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EASTERN
AUSTRALIA : From Top to Bottom
Queensland's
humid tropical rainforests to the wild mountains & rugged coastlines of
Tasmania.
24th October
- 11th November 2006
Leaders:Iain
Campbell (& Sam Woods as co-guide) Partricipants:Stephen &
Anne Cameron, Bob Grosek, Bill Maynard, Mel & Dottie Fringer, Laura Woods.
Regent Bowerbird,
O Reilly's
(Sam
Woods)
Report
written by Sam Woods
ALL photos in this report were taken on this tour (special thanks to Bill
Maynard for supplying his photos from the tour for this report).
I was along on this trip as a co-guide to learn the tour for future departures,and having only limited experience in Australia previously could understand first hand the many appeals of birding this vast country. Almost all birders who join this tour, do so as first time visitors to the small continent of Australia. Therefore perhaps the most appealing aspect of this tour is the heaps of new families that are available. This was well illustrated on this tour where Bill counted 40 new families for himself at the end of it. Representatives from 87 different bird families were seen, including from all the Australian endemic families; and on one day out of Kingfisher Lodge we saw species from 36 different families in this one day alone! Many strange and bizarre families exist in Australia that many people have had no experience of before from Logrunners to Mud-nest Builders, while Lyrebirds, Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds are perhaps more familiar from nature programs like David Attenborough's landmark series 'The Life of Birds' that for many birders immortalized Superb Lyrebirds in their memories; while Honeyeaters, Sitellas and Pardalotes are generally much less known. Australia is certainly the realm of the quirky and strange such as the monstrous Cassowary (that put on a spectacular show for us in Cairns), although there are also more familiar birds like Parrots. However, for those who have only experienced the parrots of Asia and the Neotropics you are in for a surprise as the species here are generally boldly patterned and very brightly colored, making up some of the most colorful birds on the planet. Rightly earning Australia the nickname 'Land of the Parrots'.
Diversity of birds and habitats is one of the other appeals to many of this tour-the Cairns section takes in birding within Queensland's humid tropical rainforests; home to birds such as the enormous Southern Cassowary and a bunch of Bowerbirds including the striking Regent Bowerbird; while around Sydney some of the birding is around temperate forests that are home to such beauties as the Superb Lyrebird, one of the World's most accomplished mimics; while the heathlands around New South Wales hold such crackers as Southern Emuwrens and Superb Fairywrens; the Eucalypt woodlands hold birds like Spotted Quail-thrush, Bell Miners and Red-browed Treecreepers; while the rugged coasts and cool mountain forests on Tasmania off the southern side of Australia are home to a host of colorful Australian Robins, and the coastlines provide important breeding areas for the World's smallest (and cutest) Penguin - Fairy (Little Blue) Penguin and one of the rarest plovers - Hooded Plover. By taking in a great number of varied habitats and covering Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania, the tour also gives you a good shot at some of the magnificent mammals that symbolize what a strange continent this is, and we experienced a fair number of them on this tour including a number of Wallabies and Kangaroos from the dinky little Musky Rat-Kangaroo in northern Queensland to the diminutive Red-necked Pademelons in the rainforests of southern Queensland, to the huge Eastern Gray Kangaroos seen in the north of that state; along with the just plain weird Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo recorded in the Cairns area. Aside from that a number of Short-beaked Echidnas shuffling along the sides of the road gave us a unique experience of the strange, egg-laying monotremes.
The tour was an undoubted success with 418 species seen and a really good representation of Australian bird families (87 different families were seen on the tour), with Albatross and Penguins recorded along with both species of Lyrebirds, a whole host of handsome parrots, both species from the mud-nest builders and logrunner families, emus in the dry inland areas along with one of the most highly sought after Honeyeater-Painted Honeyeater. A nesting Papuan Frogmouth at close range on the first day of the tour, set the tone with a number of nightbirds recorded on the tour including a superb view of a Marbled (Plumed) Frogmouth in southern Queensland and a number of Tawny Frogmouths recorded completing the trio of Australian Frogmouths, and the Australian Owlet-nightjar we bumped into in northern Queensland was a welcome family addition for many and the Powerful Owls roosting at close range in Sydney were equally impressive for their considerable size.
24th
October
The tour was due to start at 2pm with some light birding
around Cairns, although plans needed to be changed fast when we were offered
last minute access to a private garden where a nesting Papuan Frogmouth
was available, but only if we could get there within half an hour of us
finding out! We then frantically rang around all the rooms where the group
were staying (with little time for brief introductions of ourselves) and lured
everyone out early with the promise of Australia's largest Frogmouth at close
range. Sure enough, on arrival the owner of the garden showed us though to
a bare branch where the cryptic Papuan Frogmouth was perched brazenly
in the open. The tour was off to a great start with the frogmouth being the
first official species of the tour, and just across the road from the frogmouth
Bill spotted a Black Butcherbird on a nest. We then got back on schedule
by visiting a fruiting fig tree right in the heart of Cairns where a number
of Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and a superb Yellow-eyed (Barred) Cuckoo-shrike
were taking advantage of the harvest. Surprisingly, we ended up seeing a number
of these beautiful Cuckoo-shrikes over the coming days that are nomadic species
in relation to abundance of fruiting trees. We then headed off into one of
Cairns's quiet parks where we came across a few Yellow & Brown-backed
Honeyeaters and the main bird we had come here for - a pair of roosting
Bush Thick-Knees (Stone-curlews). They are actually easier to find after
nightfall when they become more active, although they are perhaps more convenient
when you know where they are roosting and you can just walk right up to them!
Bush Thick-Knees, Cairns (Sam Woods)
We then 'retired' to the seafront in Cairns to look at the thousands of shorebirds moving close in shore with the rising tide. Among the hundreds of Red-necked Stints, were Greater Sandplovers and Mongolian Plovers, Terek Sandpipers, Great Knots, Red-capped Plovers, Australian Pelicans, Australian Ibises and a Buff-banded Rail walked out on the mud right in front of us, while Australian Swiftlets and Rainbow Lorikeets flew overhead. We then retired to the best Indian restaurant in Cairns, before our trip out to the reef the following day.
25th
October
This day's birding did not add many species, although provided one of the
great spectacles in birding - the sight of thousands of nesting seabirds on
a tiny sandy 'cay' out on the Great Barrier Reef. We took a boat out to Michaelmas
Cay, where we were greeted by the sight and deafening sounds of thousands
of Brown Noddys on arrival, mixing with many, many Sooty Terns,
while a few Bridled Terns were also found among the mass of Sooties.
Overhead we lucked into both Great & Lesser Frigatebirds, and the
pristine beaches there were home to a number of other roosting terns, including
Roseate, Black-naped, Lesser & Great Crested Terns. Some of the
group also took advantage of the superb snorkeling opportunities available
on one of the best coral reefs in the World. On arrival back in Cairns we
were greeted by a small group of Australian Hobbys, before we departed
for the short ride to Cassowary House close to the town of Kuranda, northwest
of Cairns.
26th
October
Our exploration of the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland started
in earnest today, and opened with an endemic Bird of Paradise - a male Victoria's
Riflebird flying into a songpost right above our meeting place in the
car park at dawn. For most of the people on the tour this was the first of
many new families. A walk along Black Mountain Road that borders the property
saw us add another exciting new family - the Bowerbirds - when the catlike
mewing of Spotted Catbirds alerted us to their presence in the treetops
overhead. Spectacled Monarchs were interesting enough in the same area,
although overshadowed by the striking Pied Monarchs closeby, in splendid
black-and-white plumage topped off brilliantly with an electric blue eye-ring.
Another roadside 'cracker' was a brilliant male Yellow-breasted Boatbill,
while a few calling Wompoo Pigeons were seen in the treetops above.
A short time later, while heading back to the lodge, we got the call we were
hoping for - the cassowary had just wandered into the 'garden' outside our
rooms. I think it is fair to say our pace quickened with this news and a short
time later we found ourselves watching one of the World's most spectacular
birds - a superb female Southern Cassowary at extremely close range
(see photo for general idea!)
Southern Cassowary, Cassowary House (Sam Woods)
During breakfast on Sue's balcony, complete with a bewildering array of tropical fruits, we were able to watch Spotted Catbirds and a female Victoria Riflebird coming into feed on the same fruits that had been laid out especially for them, while in the 'rainforest garden' below a Red-necked Crake ran around behind the female Cassowary which by then had a Musky Rat-Kangaroo for company (the World's smallest and strangest kangaroo). Surely one of the greatest breakfast experiences anywhere! Shell-shocked from this we all headed off north towards Daintree, and another fabulous lodge - Red Mill House (for many the best place stayed on the tour), where Satin Flycatchers and Fairy Gerygones were found in the garden on arrival (and turned out to be our only sightings on the tour). A brief foray near the Daintree River saw us luck in on a Great-billed Heron that sailed past shortly before dusk, and a male Lovely Fairywren was the first of this stunning family for the tour (with another Laughing Kookaburra closeby-a common endemic that was a daily feature on the tour). It seemed that nothing could go wrong for us at this stage, although a Large-tailed Nightjar frustrated us both at dusk and the following morning, proof that you cannot get absolutely everything! In fine Aussie tradition the Red Mill laid on a great barbecue ('barbie'), while Northern Brown Bandicoots fed on food scraps on the lawn nearby.
Laughing Kookaburra
and female Shining Flycatcher, Daintree (Sam Woods)
27th
October
Although
never a trip that adds an amazing amount of birds, the Daintree River cruise
is always popular as it is just a great way to spend a few hours, cruising
slowly through tranquil creeks shortly after sunrise. As we had seen the Papuan
Frogmouth and Great-billed Heron already, we were looking for few birds, although
the Little Kingfisher was one were happy to get as it was our only
real shot at it on the tour. Other additions included a male Cicadabird,
a few nesting Large-billed Gerygones and a pair of superb Shining
Flycatchers; while no one was complaining about further views of a Great-billed
Heron or the huge roost containing thousands of Spectacled Flying-foxes
that we watched from the boat. It was then time to head towards Julatten with
some designated stops along the way, not least for a fruiting fig tree that
we had been tipped of about, that still held a number of feeding migrant Channel-billed
Cuckoos (that had only recently arrived from their wintering grounds in
New Guinea). On arrival at the famous Kingfisher Lodge we had lunch by the
feeders where Red-browed Firetails and Macleay's Honeyeaters
dominated the feeding frenzy, while a few Blue-faced, Lewin's, & White-throated
Honeyeaters made less frequent appearances. The afternoon saw us heading
a short way from the lodge to the small town of Mount Molloy that feels more
like an Outback town than northern Queensland. The target here was a rare
raptor - Square-tailed Kite, that was not too difficult to find as
it was nesting at the time. Most people were a little disappointed with the
restricted views of the top of the adults head we had, and we were all grateful
to get another much better view of a juvenile later on the tour, at another
nest site near Brisbane. We then visited a staked out bower in the local school
where we underwent the surreal experience of signing into the school as visitors,
(with the teacher telling us it was currently at the bower), in order to see
their resident Great Bowerbird! We then made a brief visit to a nearby
swamp where a Latham's Snipe flew up from the muddy edge and the flowering
grevilias in the car park were host to some stunning White-cheeked
Honeyeaters and a few Green Figbirds. We finished the day by staking
out a nest hole at dusk, flashlights at the ready. Sure enough, first one,
then the pair of Australian Masked Owls emerged from their day roost.
Green Figbird
left Abertoir Swamp, and Topknot Pigeon right Mount Lewis
(Sam Woods & Iain Campbell)
28th
October
The beauty of staying at Kingfisher Lodge is it is right in the center of
some of tropical Queenslands very best birding areas, so there are many places
easily accessed by day tripping from there. We had planned on this day to
spend the whole day searching for some Atherton Tableland specialties on nearby
Mount Lewis. The plan on this day however changed when these proved way easier
to come by than unusual giving us the opportunity to push onto other sites
earlier than expected. The result of this was a huge day list full of some
really interesting birds, simply because luck was with us on this day. The
day started with a dawn vigil at a creek hoping for the elusive Duck-billed
Platypus, although unfortunately this was one species that eluded us on this
day. On Mount Lewis new birds came thick and fast. All the birds seemed to
be right where we made our first stop: Soon after dawn we got the first of
the Atherton targets a number of Grey-headed Robins feeding on the
deserted mountain road; Mountain Thornbills and Atherton Scrubwrens
were found feeding in the undergrowth closeby; Topknot Pigeons flew
in and posed overhead a number of times; several Tooth-billed Catbirds
made a welcome early appearance, as did several Bower's Shrike-thrushes;
while a calling Fernwren had us anxiously scanning the leaf litter
until someone found him singing away from a small rock on the forest floor.
As we had missed Chowchillas near Cairns earlier on the tour, this became
a priority bird for us on Mount Lewis, even more so when one of the group
had great views of one before they could alert anyone else to it! Try as we
might we just could not re-find this one, so we headed up a trail, until a
movement on the forest floor revealed itself to be a fine pair of potbellied
Chowchillas, feeding away by kicking up leaves, scooping them outwards
with their feet from underneath their plump bellies. With mission well and
truly accomplished we left Mount Lewis with time on our hands, picking up
the stunning Eastern Spinebill, both Olive-tailed (Bassian) Thrush
and the endemic Russet-tailed Thrush in addition to a Rufous
Fantail on the way out. With this changed plan we decided to return to
Kingfisher Lodge lunch there and then try to find their resident pair of Noisy
Pittas. Searching for pittas in the heat of the day however is never the best
method for finding them, although thankfully Mel found a pair of Noisy
Pittas feeding quietly in the forest undergrowth, a stones throw from
the lodge. Time to change the plan again! Iain decided the best plan of action
was to head out into some dry country to the west, for some species more often
associated with the outback than tropical Queensland. The first stop was a
dry, barren field where at the right time of day (i.e. dawn, and not this
time!) Australian Bustards can often be seen displaying. However on this day
a single Australian Bustard obliged by being present standing right
in the open, in the middle of the afternoon. That done, time to move on again
to a dam we had not personally visited before although, was said to be good
at that time, so with the spare time we had we decided to give it a try (picking
up our only Black-faced Woodswallow en-route). The dam was just superb,
a small pool in the middle of some really dry country proved to be a magnet
for birds coming into drink in the late afternoon. We waited patiently at
the edge of the dam seeing another Aussie endemic - Squatter Pigeon,
as well as Pale-headed Rosellas, Noisy Friarbirds, Black-fronted
Dotterel, Gray-crowned Babblers and Black-throated Finches
all coming down to the water's edge; while close to the dam Brown Treecreepers
made their first appearance of the tour. This was just one of those great
days on a tour, with heaps of good birds in a variety of varied habitats;
from the cool mountain birds on Mount Lewis at the start of the day; to the
birds of the lowland rainforest in the middle of the day; to the birds of
the dry outback country at the end of the day. Add to those a whole host of
families - 36 different families encountered on this one day alone ! (many
new for most); that included representatives of the following: the bowerbirds,
pittas, Australian Treecreepers, Pseudo (Australian) Babblers, Bustards, Mud-nest
Builders, Apostlebirds & White-winged Choughs, Logrunners, Fantails, Monarch
Flycatchers, Drongos, Australian Robins, Whistlers, Woodswallows, Bellmagpies,
Honeyeaters and Megapodes. Just great birding.
Squatter Pigeon
and Galahs, Queensland (Sam Woods)
29th
October
This was probably the favorite start to the days birding for many. We left
Kingfisher Lodge early, and arrived shortly after dawn at a large swamp where
we ate breakfast surrounded by Cranes. It was great to stand there (cereal
in hand), looking out across the mist shrouded swamp, watching hundreds of
Brolgas walking around side-by-side with Sarus Cranes, the sounds
of their bugling calls echoing around us throughout. A superb experience.
Having had our fill of cereal (and Cranes), we headed off to a nearby rainforest
where we had one target bird in mind. In normal years we would have searched
for Golden Bowerbird at Mount Lewis, although they had been missing from their
bower there for some time and it was a bird we were close to accepting we
were going to miss. However there was another site we felt compelled to try
as some people had at least seen it there fairly recently, although the site
had undergone a lot of habitat destruction from a devastating cyclone in recent
times. On arrival the destruction was obvious with many felled trees and quite
frankly, it looked a mess. The first job at hand was to find the bower and
this took a little time, when Iain stumbled across what appeared to be a rather
disheveled bower, that appeared old and abandoned. While contemplating this
however, Iain heard the unmistakable rattles and croaks of a Golden Bowerbird,
and after a patient wait he found the bird calling closeby the bower. The
bower was disheveled maybe, but out of use, no (thankfully)! I should mention
we thought we had timed our arrival at the bower a little late in the day
due to a superb mammal distraction along the way when Mel found the normally
shy and nocturnal Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo feeding shamelessly in the
open, in the morning sunlight. This is one strange animal, many think that
Kangaroos just do not belong in trees and looking at the cumbersome movements
of this one that would seem right. Simply put, Tree-kangaroos appear like
an evolutionary chain that has not quite got there yet.
Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo, Hypipamee N P (left,
Sam Woods) and
Eastern
Gray Kangaroos, one of the giants of the Kangaroos,some
standing over 1.3m tall. (right, Sam Woods)
A visit to Mareeba wetlands proved worthwhile for the Cotton Pygmy-geese amongst the more widespread Green Pygmy-geese, and a few Black-necked Storks. The drive down the entrance track alone proved good for the views of a pristine male Red-backed Fairywren, and a pair of displaying Pacific Bazas. Another swamp stop at Hasties produced our only Scarlet Myzomela of the trip, a small brilliantly red honeyeater, and a lone Plumed Whistling-duck was also there. Mammals were a big feature of this years tour as many of the group were really interested in these. So with this in mind we knew it was important to search for the huge Eastern Gray Kangaroos in the area (one of the largest living marsupials), and where better to find them than loafing around in the midday sun on the golf course - a great reliable stake out! we ended the day driving to the homely town of Mount Molloy where the local pub does a mean grill, although on the way back a White-throated Nightjar that flew up from the roadside had Iain screaming to a halt. Unfortunately it never showed again, but while there we heard another strange call that we thought may be a strange contact call of an Australian Owlet-nightjar. As this was Bob's number one target for the tour we kept searching in earnest, before Iain found it sitting in the knot of a close Eucalypt tree. A great moment, a lifebird for all and a new family for almost all, this bird was voted bird of the trip by most.
Black-necked Stork left and Pied Butcherbird right
(Sam Woods and Iain Campbell)
30th
October
We finally left Kingfisher Lodge today, that had been a brilliant base for
our three nights there. Before we left however we had a last pre-breakfast
try at getting one of the Blue-faced Parrotfinches that had been seen locally
recently (and we had missed on our first afternoon there). As it had been
seen since we had last tried, and the other cooperative birds in the area
allowed us some time to look for it, we thought we would give it one last
go. There was little action in the area for half an hour before some twitching
grass stems had Iain homing in on a male Blue-faced Parrotfinch. The
bird was typically elusive (never straying far from dense cover), although
most of us got good looks by carefully peering through the grass stems. Now
it was definitely time to leave Kingfisher Park. After breakfast we headed
gradually back towards Cairns for our final night there before our departure
to Brisbane the next day. En-route back we made a few stops for a pair of
White-browed Robins that were very cooperative by a roadside creek;
Bloack-faced Cuckooshrikes and a Little Bronze-cuckoo were seen elsewhere
on the return journey as were Pheasant Coucal, Olive-backed Oriole, Rainbow
Bee-eaters, Silver-eyes, Fairy Martins, and Brown Gerygones. Although
a finch flock (comprising mainly Double-barred Finches, Nutmeg Mannikins
and Chestnut-breasted Munias) close to Cairns, contained one of
the days best birds (just behind the rare Parrotfinch), with several vivid
red male Crimson Finches.
White-browed
Robin, Queensland (Sam Woods)
31st
October
After our morning flight to Brisbane we headed first to some mangroves on
the outskirts of Brisbane where we found our two mangrove targets - Mangrove
Honeyeater and Mangrove Gerygone along with our only trip Collared
Kingfisher. We then drove directly to O-Reilly's rainforest lodge south
of Brisbane in southern Queensland. This lodge rightly has a reputation for
one of the best rainforest experiences in Australia. A family run lodge, that
is really popular amongst birders and general nature tourists alike they manage
to balance the different needs of these brilliantly. The birders do not interfere
with their experience and vice versa. This was the first time we had taken
a tour there and it turned out really well, largely thanks to their excellent
resident bird guide, Tim O'Reilly, who was a great help to us in our time
there and we would strongly recommend his services to anyone visiting this
superb rainforest retreat.
Crimson Rosella,
a bird that can be a little over friendly at O Reilly's, and Australian
King-parrot (Sam Woods)
As you first reach O'Reilly's the first thing you are greeted by are people crowded round a feeding area where dozens of wild Crimson Rosellas and Australian King-parrots come to be fed by the tourists daily. A dudey aspect to the trip sure, but the views are amazing, and they are simply great looking birds, so I was not complaining! We whisked past this (with people straining at the door to get out and take advantage of the parrot show, although we had checking in duties to fulfill at that time). Their patience reached bursting point when we then passed another feeding area further up, where through the bus windows we could see many Regent Bowerbirds perched in trees right in front of the reception with a few Satin Bowerbirds for company. At that we simply had to let the group out (for fear of a mutiny), and we soon all enjoyed incredible views of these exquisite rainforest species...
O Reilly's feeders
are legendary - these two endemic rainforest 'stunners' are daily visitors:
male Regent Bowerbird left, and male Satin Bowerbird
right (Iain Campbell & Sam Woods)
Although its good to drive short distances to good birding sites. It is nice once in a while to just step right out of your door straight into the rainforest, and that is exactly what you can do at O'Reilly's. Our first foray onto one of their many trails found us our last catbird of the trip - the endemic Green Catbird (that sounds even more like a cat in serious pain than its northern cousin, the Spotted Catbird). While listening to the strange straggled cries of the catbird we could also hear the whipcraking call of the aptly named Eastern Whipbird, and the male skulking beneath a fallen tree was yet another new family for most. Whilst in the trees above a Paradise Riflebird just would not show, although a fine male Rose Robin was nice compensation. The day ended with some poor nightbirding-little calling and nothing showing. However, one of the other attractions of O Reilly's is the abundance of marsupials, and we enjoyed watching Red-necked Pademelons (a tiny kangaroo) feeding outside our cabins, while a Sugar Glider and a Common Ringtail Possum showed up on our night walk.
1st
November
For our full day at O Reilly's we walked from our cabins along a great rainforest
trail during the morning, where we picked up the skulking Olive Whistler
and a pair of Southern Logrunners (the only other, equally quirky,
member of a family that also contains the Chowchilla seen around northern
Queensland); before a full and comprehensive breakfast back at the lodge;
while our longer walk after 'brekky' (needed after our exertions for breakfast!),
we ventured further along another trail. Eventually we picked up our main
target of the morning, the rarer representative of the two species in another
infamous Australian family - the Lyrebirds. Lyrebirds are extremely accomplished
mimics so it was important to try and pick out their varied, ever-changing
mimicry amongst the morning rainforest chorus in order to find one. However
despite us hearing a number of these giving their distinctive unique phrases
thrown in amidst the myriad of mimicry of Satin Bowerbirds, Green Catbirds
and others, we just never seemed to get close to them before they fell silent.
So we carried on pushing up the trail, where Iain had frustratingly brief
glimpses of a male, that thankfully reappeared not long after the gloom had
begun to set in after everyone had missed the first sighting. The strange
thing was, when seeing this Albert's Lyrebird was how unconcerned by
our presence it was, if they do not want to be found they are very hard birds
to locate, but this one merely carried on scratching away at the leaf litter
for food below, without caring that there was a bunch of us sat there watching
just a few meters away. The other bird we were keen on getting, was the last
of Australia's pair of endemic Birds of Paradise - the Paradise Riflebird,
that we managed to get several good views of along the trail that morning.
The other main target for the day was however far less cooperative, although
with Rufous Scrub-birds this is to be expected and although we all
heard him well, we had to settle for only brief views of this notorious rainforest
floor skulker. We then enjoyed a great picnic spread (prepared by one of Iain's
friends who'd traveled out from Brisbane especially to lay this on for us),
with a pair of strikingly patterned Wonga Pigeons parading around close
to our picnic tables throughout. After a short afternoon break we headed out
of the rainforest and birded some Eucalypt-dominated wet sclerophyll woodland
on the fringes of the property. A very different habitat and set of birds
to those found in the dark rainforest interior. Literally minutes after entering
the desired habitat we heard the chattering of a Red-browed Treecreeper
and found one of the small party lingering on the side of a dead snag for
us. Nearby there was a striking Striated Pardalote, and a little further
down the road we heard the distinctive tinkling of some Bell Miners
(another endemic honeyeater), and found 5 or so in the trees above. We had
another brief try at some nightbirds, failing dismally again in the early
evening downpour. However, after another fine O Reilly's spread (with a family
of Mountain Brushtail Possums feeding by the restaurant window throughout),
we headed out to another frogmouth site (with the gratefully accepted help
of resident guide Tim O Reilly). Immediately we heard a pair calling on arrival.
This filled us with false bravado, which was soon dashed when 30 minutes later
we were still sitting there, hearing the same frogmouth without having had
even a glimpse. Soon after both Iain and my flashlights lost power and the
bird looked to have got away. However, having never seen this bird before
and knowing how difficult it can be, I was especially keen to get it and am
eternally grateful that Tim lent us his flashlight, which soon after was focused
slap bang on a brilliant, close Plumed (Marbled) Frogmouth. A superb
last night at O Reilly's.
Red-browed
Treecreeper, O Reilly's (Sam Woods)
2nd
November
Despite our undoubted success with birds at O Reilly's there are always more
to find and we decided to get just plain greedy and go after more. So what
could have been a relaxed drive back to Brisbane for the flight to New South
Wales turned into a slightly more panicked drive than planned. The day started
with us in the sclerophyll forest again. As we slowly drove down the
track, having heard our target bird calling distantly only a short time earlier,
first a female and then a cracking male Spotted Quail-thrush wandered
out onto the open gravel track in front of our van. They then fed in the open
on and off for 10 minutes with everyone getting incredible views of this usually
extremely shy bird. For me this was the top bird of the trip (although for
others it is hard to beat Cassowaries, Pittas and Bowerbirds!) A Painted
Buttonquail in the same area proved to be our only buttonquail of the
tour. Although a birding tour, the mammal list was going well and people were
really keen to try for Koala on the journey back to Brisbane. Bizarrely the
stronghold of this fast declining mammal has traditionally been the Brisbane
area and it has been coming under increasing threat from urban sprawl and
road developments leading to high road mortality rates. As we were leaving
the lodge Tim appeared with the news that he had just seen some Glossy
Black-cockatoos for the first time in 6 months on the exit road out, so
we headed straight down there and after an initially anxious wait, some soft
calls alerted us to a small group feeding in their favored Casuarina
trees.
Glossy Black-cockatoo, O Reilly's (Sam Woods)
With the distraction of these scarce cockatoos, we were then a little pushed for time, although still managed to squeeze in a visit to a park in the suburbs of Brisbane where the hoped for Koala was right on view on arrival, along with a nesting Tawny Frogmouth (that completed the trio of Aussie Frogmouths, with the Marbled the night before and the nesting Papuan Frogmouth that was the tours first official bird); and a nesting Square-tailed Kite all in the same area. Hard to take this all in within 30 minutes although that is exactly what we had to do to be sure we made our flight to Sydney. We then flew into Sydney, taking in some great aerial views of the harbor bridge and opera house as we came in.
A trio of Aussie
Frogmouths - left Papuan Frogmouth, our first bird of the tour
in Cairns; middle Plumed (Marbled) Frogmouth
in O Reilly's; &right young Tawny Frogmouth in New South
Wales (one of 4 sightings of the latter, including two nesting pairs!)
Photos by Sam Woods/Iain Campbell/Sam Woods
3rd
November
After our late pm arrival in Sydney the day before, this was our first exploration
of the area. We began at dawn in the bird-rich Royal National Park, on the
outskirts of Australia's largest and most populous city. Its hard to believe
you are just a short throw from the 'hubbub' of Sydney when Southern Boobooks
and Superb Lyrebirds can be heard calling closeby, but that is the unique
experience that is Royal N P. Unfortunately both of these birds eluded us
as did almost everything else initially with a very quiet opening to a day
which turned out just great in the end. With the extreme quiet in the temperate
forest around Wattle Flat, and calm weather apparent at the time, we decided
to head out on to the park's heathlands for some of the other (very different)
targets. Soon after arrival some striking New Holland Honeyeaters and
Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters both showed up. However our attempts at Chestnut-rumped
Hylacola (Heathwren) fell flat without a response at all. So we went after
the true beauty of the heaths - the Southern Emuwren, which while fairly
common can be a bugger to see if there is the slightest breath of wind. Thankfully
there was no wind, but just enough rain in showers to make life interesting.
However in one of the breaks between the heavier bouts of rain we heard the
barely audible insect-like calls and eventually after initially being a little
difficult a superb male showed repeatedly, and soon after a Chestnut-rumped
Hylacola awoke from its apparent disinterest and began singing from the
top of a near shrub. In between these birds a Spotted Harrier ghosted
over the heath, and proved to be the only one we got on the tour. Try as we
might we could not find any further Beautiful Firetails after Iain had a view
of one darting across the heath, but I guess you have to miss something once
in a while. Next stop was back to Royal's temperate forests and sandstone
outcrops. First the rocky outcrops, where finally a Rock Warbler (Origma)
responded and perched several times on top of a sandstone outcrop close
to where they had a hanging nest underneath an overhanging rock. This bird
used to be considered in its own monotypic family, although has now been widely
placed within the diverse Thornbill family. As the only bird endemic
to the state of New South Wales, despite its drabness, a key bird for many.
On arrival back at Wattle Flat, Iain picked up the ever-changing mimicry of
the master mimic, Superb Lyrebird, and we headed straight for the sound
and soon after were treated to great views of a extravagantly plumed male
lyrebird. This is the species that was made famous for birders in David Attenborough's
landmark show, the 'Life of Birds', where a bird from victoria state
did a varied rendition of many species and then capped it off with an uncanny
impression of a camera shutter release and then a chainsaw! This bird was
a little more restricted in its vocal range, although appreciated highly none
the less. Before leaving the Royal behind us we found a Crested Shrike-tit
right beside the car, and we then departed the park for a suburb of Sydney
where Iain has had some luck with a reliable owl stake out over recent years.
As the rains were now quite heavy we left the group in the car while we searched
the dense tangles for our target and soon after I found the first of a pair
of enormous, Powerful Owls sheltering in a thick vine tangle from the
downpour.
New Holland
Honeyeater left, and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater right,
Royal National Park, Sydney (Bill Maynard)
Having got the owl our time in Sydney was over and with an onshore wind picking up we drove south along the coast stopping near Shellharbour for some lunch and a touch of seawatching. A first glance out at sea indicated this could be a good move as we were greeted by the sight of thousands of Shearwaters. Over lunch we picked up Short-tailed Sooty, Wedge-tailed & Fluttering Shearwaters, White-fronted Tern and Australian Gannet. However best of all was a superb Shy Albatross that glided close inshore on several occasions. Another highlight was a large Humpback Whale out in the bay which breached a number of times giving us all an eyeful. While we were getting our first views of the Albatross a noisy Sooty Oystercatcher flew in and was barely noticed in the excitement, but thankfully settled down where we could all get great views as it fed on the rocky coastline with the waves crashing behind it. It turned out to be our sole sighting of the tour. Our journey to Barren Grounds was largely uneventful with the weather at Barren Grounds (thick fog interspersed with chilling rain), proving a turn off to the birds and we only managed to hear the hoped-for Eastern Bristlebirds and Ground Parrots. A mammal of note however almost became the latest road casualty when a Short-beaked Echidna began to waddle precariously towards the road and Iain dashed out to the rescue...
Short-beaked Echidna, Barren Grounds - the only other mammal in Australia,
in the egg-laying order of the monotremes (along with Duckbilled Platypus)
4th
November
The tour was flying up until this point and then the weather dealt us a low
blow. High winds and thick fog greeted us at Barren Grounds that led us to
leave the area without the hoped for specialties. We did see a number of White-throated
Treecreepers and Superb Fairywrens, though they were scant compensation
for the Gang-gang Cockatoos and Eastern Bristlebirds that were
only heard calling in the mist. Our journey westwards into the dry country
saw us swap the mist-enshrouded heaths and forests for open pasture land and
dry Eucalypt woodlands. The contrast in scenery and habitat from the beginning
of the day to the end could not have been more marked. This long journey gave
us a varied and interesting new set of birds: Brown Songlarks were
perched atop almost every post alongside one particular field, while a regal
group of half a dozen of Australia's largest native bird - the Emu
was a requested family tick (lifer) for most. By traveling inland to the drier
country we were entering the true 'land of the parrots' and we came upon first
a few Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoos, then many Red-rumped Parrots,
a blooming tree held a pair of noisy Little Lorikeets, a tree with
several small parties of Cockatiels, while a few Yellow Rosellas
seen along the way turned out to be the only ones of the tour. However, the
Superb Parrots remained for the guides eyes only, unfortunately. A
frantic mobbing bird party made us a little suspicious and the stop proved
shrewd as the birds were hassling a young Southern Boobook perched
just outside a nesthole. Other birds picked up on the journey included a Restless
Flycatcher and a party of White-winged Choughs shuffling along
the ground completed the family sweep (with the Apostlebirds recorded earlier
on the tour, being the only other member).
5th
November
Our first full day in true inland New South Wales was a classic - some great
birding in dry woodland at the start of the day with a swamp vigil producing
loads of new waterbirds at the days end. We began at daybreak at Binya, a
great area of dry woodland interspersed with a maze of tracks and trails.
The dawn chorus that greeted us there was exciting as several Painted Honeyeaters
were heard in amongst the rest and soon after we found a male singing from
a dead snag, with a trip exclusive Black Honeyeater close by. One of
the most highly wanted members of the family, because it can be tricky and
also because it is just a handsome bird period. Binya was just brimming with
birds - new birds were everywhere with Mulga Parrots, Black-eared
Cuckoo, Speckled Warbler (one of the host species for the former),
Western Gerygone, and several White-browed Babblers. A singing
Crested Bellbird on another day could have stolen the show. However,
the star of the morning was a dazzling male Splendid Fairywren, a shockingly
bright electric blue bird that just seems to glow from the bushes and brought
audible gasps from some of the less controlled among us! We then left and
had lunch in an area near Griffith where Bluebonnets and Yellow-throated
(White-rumped) Miners were new for us, although a nesting Tawny Frogmouth
was our second pair with young on the trip. After lunch we left for a waterbird
spectacular at Five Bough Swamp - arguably the best site for wetland birds
in all of New South Wales. As
Australia was undergoing a devastating drought at the time (their worst in
100 years), this was the part of the trip we were most concerned about as
reports of straying inland birds turning up on the coast indicated there may
be some birds missing from their usual haunts due to the severe stresses caused
by the water shortage. Before we had reached the water we picked up a scarce
chat - White-fronted Chat that favors the reedy fringes of wetlands
like this. On arrival at the swamp proper we were worried to find far less
ducks than usual and water levels very low (where were the expected Freckled
Ducks, Blue-billed or Musk Ducks?) However there was still plenty to keep
us busy, with Red-kneed Dotterels, an attractive lone Red-necked
Avocet, Black-tailed native-hens, Hoary-headed & Australian
Grebes, Royal & Yellow-billed Spoonbills, Australian Shelducks
and eventually (after searching another area) a whole bunch of Freckled
Ducks. The lower water at this time was a boon for crakes though and we
had close up views of many Baillon's Crakes, Australian Crakes and
a single Spotless Crake. The reeds were loaded with calling Little
Grassbirds, while Swamp Harriers and Australian Kites were
seen hawking the reedbeds overhead. A dusk vigil at a look out paid off when
a large bird cruising over the the swamp proved to be the Australian Bittern
we had been waiting for. A great days wetland birding, and although we had
missed Musk and Blue-billed Ducks, we hoped we might catch up with these later.
Painted Honeyeater
left, Binya and Australian Crake right,
Five Bough Swamp (Sam Woods and Bill Maynard)
6th
November
This was definitely one of the slower days on the tour, with bird activity
unusually low. The morning was spent in some mallee habitat and no day in
Australia would be complete without a swamp stop, so we stopped in at Blue
Gum Swamp also. The swamp was useful is holding many of the endemic Pink-eared
Duck, a bird that had eluded most of us at Five Bough by only being seen
briefly in flight overhead. Other birds seen on the journey between our base
at Leeton and Dubbo, included a hulking Wedge-tailed Eagle watched
plucking a Galah by the roadside, Mistletoebirds, Australian
Kestrels, Pied Butcherbirds, White-winged Choughs and Apostlebirds,
White-plumed & White-eared Honeyeaters, Rufous Whistler,
Common Bronzewing, Crested Pigeon, Eastern Rosella, Black-faced
Cuckooshrike, Sacred Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra, Australian
Reed-warblers and Australian Bushlark for the first time.
Eastern Rosella and Musk Lorikeet (left, Sam Woods &
right, Bill Maynard)
7th
November
The morning was spent in an area of Mallee where a Black (Swamp) Wallaby
on the dirt road was a new marsupial for the tour at dawn. Other birds seen
in the mallee and in the drive to Kandos included Brown Quail, Mallee
Ringneck (yet another parrot!), Dollarbird, Pale Yellow Robin,
Jacky-Winter, a few breathtaking Red-capped Robins, and host
of thornbills - with Inland, Buff-rumped, Chestnut-rumped & Yellow-rumped
Thornbills all recorded in the mallee areas, along with further Pied
Currawongs and White-throated Treecreepers. A lunch stop in a small
town park was beneficial when we discovered some flowering melaleucas in the
park that held a pair of the scarce Musk Lorikeets, while the park
also held a few scavenging Red Wattlebirds (complete with the bizarre
red wattles that give this honeyeater its name). Musk Lorikeets are named
so because they emit a faint odor, the function of which is not yet known,
although I can honestly say we couldn't detect this smell while we were watching
them!
8th
November
The day dawned in the Capertee Valley, a favored birding haunt of many Sydney
birders. Before we had arrived at our first stop Iain had to make a brief
stop to make another animal rescue when we found a young Tawny Frogmouth
sat in the road, and a large kangaroo further along the road was our only
Euro of the trip. On arrival at our first spot in the Capertee we soon
picked up a small party of beautiful Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, while
a singing Rufous Songlark in the same area was also a trip addition
as were a pair of Hooded Robins, and a small party of Dusky Woodswallows
sallying for insects from a dead snag. As we stood on the bridge waiting
a single Turquoise Parrot flew overhead calling all the while, an unexpected
sighting of this rare parrot that had eluded us at some sites within inland
New South Wales. We then headed to some other areas in the Capertee where
Fuscous Honeyeaters were found in their usual spot and several smart
White-browed Woodswallows hawked insects from low in the trees, and
around 20 Diamond Firetails were found feeding in roadside paddocks.
As the day wore on we made our way steadily back to Sydney to catch our onward
flight to Tasmania, although we made a designated stop at some sewage works
where a dozen Blue-billed Ducks were found as we'd hoped (a bird that
we had expected to see further inland, and had presumably moved on in response
to the severe drought conditions). The 40 or so Australian Shovelers
also there were also a trip exclusive. We then caught the flight to Hobart
in southern Tasmania, off the southern end of Australia, for the chilliest
part of the tour (Tasmania is the only landfall between Australia's southern
edge and the Antarctic).
Dusky Woodswallow
left, and White-browed Woodswallows right, both in the
Capertee Valley (Sam Woods & Iain Campbell)
9th
November
Tasmania has a strangely British feel to it, with many English sounding names,
like Mount Wellington, Glenorchy, Kettering and Dover, in addition to some
fine scenery, seemingly straight out of the Scottish highlands. However one
look at the birds and there is no doubting where you are. We took our breakfast
in the field at Peter Murrel reserve, the home of one of Tasmania's and indeed
Australia's rarest, most threatened birds - the Forty-spotted Pardalote, so
named for the rows of white spotting on the wings. Day break was spent sifting
through the many Spotted Pardalotes for their rare cousin to no avail.
However before we get onto that, we found some of the other endemics that
are special to Tasmania, including Green Rosella, Tasmanian Native-hen,
Black-headed Honeyeater; while a nearby Gray Currawong made
it easy on us by flashing us his diagnostic white vent (the rarer of the two
Tasmanian species, this prevented us having to lure one in later with chips!)
A wander up a short trail saw us walk straight in to our main target, when
the rare Tassie endemic, Forty-spotted Pardalote repeatedly visited
the same dead snag, so may well have been nesting in the area; while a short
distance away the hardest of the trio of Tassie endemic Honeyeaters - Strong-billed
Honeyeater - was found probing away at the underside of the bark (a niche
that it may have filled on Tasmania due to the total absence of any treecreepers
on the island), while a number of the commonest (yet most attractive) of the
Tassie honeyeaters - Yellow-throated Honeyeaters were also seen. The
flight south had brought us to cooler climes and everyone was a little too
happy that we had missed the first ferry to Bruny Island so that we could
take full advantage of the hot drinks in the quayside cafe. As it happens
this is not a bad move as a few Pacific Gulls were out in the harbour
(a bird restricted to Tasmania and the southern coasts of Australia), while
a number of the near-endemic Black-faced Cormorants were resting on
the wharf just outside...
Black-faced Cormorant left and Black Currawong right
(an endemic roadside bird) Tasmania (Sam Woods)
On reaching Bruny island we felt we had reached another deserted part of the Scottish highlands, with wild and beautifully rugged terrain and jagged shorelines, although a roadside pair of Dusky Robins (the only endemic robin on Tasmania) soon brought back into the real world. The rocky shorelines all seemed to hold roosting parties of Pied Oystercatchers, and a stop at a penguin colony (where the penguins were all currently hiding in their burrows or out to sea), found us both Tasmanian Thornbill (complete with diagnostic puffy white undertail coverts) and Brown (Tasmanian) Scrubwren. We headed straight for a tranquil white sand beach where minutes after arriving we found our target - the rare Hooded Plover huddled behind some rocks. After a lunch with a male Superb Fairywren for company the whole time looking for a handout, Dave spotted some flowering trees further up the bay and with a specific nectar feeding, near-endemic parrot in mind, we headed straight for them. Our initial searches turned up nothing, although just as a Brush Bronzewing came in landed close by a couple of the hoped for Swift Parrots flew in and began feeding on the nectar harvest. The last stop before we left Bruny was a known territory of the pretty Pink Robin, that for the third year running duly obliged and perched right out in the open, seemingly absorbing all the praise from the enthusiastic birders all around. There are some very good robins in Australia but there is just something about that subtle rose-pink breast that people just seem to rave about. We then left Bruny Island behind and drove up Mount Wellington on the outskirts of Hobart, that allows some great views out over the city and the huge harbour. The endemic Black Currawong is pretty easy to come by up there as they are a regular roadside bird. A stop for a singing robin later on proved highly fortuitous as we found not only a pair of fantastic Flame Robins, but also a Crescent Honeyeater (our 45th and final honeyeater of the tour), and better still a singing Calamanthus (Striated Fieldwren). Not bad at all. With seemingly little left to look for on the final day, we retired to a great Thai restaurant in the quiet city of Hobart.
10th
November
Flushed with our success from the day before, we started thinking about alternative
plans, and we all agreed it would be a nice close to go and watch thousands
of penguins coming to shore that evening for the tour finale. First things
first though. Early in the morning we went to a local reserve in Hobart where
the the last of the robins was calling on arrival, and soon after we saw our
final of the Tassie robins, that is also strangely the commonest robin on
there - with a couple of superb male Scarlet Robins competing for the
same territory. A lone Kelp Gull was also circling close by with another
Pacific Gull for good side-by-side comparison. We then headed up to
Ferntree and Mount Wellington for the last of the Tassie endemics. Before
we looked for that however a cafe stop was in order, where the Gray Currawong
was hanging out ready for another handout (although as we had seen this earlier
he was unlucky on this day!) The last Tasmanian specialty took us a little
time, being a shy understorey bird, although the crisp white underparts of
the Scrubtit gave it away eventually as we watched it foraging in the
thick temperate forest mid layer. We then afforded ourselves a break after
the rigors of a long birding trip, before we headed along the east coast of
Tassie for our 'penguin odyssey'. Before going after the penguins however
we stopped in (with little time to spare), at a known area for the handsome
near-endemic Cape Barren Goose and thankfully, with time limited,
a pair were waiting for us on arrival.
Flame Robin left and Cape Barren Geese right,
Tasmania (Iain Campbell)
It was then full steam ahead for Little Penguins, although birders are nothing if not easily distracted and a couple of stops were 'needed' on the way - first for a trip exclusive Fairy Tern in a secluded bay; and then a roadside lake packed with wildfowl was simply a must stop opportunity. Before we had even started scanning in earnest for any gaps on the list that might be sitting on the lake, someone spotted a pair of Musk Ducks that had frustratingly eluded us up until now - a classic last minute bird if ever there was one. We then reached Bicheno and headed out on our 'penguin safari', being treated to some full-on close up views of Little (Fairy) Penguins as they came onto the shore from their day time fishing sprees in many small groups wandering past us literally within inches of their surrounding admirers (us!). A truly magical way to end what had been a superb tour for birds, with 418 species seen including representatives of all the major Aussie families. When someone leaves the trip with 40 new families (out of an amazing 87 families seen on the tour in total), it is easy to believe the trip had gone well. The tour started with Papuan Frogmouth as the first official species and ended with Little (Fairy) Penguin as the final bird of the tour. Although there was a long drive back to Hobart at the end of it all, mammal additions in the form of Tasmanian Devil, Common Brushtail Possum, and Tasmanian (Rufous/Red-bellied) Pademelon made the return leg pass by a little more easily!
BIRD
LIST
|
Taxonomy
and nomenclature follow: Clements, James F. 2000. Birds of the
World: A Checklist. Fifth Edition. Vista, CA: Ibis Publishing
Co. Includes recent updates. All the birds on this list (421 were recorded in total) were seen by at least one person in the group other then the leader, except those marked with a 'GO' that denotes seen by the guide only, and those marked with an 'H' that were only heard. Birds in bold black are birds endemic to the Australian/Tasmania region; while those marked in bold red are endemics to Tasmania only. CASSOWARIES
Casuariidae EMU
Dromaiidae PENGUINS
Spheniscidae CRANES
Gruidae
Taxonomy
and nomenclature follow: Menkhorst, P. and Knight, F. 2004. A Field
Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Second Edition. Oxford University
Press, Melbourne. Short-beaked
Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus |
|