birding – Page 19

Around and about …

We spent a few days in the Cooktown region. Overall it was a very productive time from a wildlife perspective. The sighting of Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo was the crowning moment. If you are considering a visit, some of the places to include are the McIvor River, Mt Webb National Park, Keatings Lagoon, Black Mountain and Little Annan Gorge.

The McIvor River can be reached at a couple of spots, the easier place is via a bitumen road. On the way from Cooktown to Hopevale turn left 10 km prior to Hopevale in the direction of Laura. There is a second crossing not far downstream from there that can be reached via a dirt track from Hopevale airstrip or from the crossing on the made road via a commercial plantation a little further in the direction of Mt Webb. Good birding in pockets of riverine rainforest can be had at both.

There are no real facilities at Mt Webb but you can get off the main road and poke around. We saw White-eared and Black-winged Monarch here, the latter is a summer migrant to Cape York and this is just about its southerly limit. I photographed this Little Shrike-thrush here …

Also had good views of an Amethystine Python which I was about to photograph when the Black-winged Monarch flew by. I chased it and ended up without good photos of either. A snake in the hand or a bird in the bush?

A little further north on the east side of the road you can explore a heathy area that looks productive.

There are foot paths and a hide at Keating’s lagoon. It was good for water birds and is surrounded by some dry forest that yielded Silver-crowned Friarbird and other passerines. Magpie Geese …

Our main target at Black Mountain and Little Annan Gorge was Godman’s Rock Wallaby but in that we were unsuccessful.

Tableland …

Our second day on the Atherton Tableland and a lot of ground to cover.

First stop was Lake Barrine where we walked the circuit. Then a short drive to Lake Eacham where once again we walked the circuit.

These are both volcanic maars, that is they were formed by the explosion that occurred when ground water was rapidly heated by volcanic eruptions. The resulting craters both contain lakes that are at least 65 metres deep. The circuit of Lake Barrine is 5 kilometres, there is a private tea house on the shore from where you can take a cruise on the lake. Lake Eacham is a little smaller, 3 kilometres in circumference. The walking tracks are well constructed and take you through a rainforest fringe which is rich in bird life. In fact, between these two lakes and Hypipamee which we had visited the day before you can find all of the higher altitude wet tropics endemics which are … Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Golden Bowerbird, Bridled Honeyeater, Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Mountain Thornbill, Grey-headed Robin, Chowchilla and Bower’s Shrike-thrush.

The Atherton Scrubwren and Bower’s Shrike-thrush are the ones that will give you the most trouble, Grey-headed Robins will have to be fought off, they are numerous and confiding …

You are almost certain to encounter Musky Rat-Kangaroos, the smallest of the kangaroos. You may confirm the diagnosis by counting their toes, they are the only kangaroos with five. If you’re lucky you may also catch up with a Green Ringtail possum …

They are on the menu for Amethystine Pythons. This one has chosen a vine to sleep on, the approach of a python would be easily detected and escape may be made in either of two directions. They are, of course, rather more exciting at night.

By the time we had finished our walks we had completed our collection of the upland endemics and were ready to go for lunch. I can think of no better place than Coffee Works in Mareeba. As well as a splendid restaurant they can also sell you locally grown coffee and many other surprising things. On our way there we encountered a large mixed flock of Brolga and Sarus Cranes. These are quite similar to look at, basically they are tall and grey with a little red decoration around the head. The practised eye will distinguish them immediately by the extent of the red, on the Brolga this is like a bandage going around its head, on the Sarus Crane it is rather more like a hood extending down the neck. Both the bandage and the hood have a hole in as though for the ears. The adult Brolga has a little dewlap the Sarus Crane does not. The Brolga is an inhabitant of northern and eastern Australia and nearby parts of New Guinea but the Sarus Crane ranges across southern Asia to India. It was first recorded in Oz in the 1950’s. So the big question is, did it find its way here around about then or had it been overlooked? According to one authority (Schodde) the Australian birds are sufficiently different to be considered a separate subspecies implying that they had been long overlooked.

As the day warms up so the bird watching cools off, the middle of the day is not the time to go looking for Rock Wallabies either. Eastern Queensland is home to nine species of Rock Wallaby, their ranges form a chain that runs from Cape York to the New South Wales Border. They are mostly indistinguishable in the field and hard to find. However if you know where you are you can make a good guess at which one you’re looking at with the aid of a map, for anything more definite than that you will need a sample of their DNA. But there is one that you can find and identify with ease.

A mere $10 will buy you admission to Granite Gorge Nature Park just 10 kilometres from Coffee Works and an extra dollar will buy a bag of wallaby food. A short briefing will get you ready to navigate the gorge and remind you not to break a leg and off you go. The wallabies are as pleased to see you as you are to see them …

We stroked one or two before tearing ourselves away and heading towards Cairns. On the way we set up our camp at Speewah then spent the late afternoon birding along Black Mountain Road, Kuranda. Here we were able to add Barred Cuckoo-shrike to the species list.

Back at Speewah, after dark, we spotlighted along the upper trails of the Barron Gorge National Park. The falling bomb call of the Sooty Owl could be heard clearly but we were unable to get a look at it. Nor was it inclined to come and see what was making, to my ears at least, an excellent copy of its call. Perhaps it was classically trained and not interested in a jazz musician’s interpretation.

Wet …

Most of Australia is very dry …

If it’s brown, yellow or the lightest green on the map then average annual rainfall is less than 400mm (less than 16 inches). That’s most of the country. Rainfall is highest near the coast, on the mountains and in the far north. In the southern half of the continent rainfall in winter exceeds that in summer. In the north summer rainfall predominates.

We pick up our journey at Alligator creek just south of Townsville. Even at the scale of the map it’s possible to see that from there heading north is a journey into a part of Australia that is way wetter than the average.

The wet tropics stretches up the Great Dividing Range from Townsville in the south to Cooktown in the north. The highest point along the way is Mount Bartle Frere at 1,622 metres and not far away is Bellenden Ker (1,593m), This part of the region enjoys 8 metres of rainfall per year. The mountain range has been dissected by at least nine significant rivers leading to plenty of opportunity for local evolution and the region as a whole is cut off from other wet areas by the surrounding dry country. This is a formula for high levels of endemism in flora and fauna.

Driving up from the south the first chance to get amongst it is at Paluma 90km from Townsville. It’s a steep drive up from the coast. Your first stop has to be the Ivy Cottage tea rooms! Take scones on the balcony overlooking the forest, fight the birds off your food with one hand whilst taking photos of them with the other.

I recommend the cheesecake.

When we tore ourselves away from there we had to work a little harder for our birds but not too far away we found the maypole bower of the Golden Bowerbird.

The male constructs and maintains this remarkable edifice, decorating it with lichen throughout the breeding season. Females visit to inspect his work, if impressed they mate with him. He plays no further role in the raising of his offspring. He was keeping a watchful eye on his bower when we were there.

Our next objective was Wallaman Falls. We could have retraced our steps to the coast turned north and run up the escarpment again but we opted to take the road less travelled on the inland side of the range via Home Valley and Fox Mountain. This was a fairly rough track mainly through dry eucalypt woodland. Wallaman Falls has the longest drop of any Australian waterfall.

Not exactly Niagara especially at the end of the dry in this El Niño year. What we really wanted to see here was a Cassowary which would have been a tick for Mark. No luck. So on to our camp site for the night, at Etty Beach near Innisfail.

Why camp at a caravan park when there is so much national park in the neighbourhood?

That’s Dad with the chicks and this is a reliable place to see them.

Townsville …

With the Eungella Honeyeater ticked off, the next step of the journey was to pick up young Mark at Townsville Airport.

Once again, our campsite was chosen for its convenient location and not given the attention it deserved. Alligator Creek is 25km south of Townsville in the Mount Elliot section of Bowling Green Bay National Park. The park covers just under 58,000 hectares ranging from mangroves on the coast to rainforest on the mountain tops. It includes some significant wetlands. It is home to some very interesting creatures including the Estuarine Crocodile although it might be better to encounter an Allied Rock Wallaby or a Rufous Bettong. An overnight stay just doesn’t do it justice. Camping needs to be booked online. Facilities include showers and toilets and a picnic shelter or two, very pleasant.

As we arrived we discovered that there is a gate some ways from the camp site that is closed from 6.30 pm until 6am. We were picking Mark up at 7.30 pm. This raised two obvious considerations. Firstly the car would have to be out of the area prior to 6.30. Secondly, Mark’s camping gear and food were in the vehicle and weighed a ton and therefore a moral dilemma. Should I take his gear out in the camp site and bask in the awareness of my great kindness or would it be more amusing to watch him carry it?

We set up tent. I took out Mark’s gear. And then we explored. One of the highlights was a pair of White-browed Robins occupying a territory near the campsite …

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Then into town we went, the flight was on time and we were soon back at the gate. It was wide open, presumably the closure occurs only at busy times. On this occasion we were the only campers in the place.

Destination …

From the Tiwi Islands to Darwin was an easy overnight cruise. We had an appointment with the pilot for first light.

The travel company that managed the cruise was Zegrahm Expeditions and, as always, they added a great deal of value to the product. The cruise director made sure that we had the opportunity to extract the max and he was well supported by guides who really knew their stuff. They included Chris Done who had been the regional manager for the state’s Department of Conservation and Land Management, Terry Done, a marine biologist, Shirley Campbell, anthropologist from ANU and Brent Stephenson, a first rate ornithologist.

The ship was part of the Coral Princess fleet, first class facilities and a wonderful crew.

Off the ship early and flying late; what to do? Go birding.

The only disappointment of the day was finding a new fence around the Palmerston sewage ponds, you can no longer see the birds that it attracts. Yet another sewage pond falls by the wayside, every one of them a sad loss.

Oranges and Lemons …

Not far from Bigge Island was, for me, one of the highlights of the Kimberley trip, Sterna Island. If you click on the photo it will fill your screen and you can try your diagnostic skills. There are three species of Tern to be found. If you find a fourth let me know. The back arrow in your browser brings you back to this page.

There were many thousands of breeding pairs of terns. Plus a pair of Peregrines that could have lunch whenever they wanted and one did before our very eyes. A White-bellied Sea Eagle also flew through causing a fair bit of mayhem. But it was mostly about the terns. The Roseate were in peak breeding plumage …

The presentation of a fish serves the same purpose as a rose on Valentines day.

The next photo shows Crested and Lesser Crested Terns in the one view. To tell them apart just remember the Crested has a bill the colour of Lemon peel, the Lesser Crested has a bill the colour of Orange peel …

Birds just bursting with energy. You have to click on this one …

Update …

The year rolls along. My Aussie birdlist for 2015 currently stands at 212 comfortably ahead of the days elapsed. The addition of new species has slowed. That’s inevitable, but the change of seaons brings its own rewards. The first Flame Robin of the winter turned up on the farm on 11th of April, a lone female plumaged bird. Numbers are building. I’m looking forward to Swift Parrot.

A change of scenery will also help. I think I’ll head to the Kimberley … I’ll tell you about it when I get back.

Progress report …

The Calendar Game goes on, late entries can still be accepted …

McGee stands at 186 bird species seen (therefore safe until July 5). Standout birds so far include Mallee Fowl and Plains Wanderer.

That’s dad with his chicks.

The calendar game …

In 1998 I visited Townsville in Queensland, it was shortly before new year. I bumped into some local birdwatchers and went out with them on Townsville Common. Like most birdwatchers I meet, they were very generous with their knowledge, you can’t beat local knowledge, and they put me onto some other birds to tick off before heading back to Victoria.

Amongst themselves topics of conversation included the start of the new year, the start of a new year list and preparation for a game that they played among themselves. You were in the game on January first. To stay in the game you had to have added at least one species to your year list for each day elapsed. They were plotting a big day out for that first day. A one hundred bird day would see them safe until the beginning of April. The last one to go out would be the winner or by reaching 365 (plus one in a leap year) there could be any number of winners. They were laughing about who had lasted how long in the year then coming to a close.

They restricted the game to birds seen in Queensland. It would be tough but not impossible to see 365 species in a single year in Victoria, my home state. McGee’s Victoria list stands at 386 but that includes birds that don’t turn up here every year. McGee’s Queensland list stands at 438 despite the fact that he only spends a small fraction of his time there.

Since then I have played the game privately, allowed myself the whole of Australia to play in, and it is one measure of how successful a year has been. If I allowed myself the whole world to play in it would be just too easy, this year’s world total was 632 (with 12 hours to go). However my birding within Australia has been confined to Victoria, no further east than Melbourne. I was out of the game by the end of June.

I won’t be posting for a couple of days …

Long-billed Dowitcher …

Couldn’t wait …

This magnificent creature takes McGee’s Aussie list to 717 species.

For anyone wishing to see this bird you first have to find Lake Tutchewop (in the state of Victoria). It’s just off the Murray Valley Highway. All the lakes between Kerang and Lake Boga seem to be well sign-posted except this one. Heading north from Kerang, Kangaroo Lake will disappear into the rearview mirror, some signs to Mystic Park indicate that you are getting close. Turn right at the crossroads with the Benjeroop-Cresco Road. The lake becomes visible on your right after a short while. Currently there are some road works in the middle of which there is a track that runs down towards the lake. The track heads around the lake perhaps making a complete circuit and at present is easily managed. It would be an exciting proposition after rain.

The waders, and there were many of them including some very nice Banded Stilt, were congregated on the lee shore with a very stiff westerly blowing. Once I found the congregation I searched on foot for the Dowitcher. Its breast stands out rather nicely.