29/09/11
When I’d arrived it had been dark, but on waking I found that the campsite was situated on the edge of town, right next to an area of large sand dunes which I set out to explore. Around the campsite there were a number of Yellow-throated Miners, and a party of Apostlebirds were working their way through the area constantly chatting to each other. Apostlebirds are real characters, and they’re very entertaining to watch.
Out in the dunes, I came across a Swamp Wallaby, and then a group of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. I was very pleased to get my first proper look at some Kangaroos, and there were a fair few in the area including some big males. Getting to the top of one of the dunes a stunning male Red-winged Parrot flew past, and a flock of small birds moving through a tree contained both Yellow and Inland Thornbills. I also came across an awesome Shingleback basking nearby, looking like a pinecone with legs. This is an inland species in the east of the country, so it was a nice one to catch up with.
Further on I came across a fenced off wetland area. Judging by the number of cartridges around it was used for shooting, but the habitat looked good and there were a number of birds present, including a group of Glossy Ibises and one lone Yellow-billed Spoonbill. A few Snake-necked Turtles could be seen basking.
A few moments later, my heart stopped as I spotted a pale grey raptor gliding in overhead. Bowra is one of the most reliable locations for one of Australia’s most elusive birds – the Grey Falcon, and these dunes were only a short distance away as the Falcon flies. However, I was slightly confused when upon checking through bins I found that the bird was quite obviously a Grey Goshawk (e.g. classic Accipiter shape, unmarked face, plain grey breast fading to white belly, unmarked pale underwings etc.). Going by the distribution maps in the guide books this would appear to be a fair way out of their normal range, and that was probably one of the very few situations where Grey Falcon would actually have been the more likely option!
After this, I had to head in to town briefly to sort out a few things for the rest of the trip. On the banks of the Warrego River a Rufous Songlark flushed from some long grass, and there were some White-plumed Honeyeaters moving through the trees. Australian Raven had taken over as the common corvid, and there were a number of Fairy Martins collecting mud for nest building.
Back in the dunes for the afternoon, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater was a new species and shortly afterwards I came across my number one target for the trip. Heading up a slope I noticed a group of Fairy-wrens moving through the undergrowth. I’d had a few false starts as Variegated Fairy-wrens were frequent in the scrubby vegetation, but these were the real deal – Splendid Fairy-wrens, confirmed when a stunning adult male hopped in to view. These were one of the main reasons for making this trip – I’d noticed that the male Fairy-wrens in Brisbane had been looking good at the minute, so tracking down the most beautiful Fairy-wren of the lot at its best seemed like an unmissable opportunity. The colour of these is incredible, and they have to be one of the nicest birds on the planet. A Feral Cat which bolted from some dense scrub wasn’t quite such a welcome sight.
In the late afternoon I headed over the Warrego River to check out an area of wooded grassland. Whiskered Terns were feeding over the river itself, and a Little Eagle gave excellent views as it soared overhead, carefully scanning the area. Some beautiful Plum-headed Finches and a nice Red-backed Kingfisher were both great additions to the 'inland species' list. Peaceful Dove and Jacky Winter were also new species, and there was a distant Emu feeding in the grassland.
After dark at the campsite there were swarms of one particular moth species fluttering around the lights, and at one point a Tawny Frogmouth flew down to snatch one up.
Birds
175. Yellow-throated Miner
176. Red-winged Parrot
177. Yellow Thornbill
178. Inland Thornbill
179. Glossy Ibis
180. Yellow-billed Spoonbill
181. Grey Goshawk
182. White-plumed Honeyeater
183. Rufous Songlark
184. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
185. Splendid Fairy-wren
186. Whiskered Tern
187. Little Eagle
188. Plum-headed Finch
189. Jacky Winter
190. Peaceful Dove
191. Red-backed Kingfisher
Mammals
11. Eastern Grey Kangaroo
12. Feral Cat
Reptiles & Amphibians
11. Shingleback
12. Snake-necked Turtle