Large-tailed Nightjar and Waders at Boonooroo

Comb-crested Jacana

Large-tailed Nightjar and loads of waders were the highlight of a three-night camp at Boonooroo, south-east of Maryborough on the Great Sandy Strait. We visited Boonooroo after spending time at Burrum Heads and Bundaberg.

Comb-crested Jacana with chick

 The jacana in the image above had two tiny nestlings on a freshwater pond near the township. One of the youngsters can just be seen in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture above.

Large-tailed Nightjar

I first heard the distinctive call of a Large-tailed Nightjar from near the banks of Little Tuan Creek in the early morning from the Boonooroo Caravan Park. At 4am the next morning I went to that area and had no trouble enjoying excellent, repeated views of a pair of nightjars in the coastal scrub. The birds were very flighty and I was unable to photograph them; thanks to Geoff Jones from Barra Imaging for this one. Boonooroo is close to the southern-most limit of the distributional range of this species.

Bar-tailed Godwits and Great Knots

Boonooroo is well-known for its migratory waders and they were there in good numbers. The most common species were Bar-tailed Godwit, Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Great Knot and Grey-tailed Tattler. In lesser but still reasonable numbers were Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Pacific Golden Plover and Mongolian Sand-Plover. Species in small numbers included Common Greenshank, Red Knot, Terek Sandpiper, Grey Plover and Greater Sand-Plover, with resident waders including Pied Oystercatcher and Red-capped Plover.

The waders could be found in various places at high tide behind the mangroves on salt pans a little to the north of the township.

Buff-banded Rail

A Buff-banded Rail was in the mangroves of Little Tuan Creek.

Common Greenshank

Eastern Curlew

Great Knots

Grey-tailed Tattlers

Gull-billed Terns

Mongolian Sand-Plovers and Red-necked Stints

Pacific Golden and Mongolian Sand-Plovers

Greater Sand-Plover

Pacific Golden Plover

Pied Oystercatcher

Red-necked Stints (with 1 Curlew Sandpiper)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Shining Flycatcher

During a morning kayak along Little Tuan Creek, a single Shining Flycatcher - a juvenile female - was seen.