Square-tailed Kite, Black-necked Stork, Glossy Black Cockatoo on Sunshine Coast

Square-tailed Kite

Good birds encountered around the Sunshine Coast in recent days have included Square-tailed Kite, Black-necked Stork, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Pale-vented Bush-hen and King Quail. I saw this Square-tailed Kite above the entrance to the Fairhill Nursery at Ninderry, not far from where I live. I've seen the species several times in the area, including in my garden, and it seems likely there is a resident pair. Along a creek at nearby North Arm, a trio of Pale-vented Bush-hen were calling loudly.

Black-necked Stork

This adult female Black-necked Stork was on a property dam at Yandina Creek, on the Coolum-Yandina Road. It's good to know some birds are still about following the apparent shooting of a Black-necked Stork at Ewan Maddock Dam recently.

Glossy Black Cockatoo

This pair of Glossy Black Cockatoos was feeding in an Allocasuarina littoralis on a privately owned property at Noosaville. The male (left) and female (right) are simultaneously splitting cones with their bills as they hold them with their left feet. As discussed previously, the Noosaville-Sunsrise Beach area of the Sunshine Coast has emerged as one of the best places in Australia to see this endangered species.

Pacific Golden Plover

Following recent rains, much of the low-lying cane country in the vicinity of the Maroochy River is under water, with extensive areas of mud exposed in places. I had a flock of 20 Pacific Golden Plovers near the river along with a fair sprinkling of Black-fronted Dotterel and Red-kneed Dotterel. In tall grassland near Bli Bli I've had at least 6 King Quail calling (seeing two on one occasion) along with plenty of Brown Quail.

Plumed & Wandering Whistling-Ducks 

There are large numbers of both Plumed and Wandering Whistling-Ducks presently about the coast. Between 100 and 150 Wandering Whistling-Ducks and a smaller number of Plumed are frequenting flooded farmland behind Sunshine Coast Airport. Another interesting sighting in recent weeks is between 10 and 20 Black Kites hanging about the turf farm near Nambour.

Dollar-bird

Dollar-birds have usually headed north by now but there are still good numbers about.