Endangered Black-breasted Buttonquail habitat bulldozed as timber company pledges new protection measures

 

Black-breasted Buttonquail

Endangered rainforest in the Sunshine Coast hinterland - the habitat of what may be the largest surviving population of the rare Black-breasted Buttonquail – continues to be bulldozed during logging operations. During recent visits I was concerned to see that an area of vine scrub frequented by nesting buttonquail in Imbil State Forest had been felled. Subtropical lowland rainforest is listed federally as critically endangered.

Recently cleared subtropical rainforest remnant in Imbil State Forest

The company conducting the harvesting, timber giant HQPlantations, says it has modified management practices to help protect the buttonquail and other threatened species. Vine scrub remnants in the state forest have been a reliable site for the scarce and cryptic buttonquail for at least the past 30 years. The Black-breasted Buttonquail is the only bird species endemic to south-east Queensland. Buttonquail sites in the Imbil area are frequented by other scarce and difficult-to-find birds such as Barking Owl and Black-chinned Honeyeater.

Barking Owl

Remnant areas of lowland rainforest survive among hoop pine plantations in Imbil State Forest. These remnants are protected under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act and Vegetation Management Act; they can not be cleared to expand the plantation estate. However, “native forest buffer areas” remain under the management of HQPlantations.

It was evident that vine scrub has been bulldozed during current logging operations, with rainforest trees obvious among large piles of vegetation debris. A newly cleared 200m strip of scrub, along with the edge of a mature pine plantation which was logged at the same time, was an important feeding and nesting area for Black-breasted Buttonquail.

Newly cleared native vegetation in Imbil State Forest (above and below)

I submitted a plan for the rewilding of the 21,000ha Imbil State Forest in 2019. That proposed a halt to logging hoop pine plantations, facilitating the regrowth of the subtropical rainforest that occurred naturally over the area before it was cleared. I suggested that as a trial, 200ha of state forest plantation adjoining Conondale National Park be left unlogged as rainforest regrowth is monitored. Although this constitutes a tiny fraction of the 330,000ha of state forest in Queensland under the control of HQPlantations, the company rejected the proposal.

Newly bulldozed fire trail

I reported in June last year that well-meaning land-care volunteers were removing lantana from Black-breasted Buttonquail habitat in the area. Lantana is an exotic weed that generally should be removed, but in the case of this species and some other wildlife, it provides a valuable service. The natural habitat of the buttonquail is the lowland rainforest of south-east Queensland, almost all of which has been cleared. Sites where birds survive, like those in Imbil State Forest, are often flanked or invaded by lantana thickets. Buttonquail feed and seek shelter in them; lantana provides a degree of protection from feral cat and fox predation.

Distinctive "platelet" made on the forest floor by feeding buttonquail

In response to that blog post, the volunteers agreed to stop removing lantana. They have planted a large number of trees in an area where weeds had been removed. I found that behind this newly planted stand of young trees, a 200m track has been bulldozed by HQPlantations through another important buttonquail feeding area. I also saw an assortment of empty cans and bottles, broken machinery and other rubbish.

Newly planted trees in what was buttonquail habitat

I failed to see buttonquail during several visits over the past couple of weeks, which is unusual, although some platelets were present. The population appears to be steadily declining. A constant procession of trucks carrying logs and heavy equipment traversed the road dissecting the buttonquail site during my visits.

However, the good news is that HQPlantations responded positively when I approached the company recently, with senior company officers agreeing to meet me on-site. They explained that the recently bulldozed track was intended as a fire break for forthcoming control burns. The company had been unaware of the presence of Black-breasted Buttonquail and other rare wildlife. I was assured that fire control operations would be conducted in a way that took account of the need to protect the birds' habitat. That was reassuring.

Regarding the recent removal of buttonquail breeding habitat adjoining the newly logged pine plantations, there were no clear answers. However, the suggestion was that vine scrub was removed to facilitate access to pine trees being logged, which the company is legally entitled to do.

The company said in a statement: “We use aerial photography, LiDAR (provides high definition ground surface and canopy mapping), original plantation history records and field inspections to ensure our harvesting remains within the original plantation boundary inclusive of old boundary tracks. Our management of areas of remnant native vegetation adjacent to plantations is focused on maintaining biodiversity values and protecting the adjacent plantation resource. This is primarily undertaken via pest and fire management programs. We do not harvest timber products (excepting introduced pine wildlings) from these areas.”

Company bulldozer at the site recently

Expanding more broadly, the company said: “In some instances, we develop and implement additional species specific management procedures where forest activities may pose a significant threat, - for example koala protection during harvesting operations. We collaborate with local groups to improve the protection and management of endangered and vulnerable species. For instance, we are working with the Burnett and Mary Regional group researching Mary River Cod and other threatened aquatic species within Tinana Creek. We are working with groups including the Macadamia Conservation Trust, regarding the Southern Macadamia Species Recovery Plan.”

Remnant rainforest in Imbil State Forest 

HQPlantations also noted: “As agreed under our Plantation Licence, we have several plantations and associated native forest areas which are being progressively handed back to the State Government, following harvest of the current plantation crop, to be transitioned into permanent conservation estate. As at June 2025, there were three such areas still within the Licence Area totalling approximately 1,200 ha (approximately 700 ha plantation).” These are steps in the right direction, but we remain a long way from a satisfactory reserve plan for protect what remains of critically endangered lowland rainforest.

Logging truck Imbil State Forest

Solomon Islands 2025 Part 3: Coast & seas of Santa Isabel – kingfishers & megapodes to Grey-backed Tern and Beck's Petrel

 

Beach Kingfisher

Following our visit to the hills of Santa Isabel Island in search of Solomons Frogmouth and other north Solomon Islands bird targets, we admired the fine view over fringing reefs and the Solomons Sea as we made our way back down a steep track to Buala to be transferred to Ghasiali Resort.

Fringing reefs & Solomons Sea

Solomons Cockatoo and Cardinal Lory were common about the hotel. We were to fly out to Honiara the next morning but the flight was cancelled, with Solomon Airlines citing wet weather rendering the runway on nearby Fera Island hazardous. We took a boat ride to the island anyway.

Cardinal Lory

Solomons Cockatoo

On the runway were 60+ Pacific Golden Plovers and an assortment of other shorebirds. Beach Kingfisher showed nicely along the beach and in the mangroves, as it did around our hotel.

Beach Kingfisher, on the beach

We were pleased to catch up with a trio of Island Monarchs. We heard and glimpsed a Long-tailed Cuckoo lurking in the mangroves, not long before it would have headed off to its New Zealand breeding grounds.

Island Monarch

Fera Island (below) is an aesethetically pleasing spot to visit.

The following day the flight was again cancelled, although the weather was much improved, and the runway had looked okay to us. We checked out forest patches up the road from the hotel. Island Imperial-Pigeon was reasonably common.

Island Imperial-Pigeon

Melanesian Kingfisher was also not uncommon, as elsewhere during our trip.

Melanesian Kingfisher

A Solomons Sea-Eagle flew overhead (following our earlier sightings of the species on Guadalcanal). A pair of Channel-billed Cuckoos was a surprise, as was another that we saw earlier outside Honiara; this species is supposely a rare vagrant in Solomon Islands.

Channel-billed Cuckoo

We had pleasant interactions with friendly locals, like the small boy who climbed a coconut tree to drop a coconut for us (below). A visit to the Buala clinic to treat wounds referred to in the above-mentioned post brought home how sparse the services are in these far-flung villages.

The following day, the flight was cancelled again. No excuse this time; we returned to Fera Island, confirming that the runway was perfectly okay. At least we had a couple of birds to chase. On our earlier visit, one of the locals dug up an egg from a volcanic ash mound attended by a Melanesian Megapode, but we didn't see the birds. Better luck this time as a megapode fed behind the airport terminal (if you could call it that) while another worked a mound nearby. Ebird indicates several records of the rare Solomons Nightjar from small islands offshore from Santa Isabel, and locals claimed they were on Fera. We tried for them at sunset without success.

Megapode egg (above) and larval ash mound (below)

Melanesian Megapode

The next morning we boarded a ferry, the grandly named MV Una Princess 2, for our return to Honiara, not being prepared to risk yet another flight cancellation. We were told the trip would take 6-7 hours; it took 15 hours. What we didn't know was that the primary task of the ferry was to exchange passengers and goods at a string of isolated villages along 80 kilometres of Santa Isabel coast extending south from Buala to the settlement of Tataba at the island's southern end.

Loading up the ferry at Buala

This was quite a task. Sometimes villagers sent out small boats to negotiate potentially treacherous breaks through the abundant coral reefs. Deeper water allowed the ferry's small motorboat to do the work.

Offloading supplies for the coastal villages

One of many isolated villages serviced by the ferry

A couple of bigger settlements had a wharf where the ferry could tie up, allowing passengers and villagers to socialise. Small markets sold local snacks like smoked mussels and baked yams. Then came a nice surprise in the form of two scarce seabird species that are a challenge to find anywhere.

Market lunch fare 

Tataba Village

Seabirds were initially sparse - mainly the occasional Crested Tern and Lesser Frigatebird.

Lesser Frigatebird

\As we moved further south, we saw large numbers of seabirds on the horizon attracted to schools of tuna. The most common species was Black Noddy, with several thousand in a procession of flocks; much smaller numbers of Brown Noddy were among them.

Black Noddy

We spotted at least 4 Grey-backed Terns; there may have been more but some were too distant to be certain they were not Bridled Terns. This species is high on the wishlists of seabird enthusiasts.

Grey-backed Tern

Common Tern was present in small numbers.

Common Tern

Common Tern (L) and Grey-backed Tern (R)

When finally we left the coastal waters of Santa Isabel and headed towards Guadalcanal, the number of birds picked up. We had small numbers of Black-naped Tern and Brown Booby along with decent flocks of Sooty Tern and thousands more noddies.

Sooty Tern

We spotted an interesting petrel feeding close to the water in a mixed flock of Sooty Tern and Black Noddy. We saw clearly its dark brown upperparts, head and well-defined throat with a white belly, indicating either a Tahiti Petrel or Beck's Petrel. One of us (GR) is very familiar with Tahiti Petrel. This bird was conspicuously smaller with obviously shorter and more rounded wings. The stand-out difference was flight - the bird stayed close to the water with a distinctive, zig-zagging “flappy” flight; there was no indication of the stiff-winged, soaring flight so typical of Tahiti Petrel, despite a brisk northerly wind blowing. Although we did not see the bill, another key identification feature, we are confident this was a Beck's Petrel. With the boat not stopping and the bird in view for a relatively short time, unfortunately I couldn't manage a photograph.

Tahiti Petrel (file pic)

Beck's Petrel is believed to nest on New Ireland in the Bismarcks to the north but has been recorded a couple of times in the Solomons. Little is known about its nesting behaviour or its post-nesting dispersal. We saw large numbers of seabirds in every direction in the fading light as our slow ferry continued its journey to Honiara, and regretted that we didn't have a couple more hours of decent viewing conditions on the open seas. Future seabirding forays in this area could be productive. We returned late to the King Solomon Hotel for our last night in Solomon Islands.

Black Noddy flock

Solomon Islands 2025 Part 2 – Hills of Santa Isabel: Tiratonga Village & Solomons Frogmouth, Woodford's Rail, West Solomons Owl

 

Solomons Frogmouth

The enigmatic Solomons Frogmouth, endemic to Solomon Islands, is a creature I have long been interested in. It was first described in 1901 but was long regarded as a subspecies of the Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus) of New Guinea and north-east Australia. It was not until genetic analysis of a specimen collected in 1998 that scientists realised this was a very different beast, giving the bird its own genus, Rigidipenna, in 2007. It diverged from other frogmouths 30 million years ago; the Smithsonian Institution noted the revelation had “profound biogeographical implications”.

Approaching Santa Isabel from the air

The unlikely go-to hotspot for the bird these days are rainforest gullies around the small subsistence village of Tiratonga, perched in the hills of Santa Isabel Island. It's not easy to get there. After a few days on Guadalcanal , our group flew to Fera Island, the gateway to Santa Isabel. We transferred by boat to the main island and stayed overnight in Ghasiali Resort. The next morning we were driven a few kilometres to the island's small capital, Buala.

Porter lends a hand with a suitcase

There we were met by porters who carried our luggage up the steep track to Tiratonga. Our food for the planned three-day stay was sent up earlier. It took 70 minutes to hike the 2.6 kilometre trail, reaching the village at 570m above sea level – a steep climb on a sometimes slippery slope, but not too difficult.

The climb up to Tiratonga

The village has turned a large house into an accommodation centre - rooms, comfortable beds, a wide verandah from which to enjoy the splendid view of the surrounding hills. The food was plentiful and delicious. The bathroom was downstairs and a tad on the basic side - the shower a cold water tap with flimsy cover. Still, there were birds to be seen.

Tiratonga lodgings

Lunch time at the lodgings

Tracking frogmouths is quite a community event. On our first evening we hiked to a gully near the village edge, with a dozen young men in tow. Many were adept an imitating the bird's peculiar whistling calls. We had a couple of distant replies but nothing more.

Tiratonga Village

The next morning we hiked from the village up a steep and muddy trail, having close encounters with good numbers of White-billed Crow, which was surprisingly scarce on Guadalcanal. Our main goal was to see another north Solomons endemic – the Black-faced Pitta.

White-billed Crow

We heard a bird calling for 5-7 minutes soon after arriving at the gully where most recent sightings have been made. Despite plenty of effort, then and during three subsequent visits, the pitta was not seen or even heard again. Local guides had differing views about how to find it, but no plan worked. Other sites which have yielded pittas in times past were checked without success. 

Rainforest above the village

The guides did, however, track down another key target – a West Solomons Owl at its daytime roost, close to the pitta gully. The bird was flighty and difficult to nail down, but eventually we had good views through thick foliage.

West Solomons Owl

Other north Solomon endemics around the village and surrounding forest included good numbers of Yellow-throated White-eye and heard-only Red-naped Myzomela and North Solomons Dwarf-Kingfisher.

Yellow-throated White-eye

Birds seen regularly from the guesthouse verandah perched in the open included Long-tailed Myna and Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove.

Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove

Long-tailed Myna

A pair of Woodford's Rail of the distinctive race immaculata - possibly a separate species - were tracked down in scrubby regrowth on the village edge, with satisfactory photographs managed of this cryptic species.

Woodford's Rail

The generally uncommon Ultramarine Kingfisher often showed itself around village huts.

Ultramarine Kingfisher

The villagers showed us a juvenile Northern Common Cuscus they had captured. Its mother had been made a meal of earlier. 

Northern Common Cuscus

Plentiful garden vegetables in the village are supplemented by seafood caught or traded for on the coast, and game hunted with large slingshots and bow-and-arrow; guns are prohibited. The scarcity of large birds like large pigeons and hornbills in the area reflected hunting pressure.

Villager with slingshot

Also destined for the pot was a captured Solomon Islands Skink (Corucia zebrata) we were shown. This spectacular and rarely photographed animal is the largest skink in the world.

Solomon Islands Skink

The villagers were keen to explore further opportunities to promote ecotourism in a bid to improve their local economy and living standards. Conditions there are basic. There is no medical clinic and the school operates part-time, largely with the help of volunteers. Visitors to Tiratonga are invited to bring books suitable for small children as much-wanted gifts.

Meeting with the community

The community attended a meeting with our group. We explained why some people were prepared to put effort and money into finding special birds like the Solomons Frogmouth. We told them we were very happy with how welcoming and enthusiastic they had been. Some people had concerns. Birds like Papuan Eclectus can ravage fruit crops, while Woodford's Rail digs up garden beds. Could they still be controlled if birders came more often? We explained that the birds sought by visitors are not the ones damaging gardens.

Villagers at the meeting

On our second evening we opted to try a different site for the frogmouth, this one downhill along the track we had ascended to reach the village. I had a bad fall here in the dark, smashing a good proportion of my body along with my camera flash! The villagers were quick to tend the wounds after I returned to the guesthouse, though the absence of antiseptic of any kind was a reminder to bring a medical kit, which on this occasion I had forgotten. The others heard more distant frogmouth calls at the second site but nothing more.

Wounded in the course of duty

At 1.30am the next morning, we were woken by an excited group of villagers. They had found a Solomons Frogmouth close by. Evidently they had been looking for it all night, following the failure of our earlier attempts. 

Solomons Frogmouth - above and below

We found the bird after about 10 minutes, getting good views of it on an open perch, though the loss of the camera flash meant the images here are not what I had hoped for. My injuries ended plans to look for Fearful Owl on our last night, but to see the frogmouth was enormously satisfying. Trip report here.