One-and-a-half busy months!

Wow, it really has been a long time since I last posted!

I will go through the last one-and-a-half months in chronological order. I have spent most of it studying at university, though I have managed to make the occasional trip away from campus.

Over the 20th=22nd July, I camped at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach, just north of the Sunshine Coast. Despite it being a fantastic area for bird-life, I was sadly unable to get much birding in, with a Tawny Frogmouth in the campsite being the highlight of the trip.

On the 29th July, I visited my regular location of Kedron Brook Wetlands. I was determined to find a total of at least 50 species there on one visit for the first time. A great number of birds were about, with the highlights being reserve ticks for me in Blue-faced Honeyeater and Fan-tailed Cuckoo (certainly a great surprise!), along with Black Swan, Black-shouldered Kite, Brown Goshawk, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Buff-banded Rail and Mistletoebird. I got back to my car and added up my tally, only to find I had reached 48 species! A quick walk from the car pushed me through the 50 barrier, with Pied Butcherbird, Common Myna and Spangled Drongo all appearing.

My next birding trip of any significance was on the 9th August, when I went to another of my favourite locations, Anstead Bushland Reserve in west Brisbane. Birds were sadly a little hard to find, though I was pleased to spot an extremely distant Australasian Darter perched by the river, a reserve first for me, while further reserve ticks came in the form of a stunning Brown Goshawk pair and a surprise fly-over Australian Pelican.

Brown Goshawk at Anstead Bushland

Not what I expected to see! An Australian Pelican flying high overhead above the bushland

Other nice birds seen on the trip included a White-bellied Cuckooshrike, a small group of Varied Sittellas, numerous Rufous and Australian Golden Whistlers, a single Apostlebird and a Rose Robin. I returned to the reserve on the 29th, where I saw another reserve first for me in the form of a pair of Superb Fairywrens, taking my total there up to 79 species. The Fairywrens, however, were far from being the highlight of the trip. I had sat down on a bench on the reserve and heard a rustling coming from underneath it. I was truly shocked to spot this magnificent three-metre-long beast emerge:

                           

Honestly one of the most magnificent creatures I have seen, the Carpet Python. I watched this snake for close to two hours, at one stage getting to less-than-one-metre away from it! I felt truly enchanted by it, and it was a real honour to have such an a memorable experience with such a resplendent animal.

This had more than made up for my failed attempts to find the family of Masked Owls that had been seen in a small park in Pullenvale the previous day. I had spent the entire morning searching for them, with no luck whatsoever (the highlight was a pair of Australian King Parrots that went overhead).

On the 12th September, I revisited Slaughter Falls at Mount Coot-tha in search of the baby Powerful Owls which had fledged earlier in the month. I was unsuccessful again, though I had a fantastic walk, with this guy the undoubted high point:

Without a doubt, one of the best-camouflaged birds I've seen, the Tawny Frogmouth.

Other birds present included Eastern Spinebill and my first-for-the-season of Leaden Flycatcher, Spectacled Monarch and Black-faced Monarch.

Every time I see a Black-faced Monarch I am struck by their magnificent colours. Like its close relatives the Spectacled Monarch and Leaden Flycatcher, these birds migrate north to tropical Queensland and New Guinea for the winter months, before returning south to breed.

I was also extremely happy when a raptor gliding low over the canopy revealed itself to be a Square-tailed Kite. This was my second sighting ever of this stunning and rare raptor, and it is believed that Brisbane's only breeding pair is resident in Mount Coot-tha Forest. I watched the bird for some time as it seemingly pursued Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Finding two of these awesome creatures was also fantastic:

A stunning Goanna Lizard. Its response to seeing me was to freeze against the tree, allowing for fantastically close views.

My next trip was on the 21st September, when I headed to the North Lakes in northern Brisbane. I had one target, and after nearly an hour of searching, it appeared. The bird in question was the smallest heron in the world, the Black-backed Bittern (also known as the Australian Little Bittern). This bird is just 25cm in length, approximately equal to the Feral Pigeon! I was totally blown away when a stunningly-bright male of the species briefly landed out in the open on this small lake next to a housing estate, what an extraordinary bird to find in such a location! With an estimated world population of just 5000 adults, being able to see this bird was an immense privilege, and undoubtedly one of the highlights of my year so far. The experience certainly brought back memories of the many futile hours I spent searching for the Britain's only pair of the closely-related Little Bittern. Thankfully I had had more luck today, though sadly my camera had run out of battery! Two Yellow-rumped Thornbills and six tiny Magpie Goslings were also notable sightings here.

I returned to Kedron Brook Wetlands on the 29th September, where I hoped again to find at least fifty species. Once more, I achieved that goal with 52 species seen, including two reserve ticks in Grey Shrikethrush and Leaden Flycatcher, taking my total there up to 96 species! Given I am still yet to visit the reserve and fail to find a new bird for me there, hopefully it won't be long before I reach 100, a fantastic total for a small inner-city reserve surrounded by motorway, a railway track and Brisbane airport.

My first Leaden Flycatcher for Kedron Brook Wetlands. Finding this woodland specialist at a reserve with barely any trees was certainly a surprise!

As always, raptors were common here, with Brahminy Kites, a Swamp Harrier, a White-bellied Eagle and a pair of Black-shouldered Kites seen. A Buff-banded Rail was a very nice treat, while it was nice to find a pair of returning Siberian-breeding waders in amongst large numbers of White-headed Stilts. The first was a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, a species whose numbers here I would expect to build up over the coming months, while the second was something of a Brisbane rarity in the form of a Common Sandpiper. Since I moved here in September 2015, the only (three) ebird reports of the species in the city have all been from me, and all from Kedron Brook Wetlands! Consequently, I had started to doubt myself, so it was very pleasing to manage to get a record shot of this fantastic little wader today:

Common Sandpiper on the bank of Kedron Brook. This is one of my favourite waders, with its fantastic habit of bobbing its tail up-and-down repeatedly and frantically scurrying about the riverbank. 

I was overjoyed to find a Pacific Koel in my neighbour's garden earlier in the week. This bird had been calling virtually daily for the duration of last summer, though I had not seen it once. This time, however, after less than ten minutes of calling, I caught sight of the bird sitting in a small bush. Despite hearing the bird so regularly, this was only the third time I have ever seen the species, and my first time this year. This Cuckoo migrates north to New Guinea and Indonesia for the winter months, so it certainly feels very special to have one returning to our suburb.

Finally, I visited Osprey House Environmental Centre in northern Brisbane this afternoon. I was searching for more Siberian-breeding waders, and I was pleased to find decent numbers present here. A mixed flock of Great and Red Knots and Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits was feeding on the muddy estuary, the latter surprisingly my first in Australia, but I feel like this has definitely been an oversight! Excluding the Bar-tailed Godwit, these birds, along with a small group of Red-capped Plovers represented firsts for me in Brisbane, meanwhile other migrant waders seen included numerous Whimbrels and Far Eastern Curlews and a small group of Red-necked Stints. There are still a number of other species of wader that I need to find in Brisbane, and I was immensely impressed by this area, so I will certainly be returning! Hopefully the Asian Dowitcher reported from there earlier in the month will return...

Meanwhile, I will be trying to do as much birding as possible over the coming months, though I will be very busy with university. Hopefully I'll be able to find some more great wildlife!

Brisbane year total: 210; additions: 7 (Square-tailed Kite, Black-backed Bittern, Pacific Koel, Black-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Great Knot, Red-capped Plover)

Lots more birding including Sydney road-trip!

I've been lucky enough to get a large amount of birding and other wildlife-watching in the last couple of weeks, it's been fantastic!

On the 30th June I decided to visit Luggage Point, a location whose intriguing sightings have been tempting me for a while. I enjoyed a couple of hours exploring the area surrounding the exceedingly eerie abandoned town (I really would not like to be there at night!). I came upon a small swamp where I found a decent number of the regular water and reed birds, including 58 Chestnut Teal, 25 Mangrove Honeyeaters and 12 Golden-headed Cisticola, while two Black-fronted Dotterels were nice to see and a magnificent Swamp Harrier flew low over head. Some nice woodland species were also present, including a Grey Shrikethrush, a Mistletoebird and a Bar-shouldered Dove. I was immensely pleased to come upon two lifers while I was there, with a pair of Yellow-rumped Thornbills (certainly very overdue for me!) and a fantastic surprise in the form of a Pale-vented Bush-hen skulking about a boggy area adjacent to the road. It was definitely an immense bonus on my first and most likely not last trip to this interesting area. Hopefully the recently reported Beach Stone-curlews and Plum-headed Finches will reappear soon!

The next day, I headed to Slaughter Falls at Mount Coot-tha before four in the morning. My main target was the Powerful Owl, while I also held hope for an Australian Owlet-Nightjar or a White-throated Nightjar. I found a Tawny Frogmouth almost immediately perched in a tree next to the carpark.

Tawny Frogmouth at Mount Coot-tha. This picture was actually taken just before I left, thankfully the bird hadn't moved.

A short time later I heard an Owlet-Nightjar calling from deep within the forest. Sadly my attempts to find it totally failed. I can save it for another day!

A little further up the path, I was completely blown away to come upon this magnificent beast perched midway up a tree near me.

Powerful Owl!! Definitely one of the most awesome birds I have seen.

After a number of attempts at finding this bird, I was overjoyed to finally see this truly special creature. I was totally enchanted as I watched it for some time. What an amazing bird.

I then went to the nearby Simpson Falls, where I found a nice selection of forest birds, including a Fan-tailed Cuckoo, pairs of Australian King Parrots and Pale-headed Rosellas, both White-throated and White-naped Honeyeaters, over twenty Scarlet Myzomelas and Australian Golden Whistlers, a Rufous Whistler and a Rose Robin. The biggest surprise undoubtedly came in the form of bird squawking out a strange call from a eucalyptus next to the carpark. A brief moment of excitement ensued after I spotted an all-green Parrot, but sadly it wasn't the rare native I was hoping for!

An Alexandrine Parakeet! A native of the Indian Subcontinent, and a bird I certainly didn't expect to find in a state forest in West Brisbane! I hope it can quickly adapt to living wild, otherwise its freedom may end up being very short-lived indeed...

Laughing Kookaburra at Simpson Falls

On the 3rd July, I decided to have another look around Kedron Brook Wetlands. A fantastic variety of birds were present, with 49 species seen. It was very nice to find eight of these guys feeding next to the path:

Brown Quails at Kedron Brook Wetlands. They seemed not to care in the slightest about the busy traffic of cyclists travelling rapidly approximately two metres away from them.

Herons were present in good numbers once again, most being White-faced Herons, while Great and Little Egrets and three Striated Herons also present.

Striated Heron chilling by the brook

Kedron Brook Wetlands is a fantastic area for raptors, and today I saw Black-shouldered, Brahminy and Whistling Kites and two White-bellied Sea Eagles. Along with this magnificent guy:

Brown Falcon! A first for me in Brisbane, and what a beautiful bird.

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Other birds present included numerous Rainbow Bee-eaters, Mangrove and Brown Honeyeaters, Striated Pardalotes, Superb and Red-backed Fairywrens, Mangrove Gerygones, Grey Fantails, Golden-headed Cisticolas, Tawny Grassbirds, Australian Pipits and singles of Red-browed Finch and Pied Butcherbird which were surprisingly firsts for me at the reserve, taking my total there up to 92.

On the 5th July, the day of my 19th birthday, we headed south for a family road-trip towards Sydney. Sadly the first day was very much dominated by heavy rain, as we reached the freezing-cold Armidale, Australia's highest city, by the late evening. Crimson and Eastern Rosellas, Nankeen Kestrels and Black Kites had been ubiquitous by the roadside, though in the conditions few other birds were seen. Eastern Grey Kangaroos, however, were truly abundant which was fantastic to see. An early morning walk the next day in two degrees temperatures failed to produce the desired Musk Lorikeets, though numerous Eastern Rosellas and Australian King Parrots were nice to see while the presence of Red Wattlebirds and Australian Ravens highlighted how far south we had traveled. On such a cold morning it certainly felt suitable to find a number of European invasive birds present, with large numbers of House Sparrows and Common Starlings and a single Common Blackbird seen. We continued on south to Sydney through the day, and sadly once again poor weather conditions hindered any opportunities to find birds, though the numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroos seen (sadly many road-killed) was truly extraordinary, and a magnificent Dingo crossed the road in front of us in Wollemi NP. 

The next day I visited Centennial Park in east Sydney with one main target in mind, the Eastern Barn Owl that regularly roosts in a palm tree in the park. Sadly my three-hour search failed to produce this elusive birds, though heavy rain certainly did not help things. I was pleased to find this guy in amongst a large group of Little Corellas and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos: 

Long-billed Corella. Though native to the southern parts of NSW, the population in Sydney is derived from escaped cage birds

Other birds seen included numerous Black Swans and the other common waterbirds, Superb Fairywrens and, undoubtedly best of all, a magnificent Peregrine Falcon which was chasing Noisy Miners low over the park. Every time I see this bird I am truly awe-inspired by its incredible speed.

It was sadly time to start heading back north the next day, and with my family flying back up to Brisbane, I was free to take my time on the trip exploring new birding areas. The first was McPherson Road Swamp, just to the south of Newcastle, where I hoped to find the recently-reported Freckled Ducks. Sadly they were nowhere to be seen, though I did manage to come across some fantastic species, including a Swamp Harrier, 12 Varied Sitellas, an Australian Golden Whistler and a large number of Red-whiskered Bulbuls, the first I have seen of this Asian invasive in nearly ten years.

My next stop was Werakata NP in the famous and stunning Hunter Valley, where a number of fantastic dry forest birds had recently been reported. Sadly the rain reappeared to seriously hamper my exploring, though a phenomenal number of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and lesser numbers of Lewin's, Yellow-tufted (a very much overdue lifer for me!), Scarlet, White-cheeked (my first this year) and Blue-faced Honeyeaters were present. A small group of Yellow Thornbills provided another well-overdue lifer for me, I was actually surprised by how bright-coloured these birds are. Red Wattlebirds, Spotted Pardalotes, Noisy Friarbirds, Brown and Striated Thornbills, Golden and Rufous Whistlers and Eastern Yellow Robins were among the other birds seen. As was this fantastic group of approximately 13 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos:

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo. At approximately 65cm in length, the birds really are impressive in size and are absolutely hilarious to watch as squabble and squawk through the forest.

I reached Tamworth by early evening, where I spent a night in a freezing-cold hostel, before heading to Mulla Creek the next day. Once again, a number of interesting birds had recently been reported from the area, so I was feeling very excited by the prospect of searching the area. A large number of Peaceful Doves were flushed from the road as I arrived, and this species turned out to be very common in the area. Parrots were present in good numbers, with numerous Eastern Rosellas and Australian King and Red-rumped (my first this year) Parrots, along with Galahs and Rainbow and Little Lorikeets seen.

Red-rumped Parrots at Mulla Creek, only my second-ever sighting of the species at the time, though they turned out to be fairly common for the remainder of my trip back north until I reached Brisbane. I have no idea why they dislike it in Brisbane so much!

An Azure Kingfisher was fantastic to see perched next to the stream, while a fantastic selection of forest birds included White-plumed and Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters (my first in ten years!), Spotted Pardalotes, Grey Shrikethrushes, an Australian Golden Whistler, Mistletoebirds, Eastern Yellow Robins and a magnificent group of Apostlebirds nearby.

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters, a surprisingly large bird and a great treat to find at Mulla Creek.

It was, however, a pair of lifers that provided me with the highlights of the walk, the first being a magnificent Crested Shrike-tit (writing the official IOC name Shriketit doesn't seem right!), a bird I photographed later in the day, and the second being a small number of Brown Treecreepers. It had been a fantastic start to the day!

Not long later, I was very pleased to spot a group of approximately a dozen White-winged Choughs feeding next to the road. Famed for being the only birds known to enforce slavery, these rather evil-looking birds, along with the Apostlebirds, form the only members of the Australian Mud-nester family of birds, thus forming a rare complete set of a bird family for me. I had sadly brief, but good views of these extraordinary creatures, and later enjoyed a similarly-short view of one near Warwick in southern Queensland.

My next stop was Dumaresq Dam near Armidale. I only really had one target here, and I found the magnificent bird skulking behind some reeds very quickly.

The extraordinarily-unique Musk Duck. Its name come from the extremely strong odour it emits  from its throat-lobe during its breeding rituals. I don't know of any other bird that does this! I was very happy indeed to have such great views of this special bird, and seeing it means that Freckled Duck is now the only regularly-occurring Australian Duck I am yet to see. I think it might be a while sadly before I do find one!

Few other birds were seen here, with the highlights being a Grey Teal and an Australian King Parrot.

I then continued north, driving for nearly three hours before my next stop. This was Old Wallangera Road just over the border in Queensland, and although a seemingly random spot to choose, it had again held some interesting birds in recent months. My choice was rewarded almost immediately, with a magnificent pair of Diamond Firetails flushed from the road, the first I had seen of this magnificent Finch. At least nine Crested Shrike-tits were quickly, allowing fantastic views as they crept along the branches in the manner of a Treecreeper.

Crested Shrike-tits. They were frustratingly difficult to photograph!

White-plumed and White-naped Honeyeaters were abundant here, while a great selection of other forest birds included White-throated Treecreepers, a Red Wattlebird (notable as a first for me in Queensland), Spotted Pardalotes, an Australian Golden Whistler and an Eastern Yellow Robin, while a small group of Brown-headed Honeyeaters provided me with my sixth lifer of the day, an incredibly pleasing total! A Spotted Harrier flew past, while it was great to find a majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle perched distantly on a dead tree.

Wedge-tailed Eagle. A truly resplendent creature.

It was, however, a mammal that provided me with what is probably the highlight of this year for me. I made my way through the bush to investigate a mixed flock of Superb Fairywrens and Red-browed Finches, and was slightly taken aback by some rustling very close to my feet. I was blown away (and somewhat relieved!) to discover that it was an Echidna!

This was how close I cam to standing on it! As one of only two members of the Monotreme (egg-laying mammal) family this is an extraordinarily unusual creature and a true privilege to find, let alone so close to me! What an amazing country this is.

Beautiful sunset at Old Wallangera Road

I spent the night and the next few days at my friend's cattle farm in Emu Vale which was absolutely fantastic! I kept my eye out for birds and enjoyed fantastic views of numerous species, including an amazing Wedge-tailed Eagle that seemed to be taking rather too much interest in one of my friend's dogs. A trip on one day to the Queen Mary Falls was an amazing experience as we were able to feed wild Crimson Rosellas by hand!

Crimson Rosella perched on my hand!

Other birds feeding in the area included Australian King Parrots, Satin Bowerbirds, Red-browed Finches, a Wonga Pigeon and, surprisingly, a pair of Buff-banded Rails. What an awesome place!

I headed home to Brisbane earlier today (the 13th), but made a couple of stops on the way, along with spotting a White-winged Chough near Warwick. My first was down a random turning at Mutdapilly, just outside Ipswich. I soon spotted a raptor heading low over the car, and stopped immediately to have a look. I was blown away to discover that it was a Square-tailed Kite, the first I have ever, and a truly stunning bird. It gave amazing views for over twenty minutes as it glided over the dry forest. I felt extremely lucky!

A truly magnificent bird, my first-ever Square-tailed Kite at Mutdapilly. What a privilege it was to see one this well!

My second stop was back in Brisbane, at Mount Coot-tha's Slaughter Falls. My target was of course the Powerful Owl, and I was extremely pleased to find one roosting after a short search around the area I had seen one early in the morning of the 1st. 

Unfortunately the lighting was very poor, but it was an unbelievable experience watching this guy from so close in the middle of the day. A truly amazing bird to find in a city!

I soon returned home after what had been an immensely enjoyable and successful trip, with nine lifers seen, some fantastic places visited and of course the Echidna as well, something I will never forget!

Of course, the birding before my trip had added some species to my Brisbane year total, which is shown below.

Brisbane year total: 203; additions: 4 (Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Powerful Owl, Brown Falcon)

Brisbane Big Day 27th June

I started extremely early this morning, arriving at Mount Glorious at just after four in the morning with a target of 100 species for the day.

I had a great start, as I spotted a Frogmouth perched upon a road-sign right next to the Maiala picnic area. It was slightly disappointing to discover that it was 'just' a Tawny, rather than Marbled Frogmouth (which would have been a lifer), but I was absolutely overjoyed with the sighting. The next two-and-a-half hours were extremely quiet sadly, as I wandered about the lonely rainforest with my torch hoping to find some night birds, in particular a Sooty Owl. I saw and heard nothing at all, besides an unidentifiable native rat species.

As light broke, some of the common birds began to appear, though in such cold and overcast conditions it was unsurprisingly tough trying to find birds. The highlight of a lengthy search through the forest was undoubtedly a stunning Wompoo Fruit-Dove, while Wonga Pigeon, Australian Logrunner, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird, Russet-tailed Thrush, Crimson Rosella and Pale-yellow Robin were among the other rainforest specialities seen. Five Red-necked Pademelons were fantastic to find as well!

Female Satin Bowerbird at Mount Glorious before sunrise

Green Catbird

A frustratingly blurry Australian Logrunner, my camera struggled with the lack of light in the forest!

Russet-tailed Thrush

Sadly I missed a number of key birds here that I knew would be virtually impossible to find elsewhere on my day's itinerary, notably five species of Pigeon, Noisy Pitta, Regent Bowerbird and Paradise Riflebird, but such is the nature of birding!

My next stop was Enoggera Reservoir, right on the edge of D'Aguilar National Park. It became obvious immediately that the area was swarming with passerines, as a choir of birdsong greeted me as I got out of my car. Before heading into the forest, I checked the reservoir for waterbirds, all of which were day ticks.

Some of the waterbirds around the reservoir: Australasian Grebe, Hardheads, Intermediate Egret and Eurasian Coot

Once again, the majority of the songbirds were Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, they seem to be extraordinarily abundant around Brisbane right now, while a selection of the classic Brisbane dry forest birds were also present, including both species of Whistler, Brown and Striated (a Brisbane tick surprisingly) in large numbers, Eastern Whipbirds, Eastern Yellow Robins, stunning Scarlet and rather more dull Brown and Lewin's Honeyeaters, Spotted Pardalote, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Variegated and Red-backed Fairywrens, three species of Lorikeet and a pair of Galahs. A stunning pink Rose Robin (my first in this plumage) was a fantastic sight, while White-bellied Sea Eagle, Varied Triller and Fan-tailed Cuckoo made for great surprises. 

Australian Golden Whistler at Enoggera Reservoir. What a stunning bird!

Eastern Yellow Robins were abundant at Mount Glorious and Enoggera Reservoir today

I was extremely happy to discover that a a group of Melithreptus Honeyeaters showed a red eye-ring, rather than a blue one, making them my first-ever White-naped Honeyeaters, a very pleasing lifer for me that I have been looking for for some time. Even better was finding a pair of White-eared Monarchs, a total surprise and an immensely satisfying first for me, this species was not on my radar at all!

White-eared Monarch at Enoggera Reservoir. What a magnificent bird and an amazing surprise for me this morning, probably the highlight of the day for me!

I had planned to head to Mount Coot-tha next, but with the success of my visit to Enoggera, I knew that there were only three additional species I could pick up there that I would most likely not get elsewhere on the day (Pale-headed Rosella, Striated Pardalote and White-throated Honeyeater), and thought the prospect of potentially finally seeing the Powerful Owl tempted me, I decided to head to Black Duck Hole in the northeast of Brisbane. I picked up a number of the common urban-dwelling species on the way, while a stop at an intriguing pond in Bald Hills produced an unexpected flock of Magpie Geese, a fantastic bonus (though I did later see three at Black Duck Hole). I had also seen what was surprisingly my first Nankeen Kestrel within the metropolitan area hovering above the road in Bendacre.

Two of 35 Magpie Geese on a small urban pond in Bald Hills

I soon reached Black Duck Hole, and immediately headed towards where I had seen the seven Cotton Pygmy Geese a few weeks ago. I found the adult pair there almost immediately, feeding distantly in the middle of the lake, though there was no sign of any juveniles, which have presumably moved on. A decent selection of other waterbirds were present, including several Grey Teal, two Black Swans, several Australasian Darters, three Magpie Geese, the manky feral Muscovy Duck and a profusion of Australasian Swamphens.

Grey Teal

An extremely overexposed Cotton Pygmy Goose surrounded by Eurasian Coots and Dusky Moorhens

Black Swan

Australasian Swamphens, an abundant bird at Black Duck Hole

I was very pleased to find a Brisbane tick in the form of a Forest Kingfisher perched by the lake. This species is well overdue for me in Brisbane, so it was great to finally see one!

Forest Kingfisher at Black Duck Hole, my fifth and most likely final new species of Kingfisher in Brisbane

Crested Pigeon at Black Duck Hole. What a stunning creature!

I then headed to Dowse Lagoon in Sandgate hoping to pick up some of the remaining waterbirds missing from my day's total. It was frustrating to discover that there was a major disturbance going on, with some form of dredging occurring and quite literally sucking up Comb-crested Jacana habitat from under their feet! I hope this doesn't prevent them from returning, I'm slightly unsure about what the council is hoping to achieve with it.

Two of approximately twelve Comb-crested Jacanas walking about the lillypads that were being sucked up by a council-operated vehicle. What is going on?!!

I had seen reports of a pair of Black-necked Storks (also known as Jabirus) roaming around the lake recently. I was very happy to find them strolling along the distant opposite shoreline of the lake, away from all the disturbance of the dredging.

Black-necked Storks at Dowse Lagoon. The sight of these one-and-a-half-metre-tall birds was incredible, even despite the distance they were away from me. This was an awesome Brisbane tick for me, without a doubt one of Australia's most impressive birds.

Sadly the disturbance seemed to have disturbed most of the waterbirds, and I had to make do with one Great and one Intermediate Egret as the only representatives of the Heron family present, while a Great Cormorant was a decent bonus sighting and a White-bellied Sea Eagle overflying with a fish made for a magnificent spectacle.

Nudgee Beach was my next stop. Sadly I had neglected to check the tide times, and was greeted by a totally high tide, and no obvious shorebird presence. Day ticks came in the form of circling Whistling and Brahminy Kites (my third White-bellied Sea Eagle of the day also went over), and Silver Gulls, Australian Pied Cormorants and Crested, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns around the water. A pair of Pied Oystercatchers flew past, landed, and immediately went to sleep, while at the far end of the road, I finally came upon a distant wader flock consisting of only White-headed Stilts and Bar-tailed Godwits. Somehow, despite the state of the tide, I had only missed Whimbrel and Torresian Kingfisher out of the expected birds at this time of year.

Pied Oystercatchers

Australian Pelicans and Little Black Cormorants chilling at Nudgee Beach

My final stop for the day was one of my favourite reserves, Kedron Brook Wetlands, though I made a short detour on the way to pick up this species for my day's total:

I can't believe I'm posting such a terrible photograph of a House Sparrow, but the carpark for Coles supermarket at Toombul Shopping Centre is the only place in Brisbane I have ever seen them! Today it took approximately a whole minute for one to appear, the longest I have ever had to wait for them. I have no idea why they are so rare here but they do love this carpark!

I had a number of targets remaining for Kedron Brook Wetlands, though a strong wind had set in, making finding passerines virtually impossible. Despite this, a Mistletoebird and two Common Starlings appeared, two of FIVE firsts for me at the reserve seen today. The others came in the form of a group of Rainbow Bee-eaters heading low overhead, a Royal Spoonbill that appeared to land on the other side of the road from the reserve (totally ignoring the vast expanse of perfect wetland habitat on offer on the reserve!) and a Brown Quail that briefly poked its head out of some grassland, before rapidly hiding itself again after seeing me. This reserve never disappoints, in fact every trip I have made there has provided me with at least one species I have previously not seen there, and my total is now 89 species- extremely respectable for an inner city area!

Besides the aforementioned species, the birding was fantastic at Kedron Brook today. Raptors were present in good numbers, most notably Brahminy Kites (at least 7), along with at least three Swamp Harriers, two Black-shouldered Kites and a Brown Goshawk. I was totally overjoyed by this total, it really shows quite how healthy the habitat here is.

Black-shouldered Kite at dusk at Kedron Brook Wetlands

Brahminy Kite

Swamp Harrier

With a large amount of water covering the area, waterbirds were present in good numbers, with at least 34 Chestnut Teals accompanied by a smaller number of Grey Teal and a pair of Black Swans. Herons were also conspicuous, with at least 22 White-faced Herons, along with Great, Intermediate, Little and Cattle Egrets and the Royal Spoonbill.

White-faced Heron

Pair of Black Swans, only my second sighting here

Five Australian Pelicans went overhead, along with a flock of White-breasted Woodswallows and (surprisingly) a Fork-tailed Drongo. A Sacred Kingfisher was also seen, while six Black-fronted Dotterels were scurrying rapidly about the muddy water's edge.

Black-fronted Dotterel

I was too tired to stay on to try for the Grass Owl, but with strong winds I suspected seeing it would be unlikely to put it mildly. Such weather conditions had prevented me from finding Tawny Grassbird, Golden-headed Cisticola, Australian Pipit and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, all of which I would expect here, but it had still be an immensely successful visit and day, with 117 species seen in the end, far above what I had hoped. I shall be attempting again as soon as possible, and my intention is to visit an entirely-new set of sites next time to make things more interesting! The total list is posted below. Unsurprisingly I missed some common birds, most notably Straw-necked Ibis and Grey Butcherbird- I honestly have no idea how I missed those two!

The list: Red denotes a bird seen only at that location

Mount Glorious: 27 species; 14 unique

1. Tawny Frogmouth

2. Yellow-faced Honeyeater

3. Eastern Yellow Robin

4. Large-billed Scrubwren

5. Brown Thornbill

6. Australian Golden Whistler

7. Australian Brushturkey

8. Pied Currawong

9. Satin Bowerbird

10. Laughing Kookaburra

11. Torresian Crow

12. Rainbow Lorikeet

13. Welcome Swallow

14. Grey Shrikethrush

15. Yellow-throated Scrubwren

16. Red-browed Finch

17. Crimson Rosella

18. Pale-yellow Robin

19. Brown Gerygone

20. Wompoo Fruit Dove

21. Eastern Whipbird

22. White-browed Scrubwren

23. Russet-tailed Thrush

24. Wonga Pigeon

25. Australian Logrunner

26. Green Catbird

27. Grey Fantail

Mount Nebo:

28. Bell Miner

Enoggera Reservoir: 44 species; 12 unique

29. Noisy Miner

30. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

31. Dusky Moorhen

32. Hardhead

33. Australasian Grebe

34. Brown Honeyeater

35. Red-backed Fairywren

36. Eurasian Coot

37. Little Black Cormorant

38. Intermediate Egret

39. Australasian Swamphen

40. Pacific Black Duck

41. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

42. Variegated Fairywren

43. Willie Wagtail

44. Rose Robin

45. Scarlet Myzomela

46. Striated Thornbill

47. Galah

48. Rufous Whistler

49. Lewin's Honeyeater

50. White-eared Monarch

51. Varied Triller

52. White-naped Honeyeater

53. White-bellied Sea Eagle

54. Little Lorikeet

55. Rainbow Bee-eater

56. Silvereye

57. Spotted Pardalote

58. Fan-tailed Cuckoo

59. Noisy Friarbird

Driving:

60. Australian Magpie

61. Pied Butcherbird

62. Australasian Figbird

63. Little Corella

64. Australian White Ibis

65. Eastern Cattle Egret

66. Masked Lapwing

67. Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon

68. Magpie-lark

69. Nankeen Kestrel

Harold Keilly Park, Bald Hills: 12 species; 0 unique

70. Maned Duck 

71. Crested Pigeon

72. Magpie Goose

73. Spotted Dove

74. Australian Pelican

Black Duck Hole: 30 species; 2 unique

75. Little Pied Cormorant

76. Grey Teal

77. Australasian Darter

78. Black Swan

79. Forest Kingfisher

80. Cotton Pygmy Goose

81. Common Myna

82. Blue-faced Honeyeater

Dowse Lagoon: 38 species; 4 unique

83. Black-necked Stork

84. Comb-crested Jacana

85. Tree Martin

86. Great White Egret

87. Great Cormorant

88. Fairy Martin

Driving:

89. Black-faced Cuckooshrike

Nudgee Beach: 24 species; 9 unique

90. Whistling Kite

91. Caspian Tern

92. Crested Tern

93. Pied Oystercatcher

94. Silver Gull

95. Brahminy Kite

96. Australian Pied Cormorant

97. Gull-billed Tern

98. White-faced Heron

99. Mangrove Honeyeater

100. White-headed Stilt

101. Bar-tailed Godwit

Toombul Shopping Centre:

102. House Sparrow

Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve: 46 species; 15 unique

103. Mangrove Gerygone

104. Mistletoebird

105. Swamp Harrier

106. Chestnut Teal

107. Superb Fairywren

108. Brown Goshawk

109. Royal Spoonbill

110. Spangled Drongo

111. Sacred Kingfisher

112. Common Starling

113. White-breasted Woodswallow

114. Black-fronted Dotterel

115. Black-shouldered Kite

116. Little Egret

117. Brown Quail

Brisbane year total: 199; additions: 6 (White-eared Monarch, White-naped Honeyeater, Nankeen Kestrel, Forest Kingfisher, Black-necked Stork)