On the 17th January, I returned to Nudgee Beach, with my telescope this time. Sadly, the number of waders present was reduced from my previous visit, though still included great numbers of Pacific Golden Plovers, Lesser and Greater Sandplovers, Whimbrels, Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints. In amongst the numerous Greater Crested and small numbers of Little Terns, I was pleased to find two Gull-billed Terns, a year tick for me, while a Torresian Kingfisher perched in the mangroves was another addition to my list.
On the 21st, I headed up to D'Aguilar National Park for the first time this year. I tried to focus on finding dry forest species on my visit (I'll be back soon for the rainforest birds!), and so decided on trying Manorina, an area of the park I have not birded before. I saw some good birds during my two-hour walk, though there is still a great deal more to find there! Year ticks included five stunning Brown Cuckoo-Doves, four Topknot Pigeons, a fantastically-showy pair of White-throated Treecreepers (only my second sighting of the species), Large-billed Scrubwren, Australian Golden Whistler, Black-faced Monarch, Scarlet Myzomela and Eastern Yellow Robin amongst several others. I was very pleased to also see two birds I have never previously seen in Brisbane, the magnificent Eastern Spinebill, at least of eight of which had joined a mixed passerine flock, and a fantastic Mistletoebird. It was something of a surprise to find four White-throated Needletails soaring above the canopy, while a male Cicadabird was another great bird to see. I will make sure I spend as much time as possible in this national park this year!
Finally, this morning I headed to Anstead Bushland Reserve. I had two main targets, the Varied Sitella and the Apostlebird, though as is always the case with this reserve, one can certainly hope to find something out-of-the-ordinary there! Not long into my walk, I came across one of my targets, in fact 18 of them:
Part of the flock of 18 Apostlebirds. This has been one of my most wanted birds since moving to Brisbane. Its surprisingly large size (33cm in length), combined with its unusual genetics (it is placed in a family, the mud-nesters, in which the White-winged Chough is the only other member) to make this a really fantastic species to finally see. The species is named after the Twelve Apostles, Jesus's disciples, as they apparently travel around in flocks of twelve, though apparently their groups are usually larger than this. Anstead Bushland Reserve is the only reliable place for the species in Brisbane, and it has taken me three visits to finally see them!
I then headed down towards the river. On the way I found two Bar-shouldered Doves, along with the usual large numbers of Oriental Dollarbirds, Spangled Drongos and Black-faced Cuckooshrikes. By the river I came across a large mixed group of passerines, including several Olive-backed Orioles, Spangled Drongos, Australasian Figbirds, Little Friarbirds, a Striated Pardalote, a Willie Wagtail, a Sacred Kingfisher and Brown and Blue-faced Honeyeaters. A Pheasant Coucal was another great bird to see, and was shortly followed by the sighting of a second individual nearby.
I then decided to walk towards the open area of the reserve. A large group of Welcome Swallows and White-throated Needletails darted through the sky overhead. In amongst the flock, I caught sight of a slim, elegant Swift species with a long, forked tail. Great views of this bird as it flew low over my head confirmed its identity as a Pacific Swift, my fourth lifer of the year (all of which have been at Anstead!) and a very surprising species to find here, given its scarcity around Brisbane.
Seven Rainbow Bee-eaters joined in with the feeding frenzy nearby, while a Black Kite (a year-tick) and four Cattle Egrets drifted over the reserve. I accidentally flushed two Brown Quails from the path, another surprising bird to find here!
It was soon time to head back towards the carpark. On the way, while enjoying the sight of two Laughing Kookaburras calling to each other, I spotted a small brown lump perched on a branch deep within the forest. I was overjoyed to discover that it was a Tawny Frogmouth!
Tawny Frogmouth roosting at Anstead Bushland Reserve. This is the seventh individual of the species that I have seen, with three of those being birds seen during the day. What an incredibly awesome bird and way to finish a great morning!
Brisbane year total: 138; additions: 19 (Torresian Kingfisher, Gull-billed Tern, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Large-billed Scrubwren, Rufous Fantail, Brown Thornbill, Eastern Spinebill, Mistletoebird, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Yellow Robin, Topknot Pigeon, Australian Golden Whistler, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Scarlet Myzomela, Black-faced Monarch, White-throated Treecreeper, Apostlebird, Pacific Swift, Black Kite)
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