A year birding Oz & NZ (1 Viewer)

30/09/11
An early morning visit to a park outside of town didn’t yield many birds, but I was very pleased to see my first pair of slightly scruffy looking Blue Bonnets. There was also an Australian Reed Warbler by a small pond, and a Bynoe’s Gecko under a log was a new reptile.
On the walk back to town I met a chap on parole who was desperately trying to get a few 100km east the next day to meet up with his parole officer. He said he could get me a car if I could drive him – tempting but I declined. A shame to miss out on a free return journey, although I’m not exactly sure where he would’ve got that car from.......
Heading back out in to the dunes produced many of the same birds, including more Splendid Fairy-wrens. A Pink-eared Duck had also appeared among the Pacific Black Ducks in the wetland area, and a brief view of a crakey/wadery thing flying across and then dropping into some reeds was, in retrospect, likely to have been an Australian Painted Snipe, but it didn’t cross my mind at the time.
Find of the day came shortly afterwards, when a rustling sound lead me to a Short-beaked Echidna showing just its spiny back as it was half-buried in the sand. I’d really wanted to see one of these but had no idea where I’d be able to find them, so stumbling across one like this was a huge bonus. I thought that it was resting up to avoid the heat of the day, so planned to return and see it emerge later. However, in actual fact it must’ve been out foraging and then rapidly buried itself as I approached, because when I walked past shortly afterwards it had disappeared.
Walking back through town, I noticed a flock of Red-rumped Parrots quietly feeding on a playing field. The park over the river also had many of the same birds, including the flock of Plum-headed Finches and the Little Eagle, but a Brown Treecreeper working its way up a dead tree in the river and a nearby Restless Flycatcher were both new. A male Emu with a group of youngsters also gave me excellent views as he cautiously walked past, while back towards the campsite there were another pair of Blue Bonnets. A large, noisy flock of Galahs going past one of the dunes at dusk was an impressive sight to see.

Birds
192. Blue Bonnet
193. Pink-eared Duck
194. Red-rumped Parrot
195. Brown Treecreeper
196. Restless Flycatcher

Mammals
13. Short-beaked Echidna

Reptiles & Amphibians
13. Bynoe’s Gecko

1. Echidna!
2. Bynoe's Gecko
3. Yellow-throated Miner
4. Apostlebird

1. Red-rumped Parrot
2. Little Eagle
3. Peaceful Dove
4. Little Friarbird

1 & 2. Emu with Emulets
3. Plum-headed Finch
4. Blue Bonnets

01/10/11 – to Bowra
I’d managed to book a taxi to get me from Cunnamulla to Bowra very early in the morning, to maximise the amount of time I’d get there. Along the entrance road I watched some rusty coloured Red Kangaroos bounding across an open plain – you don’t get much more Aussie than that! Once I arrived, I met some of the AWC volunteers who were looking after the site. All of the volunteers, and the visiting birders staying at the site, were very friendly and they went out of their way to help me during my stay. I am particularly grateful to John (one of the volunteers), and Peter (a visiting birder) who drove me around the site on a few occasions. Bowra is very large and, although there is plenty to see around the homestead, I would never have been able to see as much as I did without these guys giving me a lift. I’m sure that if I’d contacted them beforehand someone would’ve been willing to come and collect me from Cunnamulla, and John insisted that he’d give me a lift back in to town early on the 3rd to catch my return coach – what a legend!

Anyway, to start with I set off for a wander around near the homestead, and the number and variety of new birds was almost overwhelming! I immediately saw a couple of Zebra Finches feeding, and later on I came across a flock of cute little Budgerigars - it was nice to see these classic pet shop birds where they’re meant to be. There was an abundance of honeyeaters – mainly Spiny-cheeked but also plenty of Singing Honeyeaters too. I was alerted to family groups of Chestnut-crowned and Grey-crowned Babblers by their scratchy calls, both very smart species. There were good views of a White-necked Heron patrolling one of the bore drains, and I almost walked into an Emu at the same spot. A beautiful male White-winged Fairy-wren among a flock of dull females was another highlight further along the same drain. Other new species in this small area included White-browed Woodswallow, Black-faced Woodswallow, Diamond Dove, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, White-winged Triller, Spotted Bowerbird, Australian Ringneck, Brown Falcon and Hooded Robin. A strange call, sounding like a dripping tap, had been a constant backdrop to the walk and I eventually found the culprits to be Crested Bellbirds.
Later on, John drove me over to the Saw Pit Waterhole and left me to wander back to the homestead from there. Firstly, a Collared Sparrowhawk glided low over the tree tops and a Brown Falcon went over shortly afterwards. Heading back towards the homestead there were a few brightly-coloured Red-capped Robins around, some nice Little Woodswallows, and one Common Bronzewing bombing past. The woodland here was busy with birds, including more Chestnut-rumped Thornbills and a nice flock of Varied Sittellas. In a clearing I flushed a couple of small parrots which turned out to be Bourke’s Parrots. This is a scarce species and they can be very hard to catch up with, so it was great to find some so soon. Some Cockatiels flying over added to the ‘pet shop bird’ list. There were a few Feral Goats around, and some groups of Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
Once I made it back to the homestead I struck lucky again, as a cracking adult Black-breasted Buzzard came low over my head on bouncing wing beats. Seeing these at Bowra is entirely down to chance, so again I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
In the late afternoon I went on a drive with John to see some new areas. Apparently, bird wise, things were quieter than when he’d last visited, and some of the site’s special species, such as Redthroat, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush and Ground Cuckoo-shrike were proving to be tricky this year – I didn’t see any of these species. We did still find plenty of nice species though, and the highlight was a Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo looking good in the evening sun – the nicest Aussie Cockatoo in my opinion! A group of Feral Pigs were spotted during the drive too – the AWC are working on the problem of invasives here.

Birds
197. Zebra Finch
198. Singing Honeyeater
199. Chestnut-crowned Babbler
200. White-browed Woodswallow
201. Bugerigar
202. White-winged Fairy-wren
203. Diamond Dove
204. Black-faced Woodswallow
205. Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
206. White-winged Triller
207. Spotted Bowerbird
208. Grey-crowned Babbler
209. Australian Ringneck
210. Hooded Robin
211. Crested Bellbird
212. Brown Falcon
213. Collared Sparrowhawk
214. Red-capped Robin
215. Common Bronzewing
216. Little Woodswallow
217. Bourke’s Parrot
218. Cockatiel
219. Black-breasted Buzzard
220. Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo

Mammals
14. Red Kangaroo
15. Feral Pig
16. Feral Goat

As the birding was so good I didn't really have much time for photography, but here are some record shots of some of the cool species:
1. Bourke's Parrot
2. Black-breasted Buzzard
3. Red-capped Robin
4. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
5. Crested Bellbird

02/10/11
John came and picked me up early in the morning for another drive around the site. To start with, we had some very good views of more Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos moving around in a wooded area. There were more Splendid Fairy-wrens too, including a male fluffing up his turquoise cheeks in an attempt to impress a female.
Seeing some parrots land in a dead tree, we stopped to find that they were a flock Mulga Parrots. The group included a few beautiful males, and these were my favourite of the 9 new species of parrot & cockatoo seen during the outback trip. Seconds later, a group of 7 Bourke’s Parrots flew up to land in the tree just below – awesome! Other new species on the drive included Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo and Southern Whiteface, plus a Harrier which unfortunately couldn’t be identified in the very brief views we had. While we’d been out, one of the visiting birders had radioed across to say that two Australian Painted Snipe had appeared on the wetland by the homestead. I was really hoping that they’d still be there when we returned, and fortunately once we got back we found the pair crouching in the grass by the lake. The views were excellent, and the female in particular was a very smart bird. These are very erratic in where and when they appear and I didn’t think I’d get the chance to see them while I was in Australia, so this was another stroke of luck! This sighting was towards the start of bit of an Australian Painted Snipe invasion, and after I left the country they appeared at various spots in Brisbane and other coastal areas.

After this I had another wander near the homestead, not seeing any new species but still finding plenty of good stuff including Zebra Finch, Red-winged Parrot, Southern Whiteface, White-winged Chough, White-winged Fairy-wren and Little Woodswallow.
Later on, Peter took me for a drive towards the far boundaries of the site. This was another excellent trip with many nice species, including my first Weebill, and some Masked Woodswallows with a flock of White-browed. Peter also pointed out a few Common Wallaroos among the Eastern Grey and Red Kangaroos. Stopping in a stony patch also yielded another of Bowra’s specialities – a party of Hall’s Babblers. These are really neat little birds, and I would never have seen them if Peter hadn’t taken me out to this part of the site.
Heading back, there were a group of Emus stalking across a field, looking very dinosaur-like.
Returning to the campsite, the pair of Australian Painted Snipe were actively feeding out in the open, and looked very nice in the low afternoon light.
That evening, after a tip off from one of the guests, I went and checked out a Common Green Tree-frog which was living a precarious existence under the rim in the toilet basin. Apparently this is a fairly frequent feature of outback toilets, and the frog was completely hidden until the toilet was flushed at which point it would slip down a couple of inches, do some readjusting and then return to its usual position.

Birds
221. Mulga Parrot
222. Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo
223. Southern Whiteface
224. Australian Painted Snipe
225. Weebill
226. Hall’s Babbler
227. Masked Woodswallow

Mammals
17. Common Wallaroo

Reptiles & Amphibians
14. Common Green Tree-frog

03/10/11
John collected me early to take me into town ready for my return journey. As we headed down the entrance road, a falcon flew out of ‘the Grey Falcon tree’, but unfortunately my luck wasn’t going to extend quite that far – it was a Brown Falcon. I did have one nice final surprise though, with a flock of Brolgas feeding in a field by the turn off to the site. These are large birds, but they were dwarfed by some nearby Emus.

The bus back was packed for the whole journey this time as school students were heading back East for term time. I managed to bag a window seat and was rewarded with a view of a majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle sat in a dead tree to top off an awesome trip!

Birds
228. Brolga
229. Wedge-tailed Eagle

More dodgy record shots:
1. Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
2. Mulga Parrots
3. Budgies!
4. White-necked Heron
5. Brown Treecreeper

1. Australian Painted Snipe
2. Red Kangaroo
3. Emus
4. Brolgas - the 'haystack' in the background is an Emu

Oooh you got me all envious now, as we never made it to Bowra, and Hall's Babbler and Plum-headed Finch were a couple of birds we never saw in Aus. Well done on Bourke's Parrot too, a tricky bird to see for sure :t: B .

Couldn't help but notice that there was no sign of 2 Bowra specialities (the now split) Chestnut-breasted Quail-Thrush and Grey Falcon? Do you know if they're still regular there?

Larry Sweetland said:

Oooh you got me all envious now, as we never made it to Bowra, and Hall's Babbler and Plum-headed Finch were a couple of birds we never saw in Aus. Well done on Bourke's Parrot too, a tricky bird to see for sure :t: B .

Couldn't help but notice that there was no sign of 2 Bowra specialities (the now split) Chestnut-breasted Quail-Thrush and Grey Falcon? Do you know if they're still regular there?

Click to expand...

It's an awesome site, and my visit was apparently during a 'quiet spell'!

Missing the Quail Thrush was mainly down to lack of a vehicle - their favoured patches are a good distance from the homestead and I didn't get to spend much time there.
The Falcons weren't using their nest site while I was there, but they had been seen in the area just before I arrived, not sure about sightings in subsequent years though!

A few contextual shots:
1. looking over Cunnamulla from the dunes
2. sunset over the dunes
3. Bowra

08/10/11
The eucalypts at Sherwood Arboretum were flowering, attracting large numbers of Lorikeets, including my first Little Lorikeets. I may well have been missing these previously, and once I learnt the call I found them in a few other spots. I also had good views of a Collared Sparrowhawk, and there was a large, dead Carpet Python floating in one of the lakes.

09/10/11
Following up reports on the eremaea website (http://www.eremaea.com/) I returned to Kedron Brook Wetlands. I managed to find my two targets, both of which happened to be attractive waders: Red-necked Avocet and Red-kneed Dotterel. Many of the nice birds from the previous visit were present including many of the same species of birds of prey, plus a Grey Goshawk.
Almost as good as the birds, in my opinion, were my first brightly coloured Fiddler Crabs wandering around waving to each other on the mudflats.
I walked further this time and made it to Boondall Wetlands, where a couple of the migrant Dollarbirds had returned.

Birds
230. Little Lorikeet
231. Red-necked Avocet
232. Red-kneed Dotterel
233. Dollarbird

15/10/11 – Moreton Bay
As part of another uni field trip, we were heading out into Moreton Bay to check out some of the marine life. The main purpose of the trip was to do some work on Dugongs, and we had exceptionally good looks as university researchers temporarily captured a couple, took some measurements, and then released them. This was yet another species that I didn’t think I’d see during my time in Australia, so it was awesome to see them up close.
There were a few Pied Cormorants out in the bay, and as we headed back towards land we had great views of a Brahminy Kite drifting overhead. We encountered a pod of dolphins close in to the shore which would almost certainly have been Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, but unfortunately they disappeared before we could get a proper look.

16/10/11
Another visit to Enoggera Reservoir where I did the same circuit as before. A roosting Tawny Frogmouth near the start was nice to see, and other good species included a White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pheasant Coucal and a group of Red-browed Finches.
I also saw four new species for the trip, the highlight being a beautiful Azure Kingfisher fishing on a small pond beside the main lake. Spectacled Monarch and Green Catbird were also good ones, and there were a couple of Great Crested Grebes out on the reservoir.
Once again there were a few Lace Monitors around, and a Green Tree Snake swam across the water towards the beginning of the walk.

Birds
234. Great Crested Grebe
235. Spectacled Monarch
236. Green Catbird
237. Azure Kingfisher

Mammals
18. Dugong

Reptiles & Amphibians
15. Green Tree Snake

1-3. Fiddler Crabs
4. Shining Bronze-cuckoo at Enoggera Reservoir

18/10/11
Another visit to Wynnum, where a Striated Heron and a Collared Kingfisher were being particularly confiding. In addition to the waders seen previously, there were some Red Knot, Pacific Golden Plovers and Grey-tailed Tattlers at the Lytton wader roost.
Heading back past the boardwalk I went off the path to follow up a bird, which turned out to be my first Brush Cuckoo. At the same spot something flushed from the tree above me, and once I tracked it down it proved to be a beautiful adult Nankeen Night Heron. Herons are one of my favourite groups, and this was the one I most wanted to see in Australia but I wasn’t sure where/when I’d be able to find them, so this was a nice surprise.

22/10/11
Still no Koalas at Brisbane Koala Bushlands, but I did see my first Forest Kingfisher. A Square-tailed Kite soaring high overhead was the best in terms of rarity, and Pacific Baza and Channel-billed Cuckoo were also seen.

Birds
238. Red Knot
239. Brush Cuckoo
240. Nankeen Night Heron
241. Forest Kingfisher

1. Striated Heron
2. Collared Kingfisher
3. Nankeen Night Heron
4. Forest Kingfisher record shot

Here are some miscellaneous shots of a few of Brisbane's common species, mainly from UQ Lakes:
1 & 2. male and female Australian Wood Duck
3 & 4. male and female Hardhead
5. Dusky Moorhen

1 & 2. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
3. Australian Magpie
4. Macquarie Turtle
5. Eastern Water Dragon