queensland

We then moved on to the trail for The Best of All Lookouts, with superb views out to New South Wales and Mount Warning and Mount Cougal. On the way back Hans heard something rustling in the undergrowth and called me to see what he'd found... an Australian Logrunner. As you can tell, really not...

The entrance was lined on both sides with shrubs, and there were feeders and water dishes around so birds were flitting about everywhere. Of course, here was a new Lifer for me this stunning Crimson Rosella, they even spilled out onto the side of the road.

We arrived at what appeared to be an oasis for birds in the middle of the rainforest.... loads of them. This was at Rosellas B&B and tearoom. Difficult to know where to look at times. So I'll start with this Australian Brushturkey who had landed on the top of a water dish. I don't think...

Driving to our next lookout spot, Hans spotted some Red-necked Pademelons on the verge. They disappeared up the bank, but we sat quietly and they soon returned, allowing us to get a few pictures before another vehicle came along. Aren't they gorgeous!!! You know I'd really not known about...

In the same car park but sitting on a branch looking down on the miner was a Grey Butcherbird. Sorry, I didn't get the exposure quite right on this one.

I've got a bit lost as to where this was, we'd left the waterfall carpark and were heading for the Canyon Lookout, en route we called into another car parking area. This Noisy Miner was wandering around the central grassy area.

Another early start the following day. We headed up the road to Springbrook, which is part of Lamington National Park. A long and winding road with hairpin bends, steep drops and warnings of rock falls! We stopped to explore the Purlingbrook Falls trail which is a steep gorge, very dramatic...

I couldn't leave that session without showing another picture of that beautiful kite. He put on such a wonderful show for us and I rather liked this flight pose too. I've asked in the ID forum re the white tail tip. I can't find this feature mentioned anywhere.

That pesky overhead wire, couldn't really do anything about that. This was on the same wire that had held the Kookaburra.

On another of the power lines I spotted this pretty Laughing Kookaburra. He looked a bit too serious to be laughing though, don't you think. I suppose he could be wondering where to find a girlfriend for the coming season!

Back to our whale trip and I found this picture seemed to tell a bit of a story for Saturday Fun, with all the assorted Cormorants lined up appearing to watch a canoe race. Along with a completely disinterested Silver Gull who preferred to have a paddle. There are Pied Cormorant, Little Pied...

.... from a rather extended display flight. So I got a picture of him perched.

I was now back sitting with Hans and Judy having a cuppie... however, Judy seemed to have her eyes everywhere and spotted this Water Dragon in the jumble of rocks forming the weir. He seems to have some breeding colouration I think. What a beauty. Apparently this species has been around for...

This is what I'd crossed the weir to try and get closer to when the flock of Manikins settled in that tree. I didn't realise I'd get quite so close to him though LOL.

I'd wandered along the top of the weir to get a closer view of something which I'll get to later. Suddenly Judy called to me pointing to something across the other side of the water and eventually I realised she was pointing at a tree. There were a large flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins...

Apparently this guy used to be called a Red-backed Sea Eagle (at least according to my book), as it is found around the coast and part of its diet includes fish. He, and another, entertained us for a few minutes, so I'll probably show you another picture (or two) that I'm quite pleased with.

Upstream of the weir there was a huge carpet of leaves on the water, every now and then the current broke some free and they crossed the weir floating away downstream. My Coot today is swimming past some of them.

.... there has to be a Pacific Black Duck of course. Sorry to show you another one, but they are rather attractive ducks I think.

Also way over on the far side was this Osprey sitting on a pylon. This, of course, is the Australian subspecies, though some authorities have split them so they're now called Eastern Osprey. They don't migrate the long distances that our birds do, in fact being mostly resident, as far as I can...

Not far from where the egrets were, was a White Faced Heron, also standing on the rocks. These were on the far bank, I'll maybe have to show you an overall view of the place.

On the opposite bank were two egrets, Great and Little standing together. I don't know how common a sight this is, as I don't see either of these here in Scotland very often.

We really packed a lot into that day, for next we headed inland a bit with Oxenford Weir our next stop. Having parked up the car and had a quick look around I soon spotted a Dusky Moorhen clambering on the rocks that form the dam and weir.

..... and then an urgent summons from Hans who had been wandering around the car park. He found what we'd gone to see ... a Bush Stone-Curlew. OK not a Lifer, as I'd first seen them with Ken a couple of weeks before on Stradbroke Island, but it was lovely to be re-acquainted with them. They...

We were then making our way back towards the city but called in at the Federation Walk Coastal Reserve. We then went for a wander along a trail into the woodland but the birds seemed to be all in hiding due to the midday heat. Back in the car park I spotted this Noisy Friarbird up a tree, so...

After lunch we drove along the promenade, there were a few car parks and a lot of green areas. We stopped at one so I could get this picture of a Masked Lapwing.