Boonooroo & Maryborough - Asian Dowitcher, Bustard, Red-backed Buttonquail

Asian Dowitcher

 Asian Dowitcher, Grey Plover, good numbers of the endangered Far Eastern Curlew, Australian Bustard, Brown Songlark, Red-backed Buttonquail, Fairy Gerygone and Black-necked Stork were among some nice birds encountered over a couple of days in the Maryborough area.

Asian Dowitcher

I visited the shorebird high tide roosts at Boonooroo and Maaroom before and after an unusually high tide of 3.1m. I visited both roosts last February and found them quite productive. I found 2 Asian Dowitchers at Boonooroo among a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits at the end of Davies Road; this stretch can be quite good 1-2 hours before high tide.

Terek Sandpipers

I found an unusually large flock of 70 Terek Sandpipers at the end of Oak Street before moving on to the main high tide roost between the ends Levinge Lane and Scrimshaw Place.

Grey Plovers

About 20 Grey Plovers were present here; although fewer than last year, this is clearly a good spot to find this species, which is quite scarce in south-east Queensland.

Lesser Sand-Plovers

Large numbers of Lesser Sand-Plover were about.

Far Eastern Curlews

It was nice to see good numbers of Far Eastern Curlew, with 210 counted. This species is declining rapidly and is now listed as endangered. Full list for Boonooroo can be found here.

Great Knots

I moved on to the shorebird roost at nearby Maaroom. Large numbers of Great Knot were among the many godwits. A flock of 14 Marsh Sandpipers was present. Another 60 Far Eastern Curlew were counted. With the tide so high, it was possible to watch the shorebirds easily from the vehicle. The Maaroom bird list can be accessed here.

Great Egrets

 A small number of Great Egrets were nesting among a large colony of Cattle Egrets at Uhr Park in Maryborough.

Sacred Kingfisher

Sacred Kingfisher was here also.  A visit to the end of Walkers Point Road was productive, with 1 Red-backed Buttonquail flushed from a track and 3 others calling from a sugarcane plantation. I've not noted this species previously in cane. Horsfield's Bushlark was also present.

Cane Toads

The area had been heavily irrigated and cane toads were active in broad daylight. A large female in a pool had 6 or 7 males clambering over her.

Fairy Gerygone

Fairy Gerygone, alongside Mangrove Gerygone, was here in mangroves and dry scrub fringing the Mary River.

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike was about. See here for the Walkers Point birdlist.

Australian Bustard

I drove along Dimond Road at Beaver Rock, finding a fine male Australian Bustard on the edge of cane plantation. It flew across the road and landed in a bare paddock.

Australian Bustard

This species is extremely rare in South-East Queensland; the closest I had seen it previously to SEQ was near Monto.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Also in this area were Brown Songlark, Black-necked Stork and Wedge-tailed Eagle. The list for this area is here.

Nutmeg Mannikin

A flock of Nutmeg Mannikin was in tall grasses by the Mary River near the Lamington Bridge. This species was once common in South-East Queensland but is now rarely recorded.

Out and About Oakey, Eastern Darling Downs

Brown Songlark

 Following some productive birding this time last year in the Oakey-Jondaryan area of the eastern Darling Downs, it seemed like a good idea to revisit the place. Nice birds encountered included good numbers of Painted Honeyeaters, Black Falcon, Plum-headed Finch, White-winged Fairy-wren, numerous Brown Songlarks and Horsfield's Bushlarks, and Black-faced Woodswallow. This area is the eastern range limit of quite a few wide-ranging, predominantly western-central species.

Brown Songlark

Conditions were much drier this visit, although heavy rain had fallen the day before our arrival. There was no sign of the Black-eared Cuckoos seen last year. Nor were Red-chested Buttonquail or Stubble Quail heard or seen, despite looking at night as well as during the day.

Painted Honeyeater

Painted Honeyeater was in fine form. At least 8 birds including 2 juveniles were seen during two visits to Doctor's Creek Reserve, on both sides of the highway. Another Painted Honeyeater was seen just east of Jondaryan, and 4 more, including another 2 juveniles, were 2km east of the town along the Jondaryan-Sabine Road. This species appears to be a regular summer breeding visitor to this area.

Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo

The dry scrub along the Jondaryan-Sabine Road was quite productive, with a Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo and a pair of Speckled Warblers on offer.

Speckled Warbler

Black-faced Woodswallow

 A Black-faced Woodswallow was perched on a wire in the same spot in the township of Jondaryan as a pair was seen last year.

Plum-headed Finch adult & juvenile

Also in the town centre was a lively flock of about 20 Plum-headed Finches feeding in a small area of heavily seeded grass, including many juveniles. The birds were not present at Doctor's Creek where they have been seen previously.

Red-rumped Parrot female

Red-rumped Parrots were feeding with the finches.

Pallid Cuckoo juvenile

A juvenile Pallid Cuckoo was on the wire near the Jondaryan Woolshed.

Horsfield's Bushlark

Brown Songlarks and Horsfield's Bushlarks were numerous along Devon Park Boundary Road, Bowenville-Norman Road and elsewhere in the area.

Black Falcon chasing Torresian Crow

Black Falcon alighting on cow

Black Falcon

A few White-winged Fairy-wrens were also present along Devon Park Boundary Road, where a Black Falcon was the bird of the trip. The falcon was watched as it unsuccessfully pursued a starling and landed briefly on a cow before chasing a Torresian Crow. Devon Park Road list can be found here.

Australian Hobby

 Nearby, an Australian Hobby performed nicely.

Australian Pelicans

A flock of 200 Australian Pelicans was flying high above the vast agricultural plains heading west to inland wetlands replenished by good rainfall in recent months..

Yellow-throated Miner

Other birds seen included Yellow-throated Miner, living here side-by-side with Noisy Miner.

Striped Honeyeater

Striped Honeyeater was common throughout the area.

Southern Boobook

A Southern Boobook was mobbed by other birds in the Doctor's Creek Reserve (see here for bird list for the reserve).

Zebra Finch pair

Small groups of Zebra Finch were scattered throughout the grasslands.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

On the way home a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles soared overhead.

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby

 We stopped at Perseverance Dam near Toowoomba (we overnighted here after 2 nights in an Oakey motel) where 5 Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies were basking in the early morning sunlight.

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby

Out and About Sunshine Coast Christmas 2016

Pale-vented Bush-hen

Pale-vented Bush-hen, Lewin's Rail, large numbers of White-throated Needletails, Shining Flycatcher and 2 sightings of Square-tailed Kite are among the birds logged this week around the Sunshine Coast. Lewin's Rail seemingly starts exhibiting breeding behaviour (especially through vocalisations) in spring, regardless of the weather, while Pale-vented Bush-hen doesn't get going until the first serious rains of the season.

Pale-vented Bush-hen

It's been an exceptionally dry spring-early summer summer this season, so a bush-hen at North Arm was the first for the season following the first semi-decent rains in several weeks. It was quite vocal and inquisitive, venturing out of rank grassland to feed in the open. Meanwhile, the Lewin's Rails that were so vocal in October at Moy Pocket were still at that site this week, but were decidedly more secretive and not at all vocal.

White-throated Needletail

A short way up the road from North Arm at Eumundi, an exceptionally large flock of White-throated Needletails (300+) were hawking over the roads and pastures.

White-throated Needletail

Another flock of about 200 was present near Cooroy, while small flocks were also present at the Noosa Botanic Gardens and near Ninderry. An estimated 500-600 birds were seen during the day.

White-throated Needletail

A Common Tern was feeding over Lake Macdonald; this species is infrequently seen over freshwater wetlands.

Common Tern

A Square-tailed Kite was quartering the trees along the North Maroochy River at North Arm. A recently fledged Brush-turkey was in scrub at Noosaville.

Australian Brush-Turkey juvenile

At a lowland rainforest site at Cooloolabin I saw a Pale-yellow Robin - my first record of this species for the area.

Pale-yellow Robin

I checked out the still-drained Yandina Creek Wetland (though hopefully not for too much longer) where a Red-bellied Black Snake had recently shed its skin.

Red-bellied Black Snake with shed skin

In the home garden at Ninderry, Eastern Koel has been especially vocal while Green Catbird is visiting regularly.

Eastern Koel 

Green Catbird

 Common Myna, once very rare in the Sunshine Coast region, is becoming increasingly numerous. I found a pair attending a eucalypt hollow on the edge of Mapleton National Park. The main concern with this species is its displacement of native birds from scarce nesting hollows in trees.

Common Myna at nest hollow

Yesterday I had a day out with Swedish birder Andreas Lundgren. We kicked off the day with a Platypus in the Mary River at Moy Pocket before moving onto Charlie Moreland Park and Little Yabba Creek. There was no sign of the Black-breasted Buttonquail seen here in October (they seem to be highly nomadic at this site). Birds included Australian Logrunner, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (very vocal, 20+ birds calling), Noisy Pitta, Regent Bowerbird, Paradise Riflebird and Dusky Honeyeater.

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove

Noisy Pitta

An adult male and a juvenile female Shining Flycatcher were present in mangroves at the Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary. This is the second time I've noted the species breeding here, but it is usually absent from the site. Maroochy Wetlands list is here.

Shining Flycatcher

 At the Coolum Industrial Estate, a Square-tailed Kite was hawking over remnant wallum woodland - the second sighting of the species this week.

Square-tailed Kite