Berd Nerd visits Queensland 04

On a par with the Maroochy Wetland Sanctuary was the Fearnley Bird-hide at Lake Macdonald between Cooroy and Noosa. This lake is old farmland flooded to provide more water supply for urban expansion. The bird-hide is at the end of a short walk along the wooded edge of the lake just along from a boat launching area at the end of Grange Road where there is a picnic table, seats and shelter. It is a very nice spot. It is about 40 minutes drive from Buderim so an even earlier start ensured we were there by 6.

The first visit by Ethan and me yielded 47 species plus breakfast and a chat to a boatee. Ethan is still a learner birder so quite a few of the species were life ticks for him. Hardhead, Wandering Whistling-duck, Red-kneed and Black-fronted Dotterels, Lathams Snipe, Sacred and Forest Kingfishers, White-breasted Woodswallow and a species of fairy-wren. We had about 20 ticks within 20 metres of the car. Always a good start!

Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Nesting - can you see it?

Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata
Nesting - can you see it?

Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata

Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni

Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae

Caspian Tern Sterna caspia

Darter Anhinga melanogaster

Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Figbird Sphecotheres viridis

Guess what #1

Guess what #2

Guess what #3

Guess what #4

More later.

Bird Nerd visits Queensland 02

On the second night of travelling, I ended up at the lookout on the top of the Moonbi Hills a few kilometres north of Tamworth on the New England Highway. I just put up my tent in a grassy corner of the carpark.

Apart from the occasional low level background noise of a semi either crawling up the hill or using engine brakes to descend, it was quiet and the view to the west was pretty speccy. I awoke early [5?] and was making a cuppa when the unmistakable screaming cackling [click here] of the Channel-billed Cuckoo snapped my head upwards. Three of them circled around the lookout for several minutes then landed in very viewable trees. Their calls accompanied the Pacific Koels in the trees by my camp [just to remind me of the one I had left behind in Sale].

Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae

Other birds in the car park were Rainbow Lorikeets [lots], Musk Lorikeets [less], Superb Fairy-wrens and Noisy Friarbird. No picture of a Koel.

Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla 

Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus

Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus

Same fairy-wren but in different light. Shadow versus a setting sun. More later.