Sunshine Coast Birds

Birding and other wildlife experiences from the Sunshine Coast and elsewhere in Australia - and from overseas - with scribblings about travel, environmental issues, kayaking, hiking and camping.

Monday, 12 November 2012

Baillon's & Spotless Crake, Bush-hen at Cooroy

Baillon's Crake

Baillon's Crake, Spotless Crake and Pale-vented Bush-hen were all seen well this morning at the Cooroy sewage treatment works on the Sunshine Coast.

Baillon's Crake

I saw two Baillon's Crake and three Spotless Crakes, with another 5 or 6 Spotless Crakes heard. I was interested to see that the Baillon's Crake in the images above appeared to show some interest in playback. This species does not breed in Australia and normally does not react to playback of its call.

A Pale-vented Bush-hen was flushed twice from reeds in one of the ponds. Other birds icluded 8 Latham's Snipe and 2 Little Grassbirds, along with several Tawny Grassbirds, and 50 White-throated Needletails.

Spotted Harrier

This Spotted Harrier was present in a weedy field today near Yandina. Over the past three years, I've found these harriers to be consistently present in low-lying grasslands surrounding the Maroochy River. Birds have been in all plumage phases, indicating local breeding.
In recent weeks, harriers have been appearing in the Yandina-North Arm area in habitat I've not seen them in previously. This is likely to have something to do with the fact that the cane harvesting season in the Maroochy River flats has been underway, with large swathes of grassland as well as cane going under the harvesters. Presumably the birds have been forced to disperse.

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