On the 8th October, I flew from Brisbane up to Cairns, which I would use as my starting point for a trip down the Queensland coastline.
Between my last post and heading north, I made several further excursions to wild areas around Brisbane. On the 1st October, I headed back up to the stunning D'Aguilar National Park. I really can't believe that this fantastic national park, consisting of a great variety of dry and wet forests, is fewer than 40 kilometres from Brisbane.
A brief walk around some drier forest than I had visited last time brought me two lifers, the Yellow-faced Honeyeater and Brown Gerygone, along with a stunning male Leaden Flycatcher (at the time my first male of the species, and only my second sighting of the bird). On top of that, we came upon a great number of Bell Miners producing their wonderful metallic call. This bird's voice is certainly in contrast to the horrible, raucous shrieking of its close relative, the Noisy Miner, which is truly abundant in Brisbane.
The next day, we ventured south to the magnificent Lamington National Park, home to a number of rainforest-speciality birds. As we arrived at the O'Reilly's complex deep within the park, several stunningly-dark-blue Satin Bowerbirds were flushed from the roadside. Walking around the area surrounding the complex produced a truly remarkable selection of colourful forest birds, including numerous Crimson Rosellas, Australian King Parrots, Rainbow Lorikeets, Australian Brushturkeys, Superb Fairywrens and further Satin Bowerbirds, along with an Eastern Spinebill and several Topknot Pigeons. What a place!
Somehow this Welcome Swallow was the only bird I managed to photograph at O'Reilly's. I'm not really sure how that happened!
We then headed deeper into the forest, where the bird-life was equally spectacular. I had brief views of the amazing Albert's Lyrebird, a vulnerable species restricted to hinterland forests of southern Queensland and north NSW. I had always wanted to see a Lyrebird, their remarkably long and elaborate tail having been something which had enticed from the first time I looked at my Australian bird book. I hadn't imagined the bird being so large- its body is close in size to a chicken! After seeing such a fantastic bird (sadly very briefly), it was a great bonus to see two further species for the first time ever, the rather more dull Buff-rumped Thornbill and a very pleasing Yellow-throated Scrubwren.
Stunning views over Lamington NP
The day had also been something of a raptor-fest, with my first Collared Sparrowhawk, Nankeen Kestrel and Brahminy Kite of my '600 challenge' all seen while travelling between Brisbane and Lamington.
In the evening of the 8th, I arrived in Cairns. Earlier, an awesome White-bellied Sea Eagle had flown low over the car as we arrived at Brisbane Airport, a great omen for a trip which promised to produce some fantastic wildlife. After checking in at my hostel, I ventured down to the legendary esplanade. Sadly, the tide was high and it was rapidly becoming dark. Despite this, however, I was lucky enough to find several nice birds in the area. Numerous Australian Swiftlets and White-breasted Woodswallows flew overhead, along with dozens of the truly stunning Torresian Imperial Pigeons, a magnificent black and perfect-white bird which is fantastically common along the north and central Queensland coasts. Despite there being virtually a complete lack of any shoreline, I did several Black-fronted Dotterels feeding frantically on a small area of mud that was rapidly being covered by the water. Striated and Pacific Reef Herons, along with a great Australasian Darter, made for further additions to my challenge total.
After an atrocious night's sleep in a room with seven other travellers, some of whom thought that turning the light on at half-past-three in the morning before going to bed without turning them off was a fantastic idea, I headed back to the esplanade at a far-more suitable time of tide. I had been forced to escape my room-mates earlier in the evening, and had found some much better company in the form of three Bush Stone-curlews. My dreams of the reality of the esplanade came true, as I was greeted by the sight of thousands of waders feeding on the muddy beach. The majority of these birds breed in the tundra of Siberia and head south during the northern winter to enjoy the Australian summer, and for many Cairns Esplanade acts as a vital refuelling point on the extraordinarily long journeys. Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrels, Far Eastern Curlews, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Great Knots (my first ever!) and Red-necked Stints were especially abundant. Besides them were numerous Curlew and Terek (what a beast! I think this is my favourite wader) Sandpipers; Grey-tailed Tattlers; Great and Lesser Sandplovers; Red-capped and Double-banded Plovers; Sanderlings and a Greenshank. The highlight, rarity-wise, was undoubtedly finding two Broad-billed Sandpipers in with a small group of Curlew Sandpipers. Not only was this a lifer for me, but the species is also a rare migrant to Australia, with Cairns Esplanade and Broome Bird Observatory the only two sites to record the bird with any regularity. What an awesome place this esplanade is, especially considering it is completely surrounded by the city of Cairns!
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Great Knot
Terek Sandpiper. These birds have the very distinct behaviour of sprinting rapidly across the mud, while crouched very low to the ground. This, along with their awesomely long, up-turned bill make the species my favourite wader. Such a beast! They were fantastically common on the esplanade.
Curlew Sandpiper and Red-necked Stint
Sanderling
Broad-billed Sandpiper. I had some fantastic luck in finding this rare species on the esplanade. Amazingly, the two birds were less than ten metres away from the footpath! This Siberian-taiga-bog-breeder rarely winters as far south as Australia. What a stunning bird!
The two Broad-billed Sandpipers together
Grey-tailed Tattlers
Lesser Sandplover
Red-capped Plover
Far Eastern Curlew, the world's largest wader
Red-necked Stint
Black-fronted Dotterel
Bar-tailed Godwit
There was, however, more to the esplanade than this remarkable selection of waders. Terns were certainly a feature, with numerous Gull-billed, Caspian, Crested and Little Terns all seen.
Gull-billed Tern with a cheeky Silver Gull
Caspian Tern. This bird has such an awesome bill!
Herons also enjoy the abundance of food available on the muddy beach. Great White Egrets and Pacifc Reef and Striated Herons were common, while a single Royal Spoonbill was also seen.
Great White Egret
Dark morph and white morph Pacific Reef Herons
Striated Heron
Finally, a large number of Australian Pelicans were also chilling on the esplanade.
Australian Pelicans
There is even more to the esplanade than these birds. The fruit trees behind the beach were swarming with birds. Torresian Imperial Pigeons, Peaceful and Bar-shouldered Doves, Common Mynas, Noisy Miners and Australasian Figbirds (the yellow race replaces the green one this far north) were especially common, while once again White-breasted Woodswallows and Australian Swiftlets were abundant in the skies. Several Varied Honeyeaters, my first ever, were seen, along with several small flocks of Nutmeg Mannikins (also known as Scaly-breasted Munias), an invasive species from Asia, which was also a lifer.
Feeling rather happy about life, I headed up to the Cairns Botanical Gardens. This was a longer walk than I had imagined. Arriving in the gardens, I was very pleased to see an Orange-footed Scrubfowl, my first since 2006, when I was only nine years' old! Along with its fellow Megapode, the Australian Brushturkey, these large birds were very common in the gardens.
Orange-footed Scrubfowl. Like the Australian Brushturkey and the only Australian Megapode I am yet to see, the Malleefowl, these birds build a large mound to insulate their eggs, rather than using their body to do so, a trait unique among birds.
Several Bush Stone-Curlews were seen nearby as I headed towards the garden's lakes. Sadly the lakes were not quite the stunning bird-covered oases I had been led to believe, instead they were two small patches of water surrounded by picnic tables with one lake in the process of gaining its own Oriental-style shelter on a piece of land protruding out into the water. The birds were not quite as diverse as I had hoped either, though it was very nice to see my first Raja Shelducks in nine years, along with the unique Magpie Goose, a bird placed in its own genus and that is believed to be a living fossil of the ancient waterfowl.
Raja Shelducks
The modern fossil that is the Magpie Goose
On the point that had been fortunate enough to avoid the building of the Oriental shelter, numerous members of the heron family were roosting. Three Royal Spoonbills, an Intermediate Egret and a Little Egret were among the numerous Eastern Cattle and Great Egrets and Australian White Ibises. An Australasian Darter was also chilling there. Presumably it was the high level of the disturbance that had ensured that any of the hoped-for Great-billed and Nankeen Night Herons, White-browed Crakes and Whistling Ducks were not present.
The area was more productive when it came to passerines. Honeyeaters were abundant, with Brown-backed and Yellow both lifers for me, along with great numbers of Dusky Myzomelas and the fantastically-ugly Helmeted Friarbirds. Black Butcherbirds, White-bellied Cuckooshrikes, Varied Trillers, Australasian Figbirds, Leaden Flycatchers, Laughing Kookaburras and Olive-backed Sunbirds were amongst the other common species. I was lucky to spot my first-ever Mangrove Gerygone beside one of the garden's saltwater creeks. Overhead, Torresian Imperial Pigeons were numerous, along with Rainbow Lorikeets, Rainbow Bee-eaters and Double-eyed Fig Parrots, an awesome and brightly-coloured small parrot species that I had last seen nine years' ago.
I then moved on to the rainforest board-walk. Sadly (and unsurprisingly) I had no luck in spotting any roosting Papuan Frogmouths. I'm sure I would have been a matter of metres from one, but finding any Frogmouths requires great luck and/or skill, neither of which I had.
I then began the hike back to my hostel, fortuitously deciding to take the longer route back along the esplanade. On the way, some enormous Fruit Bats had flown overhead. I love how common these are in Queensland! As I approached the esplanade, I caught sight of a medium-sized dark bird flying into a nearby tree. It was fantastic to discover that it was a Cicadabird, a first for me and a difficult species to find. Along with a nice flock of Metallic Starlings, it was a great way to end a great day.
The next day, I virtually followed my tracks of the previous day. The only change in bird-life on the esplanade was the absence of either Broad-billed Sandpiper today, along with a single Torresian Kingfisher shooting past me, my first ever. The situation was the same in the botanical gardens, so I decided to walk up to Mount Whitfield Conservation Park. A strong wind made birding very tough, though I was pleased to find a number of Mistletoebirds and my first Satin Flycatcher. This species is scarce in north Queensland and is very difficult to distinguish from the more common Leaden Flycatcher. In fact, as far as I can see the females cannot be separated from each other. Thankfully this bird was a male and consequently some careful observation allowed me to confirm its identity. I then headed back through the botanical gardens, and then towards a large cemetery that I had seen on the map. This proved to be a very worthwhile spot, as I found numerous Bush Stone-Curlews and Rainbow Bee-eaters, along with a Brahminy Kite overhead and, unquestionably best of all, three Pacific Bazas together. I was way too excited to manage any decent photos of these awesome birds, so here is my best effort:
Pacific Baza. This really was a wasted opportunity to get a great photo and three of them circled relatively low over my head! Never mind.
Bush Stone-Curlews loved the habitats on offer in the cemetery.
Brown Honeyeater was a final addition to my challenge total before I left Cairns and headed north to Port Douglas.
I arrived in Port Douglas on the 11th October and immediately headed over to the marina. Aussie Figbirds and Rainbow Lorikeets were abundant in the trees, along with numerous Torresian Imperial Pigeons, Nutmeg Mannikins and Helmeted Friarbirds.
Torresian Imperial Pigeon. Sadly, my camera decided to focus on the branch in front of this magnificent bird.
I love these Helmeted Friarbirds. They look so evil.
The four common Tern species (Caspian, Gull-billed, Crested and Little) were present in large numbers offshore, while waders included Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Lesser Sandplover and Grey-tailed Tattler. It was fantastic to find this beast of a bird wading through the shallow water:
Black-necked Stork, Port Douglas. Standing at 130cm in height, these birds are truly enormous and make for an awesome sight.
The rest of the day, and the following one, were spent wandering around the town. Though Spangled Drongo was the only addition to my challenge total, lots of fantastic birds were seen. Hundreds of Metallic Starlings flew into roost next to my hotel, and in combination with a similar number of Rainbow Lorikeets, produced an extraordinary racket. Many of the regular Cairns species were common here too, including the Bush Stone-Curlew, of which well into double figures were seen.
Baby Bush Stone-Curlews
It's awesome how common this species is in Port Douglas!
On the 13th October, I headed back down to Cairns and then on to Wongaling Beach, further to the south. A Black-shouldered Kite and another Black-necked Stork were the highlights of the drive. A brief walk in the early evening was also productive, in bringing me a flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and a Channel-billed Cuckoo among many of the regular north Queensland birds.
I woke up early the next morning and wandered around the great little town of Wongaling Beach. Raptors were common, with Eastern Osprey, Black and Brahminy Kites and a Brown Goshawk all seen.
Eastern Osprey at Wongaling Beach
A flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins appeared in some roadside grassland.
Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. This native species is threatened by the spread of Nutmeg Mannikins along the east coast, though at Wongaling Beach at least, they easily outnumbered their invasive relative
While I was photographing the Mannikins, I caught sight of three large birds slowly flying towards me. It was fantastic to discover that they were Brolgas, absolute beasts of birds, and they proceeded to give me some fantastic views as they went straight over me.
Brolgas at Wongaling Beach
I had planned to head over to Dunk Island in the mid-morning, however due to the ferry being 'broken', I was sadly unable to and consequently had the onerous task of spending the rest of the day chilling on the stunning nine-mile-long Mission Beach which I virtually had to myself. A short walk in the evening produced many of the same species as I was becoming accustomed to seeing along the north Queensland coast, including five Channel-billed Cuckoos. Returning to the grassy area in which I had found the Mannikins earlier, I came upon a very approachable Australian Pipit.
Australian Pipit
Nearby, I spotted what I initially thought was an Australian Reed Warbler. Further views, however, revealed the bird's true identity as a Tawny Grassbird, a first for me. I had great views of it for some time, before heading back to the beach for a picnic supper. I had one final addition to my challenge total from here, as a Bridled Tern flew past. It had been an awesome day!
Here are some photos I took around Wongaling Beach of some classic north Queensland species:
White-necked Heron
White-faced Heron
White-breasted Woodswallow
'Yellow' Figbird. Despite being very different in appearance to the 'Green' Figbirds we get in Brisbane, the two are in fact subspecies of the Australasian Figbird. This was probably the most common species of my trip along the coast.
Magpie-lark. Just as common up here as it is in Brisbane.
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Despite the name of my blog, mammals very rarely make an appearance on here. Having lived in England was a major cause of this neglect (Roe Deers and Grey Squirrels were the only mammals seen with any regularity in my garden). It is fantastic to now be living somewhere with a fantastic array of mammals, and they should start to become a more regular feature on here from now on!
A mammal. More precisely, an Agile Wallaby. There is actually a plague of these in the Mission Beach area, leading to the need to cull the species in the area. This was one of many hundreds feeding in the grassland around the town.
The next day was spent travelling. It was frustrating to have left Mission Beach without being able to search for Cassowaries in the national park nearby, though without a car this was impossible. I will be back! I managed to see some great birds on the drive, not least five Australian Bustards showing fantastically well in a roadside field near Inkerman. Little Eagles were an addition to my challenge total among immense numbers of raptors, the others being Black, Whistling and Brahminy Kites; White-bellied Sea Eagles; Nankeen Kestrels and Collared Sparrowhawks, all thriving in the dry countryside surrounding Townsville. Many hundreds of Masked Lapwings and Magpie Geese were also seen around, enjoying the presence of irrigated farmland. Two further additions came in Bowen in Queensland during a meal break; the Red-winged Parrot, my first in Queensland, and several large flocks of Cockatiels, always a fantastic bird to see in the wild (not quite the same environment as the one I saw in Washington DC in August!). I arrived in Airlie Beach too late in the evening to be able to explore the area.
The next morning, I hiked up to the Honeyeater Lookout in Conway National Park, just outside Airlie Beach. The selection of birds present was once again varied and different to previous national parks I have visited along the Queensland coast. Little Shrikethrushes, Varied Trillers and White-throated Gerygones (a new bird for me) were especially common in the dry forest, while in the wetter forest, Spangled Drongos, Rufous Fantails and Brown Fantails were a regular sight. It was fantastic to find a perched Rose-crowned Fruit Dove hiding among the dense vegetation in this area. This was my first sighting of this stunningly bright-coloured bird, and what an awesome bird to see! Several other Fruit Doves, presumably of the same species, were also seen, though sadly not well enough for confident identification. Reaching the summit, the forest became dry again, and along with the previously mentioned species, Laughing Kookaburras were common, along with Black-faced Monarchs. This stunning bird was my third lifer of the morning.
Black-faced Monarch in Conway NP
The view from the stop over the town of Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands was breath-taking, especially when a White-bellied Sea Eagle soared past.
Returning to the town, I was determined the one further species I required to reach 550 for my challenge total. This happened as I walked past the large ocean-side swimming pool, when I spotted a Great Bowerbird. I had to carefully walk up to the bird, as I feared that taking my binoculars out in an area swarming with scantily-clad tourists trying to get a tan may have had unfortunate consequences. Luckily, I was successful and managed to confirm its identity, and I was able to celebrate passing the landmark by finding a Buff-banded Rail creeping about the rocks by the sea. Once again, Terns were common offshore, though no Little Terns were seen here.
Crested Tern, Airlie Beach
The next day, I went for another hike in Conway National Park, this time around Mount Rooper. This area was truly stunning and teeming with bird-life. Yellow-spotted Honeyeaters were common in drier areas, while the regular north Queensland raptors were also seen in good numbers, especially Brahminy Kites and White-bellied Sea Eagles. For me, the birding highlight was finding a small flock of the very unusual-looking Brown Cuckoo-Doves. These birds really do look like a cross between Cuckoos and Doves, with their long body and tail combining with their plump body to create a very unique appearance.
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
An individual of what is rapidly becoming the most-photographed bird on the blog is hiding very successfully in this picture...
Another Bush Stone-Curlew! This bird's awesome camouflage resulted in one of the people I was walking with nearly standing on it!
This Goana was cool to see
A young White-bellied Sea Eagle
At 9pm, I got onboard my bus. It was going to be 14 hours before I reached my next destination, Hervey Bay. The overnight bus trip was very hard work, and I was truly exhausted by the time I arrived. The journey had been very bumpy, a result of the policy to not stop or avoid the numerous Agile Wallabies that filled the road. I'm glad I wasn't driving.
On the way into Hervey Bay, I spotted my first Black Swans of the challenge on a roadside pool. This turned out to be my only addition of the day, as I explored the town. The botanical gardens were rather disappointingly lacking in bird-life, though it was interesting to see a mix of Green and Yellow Figbirds here, and some more regular Brisbane appearing for the first time on the trip, such as Black-faced Cuckooshrike and Grey Butcherbird. It was nice to see a decent number of waterfowl on a small lake in the middle town, with Pacific Black and Australian Wood Ducks present in good numbers, along with Dusky Moorhens, Eurasian Coots, Australian Gallinules and Cattle Egrets.
Eastern Cattle Egret, Hervey Bay
Australian Wood Duck (in front) and Pacific Black Duck in Hervey Bay
The next day was another dominated by travelling, as I headed down to one of my favourite towns, the stunning Noosa. On the way, a brief break at Kybong had brought my first Grey Shrikethrushes of the challenge, along with numerous waterfowl and Australasian Figbirds. Arriving in Noosa in the early evening, I had a brief walk through the national park, which produced several Noisy Friarbirds. These are even uglier than their helmeted cousins, with a completely bald head.
An upside-down Noisy Friarbird in Noosa. Such an awesome creature. This species is abundant in Noosa, but I am yet to see it anywhere else!
The next day was spent exploring this fantastic national park. Birds were abundant, though very similar to those found around Brisbane. Brown Thornbills, Grey Fantails, Brown and Lewin's Honeyeaters, Noisy Friarbirds, Australian Brushturkeys, Leaden Flycatchers, Sacred Kingfishers, Rainbow Bee-eaters and Eastern Whipbirds were among the birds seen. Two Collared Sparrowhawks and a stunning Grey Goshawk soared above the forest. The undergrowth was swarming with White-browed Scrubwrens, Variegated Fairywrens and Eastern Yellow Robins. Two Large-billed Scrubwrens were also seen, my fourteenth lifer of the trip.
Variegated Fairywren. These really are fantastic little birds.
Eastern Yellow Robin
Varied Trillers were common in drier areas
The stunning view from Hell's Gates in Noosa NP. That beach is sadly a nudist beach, as I unfortunately discovered when I walked across it carrying my binoculars and camera. I must have looked a little strange..
Australian Pied Cormorants chilling by Hell's Gates
The undoubted highlight of the day was seeing at least 35 Bottlenose Dolphins passing the headland. Seeing species like this can't help you feel incredibly happy to be alive. A fantastic Green Sea-Turtle was also swimming around just offshore. What an awesome place this planet is!
I headed back to my hostel via an alternative route, which passed through an interesting different habitat, consisting mainly of short bushes. Some different species were seen in this area.
This awesome Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo was the first of the species I have seen perched, and what an awesome sight it was!
A Pallid Cuckoo was an addition to my challenge total, while Brown Honeyeaters were abundant in this area. As I approached my hostel, the forest returned. Here, Lewin's and White-throated Honeyeaters were present in good numbers, along with Leaden Flycatchers and my first Rufous Whistlers of the challenge.
Lewin's Honeyeater in Noosa NP
Once again, it had been an awesome day. I had a brief walk back through the national park before catching my bus to Brisbane. This produced an Olive-backed Oriole among the regular Noosa species, bringing my challenge total to 560 with four months to go and ensuring I had had at least one addition on every day of the trip! Surely I'll be able to find 40 more before then??!!
