Going South -- 04

Next stop was Alice Springs and a day out with Mark Carter [Birding and Wildlife] chasing Letter-winged Kites but it rained and all the dirt roads went to mush so I spent a restful day in Alice doing the mundane but essential household chores such as cleaning the car, have a shower, do the laundry and a bit of local birdwatching with coffee -- Olive Pink Botanic Gardens has a very nice cafe.

Western Bowerbird Ptilonorynchus guttatus working hard on his bower.

The bower did need some work.

Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae a rival to above!

There were sightings of Grey Honeyeaters nesting near the Desert Park so I did an early morning walk there. Did I see one?

Unknown honeyeater. What do you think?

Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca

As I had a bit of time up my sleeve, I headed south with rain for 600km to Coober Pedy and stopped beyond Glendambo [a 900+km day] for the night on my way to visit Chuckles. I got out of the car at a WikiCamp and there were a small family of Varied Sitella Daphoenositta chrysoptera pileata, "Black-capped Sitella", foraging about on the trees and stumps. They fly into the tops of trees in groups and move downwards towards the ground. I don't know how they handle the brain blood pressure being upside down a lot of the time. This leads to classic sitella images of face down, the beak out.

Magic. f8 and be there!

Go North -- 11 -- Daintree

Eventually the birding adventure had to finish but there was a last hurrah for Ethan and me. We did an early morning birding cruise on the Daintree River with Sauce Worcester. Highly recommended. It was fantastic. His knowledge of birds is terrific as is his knowledge of all things local be it floral or faunal.

We saw ....

Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana

This bird is a known resident to Sauce. We pulled up near a creek junction,
Sauce played the call once and he appeared out of the bush letting us know
in no uncertain terms that THIS was HIS territory. An impressive bird.

Striated Heron Butorides striatus

Little Bronze-cuckoo Chalcites minutillus

Azure Kingfisher Ceyx azurea

Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Rainbow Bee-eaters Merops ornatus

Shining Flycatcher, female Myiagra alecto

Mr S Flycatcher

On our way back to Mossman we observed a whole heap of sticks atop an electricity pole.

Heap of sticks

The Resident, an Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus

The final bird of the trip to Cape York
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonhcura castaneothorax

So, the number of birds for the 21-day trip was 190.

Magic. f8 and be there!

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 07

Wappa Dam is one of Brisbane's water catchment dams about 100km northwest of Brisbane itself. It was recommended as a good birding site but when I got there, it did seem a bit "just a large body of water"-ish with a picnic area. How looks deceive [although only two waterbirds].

young Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta

young Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta

Australian Figbird Sphecotheres viridis

male Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum

female and male Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata

Cattle Egret Ardea ibis

Forest Kingfishers Todiramphus macleayii

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus

Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia

In breeding garb.

male Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus

Just to clinch the identification. Red back!!