Go North 05 -- Seisia -- Spotted Whistling-Duck

Once back in Seisia, we chilled for a day before moving south back to Weipa. Dolby and Clarke mentioned Spotted Whistling-Duck at the Umagico Water Treatment Plant. We had been unable to locate it on our visit to Injinoo Beach. We pulled up Google Earth on the iPad, turned on the satellite image and there it was, a six-bay, square body of water, back off the road a few hundred metres in the bush. Spotted Whistling-Duck is described as a rare vagrant to the Australian north coast dating from Weipa Sewage Farm in 1995 but more have been sighted over recent years and the comment in Morcombe was that they "may now breed". Resident or not, if we could find some it would be a BIG tick.

We found the WTP with no trouble and there, in the first bay we looked, were 17 Spotted Whistling-Duck. They quietly swam away from us to the other side of the water [like all ducks do] and when we ventured a little too close they all flew into the next bay. A great tick. The sun was just right making for some great images.

Spotted Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna guttata

There were also the dirtiest Australian White Ibis, Radjah Shelduck and Masked Lapwings you ever did see. The exposed red earth of the site made a great source for colouration!

Australian White !?! Ibis Threskiornis molucca
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles

Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah

Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami

Back at the campground, we were constantly being on our guard against the marauding Australian Brush-Turkeys who were (1) scavenging anything and (2) in full territorial defence. The northern Australian race has a lovely lilac neck collar on the breeding male, unlike the vivid yellow one on the more southern race.

A constant presence in the trees was the Australasian Figbird. Here is a male in full colour and, I think, an immature male. This is the local race flaviventris with the bright yellow neck and belly.

Australasian Figbird  Sphecotheres viridis

Go North 03 -- Seisia

Leaving one car at Weipa, all five of us loaded into the 76-series and made our way north to the tip of Cape York. We stopped the first night at Bramwell Resort [cattle station]. Best bird was a Palm Cockatoo. The image below was taken in the relative dullness of early morning and against a cloudy sky. I exposed the image +1-stop and applied a lot of exposure compensation [+3.5] in Photoshop.

Palm Cockatoo Probisciger atriums

The second night was spent at the "caravan park" at the Jardine River ferry which we used first thing the next morning on our way to Bamaga and its neighbours of Injinoo, Umagico and Seisia. We stopped at the Seisia Caravan Park, right on the beach, for several nights. Ethan and I visited Injinoo and its creek on the first night.

Masked Lapwing Vanillas miles miles the race in northern Australia

Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea ruficollaris northern Australian race

Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos

Eastern Reef Egret Ardea sacra white morph

Striated Heron Butorides striatus
"Going ..."

"Going ..."

We were gone before we found out if the Striated Heron actually managed to get the fish down!