Previously Undisclosed Night Parrot Sighting

A previously unpublished report of a Night Parrot indicates that an extensive tract of spinifex country extending south-west of Winton in outback Queensland may be harbouring a greater population of this cryptic species than is thought.

Glenn Holmes, a highly respected field ornithologist, told me he saw a Night Parrot along the Winton-Jundah Road on May 21, 2012. This is 12 months before John Young filmed and photographed a Night Parrot (the first time the species had been photographed) at an undisclosed site. That site, on a cattle station, is thought to be in the same general region: huge, sparsely vegetated grazing properties in the vicinity of the Diamantina National Park.

Steve Murphy's netted Night Parrot: Pic by Rachel Barr

Like Young, Holmes began searching for the birds after a park ranger, Robert Cupitt, found a dead Night Parrot in the Diamantina National Park in September 2006. Holmes was interested in the prospects of the bird occurring on Brighton Downs station, which fringes the eastern sector of the national park. Brighton Downs is south of and equidistant between Winton and Boulia, near where a road-killed Night Parrot was found in 1990.

Glenn Holmes reported his bird along the Winton-Jundah Road, somewhere between the two red crosses

The Queensland Government's Desert Channels Biodiversity Plan identifies Brighton Downs and Mt Windsor cattle stations as containing potential habitat for the Night Parrot, with extensive stands of spinifex in broken, gravelly plains along with samphire, Maireana spp and other plants which the birds may feed on. The habitat described in the biodiversity plan is not unlike John Young's site: a cattle station where research scientist Steve Murphy is continuing to study the parrot. Bush Heritage Australia has launched an appeal to acquire 56,000 ha of the property for a conservation reserve.

It is understandable that Young's site should remain undisclosed while efforts continue to secure the reserve. Murphy has said that the site is not on Brighton Downs. The purpose of publishing this post is to encourage birders who are travelling through the general region – and in particular along the Winton-Jundah Road – to keep an eye out for Night Parrots.

Glenn Holmes began corresponding with me late last year about his Night Parrot search. Unfortunately, he passed away in December from the cancer which prevented him from following up his May 2012 sighting. Glenn was adamant that the bird he saw along the Winton-Jundah Road was a Night Parrot, and he was keen to publish the sighting. A combination of me travelling overseas at the time of our correspondence and Glenn's illness prevented me from learning the precise site. However, it can be discerned from his correspondence that the parrot was between 23 degrees south and 142 degrees east: that is, between points about 100 and 250 kms south/south-west of Winton along the road to Jundah. In a straight line, the area would be about 160 km from Winton.

Old growth spinifex in Bladensburg National Park

Potentially suitable habitat for Night Parrots is found in and around Bladensburg National Park just south-west of Winton, with extensive tracts of old growth spinifex extending south and west through Opalton to the gravelly plains west of Stonehenge and through parts of the 507,000 ha Diamantina National Park.

Glenn Holmes was keen to touch base with Steve Murphy to ensure that publishing his record would not compromise the conservation program on John Young's site. Murphy, who netted and photographed a Night Parrot at the site last April, ignored my repeated requests to comment on Glenn's report.

Glenn Holmes

There have been many reports of Night Parrots over the decades, mostly unsubstantiated. However, Glenn Holmes had outstanding abilities in the field and those of us who knew him well have no hesitation in believing that the bird he saw on the Winton-Jundah Road was a Night Parrot. 

Murphy has recorded several birds at John Young's site but has backed away from an earlier population estimate of between 10 and 30 parrots there. However, he has heard a Night Parrot 40km from the site: a further indication that the species may be more widespread in the region.

Steve Murphy and associates at John Young's site

Meanwhile, a rift between John Young and Steve Murphy, former collaborators in the field, appears to be widening since Young effectively walked away the site and the research effort early last year. (See here for more on the results of Murphy's ongoing research.) Young's supporters were angered by a Queensland Government media release last November which said the Night Parrot had been rediscovered by a “team of scientists” at the site, with no mention made of the fact that the bird was rediscovered by Young (more on Young's 2013 discovery can be found here). This false claim has since been repeated in several publications.

Steve Murphy

John Young

Now Young has taken to social media to attack Murphy for catching a parrot in a mist net at the site. “It beggars belief that he netted one of the birds from my site,” Young says on Facebook. “What would have happened if it died in the net! We are playing with one of the least known birds in the world. Leave them alone. We do not have to have a human fingerprint on everything.” Young says he will search for a new site this year. Murphy believes that catching and radio-tracking a parrot was essential in order to get some sort of idea of its movements and feeding habits; he found that the birds regularly flew several kilometres to forage, often some distance from the old growth spinifex in which they roosted. 

Clearly the search for further populations of Night Parrot nationwide would be greatly enhanced if John Young, Steve Murphy or state authorities released - however selectively - some of the many recordings that Young and Murphy have made of the bird's call. Many people believe it is time that recordings were made available.

Bush Heritage Australia is continuing efforts to secure funding for a reserve, and is about $1.5 million short of its target. Anyone wishing to assist this worthy cause can access this link. 

Hervey Bay, Maryborough & Great Sandy Strait

Greater Sand Plover

Three Asian Dowitchers, 150+ Grey Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Brolga, loads of Greater Sand Plover in breeding plumage and Beach Stone-Curlew were the highlights of birding around Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait in south-east Queensland. We camped for 3 nights by the beach at Pialba in Hervey Bay where we camped at this time last year. Of interest was a flock of 50 Greater Sand Plover on the rocks at Pt Vernon. Most birds were in full or partial breeding plumage and unusually, no other species (including Lesser Sand Plover) were with the flock.

Sooty Oystercatcher

A single Sooty Oystercatcher (northern race) was on the rocks. I looked unsuccessfully for Black-breasted Buttonquail at Mungomery's Vine Scrub; platelets were very old and I suspect well-meaning locals who removed lantana and other weeds from the scrub may have unwittingly subjected the birds to cat predation.

Osprey

Arkarra Lagoons were also unproductive other than a couple of Nankeen Night-Herons although an Osprey showed nicely nearby.

Grey Shrike-thrush

A Grey Shrike-thrush attracted to its image in a car mirror at River Head was a distraction. Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove and Fairy Gerygone were in the vine scrub here.

Wood Sandpiper

I visited Garnett's Lagoon with John Knight. We found a Wood Sandpiper at the same spot where we saw one this time last year. The lagoon was looking good for waders with 300+ Red-necked Stints among those present (full list here). Large numbers of sand plovers of both species were on the salt plan but interestingly, unlike the Pt Vernon birds, none had traces of breeding plumage.

Brolga

Five Brolga - a good number for this species in south-east Queensland - were about.

White-winged Chough

 We moved on to another caravan park for 3 nights by the Mary River in Maryborough. Fairy Gerygone was common in mangroves along the river along with Mangrove Gerygone. White-winged Chough, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Nutmeg Mannikin were among the birds in the area.

Great Egret at nest

Intermediate Egret at nest

Intermediate Egret, Great Ëgret and Cattle Egret were nesting in the same trees at Queens Park in Maryborough.

Gull-billed Tern & Caspian Tern

Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Sand Plover

Waders were in good numbers at the Boonooroo high tide roost, with many coming into breeding plumage. An Asian Dowitcher was seen briefly among the big flocks of larger waders, predominantly Bar-tailed Godwit. Also of interest were 150+ Grey Plover - an unusually large number for a species that is a scarce visitor to south-east Queensland. A large flock of Little Tern was also of interest. Both species of sand plover were in good numbers (full list here).

Grey Plover

I moved on to nearby Maaroom, a few kilometres to the north, while the tide was still high. A found a second  Asian Dowitcher foraging in low mangroves with a small group of Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits. This group flushed and flew into the distance.

Asian Dowitcher & Bar-tailed Godwits

Then, in the main large grouping of waders, I found a third Asian Dowitcher which I saw several times. Unfortunately the above is the only image I managed of any of the three dowitchers: a distant digiscoped snap of the bird (in the centre, left and behind a Bar-tailed Godwit, with its bill tucked away; characteristic plumage differences can be discerned, as demonstrated in the image below).

Asian Dowitcher

This is a better snap of a dowitcher I took a while back at Toorbul.

Beach Stone-Curlew

A Beach Stone-Curlew at Maaroom was another nice find. Interestingly, no plovers of any species were present at this site: See full list here.

Parklakes: Another Wetland Down the Drain

Newly "renovated" Parklakes wetland

Updated February 9, 2016
The Parklakes Wetland near Bli Bli on Queensland's Sunshine Coast had rightly been hailed as a model for private sector environmental responsibility and good corporate citizenship. Two years ago I congratulated the developers of the large Parklakes residential housing estate for establishing in its midst a vibrant habitat for waterbirds of numerous species. Parklakes adopted an illustration of a waterbird as its promotional emblem. The company reprinted some of my congratulatory blog post in its promotional material, with my approval.

Australian Little Bittern at Parklakes

Among the excellent birds that were found here was a pair of rare Australian Little Bitterns which nested at Parklakes for two seasons in succession. The cryptic Baillon's Crake was unusually easy to see and several pairs of Spotless Crakes were nesting. Other birds frequenting the wetland included the endangered Australian Painted Snipe, while small numbers of migratory Latham's Snipe were regular. Parklakes had nowhere near the wealth of birdlife found at the nearby Yandina Creek Wetlands, but it was a significant refuge nonetheless, and potentially provided habitat for some of the Yandina Creek birds displaced by that wetland's draining.

Main lagoon before development

The Parklakes Wetland was comprised of a series of lagoons, with the central lagoon providing the most significant habitat. This lagoon had a large reed bed in the centre, flanked to the east by an extensive lily pond, and to the west by a mosaic of small ponds, muddy margins and patches of aquatic vegetation: in sum, ideal habitat

Main lagoon during development

How things change. In recent weeks, this wetland has been seriously and irreparably degraded. What was recently a diverse and waterbird-rich wetland is today an aquatic wasteland. The reed bed that harboured the Australian Little Bittern pair and other rare birds has been destroyed. The mosaic of small ponds, muddy margins and other special habitats so favoured by birds has been flooded.

The Parklakes developers insist they were told by the Sunshine Coast Council that the wetland had to be "renovated". My council sources say the initiative for the changes came from the developers. Queensland Globe maps indicate that the wetland is the property of the council. Asked to clarify the situation, the developers initially said: "Does it matter? It needed fixing." Later, Parklakes said that the works were being done to comply with conditions of council approval.

The council says, effectively, that the wetland was never intended to be a wetland. Says the council: "The wetlands at Parklakes were constructed several years ago for the purpose of providing water quality treatment. It is important to recognise that the habitat resulting from the construction of the wetland, including for water birds is a valuable but secondary outcome. The ongoing management and maintenance of the wetland, while being mindful of habitat values, needs to focus on its effective functioning for the treatment of water quality."

In a 2014 article in its newsletter, Parklakes boasted: "There are other subdivisions that boast parkland, but in reality it's just a mowed bit of flat grass with a park bench plonked on it. We went the opposite way and created a haven where you live within nature itself." Really?  

Parklakes even launched a dedicated bird book, Birds of Parklakes Bli Bli, announcing the move under a blog headline: Amazing Parklakes Birdlife Inspires New Book. The author, Mary Hines, belongs to a group called the University of the Third Age Sunshine Coast Birdwatching Group. Some of the birds featured in the book no longer visit or reside in the wetland. 

In view of the above-mentioned advice from the Sunshine Coast Council, Parklakes should stop calling these artificial ponds "wetlands".

Another motivation for the development might be explained by the first image in this blog post. The reed bed was removed along with a strip of native vegetation which had been planted around the lagoon to provide waterbirds with privacy. As can be seen in the image, these changes allow potential buyers of newly developed residential plots to have open water views, doubtlessly boosting the value of those plots. It appears that maximising profits has overridden ecological sensibilities.

Australian Painted Snipe at Parklakes

The developers insist that the result of these changes will be a "permanent improvement" and that the former wetland "needed fixing". However, what they have created is another open, dime-a-dozen duck pond, similar to hundreds of others in residential estates, with zero ecological value.  During recent visits, no birds of interest have been present at the wetland. Large numbers of Plumed Whistling-Ducks moved in for a while but even they are gone. What's left is an ecologically useless ornament.

Anyone wishing to express their views to the Parklakes developers can email them here:

info@parklakes.com.au

Avian Joys of Jondaryan: Where West Meets East

Painted Honeyeater

Updated January 26, 2016. Birding highlights from a couple of days in the Jondaryan-Oakey area of the eastern Darling Downs (18-19 January) included Painted Honeyeater at 4 sites, Red-chested Buttonquail, Black-eared Cuckoo, Ground Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced Woodswallow, Plum-headed Finch, White-winged Fairy-wren at 3 sites, and numerous Brown Songlarks and Horsfield's Bushlarks.

Juvenile Black-eared Cuckoo?

Following a spate of sightings of some of these species in recent times, we booked a self-contained cabin at Jondaryan Woolshed, 3km west of the town of Jondaryan, which is central to the birding sites. First port of call was remnant brigalow just before the woolshed, where a Painted Honeyeater was quickly found.

Painted Honeyeater

On the western edge of the town were a pair of Black-faced Woodswallows, here at the eastern end of the expansive inland range of this species. Many western birds generally occur as residents no further east of this region.  See here for Jondaryan-Jondaryan Woodshed species list. I was fortunate with the weather for a mid-summer visit with unusually mild conditions: max 28 on both days.

Black-faced Woodswallow

Then on to Doctor's Creek Reserve, a small area of woodland 2km south of Jondaryan at the intersection of Warrego Highway and Jondaryan-Mt Tyson Road. Chris Burwell found an immature Black-eared Cuckoo here a couple of weeks ago, along the track that follows the telegraph  lines, running parallel to the highway east of Jondaryan-Mt Tyson Road.

Plum-headed Finch

This track terminates in long grass on Doctor's Creek. I photographed a cuckoo in Acacia trees (image above) about 100m before the end of the track which I initially thought was a juvenile Black-eared Cuckoo. However, following an interesting discussion on Facebook scroll down on this page there is some doubt about whether this may be a juvenile Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo. I saw and heard juveniles of both species in this area during two visits. Since then (January 25) others have found 2 adult Black-eared Cuckoos in the same spot. So at least 3 Black-eared Cuckoos appear to be present here as well as Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo.

Yellow Thornbill

More Painted Honeyeaters were in the woodland, with 2 adults and a juvenile spotted. Other birds included Red-winged Parrot, 20+ Plum-headed Finches and Yellow Thornbill.  See here for Doctor's Creek Reserve species list.

Red-winged Parrot

A short distance from the woolshed, near the intersection of Jondaryan-St Ruth and Jondaryan-Evanslea roads, I found a party of 6 Ground Cuckoo-shrikes.

Ground Cuckoo-shrike

I headed north to bird the Bowenville-Norwin and West Prairie roads. The area has had good rainfall since November and there was plenty of water about.

Horsfield's Bushlark

Horsfield's Bushlark

Horsfield's Bushlark and Brown Songlark were common along these roads and elsewhere in the region, while Stubble Quail were calling in several spots. White-winged Fairy-Wrens were half way along the Bowenville-Norwin Road.

Brown Songlark male

Brown Songlark female

I had Zebra Finches in several spots. Yellow-throated Miners were along West Prairie Road; this western species occurs side-by-side with the more common Noisy Miner in the region.

Zebra Finches

Yellow-throated Miner

Twice I birded along Devon Park Road, east of Jondaryan and close to Oakey. I heard a Red-chested Buttonquail at a spot where Marie Tarrant heard a buttonquail last week.  It was in lightly grazed pasture just north of the junction between Devon Park and Devon Park Boundary roads, where water crosses the road. Yellow-throated Miner was also here and parties of White-winged Fairy-wrens (another species occurring no further east of this area) were half-way along Devon Park Boundary Road, and on a track heading east, 1km north of the junction between Devon Park Road and the Warrego Highway. Some more Plum-headed Finches were also on this track.

White-winged Fairy-wren

I failed to see Black Falcons noted in the region by several observers but I had a Peregrine Falcon along Devon Park Road. It's been a long time since I've seen so many Nankeen Kestrels and Black-shouldered Kites; both species were in abundance throughout the region. I was surprised not to see more harriers: I saw a single Spotted Harrier and a single Swamp Harrier.  See here for Devon Park Road species list.

Peregrine Falcon

I saw Painted Honeyeaters at two sites along the Jondaryan-Sabine Road. One bird was about 1km north of the Warrego Highway just outside Jondaryan town; the second was 1.5km further east along Jondaryan-Sabine Road. Both were in remnant roadside brigalow. These patches of scrub were heavily infested with mistletoe. To find this normally scarce bird so readily at 4 sites in a relatively small area suggests that the Jondaryan region may be an important breeding centre for the species, which has been recorded here in past years though not in these numbers.

Southern Boobook

Southern Boobook

A Southern Boobook was vocal around the woolshed at night. Presumably the same bird was roosting in the shed during the day.

Common Sandpiper

On the way home we called in to Peach's (Pechey's) Lagoon, where a single Common Sandpiper was present. This species is rare in south-east Queensland and very scarce in the Lockyer Valley. Small numbers of Pink-eared Duck and Australasian Shoveler were on the lagoon. A Pacific Baza was attending a well-fledged chick on a nest here. See here for lagoon species list.

Australasian Shoveler

Blue-billed Duck

At the Gatton University lake (Lake Galletly), a Blue-billed Duck was seen along with 8 Australasian Shovelers.

Little Red Flying-Foxes

We had travelled to Jondaryan via Kilcoy, where a very large (several tens of thousands) of Little Red Flying-Foxes were roosting on both sides of the road at the eastern end of town.