Turquoise Parrot and other Goodies: Old Wallangarra Road

Turquoise Parrot

The Old Wallangarra Road on the NSW-Queensland border near Girraween National Park has long been a top birding spot. I enjoyed 5 encounters with a total of 8-10 Turquoise Parrots there during a visit this week, along with a raft of other goodies including Diamond Firetail, Plum-headed Finch, White-browed Babbler and Southern Whiteface.

Turquoise Parrot

Turquoise Parrot

I saw my first Turquoise Parrot on the Old Wallangarra Road in 1973. It is encouraging that more than four decades on, this rare species is still to be found there. Much of the road is now closed, but the few kilometres south of Wyberba remains open and this stretch is never disappointing. I had 3 hours in an afternoon at this site and 3 hours the next morning, staying overnight at the nearby Ballandean Tavern. This visit was on the way home from a trip to coastal NSW (see next post). Most of the time was occupied around the intersection of the road with Hickley Lane, and along the creek a little to the south of there.

Turquoise Parrot

Turquoise Parrot female

My first encounter was a single male Turquoise Parrot flying up from the roadside in the afternoon. Then a pair flew overhead distantly. Early the next morning I watched a male feeding on the road before it was joined by 2 females. A little later I had stunning views of a single male parrot in a roadside tree which was unusually approachable. A single female was drinking at the creek an hour or so after that.

Quite a few species found reliably along the Old Wallangarra Road are scarce and difficult to see elsewhere in South-East Queensland. It is the best site in the state for Turquoise Parrot, and the eastern extremity of range for White-browed Babbler and Southern Whiteface. And this place is aesthetically something quite special as well.

Diamond Firetail

Diamond Firetail

Diamond Firetail is one of those species that is hard to come across elsewhere in Queensland. In 3 encounters during my visit, I found a single juvenile firetail; a flock of 6-7 adults; and a pair of adults.

Plum-headed Finch

I saw Plum-headed Finch twice: a flock of 6, and a pair. Red-browed Finch and Banded Finch were also about in small numbers.

White-browed Babbler

Habitat about Old Wallangarra Road

I found two parties of White-browed Babblers, another species that has been in residence here in the 40+ years I've known the place.

Southern Whiteface

Yellow-rumped Thornbill

A pair of Southern Whiteface was a treat, as this species is not quite so regular here. Yellow-rumped Thornbills were common.

Brown Treecreeper

Brown Treecreeper occurs here alongside White-throated Treecreeper.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

The road is a mecca for honeyeaters. There were the usual large numbers of Yellow-tufted Honeyeater.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater

Along with other honeyeaters that are generally scarce in South-East Queensland east of the Great Divide: Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Red Wattlebird, White-plumed Honeyeater and Fuscous Honeyeater.     

Rock Warblers & Lyrebirds: South West Rocks to Woy Woy

Rock Warbler

Excellent encounters with Rock Warbler, Superb Lyrebird and Glossy Black Cockatoo were the highlights of a just completed trip to coastal NSW. We kicked the sojourn off with a three-night stay in the Seabreeze Hotel in the scenic Central Coast tourist town of South West Rocks. Pleasant scenery was the order of the day here, with a nice mix of habitat including coastal heathland, beaches and freshwater wetlands.

Glossy Black Cockatoo female

Arakoon Reserve & South West Rocks

We did a circuit walk through woodland and heath between Little Bay and the historic Árakoon Jail, encountering Glossy Black Cockatoo on three occasions in the large stand of Allocasuarina littoralis in the Arakoon Reserve. There were a total of 8 birds: three pairs, with two pairs accompanied by begging juveniles.

Hat Head National Park

The lighthouse south of Arakoon is also worth visiting, with fine views over Hat Head National Park.

Double-banded Plover

A party of 4 Double-banded Plovers was on the beach near the hotel.

Black-necked Stork

Pink-eared Duck & Chesnut Teal

A short distance inland from the town, some nice wetlands line both sides of Boyter's Lane. Both Little Grassbird and Tawny Grassbird were present. Good numbers of ducks included a sprinkling of Pink-eared Duck and Australasian Shoveler. An adult female Black-necked Stork was unexpected. Quite a few Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were about along with several Latham's Snipe and Red-kneed Dotterels.

Superb Lyrebird

Superb Lyrebird

We moved on to Gosford for a three-night stay with our friend Kathy Haydon, where entertainment from the back veranda including some very tame Eastern Water Dragons.

Eastern Water Dragon

From here we visited Woy Woy and Brisbane Water National Park. We checked out the area around the Warrah Trig Trail and Pearl Beach area, enjoying a very nice encounter with a male Superb Lyrebird along the fire track between the lookout at the end of the Trig Trail and the delightful resort village of Pearl Beach.

Warrah Trigg Lookout

Cunningham's Skink

The lookout offered stunning views over the Hawkesbury River and sandstone cliffs, along with an engaging Cunningham's Skink (Egernia cunninghami).

Rock Warbler

Rock Warbler

Several sites were searched unsuccessfully for Rock Warbler (thanks to Cameron Ward for those tips) before finally connecting with this charismatic bird at the northern extremity of the sandstone woodland along Patonga Drive. I had 4 birds hopping about the rocks in close proximity, about 150m south of the road and close to the sea cliffs. Not having seen Rock Warbler since I lived in Sydney in the mid-1980s, it was almost as good as a tick.

Yellow Thornbill

Speckled Warbler

We headed inland along the New England Highway for our journey home, stopping in  Tamworth at the Almond Inn Motel. Birds at the nearby Oxley Lookout included Yellow Thornbill and
Specked Warbler.

Rock Warbler

   

Important News Regarding Night Parrots

Night Parrot feathers from south-west Queensland - Pic by Steve Murphy

The immediate threat of feral cats to the recently discovered population of Night Parrots in south-west Queensland has been clarified amid moves to secure the property where the parrots occur for conservation purposes.

Moves have been implemented to protect dingoes on the property in the belief that they could play a crucial role in controlling numbers of feral cats and foxes.

The Queensland Government is involved in moves to shift the focus of land use on the property from cattle grazing to conservation, and will have the ultimate say over future management strategies.

The naturalist John Young first heard Night Parrots on the property in 2008. Young released the first photographs and film footage of the Night Parrot ever taken in July 2013. At a recent talk in Melbourne, Young confirmed reports that a feral cat had been responsible for killing a female Night Parrot on the property.

Ecologist Steve Murphy has been conducting research on the parrots on the property in collaboration with Young under a program being funded by mining company Fortescue Metals Group. Funding for the current program expires at the end of 2016.

Dr Steve Murphy

Murphy and Young found 31 feathers last October and these have been reported as definitive evidence that a bird had been killed by a feral cat. However, Murphy says there is no certainty that a cat was responsible. The feathers were examined at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA in Adelaide by Associate Professor Jeremy Austin, an expert in the field of trace DNA analysis.

No cat DNA was detected during the analysis, although DNA sequencing confirmed that the feathers were indeed from a Night Parrot. DNA-based gender assignment revealed that the bird was a female.

Night Parrot

Murphy says that using automatic sound devices, he continued to detect Night Parrot calls at the site where the feathers were found. Murphy says: “With respect to the feathers, the conclusion is that no-one can say with any certainty what happened to result in a Night Parrot losing 31 feathers. It may have been a cat, or it may have been an owl or goanna, or some other predator, or even two Night Parrots fighting. I’m not even sure if whatever it was actually caused the death of a Night Parrot, given the calling that I’m still detecting at the site."

Murphy adds: "This is not to say that cats are not a problem. They exact a tremendous toll on wildlife and continue to be a significant threat to Night Parrots. But it is important to stick to the facts.”

Feral Cat at Night Parrot site with prey, probably a frog Cyclorana spp - pic by Steve Murphy

Murphy is aware of one male feral cat in the area, but its activity has been mostly confined to creek lines and other areas away from the spinifex clumps favoured by the Night Parrots. Since well before discovering the feathers, he had been trying to trap and shoot cats in and around the area, but so far without success. Sharp-shooters were employed to try to shoot cats on the property shortly after the feathers were found, but again they were unable to locate any. Shooters will return to the property soon for another search.

However, Murphy says that based on intensive, ongoing surveys using camera traps, he is aware of several dingoes that regularly hunt in and around the area inhabited by the parrots. He believes this is good because of controls that dingoes can exert on cat numbers and behaviour. No baiting on the property has been undertaken because of the risk of inadvertently killing dingoes.

Dingo at Night Parrot site - pic by Steve Murphy

Since January 2014, there has been an interim stewardship agreement with the landholder - that includes a requirement that he not carry out any form of dingo control in and around the site. The stewardship arrangement includes other clauses that are designed to protect the parrots and facilitate the research efforts.

As for the future of the site, Murphy initiated a deal that is currently being brokered that would see the land use focus on the property shift from cattle production to the permanent protection of the Night Parrot and its habitat.

Says Murphy: “We are at a delicate stage of this negotiation. The Queensland Government is involved in the discussions, and indeed will have the ultimate say over whether the conservation strategy can proceed as planned.”

Sunshine Coast Pelagic Trip March 2015

Streaked Shearwater

Streaked Shearwater, White-tailed Tropicbird, Long-tailed Jaeger and Red-footed Booby were the highlights of the pelagic trip of Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday March 7. Other good birds included Lesser Frigatebird, Tahiti Petrel, an unusually large number of Pomarine Jaegers, Sooty Tern, Black Noddy and Common Noddy.

Conditions were calm and fine as we departed the Mooloolaba Marina at 6.35am. A gentle S-SE breeze struggled to reach 5 knots for the rest of the day and we feared the lack of wind did not bode well. Those fears proved to be unfounded. As we headed out to sea we saw good numbers of Common Terns inshore, a dark phase Arctic Jaeger and a Hutton's Shearwater. Things were looking up.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Plenty of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were about as we made our way to the shelf, taking just 2 hours to reach its edge at 8.40am at 300m, 36 nautical miles offshore (26' 38' 950'S; 153' 42' 270'E). A swell of 0.5m barely changed during the day and the temperature under a sunny sky increased from 23 degrees in the early morning to 30 degrees by midday.

Flesh-footed Shearwater & Wedge-tailed Shearwater

When were arrived at the shelf we were greeted by an adult pale phase Red-footed Booby, which flew over the boat before flying away. A good sign indeed. Soon after, the first of 3 Lesser Frigatebirds (2 females and a male) appeared overhead as large numbers of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a smattering of Flesh-footed Shearwaters gathered around the shark liver berley trail we were laying.

Flesh-footed Shearwater

It was apparent that the birds were very hungry. Perhaps the unsettled weather off the Queensland coast in recent times, including Cyclone Marcia, had affected seabird feeding opportunities.

Pomarine Jaeger - immature

Pomarine Jaeger - dark phase

A couple of Pomarine Jaegers joined the fun and ever growing numbers of this species were to remain about the boat the whole time we were on the shelf. Most jaegers were juveniles or subadults and all but 2 were pale phase. The jaegers and frigatebirds joined the shearwaters in eagerly feeding on liver scraps. Late in the morning, a second-year Long-tailed Jaeger flew over the boat, giving us the jaeger trifecta.

Streaked Shearwater

Streaked Shearwater

We had been on the shelf about half an hour when the first of several Streaked Shearwaters arrived. Again, the species remained in the vicinity of the boat for as long as we were laying a berley trail.

Lesser Frigatebird - male

Lesser Frigatebird - female

As the morning progressed, a single immature White-tailed Tropicbird was seen somewhat distantly. Then a single Sooty Tern flew over, to be joined soon after by a second. A single Black Noddy made an appearance, as did a couple of Wilson's Storm-Petrels. Tahiti Petrel took a while to show but several settled in to join the feeding frenzy. Hutton's Shearwater made an occasional appearance.

Pomarine Jaeger & Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Tahiti Petrel

We had drifted 2.7 nautical miles in a northerly direction when we turned around at 1.10pm and headed home. Large numbers of actively feeding birds were with us continually for the 4.5 hours we were on the shelf. On the way back we encountered a large feeding flock of terns inshore, with good numbers of White-winged Terns among the more numerous Common Terns, a couple of Little Terns and a single juvenile Common Noddy. We arrived back at the marina at 3.15pm.

Common Terns & White-winged Terns

Species (Total Maximum at One Time)

Tahiti Petrel 8 (4)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 4 (2)
Streaked Shearwater 4 (4)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater 300 (100)
Flesh-footed Shearwater 15 (5)
Hutton's Shearwater 4 (1)
White-tailed Tropicbird 1 (1)
Red-footed Booby 1 (1)
Lesser Frigatebird 3 (2)
Pomarine Jaeger 25 (15)
Long-tailed Jaeger 1 (1)
Arctic Jaeger 1 (1)
Silver Gull 2 (2)
Crested Tern 30 (4)
Common Tern 200 (100)
White-winged Tern 50 (30)
Little Tern 2 (2)
Sooty Tern 2 (2)
Common Noddy 1 (1)
Black Noddy 1 (1)
Pied Cormorant 2 (1)
Little Black Cormorant 2 (2)
Australian Pelican 3 (2)

Short-beaked Common Dolphin 2 (2)
Inshore Bottle-nose Dolphin 3 (2)
Oceanic Bottle-nose Dolphin 2 (2)

Participants

Lachlan Tuckwell (skipper), Greg Roberts (organiser),  Sarah Beavis, Robert Bell, Jo Cullinan, Linda Cross, Phil Cross, Hendrik Ferreira, Dawn Forrester, Nikolas Haass, Bob James, Paul Newman, Nerida Silke, Raja Stephenson, Russell Yong.

Light-manted Sooty Albatross: Pic Luke Bennett

In other Sunshine Coast seabirding news, Luke Bennett found a beach-washed Light-mantled Sooty Albatross of February 15 at Castaways Beach. This is a rare species in south-east Queensland at any time but this record is probably the first for the region in summer.