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Barn Owl |
Barn Owl is common in many parts of Australia but not on the coastal plains of southern Queensland. I have seen many more of its more sought after cogeners - Sooty, Masked and Eastern Grass Owls - than Barn Owls around the Sunshine Coast. So it was gratifying to come across a family not far from my home in Ninderry. The birds nested in a large, dead eucalypt and I was able to see at least four and probably five birds - presumably the adults with fledged young.
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Barn Owl |
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Shining Bronze-Cuckoo |
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo is a regular visitor to my Ninderry garden but a small flock of 4-5 birds was an unusually large concentration. These birds appeared much whiter about the face than normal; in particular they showed white flecking on the forehead and obvious white ear patches. They generally had a much cleaner, paler look. These features suggest the New Zealand race,
lucidus, a scarce visitor to Australia. However, the crown appears to be bronze, a feature of the Australian resident race
plagosus. Any suggestions are welcome.
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Shining Bronze-Cuckoo |
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Terek Sandpiper |
The migratory waders have headed north. A recent visit to the Toorbul roost was notable because of a gathering of about 30 Terek Sandpipers - an unusually large number of this species in south-east Queensland.
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Terek Sandpiper & Grey-tailed Tattler |
The commonest wader at the roost was Grey-tailed Tattler, many in breeding plumage. Grey-tailed and Wandering Tattlers are among the last wader species to depart.
Elsewhere about the region, pairs of Great Crested Grebe are present on Wappa and Poona Dams. A Large-billed Scrubwren was co-operative at Cooloolabin.
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Terek Sandpiper & Grey-tailed Tattler |
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Great Crested Grebe |
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Large-billed Scrubwren |
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Little Friarbird |
In the garden at Ninderry, plenty of Little Friarbirds are about. There is an abundance of this species presently on the Sunshine Coast, where it is normally scarce.
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Tawny Frogmouth |
A new frogmouth has taken up residence in the garden.
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Spotted Pardalote |
Spotted Pardalote is a winter visitor here. Less endearing was a headless Northern Brindled Bandicoot found at the bottom of the garden. This bandicoot was well-known to us and had been about for several weeks. It appears likely to be yet another cat victim.
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Northern Brindled Bandicoot |
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Long-necked Turtle |
I found this turtle near Cooroy.
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ReplyDeleteLove the Shining-Bronze Cuckoo :-)
ReplyDelete