Great-billed, didn't see it anyhow.
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Australia, New Worlds. (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter Jos Stratford
- Start date
Great-billed, didn't see it anyhow.
Another nice report
Excellent report, jealous of those tree kangaroos.
I can confirm we saw Cassowary every day at Phil's place a couple of years ago.
Rub it in, eh
Excellent report, jealous of those tree kangaroos.
I can confirm we saw Cassowary every day at Phil's place a couple of years ago.
Got a bit tied up with other stuff, so now back to finish this report off.
Cairns. 1 August.
After missing out on Cairns at the beginning of the trip due to my unscheduled stop in Japan, this was a segment of the trip that I was looking forward to - the legendary Esplanade, the botanical gardens and Centenary Park and the famous roost of flying foxes in the city centre.
And so it was, dawn at the northern end of the Esplanade, no sign of Mangrove Robin, Mangrove Honeyeater or Mangrove Gerygone in the mangroves, but two quite resplendent Beach Stone Curlews strutting the mudflats just adjacent, a treat against the rising sun. Also one Collared Kingfisher at the mangroves edge and several Sacred Kingfishers out on the mudflats.
Running almost 2 km north to south, the Esplanade is Cairn’s crowning glory, waterside parks and lawns rich in birds, bordered by superb mudflats that hold amazing numbers of Palaearctic waders at peak times of year. Early August is not peak time of year, a mere fraction of the waders having already returned from their breeding grounds, but excellent it still was - with the rising tide, no less than fifteen species of waders edging ever closer, nice views indeed. Among more familiar species, Australian Pied Oystercatchers, White-headed Stilts, Eastern Curlews, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Terek Sandpipers and Grey-tailed Tattlers, also a bunch of Gull-billed Terns, plentiful Silver Gulls and quite a few Australian Pelicans. Also plenty on the Esplanade itself - all oblivious to passers by, Peaceful Doves, Willie Wagtails and Magpie-Larks two a penny, plus a flock of 18 Nutmeg Mannikins. Wonderful birding in a most civilised setting!
Eventually, as I now watched from the very southern end of the Esplanade and the tide had pushed everything up to within easy viewing, I realised that I was not going see any additional species. Decided I still had time to catch the remainder of the tide at another nearby coastal locality, Machan Beach. And what a good decision this was - while the number of species was not high, those present were almost completely different - huddled around a small sand spit, no less than 80 Red-necked Stints, nicely complemented by 20 very nice Red-capped Plovers, a single Lesser Sand Plover thrown in for good measure. Just offshore, a small roost contained a mix of Caspian and Crested Terns, a few Whimbrel too.
By now the tide was turning, the sun very pleasantly warm too. Not the best time of day to do so, decided them to explore the botanical gardens ...and predictably saw very little, a coffee at the coffee shop just about the best sighting, though a few stunning Ulysses Butterflies also vied for top stop. By contrast, nearby Centenary Park was super - nothing amazingly rare, but three Bush Stone-Curlews, two Radjah Shelduck, a number of Magpie Geese and a roosting Royal Spoonbill among mixed Straw-necked and White Ibises. Also Australian Brush-turkeys, Orange-footed Scrubfowls and Black Butcherbirds, as well as abundant Magpie-Larks, Willie Wagtails and Common Mynas.
For the finale of the day, and very much the piece de la resistance, I headed to downtown Cairns, to the city library to be exact. And here, adjacent to a busy intersection with buses trundling by, a sight to behold - a line of trees chock-a-block with flying foxes, a mega 40,000 Spectacled Flying Foxes to be exact! A gentle pong and not not negligible noise as the bats chattered and squabbled, these big beasties were pretty amazing, wingspans of 1 metre and creamy rings surrounding beady faces. Stayed till dusk for the traditional fly-out, the massive bats heading out into neighbouring suburbs and forest to feed. As dusk fell, so they began to depart, great waves of them leaving as it grew ever darker ...a wonderful end to the day.
Cairns. 1 August.
After missing out on Cairns at the beginning of the trip due to my unscheduled stop in Japan, this was a segment of the trip that I was looking forward to - the legendary Esplanade, the botanical gardens and Centenary Park and the famous roost of flying foxes in the city centre.
And so it was, dawn at the northern end of the Esplanade, no sign of Mangrove Robin, Mangrove Honeyeater or Mangrove Gerygone in the mangroves, but two quite resplendent Beach Stone Curlews strutting the mudflats just adjacent, a treat against the rising sun. Also one Collared Kingfisher at the mangroves edge and several Sacred Kingfishers out on the mudflats.
Running almost 2 km north to south, the Esplanade is Cairn’s crowning glory, waterside parks and lawns rich in birds, bordered by superb mudflats that hold amazing numbers of Palaearctic waders at peak times of year. Early August is not peak time of year, a mere fraction of the waders having already returned from their breeding grounds, but excellent it still was - with the rising tide, no less than fifteen species of waders edging ever closer, nice views indeed. Among more familiar species, Australian Pied Oystercatchers, White-headed Stilts, Eastern Curlews, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Terek Sandpipers and Grey-tailed Tattlers, also a bunch of Gull-billed Terns, plentiful Silver Gulls and quite a few Australian Pelicans. Also plenty on the Esplanade itself - all oblivious to passers by, Peaceful Doves, Willie Wagtails and Magpie-Larks two a penny, plus a flock of 18 Nutmeg Mannikins. Wonderful birding in a most civilised setting!
Eventually, as I now watched from the very southern end of the Esplanade and the tide had pushed everything up to within easy viewing, I realised that I was not going see any additional species. Decided I still had time to catch the remainder of the tide at another nearby coastal locality, Machan Beach. And what a good decision this was - while the number of species was not high, those present were almost completely different - huddled around a small sand spit, no less than 80 Red-necked Stints, nicely complemented by 20 very nice Red-capped Plovers, a single Lesser Sand Plover thrown in for good measure. Just offshore, a small roost contained a mix of Caspian and Crested Terns, a few Whimbrel too.
By now the tide was turning, the sun very pleasantly warm too. Not the best time of day to do so, decided them to explore the botanical gardens ...and predictably saw very little, a coffee at the coffee shop just about the best sighting, though a few stunning Ulysses Butterflies also vied for top stop. By contrast, nearby Centenary Park was super - nothing amazingly rare, but three Bush Stone-Curlews, two Radjah Shelduck, a number of Magpie Geese and a roosting Royal Spoonbill among mixed Straw-necked and White Ibises. Also Australian Brush-turkeys, Orange-footed Scrubfowls and Black Butcherbirds, as well as abundant Magpie-Larks, Willie Wagtails and Common Mynas.
For the finale of the day, and very much the piece de la resistance, I headed to downtown Cairns, to the city library to be exact. And here, adjacent to a busy intersection with buses trundling by, a sight to behold - a line of trees chock-a-block with flying foxes, a mega 40,000 Spectacled Flying Foxes to be exact! A gentle pong and not not negligible noise as the bats chattered and squabbled, these big beasties were pretty amazing, wingspans of 1 metre and creamy rings surrounding beady faces. Stayed till dusk for the traditional fly-out, the massive bats heading out into neighbouring suburbs and forest to feed. As dusk fell, so they began to depart, great waves of them leaving as it grew ever darker ...a wonderful end to the day.
Kuranda & Cairns. 2 August.
Return to Kuranda, essentially a final attempt to find a Chowchilla - a species I had managed to miss at all forest sites visited so far. To cut the long story short, I yet again failed to locate this species bird. Nor did I encounter Southern Cassowary again, despite wandering the area that my companion had spotted one at the beginning of the trip. What I did see however was a rather nice female Victoria's Riflebird, two Double-eyed Fig Parrots, a very smart Pied Monarch and the usual Silvereyes et al.
After a few hours here, I then nipped back to Cairns to again catch the rising tide on the Esplanade - again excellent, I managed both Mangrove Robin and Eastern Koel in the mangroves, then a number of new birds on the mudflats, including two Eastern Reef Herons, a Greater Sand Plover, a couple of Great Knots and, my only ones of the trip, singles of Common Tern and Little Tern. Highlight of the day though, a result of checking the thick mango trees that line the promenade, was the very welcome discovery of a roost of Nankeen Night Herons. In their subtle hues, these were superb birds indeed, no less than 14 in the single tree.
Also welcome, vying for attention with hordes of Rainbow Lorikeets, a flock of about 30 Metallic Starlings gorging themselves on small berries - abundant during the Australian summer, but then retreating up to Papua New Guinea, I had not seen any to this point, possibly these being newly arrived. Other bits and bobs seen included a Grey Goshawk and a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, plus a couple of Bush Stone-Curlews and two Laughing Kookaburras in a small park during a failed attempt to find a roosting Rufous Owl (found the tree, just no bird).
And then, after a bit of shopping to get a new spotlight, I concluded the day with another visit to Centenary Park. Plenty of good birds again, one notable addition being a most stately Black-necked Stork. I then returned the rental car ...wouldn't need it for the next day - a day I hoped would be another big highlight.
Return to Kuranda, essentially a final attempt to find a Chowchilla - a species I had managed to miss at all forest sites visited so far. To cut the long story short, I yet again failed to locate this species bird. Nor did I encounter Southern Cassowary again, despite wandering the area that my companion had spotted one at the beginning of the trip. What I did see however was a rather nice female Victoria's Riflebird, two Double-eyed Fig Parrots, a very smart Pied Monarch and the usual Silvereyes et al.
After a few hours here, I then nipped back to Cairns to again catch the rising tide on the Esplanade - again excellent, I managed both Mangrove Robin and Eastern Koel in the mangroves, then a number of new birds on the mudflats, including two Eastern Reef Herons, a Greater Sand Plover, a couple of Great Knots and, my only ones of the trip, singles of Common Tern and Little Tern. Highlight of the day though, a result of checking the thick mango trees that line the promenade, was the very welcome discovery of a roost of Nankeen Night Herons. In their subtle hues, these were superb birds indeed, no less than 14 in the single tree.
Also welcome, vying for attention with hordes of Rainbow Lorikeets, a flock of about 30 Metallic Starlings gorging themselves on small berries - abundant during the Australian summer, but then retreating up to Papua New Guinea, I had not seen any to this point, possibly these being newly arrived. Other bits and bobs seen included a Grey Goshawk and a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, plus a couple of Bush Stone-Curlews and two Laughing Kookaburras in a small park during a failed attempt to find a roosting Rufous Owl (found the tree, just no bird).
And then, after a bit of shopping to get a new spotlight, I concluded the day with another visit to Centenary Park. Plenty of good birds again, one notable addition being a most stately Black-necked Stork. I then returned the rental car ...wouldn't need it for the next day - a day I hoped would be another big highlight.
Great job. Mouthwatering stuff!
:clap:
:clap:
Thanks, I think you would not be sorry to go, really a nice destination :t:
3 August. Day of the Great Barrier Reef.
This was a day I had been looking forward to! Many operators do trips out to the Great Barrier Reef, but for the birder it really has to be the Seastar, not only is this a small boat with a small group, but it is one of the only operators to visit Michealmas Cay, a sand atoll full of breeding seabirds. Basically, the boat spends the morning at Michealmas Cay, then motors out to the outer reef for an afternoon of snorkelling on Hastings Reef.
After a leisurely stroll along the esplanade, Beach Thick-knees and Striated Heron on the mudflats, the Nankeen Night Herons tucked up in their roost, we boarded the Seastar at 7.30 am to begin the hour cruise out to Michealmas Cay. Other than a Crested Tern or two, nothing much on route out, but as we neared the Cay, the skies above the sand were abuzz with birds, this was going to be good!
At the island, while most of the boat opted for snorkelling in the shallows, I got myself dropped off on the beach of the island. And it was heaven – the closest birds mere metres away, thousands of Common Noddies vying for space with hundreds of Sooty Terns. Amongst them, dozens of stunning Brown Boobies and, less expected, a single Masked Booby too! And quartering the skies, adding a dramatic twist, five Great Frigatebirds and four Lesser Frigatebirds, simply stunning. Birds everywhere, the flocks of Common Noddies in particular impressive, many hundreds roosting on the beaches, as well as nesting across the island. Scanned the flocks with intent, but failed to find any Black Noddies.
After an hour or so just soaking in the atmosphere, the boat offered me a trip round the Cay on their small launch – excellent, 14 Black-naped Terns roosting on a sand spit at the far end of the island, plus one Caspian Tern, a Lesser Frigatebird battling a Crested Tern till it disgorged a fish and my only Ruddy Turnstones of the trip, two singles on the beach. And nice added touch from Seastar.
Lunch on board, then across to Hastings Reef. One distant Masked Booby here too, but otherwise very few birds. Under the water however, stunning – fish of all sizes and colours, one pretty impressive Green Turtle, one Hawksbill Turtle, one Whitetip Shark. A couple of hours in the water, then a cruise back to Cairns.
Tried in the evening to again find the roosting Rufous Owl, failed again. It had however been a most impressive way to end this leg of the trip, early next morning we would fly to Brisbane.
This was a day I had been looking forward to! Many operators do trips out to the Great Barrier Reef, but for the birder it really has to be the Seastar, not only is this a small boat with a small group, but it is one of the only operators to visit Michealmas Cay, a sand atoll full of breeding seabirds. Basically, the boat spends the morning at Michealmas Cay, then motors out to the outer reef for an afternoon of snorkelling on Hastings Reef.
After a leisurely stroll along the esplanade, Beach Thick-knees and Striated Heron on the mudflats, the Nankeen Night Herons tucked up in their roost, we boarded the Seastar at 7.30 am to begin the hour cruise out to Michealmas Cay. Other than a Crested Tern or two, nothing much on route out, but as we neared the Cay, the skies above the sand were abuzz with birds, this was going to be good!
At the island, while most of the boat opted for snorkelling in the shallows, I got myself dropped off on the beach of the island. And it was heaven – the closest birds mere metres away, thousands of Common Noddies vying for space with hundreds of Sooty Terns. Amongst them, dozens of stunning Brown Boobies and, less expected, a single Masked Booby too! And quartering the skies, adding a dramatic twist, five Great Frigatebirds and four Lesser Frigatebirds, simply stunning. Birds everywhere, the flocks of Common Noddies in particular impressive, many hundreds roosting on the beaches, as well as nesting across the island. Scanned the flocks with intent, but failed to find any Black Noddies.
After an hour or so just soaking in the atmosphere, the boat offered me a trip round the Cay on their small launch – excellent, 14 Black-naped Terns roosting on a sand spit at the far end of the island, plus one Caspian Tern, a Lesser Frigatebird battling a Crested Tern till it disgorged a fish and my only Ruddy Turnstones of the trip, two singles on the beach. And nice added touch from Seastar.
Lunch on board, then across to Hastings Reef. One distant Masked Booby here too, but otherwise very few birds. Under the water however, stunning – fish of all sizes and colours, one pretty impressive Green Turtle, one Hawksbill Turtle, one Whitetip Shark. A couple of hours in the water, then a cruise back to Cairns.
Tried in the evening to again find the roosting Rufous Owl, failed again. It had however been a most impressive way to end this leg of the trip, early next morning we would fly to Brisbane.
Seastar photos of us being rather less elegant than the Green Turtle.
(Seastar takes loads of photos during the day and gives you access to all of them totally free of charge to use and post as you wish, another good reason to recommend the company)
(Seastar takes loads of photos during the day and gives you access to all of them totally free of charge to use and post as you wish, another good reason to recommend the company)
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4 August. Girraween National Park.
Flying into Brisbane at dawn, the basic plan for this part of the trip was to visit Lamington National Park, a biological hotspot of weird and wonderful birds and mammals. However, wishing to avoid the weekend, I basically had a couple of days to kill and, very much a spur of the moment decision, opted to head inland through the ultra-parched lands of south-east Queensland to the Granite Belt and Girraween National Park, arid eucalyptus forest set to a boulder-strewn landscape.
Obscene quantities of roadkill en route, corpses of kangaroos and wallabies littering the road, many dozens per kilometre at times. Thundering roadtrains no doubt responsible, they rarely slowing for anything as they traverse the night. At Girraween however, perfect tranquillity, one of my favourite localities on this trip. A flock of about 70 Galah made for an impressive start, as did the marauding hordes of Pied Currawongs, Australian Magpies and Pied Butcherbirds hanging out in the picnic sitel, all waiting for handouts. One very fine Superb Bowerbird also sneaking in. After a few obligatory photographs, navigated past this welcoming committee and set off to explore. With trail twisting through mixed eucalyptus and open pasture, all dotted by humongous boulders, truly was a nice place and, as my first locality in southern Queensland, an almost entirely new range of birds too. Heading the list, several rather nice Red Wattlebirds, roving flocks of Striated Thornbills and Buff-rumped Thornbills, a couple of Spotted Pardalotes, my first flocks of Superb Fairywrens and a good mix of honeyeaters, White-eared Honeyeaters, White-naped Honeyeaters and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters among the more notable. Also here a number of White-throated Treecreepers, several Grey Shrike-Thrushes and, a top bird indeed, one Scarlet Robin, a classic male hawking from a low eucalyptus.
Equally impressive, very good numbers of mammals, a bit of a head scratching initially with the Macropods as they went hopping off in all directions, yet more simply gawking as I strolled by. A bit of peering into the field guide however and I think I got them sorted - dozens of Wallaroos and Eastern Grey Kangaroos, oodles of Red-necked Wallabies! As evening approached, incredible quantities of all three seemed to emerge from everywhere.
Mammal of the day however was waiting back at the car park - one amazing Echidna trotting past without a care in the world. My only one of the whole trip, followed this spikey critter for a good while, certainly a good way to end the day. Except it wasn't the end of the day, a wander around the nearby campsite added two right cute Common Brushtail Possums appearing as darkness swallowed up the landscape. Was just then the small matter of driving 30 km back to a hotel without hitting any of the numerous kangaroos playing suicide games on the road. Happy to report I added no further corpses to the road's sad tally.
Flying into Brisbane at dawn, the basic plan for this part of the trip was to visit Lamington National Park, a biological hotspot of weird and wonderful birds and mammals. However, wishing to avoid the weekend, I basically had a couple of days to kill and, very much a spur of the moment decision, opted to head inland through the ultra-parched lands of south-east Queensland to the Granite Belt and Girraween National Park, arid eucalyptus forest set to a boulder-strewn landscape.
Obscene quantities of roadkill en route, corpses of kangaroos and wallabies littering the road, many dozens per kilometre at times. Thundering roadtrains no doubt responsible, they rarely slowing for anything as they traverse the night. At Girraween however, perfect tranquillity, one of my favourite localities on this trip. A flock of about 70 Galah made for an impressive start, as did the marauding hordes of Pied Currawongs, Australian Magpies and Pied Butcherbirds hanging out in the picnic sitel, all waiting for handouts. One very fine Superb Bowerbird also sneaking in. After a few obligatory photographs, navigated past this welcoming committee and set off to explore. With trail twisting through mixed eucalyptus and open pasture, all dotted by humongous boulders, truly was a nice place and, as my first locality in southern Queensland, an almost entirely new range of birds too. Heading the list, several rather nice Red Wattlebirds, roving flocks of Striated Thornbills and Buff-rumped Thornbills, a couple of Spotted Pardalotes, my first flocks of Superb Fairywrens and a good mix of honeyeaters, White-eared Honeyeaters, White-naped Honeyeaters and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters among the more notable. Also here a number of White-throated Treecreepers, several Grey Shrike-Thrushes and, a top bird indeed, one Scarlet Robin, a classic male hawking from a low eucalyptus.
Equally impressive, very good numbers of mammals, a bit of a head scratching initially with the Macropods as they went hopping off in all directions, yet more simply gawking as I strolled by. A bit of peering into the field guide however and I think I got them sorted - dozens of Wallaroos and Eastern Grey Kangaroos, oodles of Red-necked Wallabies! As evening approached, incredible quantities of all three seemed to emerge from everywhere.
Mammal of the day however was waiting back at the car park - one amazing Echidna trotting past without a care in the world. My only one of the whole trip, followed this spikey critter for a good while, certainly a good way to end the day. Except it wasn't the end of the day, a wander around the nearby campsite added two right cute Common Brushtail Possums appearing as darkness swallowed up the landscape. Was just then the small matter of driving 30 km back to a hotel without hitting any of the numerous kangaroos playing suicide games on the road. Happy to report I added no further corpses to the road's sad tally.
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5 August. Girraween National Park & Lamington National Park.
Shock to the system, three degrees below freezing prior to dawn, a considerable frost on the car! Made my way back to Girraween as light crept back into the landscape, a pause at a feeding station some kilometres short a nice start to the day with a bunch of Australian King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas descending, plus four cracking Superb Bowerbirds.
At Girraween, shivered in my sandals and shorts and awaited the sun to rise, Common Wallaroos and Red-necked Wallabies in abundance again, plus active flocks of Superb Fairywrens flitting about, Laughing Kookaburras also ensuring the cold. As sun finally broke the horizon and warmth flooded into the valley, I opted for a hike up Bald Rock Creek, a route more or less following a series of granite slabs marking the route of a dry river. Many birds here, including White-eared Honeyeater and Grey Shrike-Thrush, but even better, new for the trip, two Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and numerous Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters.
Soon however, with the temperature now a pleasant 20 C, it was time to depart and make the relatively long haul across to Lamington. Poor roads direct, the quickest option is basically to loop half way back to Brisbane and then cut across and wind up the escarpment, the latter section half closed due to renovation. Result, arrived at the legendary O'Reilly's pretty late in the afternoon, flocks of Crimson Rosellas dropping down onto persons’ heads on the lawn outside, a little posse of Superb Fairywrens surveying around, gawky Australian Bush-Turkeys also plodding the turf.
Checked into a rather plush apartment, home for three nights, then made the best of the remaining hours of daylight by venturing down the Border Track Trail. I am no fan of tropical forests, but in this one lurk some rather nice birds that I did fancy, pretty much top of the list being Albert's Lyrebird, followed closely by Australian Logrunner. A short stroll down the trail, Wonga Pigeon seen, then one of my main targets, a very nice Australian Logrunners rooting about on the ground! Amazing birds, they almost tunnel into the leaf litter, totally vanishing at times. And then more, a total of four seen in all. A few hundred metres more and a sudden exclamation ...truly taking my breath away, a splendid Albert's Lyrebird nipping across the track, long lanky legs carrying the bird across the path on a few short struts, full finery of tail wafting in the air. Sometimes a difficult bird to find, this was an excellent start to Lamington. No chance of a photo this day however and all too soon it had vanished into thick vegetation on the precipitous slope below, end of the experience. Wandered on as the light began to decline, new birds still appearing, Green Catbirds serenading, Brown Thornbills in mixed flocks, both White-browed and Yellow-throated Scrubwrens in the leaf litter.
Night exploration failed to produce quite as mammals as I had expected, but no less than six cracking Common Ringtail Possums did show, as well as a Short-eared Brushtail Possum and both Red-necked and Red-legged Pademelons.
Shock to the system, three degrees below freezing prior to dawn, a considerable frost on the car! Made my way back to Girraween as light crept back into the landscape, a pause at a feeding station some kilometres short a nice start to the day with a bunch of Australian King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas descending, plus four cracking Superb Bowerbirds.
At Girraween, shivered in my sandals and shorts and awaited the sun to rise, Common Wallaroos and Red-necked Wallabies in abundance again, plus active flocks of Superb Fairywrens flitting about, Laughing Kookaburras also ensuring the cold. As sun finally broke the horizon and warmth flooded into the valley, I opted for a hike up Bald Rock Creek, a route more or less following a series of granite slabs marking the route of a dry river. Many birds here, including White-eared Honeyeater and Grey Shrike-Thrush, but even better, new for the trip, two Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and numerous Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters.
Soon however, with the temperature now a pleasant 20 C, it was time to depart and make the relatively long haul across to Lamington. Poor roads direct, the quickest option is basically to loop half way back to Brisbane and then cut across and wind up the escarpment, the latter section half closed due to renovation. Result, arrived at the legendary O'Reilly's pretty late in the afternoon, flocks of Crimson Rosellas dropping down onto persons’ heads on the lawn outside, a little posse of Superb Fairywrens surveying around, gawky Australian Bush-Turkeys also plodding the turf.
Checked into a rather plush apartment, home for three nights, then made the best of the remaining hours of daylight by venturing down the Border Track Trail. I am no fan of tropical forests, but in this one lurk some rather nice birds that I did fancy, pretty much top of the list being Albert's Lyrebird, followed closely by Australian Logrunner. A short stroll down the trail, Wonga Pigeon seen, then one of my main targets, a very nice Australian Logrunners rooting about on the ground! Amazing birds, they almost tunnel into the leaf litter, totally vanishing at times. And then more, a total of four seen in all. A few hundred metres more and a sudden exclamation ...truly taking my breath away, a splendid Albert's Lyrebird nipping across the track, long lanky legs carrying the bird across the path on a few short struts, full finery of tail wafting in the air. Sometimes a difficult bird to find, this was an excellent start to Lamington. No chance of a photo this day however and all too soon it had vanished into thick vegetation on the precipitous slope below, end of the experience. Wandered on as the light began to decline, new birds still appearing, Green Catbirds serenading, Brown Thornbills in mixed flocks, both White-browed and Yellow-throated Scrubwrens in the leaf litter.
Night exploration failed to produce quite as mammals as I had expected, but no less than six cracking Common Ringtail Possums did show, as well as a Short-eared Brushtail Possum and both Red-necked and Red-legged Pademelons.
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