located 2 birds (male + female). Three
other separate birds were found over the next hour or so. Some nice birding
around here, with Mangrove Honeyeater, Fairy Gerygone, Varied Triller,
Emerald Dove, Olive-backed Oriole, Spangled Drongo, Little Shrike-thrush,
Variegated Fairy-wren and Common Tern all recorded.
I stopped a couple of times on the way back to Rainbow Beach and picked up
Scarlet, White-throated and White-cheeked Honeyeater, Rainbow Bee-eater,
Little and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and Brush Cuckoo among others. Bush
Stone-curlews called at night.

Cooloola Way, Cooloola NP
This is the well-known T&T site. I arrived on dawn and immediately heard 1
Ground Parrot calling (not seen!). After 2 hours of trudging around the
tracks I was consigned to a dip. I did manage to see a couple of Southern
Emu-wren (this would have to be the most northerly point of their range) and
a covey of around 8 Brown Quail.
Most conspicuous birds here were White-cheeked and White-throated
Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird.

Gympie area down to Mt Mee, Lake Samsonvale
I only stopped briefly a few times on the way south, and checked out some
different sites. Birds of interest were Pheasant Coucal, Red-backed
Fairy-wren, Restless Flycatcher (all Mt Mee), Forest Kingfisher,
White-bellied Sea-eagle, Intermediate Egret, Double-barred Finch and others
(all Lake Samsonvale).

Binna Burra, and other sites, Lamington NP
I spent 2 days at Binna Burra Lodge which is an excellent base from which to
explore Lamington NP. I walked many of the tracks, the best being the Border
and Coomera Tracks and managed to pick up pretty much all of the local
specialties.
This is a fabulous birding area - highlights being Albert¹s Lyrebird (much
more secretive and cryptic than I had thought), Rufous Scrub-bird (2 birds
calling, but only very brief glance (after 1.5 hours) at the site, 4km down
Coomera Track), Paradise Riflebird (quite common), Russet-tailed Thrush (2
birds * one heard calling, one seen very well), Logrunner (quite common),
White-headed, Top-knot and Wonga Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wompoo, Superb
and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Grey Goshawk (crippling views from only a few
metres), Green Catbird, Regent Bowerbird, Yellow-throated and Large-billed
Scrubwren, Pale-yellow Robin and many others.

I checked out a few other sites, the best being a T&T site near O¹Reilly¹s
(a 4WD track - Duck Creek Road) in the hope of tracking down Glossy
Black-Cockatoo (no luck).
I did manage to get on to Red-browed Tree-creeper, Pacific Baza, Paradise
Riflebird and Regent Bowerbird here.

Canungra, Nindooinbah Dam (Beaudesert) and Coolangatta
On the way back, I ducked out to a site mentioned recently by Barry Davies *
Nindooinbah Dam, which is a few kms east of Beaudesert. Some nice open
woodland here, with Speckled Warbler, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-throated
Gerygone, Weebill, Leaden Flycatcher, Double-barred Finch, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and Comb-crested Jacana among others.

I managed to flush a Tawny Grassbird near the dam edge and there were also around 10 Wandering Whistling-Duck on the dam.

The drive back through Canungra produced a couple of Pale-headed Rosella and a few more Scaly-breasted Lorikeet.
Of note was a very late Channel-billed Cuckoo perched atop a small tree near the Coolangatta turnoff from the Highway.

Full annotated list is attached (Excel),

Cheers,
Greg Oakley

Great stuff, thanks for all replies to date!

Now a question or two about books, if I may....

I currently have the Slater guide as my main field guide, with Pizzey and Doyle as back-up (mainly for the text), but neither are up to UK "Collins" standard by any stretch. I see that quite a few new guides seem to have come out since my last visit, with Michael Morcombe's apparently the best. Is it worth the upgrade, and if so, should I plump for the full or the compact version?

Edit - just browsing through Tom's link above and saw a 2009 thread saying new Slater is out! Should I replace my 2003 version?

I also saw one one website that the second edition of "The Complete Guide to finding the birds of Australia" (Thomas) was due to go to proof on 1 Nov 2009. Does anyone know if publication is imminent? Probably won't be of much use this time round, but I might try to seek it out whilst I'm over there and leave it with the kids for future visits.

Morcombe's guide is let down by the uneven standard of the plates, some of them are fine, some shocking. Pizzey and Knight all the way for me (although I haven't seen the new Slater).

The new Slater is a great revision, 64 new species, great new plates (especially the seabirds!) and I can get copies for AU$19.95 at our local shopping-centre.
I've made a dodgy copy of the buttonquails in flight pages

Tom

Just ordered the new Slater, £10.06 post-free from The Book Depository Ltd. Having a problem finding Pizzey & Knight from a UK supplier - cheapest £40-odd, but some links seem to go to a different book, so I think I might try to find a copy whilst I'm there (is there a bookshop at O'Reilly's I wonder?).

Feeling a little jammy about the price of our flight - just looked out of curiosity, and it's now more than £300 extra each!!

Hi Mark, the O'Reilly's gift-shop usually has a good selection of books, though I haven't been up there for a while so I can't say if they have Pizzey & Knight. (might be worth waiting till you get here as it usually retails in the city-bookstores for $30-40 |=)|)