Bird Nerds in Queensland 11

Once Ethan was back, we hit the birding with a vengeance. Ethan suggested that we needed to be at Lake Macdonald at dawn i.e. 5am non-daylight-saving-Queensland time. "That is fine by me", I replied, "But that means getting up at 4.20am". Was that alright by him? "Fine", was the reply. So at 4.20am I was quietly knocking on his door to awaken him but not the other two. He duly appeared just a few minutes later raring for the off. We took breakfast with us and away we went. As we turned off the Bruce Highway, we spotted a bird on top of a lighting pole. It was a Peregrine Falcon!! What a great start to the day. Next was Lake Macdonald and, as we were pulling up, the first birds we saw were a Willie Wagtail having a stoush with a Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta.

The next birds we saw were Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis and, yes, one Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus. Life tick for both of us. It was a fair way away so just a confirmatory ID image.

We weren't in the bird hide more than a few minutes when a Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii wandered past right in front of the hide. Doesn't get much better Avithera. Aren't they just a great bird.

Then the usual parade of Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea with both an adult in breeding plumage [first image] and a pair of immatures [second image]. The non-breeding CCJ has no comb, a rufous cap and a black stripe running down the back of each side of the neck joining as a band on the chest. Quite similar to the immatures in the second image.

After breakfast we tootled off to Wappa Dam. Here Ethan ticked a Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirudinaceum, we both ticked a Cicadabird Coracina tenuirostris, and a totally unexpected Barred Cuckoo-shrike Coracina lineata. The Barred Cuckoo-shrike was pretty special indeed. Ethan has learnt very quickly that when he sees a bird he doesn't know, he takes quick note of its salient features. Recourse to the guides in the car plus the backup of the camera soon gave us the ID.

female Cicadabird

What a great day. Magic. f5.6, t1250 and be there!

Bird Nerd visits Queensland 08

A return visit, solo, to Fearnley Bird Hide at Lake Macdonald yielded a great crop of birds.

There were plenty of Darters around, all drying themselves in the newly-risen sun. Here is one example.

Darter Anhinga melanogaster

This Little Pied Cormorant is one of the dirtier examples to be seen. Not sure why as the water was nice and clear.

Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos

Magpie Geese Anseranas semipalmata a-landing

This is a Wandering Whistling-Duck. At first I thought it was a Plumed Whistling-Duck looking a bit strange [perhaps a juvenile] but a check of the apps showed it was to be a WW-D.  Life tick with this single bird although looking through pictures I had taken at our previous visit showed a pair in the air -- called PW-D at the time. The dappled back and the dark line down the back of the neck are diagnostic.

Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata

Hardheads are always nice clean, snappy ducks. They were quite unconcerned at my presence about 10 metres away.

male Hardhead Aythya australis

female Hardhead Aythya australis

There were plenty of Cromb-crested Jacanas Irediparra gallinacea about, thirteen or fourteen. Their feet are HUGE. Two image crops to show just how BIG. No wonder they can walk on water.

Then suddenly, I spotted a chick with one of the CCJs. In this first image you can see the chick, can't you. No? Check out the next image - a crop and magnification.

How many chicks do you think?

Here is another image of the parent walking away. How many now?

Well, there were four. Pretty exciting.

The highlight of the visit was a White-bellied Sea-eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster which flew in and landed in a tree opposite the bird hide. After a bit of jiggling, it seemed to settle in with an occasional preen. After a few minutes I "lost interest" in it [ I recall the Jacana chicks came along] and after about twenty minutes I heard a splash and looking over aw that the eagle had dropped straight down into the water about two feet from the edge. It had something in its talons. It was a large, at-least-25cm-across, freshwater tortoise. The age pulled its breakfast out of the water, had a good look around to see if anyone had noticed [they hadn't] then set about hoeing in to a back leg with the tortoise on its back. Of course, it was only a few minutes since caught so the tortoise was still well alive and as the eagle feasted, I could see legs and head waving about! Nature at its rawest. Anything for a feed and get stuck in.

Bird Nird visits Queensland 05

Answers to Guess What.

You could be forgiven for thinking this is a Peregrine Falcon up close and personal. But it is a ....
Noisy Miner

This little darling is a female Red-backed Fairy-wren. The books tell us that only the Red-backed and, perhaps, the Superb are the two species that do not have blue in the tail. The two species do overlap in SE Qld so both were a possibility. It helps a lot when you see an eclipse male with the group.

This image contains a Latham's Snipe. It was only detected by being seen moving whilst using the scope.

This image contains a Comb-crested Jacana. Although these birds are always on the move, it is hard to see them unless they fly in which case, as they are not fast, it is easy to spot them. They also call when airborne.

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.