Camping at Tin Can Bay November 2018

Black Bittern

An excellent haul of birds during a three-day camp-out to Tin Can Bay included Black Bittern, Radjah Shelduck, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Eastern Ground-Parrot, Little Bronze Cuckoo and Shining Flycatcher. We camped at the Tin Can Bay Holiday Park in Trevally Street; when we were last here in 2013 we were impressed with the place. Out the back of the van we had Little Bronze Cuckoo after setting up – a good start.

Little Bronze Cuckoo

In the afternoon I visited the little-known shorebird roost at high tide at Cooloola Cove, about 1km along the foreshore north of the end of Bayside Road; look for a track through fence posts inland a short distance to the tidal flats. The first bird I saw was a Broad-billed Sandpiper on the water edge. It was joined by a smattering of Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Red-capped Plover.

Broad-billed Sandpiper with Red-necked Stints

Broad-billed Sandpiper

I walked around the end of the inlet to the main body of shorebirds on the northern shore. Here I found a single Grey Plover among large numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit, Eastern Curlew, Great Knot and Lesser Sand-Plover. A single Black-tailed Godwit was also present.

Grey Plover with Eastern Curlew

Grey Plover

Great Knot

Lesser Sand Plover

Back at the caravan park, a couple of Lewin's Rail were vocal in the swampy vegetation but failed to show. We were very surprised to see three Radjah Shelduck strutting between the caravans, obliviously tame and looking for hand-outs. Locals told us they were regular visitors to the park and had been resident around Tin Can Bay for several years, nesting on the golf course nearby. I visited the golf course and found four shelducks by the main pond. As I approached, they immediately walked towards me, anticipating a feed. There are a couple of ebird records of the species from Tin Can Bay but I was not aware they were resident - probably the only site in South-East Queensland where that is the case. Bush Stone-Curlew and Southern Boobook were calling at the caravan park at night.

Radjah Shelduck

Radjah Shelduck

Early in the morning I was off to the traditional “Thomas & Thomas” wallum heathland site in the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy World Heritage Area. I saw a couple of Common Bronzewings on the way in and later heard a Brush Bronzewing near the Rainbow Beach road turnoff from the Tin Can Bay Road. I flushed two Eastern Ground Parrot from the heath and was fortunate to snare a couple of record shots.

Eastern Ground Parrot

Eastern Ground Parrot

Lewin's Rail was again vocal here but not showing and a flock of White-throated Needletail hawked over the heath, where Tawny Grassbird was common.

Tawny Grassbird

White-throated Needletail

I moved on to Inskip Point where I quickly connected with a Beach Stone-Curlew at its usual hang-out before walking out to the point. 

Beach Stone-Curlew

Here I saw two Sanderlings busily working the shoreline in the company of a solitary Red-necked Stint and a Red-capped Plover.

Sanderling with Red-necked Stint & Red-capped Plover

Sanderling

The following day I took to the kayak for a 2km paddle up Snapper Creek in Tin Can Bay to a spot where I briefly saw Black Bittern five years ago. I saw five Shining Flycatchers without much trouble; they clearly are not uncommon here.

Shining Flycatcher

Then I heard a Black Bittern growling in the mangroves in response to flycatcher playback. An adult bittern flew over the channel to the mangroves opposite before flying back to its original position. I've long wanted to photograph this elusive species and the encounter was doubly satisfying because the bittern was the 300^th species I'd photographed in the Sunshine Coast region this year (more on that later).

Black Bittern

We visited the wharf on Tin Can Bay's foreshore where visiting Australian Humpback Dolphin are fed every morning. Just a single male turned up during our visit. This show is rapidly becoming an international tourism drawcard; many foreign tourists were among the crowd.

Australian Humpback Dolphin

Australian Humpback Dolphin