Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, Barking & Sooty Owl as the Sunshine Coast avian roadshow rolls on

Torresian Imperial-Pigeon

It's been something of a grim year with Covid-19 but birds are helping to keep us sane. Before the pandemic hit in March, good birds seen locally included Australian Little Bittern, Asian Gull-billed Tern and Kentish Plover. Everyone was in shutdown for several weeks after that, but short visits in the region allowed the birding clock to keep ticking. BirdLife Australia Sunshine Coast's annual birding competition continued apace. A visit to Imbil State Forest failed to produce the hoped for Masked Owl but another Powerful Owl, the second for the year in the region, was a pleasant surprise. Black-striped Wallaby was also good to see here.

Black-striped Wallaby

Powerful Owl

A second visit to Imbil State Forest produced the second Sooty Owl for the year in dry lowland rainforest - unusual habitat for this species, which prefers wet forests at higher altitudes.

Sooty Owl

A pair of Barking Owls obligingly put in an appearance at a daytime roost in the Crystal Waters village near Kenilworth (thanks Ian Starling). The birds were around for several days before disappearing.

Barking Owl

Marycairncross Reserve had close up Russet-tailed Thrush which, although quite common, can be one of the tougher birds to photograph. The grasslands of Finland Road and Burtons Road had multiple sightings of Swamp Harrier and Spotted Harrier.

Russet-tailed Thrush

Swamp Harrier

The newly open-to-the-public Yandina Creek Wetland continued to perform with Black-necked Stork  reliably seen there and other birds recorded including Lewin's Rail and Spotless Crake. I was happy with this Forest Kingfisher.

Forest Kingfisher

A trip out to Miva and Scotchy Pocket north of Gympie was as productive as ever, with good birds including Black-chinned Honeyeater, Rufous Songlark, White-winged Chough and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. A platypus was seen at Widgee.

White-winged Chough

Black-chinned Honeyeater

Platypus

We enjoyed a three-day campout at Peach Trees near Jimna - the first camping trip in three months due to Covid-19 restrictions. The area around the camping ground had Painted Buttonquail and Rose Robin showing well. A profusion of fruiting regrowth plants following intense fires in the area late last year meant that species such as Olive-backed Oriole and Australasian Figbird were in unusually large numbers along with no fewer than 7 Regent Bowerbirds, normally a rare species here.

Painted Buttonquail

Regent Bowerbird

Up the range in the dry woodland of Yabba Road, the usual suspects were in attendance including Brown Treecreeper, Fuscous Honeyeater and loads of Little Lorikeets.

Little Lorikeet

Fuscous Honeyeater

Now the latest star of the show has made an appearance in the form of a Torresian Imperial-Pigeon. The bird was first seen by Patrick Colley on June 7 perched on wires outside a house in David Low Way, Pacific Paradise. It was feeding in a nearby fruiting umbrella tree with Australasian Figbirds. It disappeared for a while before being refound by Lori Australis on June 11 in the same spot. The pigeon was last seen flying off to the east, towards Twin Waters. On July 14, Carolyn Scott found it on the corner of Ocean Drive and Wattlebird Drive, Twin Waters, feeding on fruiting Livistona palm trees. It flew off and Jane Cooksley found it nearby perched in an Allocasuarina tree in the garden of 12 Barcoola Place, which lines a canal. Thanks muchly to Carolyn for calling me: it sat in the tree for the 20 minutes it took me to get there before being chased away by a Noisy Miner. The bird was seen again today (June 15) in the same spot. This was photographed species Number 285 for me locally for the year.

Torresian Imperial-Pigeon

Patricia Kilroy, who lives across the road from 12 Barcoola Place, reports that the bird has been present in the area for "several months at least, I think about a year". She sees it on average once a week, either perched high in a tree or feeding on the many fruiting palms in the area. She said locals initially thought that an owl had moved into the area because they heard the pigeon's loud owl-like call regularly. It comes in to drink at her bird bath on occasions. Pat got back to me later after talking to neighbours to let me know the bird had been around for "a good number of years".

Livistona palms in Twin Waters

Torresian Imperial-Pigeon is a summer visitor to north Queensland, usually occurring regularly no further south than Mackay. This bird has a coloured head, indicating breeding plumage. There are a couple of other Sunshine Coast records and it is occasionally found as far south as NSW.

Torresian Imperial-Pigeon