Three month birding Odyssey Asia and Australia (1 Viewer)

Vectis Birder · Apr 30, 2009

Chlidonias said:
there's a backpackers in Kuranda that's cheap as chips and practically deserted most of the time. Its not flash (pretty run-down actually) but I liked it a lot, and the river and forest aren't far away. You can easily see all the species at Cassowary House in the forest at Kuranda (although you'd need to be very lucky to get the cassowary).

Thanks I'll bear that one in mind. I think the sort of folks who usually go to backpackers prefer the bright lights of places such as Melbourne and Sydney etc. Actually after going to bed at 4pm yesterday and not waking up until 5am this morning the picture is a lot rosier.
There were three crazy Irishmen in here yesterday, the first real prats I've encountered on my trip so far, making more noise than a Lansdowne Road rugby crowd and really annoying the receptionist. In fact she was on the verge of chucking them out of the place. Unfortunately they were on the same floor as me, but fortunately on the far side of the building. God help their neighbours!

As I was unable to check in until 2pm yesterday afternoon I did what only a birder can do - I went birding. I only went to the Botanic Gardens which is a 20 minute walk from here, down by the Brisbane River. I wasn’t able to add much to the trip list, unfortunately, only Welcome Swallow (very like Barn Swallow, only without the black band across the chest), and Laughing Kookaburra (sounds like a demented chimpanzee). Got what should be - I hope! - a decent photo of the kookaburra, it posed beautifully on a palm tree frond.
Fitness fanatic count: high!

I am on something like 55 or 58 lifers now. The trip list altogether is around 61 species which is a tad meagre but I am hoping to add much more to it up in Cairns and the north.

When we left Sydney on Wednesday(? Losing track of the days) we went over the famous Harbour Bridge - I didn’t realise this actually carried a main road! - and got a good, if quick view of the Opera House. The Opera House did not look as pristine as it does on telly or on the tourist postcards, more a grubby rice-pudding off white.

Setting off for Cairns later this morning. Forgot to reconfirm bus again, but Greyhound Australia told me the other day it’s only really necessary when you get on at a request stop rather than a main bus station. 29 hours on the road coming up, but with only one night and one and a half days of daylight travel it shouldn’t be as bad as the trip up from Melbourne which took two nights and one day.

Vectis Birder · May 2, 2009

The British screwed up!

Big time.
Instead of sending all the convicts here in 18-whatever, they should have kept them on that windswept, cold, wet, northern archipelago known as Great Britain and moved the rest of the UK population down here. The convicts' descendants had the best end of the deal!

My list had a bit of a boost from the (relative) comfort of a Greyhound Australia coach seat. I added about a dozen (give or take a few) lifers, with a load more that I didn't identify - hard to id stuff at 80kph - ever since the sun rose this morning.
Among them were Black Kites, Brahminy Kites and Nankeen Kestrels at service stations and Black-necked Storks seen at lakes as we whizzed by.

Vectis Birder · May 4, 2009

Very busy couple of days here in Cairns. Went birding round Cairns, including the local Cemetery, Centenary Lakes and the Esplanade yesterday with Tony (Chowchilla) and today we went to Lake Barrine and Picnic Crossing Road (near Yungaburra), courtesy of local birder and guide John, which meant the list grew quite nicely.

Cairns:
Yellow Oriole
Brown Sunbird
Bush Stone-curlew
Rainbow Bee-eater
Figbird
Brush Cuckoo
Fig Parrot
Scrub Fowl
Spangled Drongo
Large-billed Gerygone
Straw-necked Ibis
White-breasted Woodswallow
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Black Butcherbird
Little Kingfisher
Wandering Whistling-duck
Osprey
Intermediate Egret
Dusky Honyeater
Yellow Honeyeater
Magpie Goose
Australian Goshawk
White-rumped Swiftlet
Great White Egret
Black-fronted Dotterel
Red-capped Plover
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Bar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Varied Honeyeater
Masked Lapwing
Red-necked Stint
Royal Spoonbill
Spice Finch (also known as Nutmeg Mannikin)
Metallic Starling (or Shining Starling)
Rainbow Lorikeet

Other animals: Mudskipper; Spectacled Flying Foxes (very pretty)

Lake Barrine and Picnic Crossing Road (birding was a bit quiet today):
White-bellied Sea-eagle
Large-billed Scrub-wren
Brown Gerygone
Lewin's Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Eastern Whipbird (great views, normally hard to see)
Little Shrike-thrush
White-throated Treecreeper
Pied Currawong
Grey-headed Robin
Spectacled Monarch
Pale-yellow Robin
Forest Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Brush Turkey
Pied Monarch
Red-browed Firetail
Leaden Flycatcher
Black Kite
Spotted Harrier

Other animals: Agile Wallaby and Duck-billed Platypus.

Thanks to Tony, I was able to edit and upload some photos yesterday, unfortunately they are too big to put on BF (I was using a Mac, never used one before and could only do some stuff with the pics) but they can be seen here.

Got to go, but Tony, feel free to fill in the blanks.

chowchilla · May 4, 2009

We also had Dusky and Yellow Honeyeaters and Magpie Goose, the first day, plus quite a bit of other stuff you'd seen already (Striated Heron, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Magpie, Peaceful and Spotted Turtle Doves, Cattle Egret, Black and Brahminy Kites, Yellow-bellied Sunbird etc). There was surprisingly little on the Nade mind you...

Yes it was oddly quiet in the forest today. The three of us stood on the road at Lake Eacham and literally saw and heard nothing, not so much as a squeak! So we went off to the next site as a result. Still, it was an oddly cold, windy day after so much settled weather. I don't know if that made a difference.

The platypus at Picnic Crossing Road was brilliant. Ridiculously easy to see, so that was some compensation I reckon.

Thanks for the company Fay, nice to meet you mate!:t:

Vectis Birder · May 4, 2009

chowchilla said:
Thanks for the company Fay, nice to meet you mate!:t:

No, thank you, Tony. Without you I would not have seen nearly as much as I did these last couple of days. I am very grateful! :t:

I was very pleased with the D-B Platypus, I had looked for them when I was here in 1997 but failed to see one, and this one seemed ridiculously easy!

I think I am now on something like 115 lifers for the trip, making my world total around 638 - paltry by a lot of standards but coming along. :t:
I am hoping - maybe over optimistically - to get my life list up to 1000 birds, so I need another 362 species...

Reckon that's doable? Or not.

halftwo · May 4, 2009

Hi VB,

Just caught up with this having got back from a bird-poor Tenerife. Takes me back, and I love the photos.

H

Benjoman · May 5, 2009

Vectis Birder said:
Thanks to Tony, I was able to edit and upload some photos yesterday, unfortunately they are too big to put on BF (I was using a Mac, never used one before and could only do some stuff with the pics) but they can be seen here.

Sounds like a great trip so far, Vectis. Disappointed I only started reading this after you'd been through Melbourne - could have pointed you in the direction of some good spots, and knocked the penguins off your wishlist!

Great shots on Flickr - thought you'd want to know the shot you have labelled as a Crimson Rosella is actually an Eastern Rosella

Cheers

Vectis Birder · May 8, 2009

I went to Cassowary House for three days, which was quite nice and I am now back in Cairns. I havent got any lists to hand, as I'm in a dingy city-centre internet cafe and everything is back at the hostel I'm staying at (Castaways in Sheridan Street - a dear little place, highly recommended). I'm in Cairns for another week before flying to Sydney.

I did manage to - easily - see the Southern Cassowaries, both the male and the much larger female (she's a big bird, standing head high to me, and I am not short) plus Victoria's Riflebird, Helmeted Friarbird, Red-necked Crake, Macleay's Honeyeater, Spotted Catbird (makes a sound like a catfight), and others which I can't remember off the top of my head.
I had two geckos in my room, a little one which lived on the ceiling and a much larger, foot long one, which lived behind the fridge. Unfortunately I didn't see much of the bigger one, he preferred to remain mostly out of sight. I had the misfortune to be visited by a large black huntsman spider the first night, it took me ages to gather the courage to evict it, using large glass. It wasn't a big one, as hunstmen go, but at three inches across, plenty (too) big for me. It was duly turfed out.

Went for a walk down Black Mountain Road (dropped off 3km up the road from Cassowary House) and walked back. Unfortunately the heavens opened and I got both soaking wet, then boiled when the sun came out, and plastered in mud. I saw very little and was not happy when I got back. The sole addition to the list was a Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

I don't know if this is the tail-end of the Wet season or not, but Queensland isn't living up to its Sunshine State tag - it's done nothing but chuck it down for days.

Great shots on Flickr - thought you'd want to know the shot you have labelled as a Crimson Rosella is actually an Eastern Rosella

Oops. I photographed both species, they were adjacent to each other in the same tree, but only one photo was any use which is the one uploaded. I'll nip in and change that I think. Thanks for the correction.

chowchilla · May 8, 2009

Hi Fay,

Glad you enjoyed Cassowary House; and you got the Cassowaries and the Crake! Fantastic stuff!

Yep, it's been very wet this last week. As you stated we're at the tail end of the wet season and Cairns is wet enough - it's even wetter in the hills! You get spells of dry sunny weather at this time of year but can still get quite a bit of rain as you've discovered. Of course the rainforest wouldn't exist without it, so it's the price you pay I guess...

I'm free Sunday and Monday if you want to go birding.

Vectis Birder · May 9, 2009

chowchilla said:
I'm free Sunday and Monday if you want to go birding.

That sounds like a plan.

I'll phone you later, if that's ok. The weather forecast is improving for the next few days.

I'm not feeling too good today, I woke up with severe vertigo - I have an inner ear problem which makes itself known now and again - and so I am going to do a bit of shopping (chemist, plus need some food and a new set of headphones for my iPod) and then sit around reading novels for the rest of the day! It's hammering down so I won't be missing anything. I should then be fine by tomorrow. I've been wearing ear plugs because, although this is a nice reasonably quiet hostel, there's still some noise at night, and I think these have caused the problem.

I have also altered my plans a bit. Instead of flying out of Australia on June 12th I am now leaving on May 26th, basically as it's too expensive! I was hoping to spend longer in Asia but Qantas said that I have to catch a flight out of Thailand within 30 days due to visa restrictions - but I can change it when I get there. As I am planning to go into Malaysia and back anyway, that should solve the 30 day visa problem. Mind you I did have to pay Qantas $164 for a few mouse clicks and an A4 sheet of paper!
I knew Australia had become more expensive since I was last here in 1997, but what I didn't realise was just how expensive. :eek!:

'Crimson' Rosella on Flickr now changed to Eastern Rosella.

chowchilla · May 9, 2009

Hi Fay, I've emailed you about tomorrow. Hopefully the weather'll be kind to us.

I remember Aus being dead cheap back in the 90s, but not now...

Vectis Birder · May 9, 2009

chowchilla said:
Hi Fay, I've emailed you about tomorrow. Hopefully the weather'll be kind to us.

Let's hope so, Tony. Actually I think it is improving, it hasn't rained for at least 20 minutes now!

Seriously, though, the forecast is for an improved outlook from tomorrow. To be honest, while rain is annoying I'm not that bothered by it, because it's hard to get too frustrated in such nice tropical surroundings.

My vertigo feels better, I was willing it to get better because a doctor's appointment would set me back 50 bucks, and that's before any prescriptions are added on. Spent the afternoon lazing around and reading a Clive Cussler (one of my favourite authors) novel which I bought this morning; re. Australia having become expensive, this paperback, whch would cost something like GBP 7.99 at home was a staggering $21.99 (GBP11) in a bookshop here but I really wanted something to read for this afternoon. Mentioning books, being a bit of a collector of field guides, I was sorely tempted by the Simpson & Day and Pizzey & Knight field guides on sale (I'm using Slater, which is an excellent guide, but the illustrations in the others are superb) but decided they'd be too much of an extravagance at $37 and $39 respectively and I'd have to ship them back to the UK, so I resisted. If I can afford to, and other expenses are taken care of, I'll get them off Amazon when I get home. Maybe.

I have booked myself on a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef and Michaelmas Cay on Wednesday, but even if I don't see many birds, I want a squizz at the reef and I always enjoy a nice boat trip. I was concerned about the weather but I was told that, as the GBR is 40km away, it is not usually affected by the same weather affecting Cairns - Cairns is too close to the mountains, hence the rain.
I probably won't see the reef itself because my ear problem precludes any diving although I'll probably be able to do some snorkeling - means more shopping because I forgot my cozzie, it's still in the United Kingdom! Not a lot of use. In any case, a nice day out on a boat is always a good thing.

chowchilla · May 9, 2009

Vectis Birder said:
Let's hope so, Tony. Actually I think it is improving, it hasn't rained for at least 20 minutes now!
Seriously, though, the forecast is for an improved outlook from tomorrow. To be honest, while rain is annoying I'm not that bothered by it, because it's hard to get too frustrated in such nice tropical surroundings.

My vertigo feels better, I was willing it to get better because a doctor's appointment would set me back 50 bucks, and that's before any prescriptions are added on. Spent the afternoon lazing around and reading a Clive Cussler (one of my favourite authors) novel which I bought this morning; re. Australia having become expensive, this paperback, whch would cost something like GBP 7.99 at home was a staggering $21.99 (GBP11) in a bookshop here but I really wanted something to read for this afternoon. Mentioning books, being a bit of a collector of field guides, I was sorely tempted by the Simpson & Day and Pizzey & Knight field guides on sale (I'm using Slater, which is an excellent guide, but the illustrations in the others are superb) but decided they'd be too much of an extravagance at $37 and $39 respectively and I'd have to ship them back to the UK, so I resisted. If I can afford to, and other expenses are taken care of, I'll get them off Amazon when I get home. Maybe.

I have booked myself on a boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef and Michaelmas Cay on Wednesday, but even if I don't see many birds, I want a squizz at the reef and I always enjoy a nice boat trip. I was concerned about the weather but I was told that, as the GBR is 40km away, it is not usually affected by the same weather affecting Cairns - Cairns is too close to the mountains, hence the rain.
I probably won't see the reef itself because my ear problem precludes any diving although I'll probably be able to do some snorkeling - means more shopping because I forgot my cozzie, it's still in the United Kingdom! Not a lot of use. In any case, a nice day out on a boat is always a good thing.

You'll definitely see some reef. It exists in very shallow water and so is clearly visible from the boat. Even at Mich Cay you can swim from the beach and see some amazing fish. As long as the weather's good I think you'll love it.

I need to check the times of the buses to Yorkeys for tomorrow. I'll get back to you on that one.

Pizzey and Knight is very good but expensive, as you say, and heavy. Treat yourself to a copy when you return some day!:t:

Chlidonias · May 9, 2009

Vectis Birder said:
I was hoping to spend longer in Asia but Qantas said that I have to catch a flight out of Thailand within 30 days due to visa restrictions - but I can change it when I get there. As I am planning to go into Malaysia and back anyway, that should solve the 30 day visa problem.

the current visa situation with Thailand is that if you come in by air you get a 30 day visa, if by land (across the border from Malaysia, Cambodia, etc) you get 15 days. Its a new regulation designed to stop the border-runners. Its very annoying because if you're travelling the area you are invariably coming in and/or out of Thailand by land and 15 days isn't much time at all. However, you can still go in and out and receive a new visa each time, although I'm not sure of how many times off the top of my head. You can also apply for an extended visa so long as you do it BEFORE entering Thailand (in other words, apply for it and get the visa put in your passport in Australia)

Vectis Birder · May 10, 2009

chowchilla said:
You'll definitely see some reef. It exists in very shallow water and so is clearly visible from the boat. Even at Mich Cay you can swim from the beach and see some amazing fish. As long as the weather's good I think you'll love it.

I think I'll get myself one of those once-only use underwater cameras in addition to a new cossie! :t:

Vectis Birder · May 10, 2009

Chlidonias said:
the current visa situation with Thailand is that if you come in by air you get a 30 day visa, if by land (across the border from Malaysia, Cambodia, etc) you get 15 days. Its a new regulation designed to stop the border-runners. Its very annoying because if you're travelling the area you are invariably coming in and/or out of Thailand by land and 15 days isn't much time at all. However, you can still go in and out and receive a new visa each time, although I'm not sure of how many times off the top of my head. You can also apply for an extended visa so long as you do it BEFORE entering Thailand (in other words, apply for it and get the visa put in your passport in Australia)

Thanks for the info. I didn't know about the extension. :t:

Vectis Birder · May 10, 2009

This afternoon Tony and myself went to Yorkey's Knob. I don't know who Yorkey was or why this place was named after his knob (no tittering at the back there!) but it is a 20 minute bus ride from Cairns and is a good little birding spot, especially by the golf course, where there is a lagoon holding plenty of waterfowl. As usual with golf courses there are plenty of people 'ruining a good walk' and there is the outside chance of an errant golf ball coming your way but it's relatively safe.

Thanks to Tony I added four new species to my list:

Green Pygmy Goose
Rajah Shelduck
Mistletoebird
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

With these four additions that makes 137 lifers on this trip so far.
The Mistletoe bird was a right little sod - we could hear them, but they were very difficult to see but we eventually tracked down a male and female over by the football pitch and I managed to get some good (I hope) shots of the very pretty male bird, all decked out in black, white and red.

Other birds were
Yellow-bellied (Olive-backed) Sunbird
Spice Finch
White-breasted Woodswallow
Little Black Cormorant
Rainbow Bee-eater
Brown Honeyeater*
Dusky Honeyeater
Australian Darter
Intermediate Egret
Little Pied Cormorant
Forest Kingfisher
Figbird
Double-eyed Figparrot
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Pacific Black Duck
Australian Grebe
Laughing Kookaburra
Spangled Drongo

*I posted something I think I must have inadvertently invented the other day - 'Brown' Sunbird. What I meant was either Brown Honeyeater or Yellow-bellied Sunbird.

chowchilla · May 10, 2009

I was hoping to get Fay Crimson Finch here but no joy... They're a bit hit n miss. But it is a nice spot; the Shelduck are a good bird for Cairns; the weather was heavily overcast and cool (for me anyway) making for pleasant birding conditions but a bit lousy for photography. Nevertheless, the male Mistletoe Bird, normally very restless, sat very obligingly to have its pic taken as did one of the Forest Kingfishers and the Bee Eaters amongst other things.

John Malloy · May 10, 2009

jacana said:
They are (not so) little beauties! I had one at KNC. QUOTE]

Re: Red-crowned barbet - Me too - last week! Pic on my blog...

Vectis Birder · May 11, 2009

We're going to the Esplanade this afternoon, hoping to get a few species I've not yet got. It's raining at the moment but I'm hoping it'll clear later - can't take photos in the rain!

Three month birding Odyssey Asia and Australia (1 Viewer)

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