A year birding Oz & NZ (1 Viewer)

[podargus]

09/12/11 – Cairns
An early morning flight from Brisbane meant that I had the majority of the day for birding. After dropping my bag at the hostel I set out towards Centenary Lakes. It immediately felt very different to birding in Brisbane, with species such as White-breasted Woodswallow and Peaceful Dove, which I hadn’t seen many of down south, being common. Some of the familiar species were also notably different e.g. Yellow Figbird and miles Masked Lapwing, while abundant Australian Swiftlets and Pied Imperial Pigeons added to the sense of ‘newness’. White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes had taken over the role of Black-faced as the common Cuckoo-shrike in town (I didn’t see any of the latter until I got up onto the Tablelands).
On reaching Centenary Lakes I had a number of new species in quick succession, including Black Butcherbird, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Helmeted Friarbird and Metallic Starling. On the freshwater lake there was a lone female Green Pygmy-goose being dwarfed by the surrounding Pacific Black Ducks. The diversity of birds was great, and other species included Bush Stone-curlew, Collared and Forest Kingfisher, Nankeen Night Heron, Magpie Goose and Comb-crested Jacana, any of which I would count among the highlights of a day’s birding in Brisbane.
Next I made my way through the Botanical Gardens and to the start of the track up Mount Whitfield. I hadn’t been planning on doing this so soon after I arrived, but as the walking looked pretty easy (it doesn’t really deserve the title of ‘Mount’) I decided to wander up anyway. The heat did make it fairly tiring (and you’ll be made to feel unhealthier by the numerous joggers nipping past you) but I got to the top of the ridge quite quickly.
After walking along the ridge for a while I noticed a movement off to my right, and after peering into the forest for a while I spotted the culprit – a stunning male BUFF-BREASTED PARADISE KINGFISHER! In my opinion these are the most beautiful birds in Oz (sorry Splendid Fairy-wrens.....), and I could not believe that I’d seen my number one target within 4 hours of landing in Cairns. After enjoying this amazing bird for a while I started heading back down, seeing Olive-backed Sunbird, Yellow Honeyeater and more Metallic Starlings on the way.
Back at Centenary Lakes the Green Pygmy-goose and Magpie Geese were still there, but they’d been joined by a pair of Wandering Whistling-ducks and a beautiful Radjah Shelduck, just to complete a ‘who’s who’ of tropical waterfowl.
In the afternoon I headed for the Esplanade. The tides were perfect during my trip, with the incoming water pushing the birds up close to the walkway when the light was at its best for viewing in the late afternoon. On the days that I was staying in Cairns, I really enjoyed my evening walks picking through the many waders and seeing what else would appear (which, on various days, included Australian Pelican, Royal Spoonbill, Collared Kingfisher, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Eastern Reef Egret, and Striated Heron among others).
Anyway, the waders were the main attraction, and species included Red-necked Stint, Curlew, Sharp-tailed and Terek Sandpiper, Red and Great Knot, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Lesser and Greater Sand Plover, Red-capped and Pacific Golden Plover, Greenshank, Grey-tailed Tattler, Whimbrel and Eastern Curlew.
Walking through town, I came across a large Spectacled Flying-fox roost on the corner of one of the streets.

Birds
283. Australian Swiftlet
284. Pied Imperial-pigeon
285. Black Butcherbird
286. Orange-footed Scrubfowl
287. White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
288. Green Pygmy-goose
289. Helmeted Friarbird
290. Metallic Starling
291. Olive-backed Sunbird
292. Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
293. Yellow Honeyeater
294. Wandering Whistling-duck
295. Radjah Shelduck
296. Terek Sandpiper
297. Red-necked Stint
298. Great Knot
299. Curlew Sandpiper
300. Black-tailed Godwit

Mammals
26. Spectacled Flying-fox

 

[podargus]

1. Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
2. the view from Mount Whitfield
3. perfect wader watching conditions at the Esplanade

 

[podargus]

Some common Cairns residents:
1. Olive-backed Sunbird
2. Helmeted Friarbird
3 & 4. Spectacled Flying-fox

 

[podargus]

10/12/11
I woke early and headed to the area of mangroves at the north of the Esplanade, and within an hour I was able to pretty much clean up on the mangrove specialists, with Varied Honeyeater, Large-billed Gerygone, Mangrove Robin and a beautiful pair of Shining Flycatchers being seen. In some nearby trees there was a Yellow Oriole, and some cute little Double-eyed Fig-parrots were checking out some tree holes.
Later in the day I got a bus over to Yorkeys Knob, with a change at the James Cook University campus. This turned out to be a productive stop, as a swirling flock of Pacific Swifts moved through overhead. Yellow Honeyeater and Bush Stone-curlew were also present (Stone-curlews were just about everywhere up north!).
At Yorkeys Knob, the lagoon by the golf course had a Nankeen Night Heron roosting, and a nice Black Bittern flushed from the bank. There were also some Brown-backed Honeyeaters gathering nesting material from the surrounding trees. Wandering back to get my bus a wailing call alerted me to two huge Red-tailed Black-cockatoos flying over. These awesome birds then settled in the top of a tree, raising and folding their crests, before being harried off by some Magpie-larks.
Back in Cairns, another nice evening stroll along the Esplanade gave me views of a Little Bronze-cuckoo in the mangroves at the northern end, as well as the usual waders. There were a number of Rainbow Lorikeets coming in to roost in the trees along the waterfront too.

Birds
301. Varied Honeyeater
302. Large-billed Gerygone
303. Mangrove Robin
304. Yellow Oriole
305. Double-eyed Fig-parrot
306. Shining Flycatcher
307. Pacific Swift
308. Brown-backed Honeyeater
309. Black Bittern
310. Red-tailed Black-cockatoo
311. Little Bronze-cuckoo

 

[podargus]

1 & 2. female and male Double-eyed Fig-parrot
3. male Shining Flycatcher
4. Brown-backed Honeyeater
5. Little Bronze-cuckoo

 

[podargus]

11/12/11
I went for an early morning visit to Centenary Lakes, with the Radjah Shelduck showing well on the saltwater lake. I wandered over to the freshwater lake where the Green Pygmy-goose was resting on a lilypad and I could hear a sharp ‘tack’ call coming from some long grass. I sat down nearby and waited, expecting a Buff-banded Rail to appear, but after a short period a Pale-vented Bush-hen stepped out from the grass, cautiously walked across an open area and then disappeared among some shrubs in a flowerbed. These are generally very secretive birds, so to get such good looks of one was brilliant.
A went for another walk up Mount Whitfield, but this time failed to find any Paradise-kingfishers. However, my first Fairy Gerygones and Graceful Honeyeater were good compensation, and I also had good looks at some Red-legged Pademelons.
I knew that a Broad-billed Sandpiper had been being reported from the Esplanade for the previous few weeks, and that evening I finally managed to pick it out among the usual waders.

Birds
312. Pale-vented Bush-hen
313. Graceful Honeyeater
314. Fairy Gerygone
315. Broad-billed Sandpiper

 

[podargus]

1. Radjah Shelduck
2. Green Pygmy-goose
3. Red-legged Pademelon
4. the Cairns Esplanade experience: great birds and great views (spot the Broad-billed Sandpiper...)

 

[podargus]

12/12/11
Another really good day spent in Cairns. Most of the usual birds were around Centenary Lakes, and the Pale-vented Bush-hen made another appearance, giving excellent views once more. Two Red-tailed Black-cockatoos also went over.
In the afternoon I did some birding away from the Lakes, checking out the small creek which flows in to Saltwater Creek. The creek was fairly quiet, but heading back up to the Lakes I noticed a large bird stood on a mangrove root with its wings spread just beyond the road bridge which cuts over the water. Checking through bins, I was amazed to see that it was a Great-billed Heron! While these do visit the Lakes occasionally this was a bird that was on the ‘no chance' list for the trip, as I thought I’d need to get to the Daintree to have any real hope of finding one. I continued walking carefully towards it until it was just over the creek from me, while it sat unconcerned on its perch – amazing! After some time I left without it having moved to see if I could find any other birders on site. I didn’t, but a pair of Lovely Fairy-wrens in the mangroves along Saltwater Creek topped off the day’s sightings nicely! Walking back, the Great-billed Heron was still sat in the same spot and it had been joined by a Striated Heron, which looked tiny in comparison.

Birds
316. Great-billed Heron
317. Lovely Fairy-wren

 

[podargus]

1-4. Great-billed Heron pulling various weird poses
5. little and large

 

[podargus]

A few more common Cairns birds:
1. Pied Imperial Pigeon
2 & 3. Varied Honeyeater
4. Peaceful Dove

 

[podargus]

13/12/11-16/12/11 - Kuranda
I took a bus up to Kuranda, and after settling in to my camp site I spent most of my time birding the rainforest along Black Mountain Road, with Southern Cassowary being the target for this part of the trip. Despite many hours spent walking through the forest, being bitten by leeches, shredded by various spiny rainforest plants, and drenched by some heavy showers, the closest I came was seeing some very fresh droppings. I did have plenty of really good sightings here, but that final walk out of the rainforest, when I knew that I’d missed out on seeing such an incredible species, was absolutely gutting.

Anyway, the first day in the forest gave me views of Dusky Honeyeater, Pale-yellow Robin, the beautiful Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Barred Cuckoo-shrike and, the highlight, my second bird of paradise – Victoria’s Riflebird. I also saw Australia’s smallest macropod, the Musky Rat-kangaroo, shoot across a path in front of me.
The next day I got my first views of two stunning pigeons, Wompoo Fruit-dove and Superb Fruit-dove, after hearing them calling frequently. A White-eared Monarch feeding at the forest edge was also a good one, and Yellow-spotted and Macleay’s Honeyeaters were additional new species. In the forest I came across an impressive (although small by the species' standards) Scrub Python, and there was a Saw-shelled Turtle swimming in one of the nearby creeks. Back at the campsite I had my first view of a Spotted Catbird, although their wailing calls had been a constant feature of the last couple of days. There were also some tame Red-legged Pademelons which would show up in the evenings to graze on the lawns.
The 15th brought one new species, but it was a really nice one – Chowchilla. Like their relative the Logrunner these birds are real characters and, after the Cassowary, they’d been the second major reason to visit Kuranda as I wasn’t sure whether I’d see them at the other spots I’d be visiting.
On my final day I got up early and headed for Black Mountain Road once again, hearing a chorus of chanting Chowchillas from the forest south of the river as I walked over. A Pied Monarch was my fourth Atherton endemic, and a very attractive one too. Later in the day, I caught my bus back to Cairns and headed back to the hostel for another night.

Birds
318. Dusky Honeyeater
319. Victoria’s Riflebird
320. Pale-yellow Robin
321. Yellow-breasted Boatbill
322. Barred Cuckoo-shrike
323. Spotted Catbird
324. Macleay’s Honeyeater
325. Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
326. Wompoo Fruit-dove
327. White-eared Monarch
328. Superb Fruit-dove
329. Chowchilla
330. Pied Monarch

Mammals
27. Musky Rat-kangaroo

Reptiles & Amphibians
20. Saw-shelled Turtle
21. Scrub Python

 

[podargus]

17/12/11
On this day I was getting a lift up to Yungaburra, where I would be staying for a few days. As I was travelling on a tour bus there were a couple of stops before I got to the town, including one at Lake Barrine which gave me views of singing (if you can call it that) male Tooth-billed Bowerbird and some nice Boyd’s Forest Dragons. There were also a few Eastern Spinebills and Lewin’s Honeyeaters around the car park.
The tour bus dropped me in Yungaburra early afternoon and then continued on elsewhere. I set up my tent then headed for Peterson Creek on the edge of town. The tour guides had said that you would have to wait until dusk to find my target species, but I thought they were probably wrong so set off for a walk along the creek.
Rounding a corner a saw a few bubbles in the water ahead, and seconds later a duck-billed, goose-footed, beaver-tailed Platypus appeared at the surface. It then continued to feed along that small stretch for 20 minutes or so, coming within feet of me at times. It’s difficult to put in to words how weird, and how amazing these animals are, but seeing Platypuses was undoubtedly the most memorably wildlife encounter I’ve had. Once again that was my main target for that part of the trip wrapped up within hours of arriving so I could now relax – why couldn’t Cassowaries be as helpful?
Once the Platypus had moved off upriver I continued down the creek, where a pair of agitated Spangled Drongos kindly alerted me to a roosting Barking Owl. My first Grey Whistler was also nearby along with a Black-faced Monarch and some Pale-yellow Robins.
That evening, yapping Barking Owls were vocal around the town.

Birds
331. Tooth-billed Bowerbird
332. Barking Owl
333. Grey Whistler

Mammals
28. Platypus

Reptiles & Amphibians
22. Boyd’s Forest Dragon

 

[podargus]

1. no introduction needed
2. Barking Owl
3. Peterson Creek - Platypus territory

 

[Jon Turner]

I'll be in Cairns soon so just read this with some interest. Platypus is a target for me too, we'll see!

 

[podargus]

I'll be in Cairns soon so just read this with some interest. Platypus is a target for me too, we'll see!

Good luck Jon - Peterson Creek is highly recommended!

18/12/11 – more mammals
I walked over to the Curtain Fig Tree, a tourist attraction just outside of town. Soon after arriving I picked up another 3 Atherton endemics: Grey-headed Robin, Atherton Scrubwren and Bower’s Shrike-thrush. There were plenty of other birds around too, including Wompoo Fruit-dove, Spotted Catbird, Victoria’s Riflebird, White-throated Treecreeper, Black-faced and Pied Monarch, Brown Gerygone, Rufous Fantail and Eastern Whipbird. However, two more cracking mammals were the highlights of the day.
Firstly, while staring up a tree I noticed what looked like a long piece of black rope waving around. Shortly afterwards, the ‘rope’ moved as a Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo hopped in to view. This was a major bonus, and I was expecting to have to do some spotlighting if I was going to catch up with this species at all. The Kangaroo performed well for a while, and I was able to point it out to a visiting tour group. This favour was suitably repaid when their guide called me over to show me a Green Ringtail Possum curled up on a branch – another species which I did not think I’d be lucky enough to see. After a while it did a bit of shuffling, revealing its face and looking less like a mossy lump on the tree.
Very pleased with the morning’s sightings, I headed down to Lake Tinaroo in the afternoon. There were good numbers of water birds present, including both Plumed and Wandering Whistling-duck. A White-bellied Sea Eagle caused some panic among the birds, and a Swamp Harrier cruised over the far shore. Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Buff-banded Rail and Nankeen Night Heron were also seen. I could pick out some extremely distant Cranes feeding in a ploughed field on the far side, and eventually decided that they must be Sarus Cranes due to the contrastingly pale tertials, although adding them to the list based on that view felt pretty unsatisfactory.....
That evening I went for a walk along Peterson Creek. A Platypus was performing well under the road bridge, even coming out on to the bank at one point to have a quick scratch. At dusk a Nankeen Night Heron appeared further down the path, and an Azure Kingfisher shot up the creek. Spotlighting did not produce any Tree Kangaroos, but a couple of Long-nosed Bandicoots were really nice to see, and there were a number of Coppery Brushtail Possums (the local form of Common Brushtail Possum). I wasn’t so happy to see a number of big Huntsman spiders sat around on the surrounding tree trunks and posts.

Birds
334. Grey-headed Robin
335. Atherton Scrubwren
336. Bower’s Shrike-thrush
337. Sarus Crane

Mammals
29. Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
30. Green Ringtail Possum
31. Long-nosed Bandicoot

 

[podargus]

1. the impressive Curtain Fig Tree on a gloomy day
2. Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo
3 & 4. Green Ringtail Possum

 

[Larry Sweetland]

..and Bush-hen.. grrrr.. the amount of time I spent looking for those pesky things.

Have to disagree with you on the kingfisher vs (western form) Splendid Fairy Wren though

 

[Allen S. Moore]

..and Bush-hen.. grrrr.. the amount of time I spent looking for those pesky things.

Have to disagree with you on the kingfisher vs (western form) Splendid Fairy Wren though

... and I think that the tooth-billed bowerbird is the Australian equivalent of the nightingale - a bit drab colour-wise, but a marvellous song. BTW, I am really enjoying your report - you saw lots of great birds, mammals, etc!

 

[Dom F]

I'll be in Cairns soon so just read this with some interest. Platypus is a target for me too, we'll see!

Jon the platypus is relatively simple. There is a well signed viewing area in Yungaburra about 400m before the turning to the Curtain Fig Tree. If you get there at about 6.15pm up to two individuals are regularly seen before it gets dark
Dom

 

[podargus]

Have to disagree with you on the kingfisher vs (western form) Splendid Fairy Wren though

Ah, I never did get to see the western version, maybe that would sway me

... and I think that the tooth-billed bowerbird is the Australian equivalent of the nightingale - a bit drab colour-wise, but a marvellous song. BTW, I am really enjoying your report - you saw lots of great birds, mammals, etc!

Thanks very much Allen :t: And I'll admit that the range of sounds the Bowerbird can make is quite impressive, but I wouldn't say that they're particularly pleasant - maybe a step up from the Catbirds, but that's not saying much....