As we live in the centre of Brisbane, seeing the extraordinary species here really was a great surprise and a fantastic way to start the year. It inspired me to begin a Brisbane metro year list. Over the next twelve months, I will try and find as many species of bird as possible with the Brisbane metropolitan area, an area that extends from Logan in the south, north to Redcliff Point, west to the western edge of D'Aguilar NP and east to North Stradbroke and Moreton Islands. With a vast variety of habitats included within the area, there will be a huge number of birds to find, the only problem being that I will be restricted by being a full-time student from February onwards and that currently I don't have any way of getting around the city by myself, other than using public transport. The main aim of my challenge is, however, to get out bird-watching as much as possible and I can't wait to see what birds I can find!
In a brief search in the morning, I added several more birds to my total, including White-throated Needletail, before heading north up to the Sunshine Coast for a short holiday with my family.
List total: 20, additions: 20 (Tawny Frogmouth, Australian White Ibis, Pied Currawong, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Welcome Swallow, Spotted Dove, Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner, Torresian Crow, Feral Pigeon, White-throated Needletail, Eastern Cattle Egret, Masked Lapwing, White-breasted Woodswallow, Straw-necked Ibis, Common Myna, Mapie-lark, Australian Magpie, Pied Butcherbird, Little Black Cormorant)
The trip to Noosa didn't provide many birds at all, the highlights being sightings of Grey Shrikethrush and Bar-shouldered Dove, but it was fantastic to spend some time in the great place.
On the 4th January, we headed back home. I decided to visit the nearby Grange Forest Park in pursuit of some more birds for my year-list. I certainly wasn't disappointed, as I once again found some fantastic birds among the 48 species I saw at this inner city birding hotspot. Two of them, the Little Friarbird and Superb Fairywren were new birds for me at the location.
Despite being a very regular sight around Brisbane, the beauty of the Pacific Black Duck never fails to impress me.
Another stunning bird, the Red-browed Finch
My favourite Grange Forest Park bird, the extraordinary Channel-billed Cuckoo. The extraordinarily loud shrieking of this bird echoes about the park. I saw at least eight of this fantastically-large bird on the 4th.
At least 50 White-throated Needletails soared overhead, while I was very pleased to have a magnificent Brown Goshawk pass low over my head on two occasions and two Black-fronted Dotterels scurried about beach. Chesnut-breasted Mannikin, Double-barred Finch and Australian Brushturkey were other nice birds to see, though Olive-backed Oriole and Pacific Koel (as seems to almost always be the case!) were sadly heard only and a Rail species (probably Buff-banded) could not be conclusively identified.
List total: 53, additions: 33 (Galah, Crested Pigeon, Grey Butcherbird, Laughing Kookaburra, Black-fronted Dotterel, Sacred Kingfisher, Australian Reed Warbler, Red-backed Fairywren, Red-browed Finch, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Willie Wagtail, Superb Fairywren, Great White Egret, Brown Honeyeater, White-browed Scrubwren, Dusky Moorhen, Pacific Black Duck, White-faced Heron, Maned Duck, Silvereye, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Australasian Figbird, Brown Goshawk, Little Friarbird, Black-faced Cuckooshrike, Double-barred Finch, Little Pied Cormorant, Tawny Grassbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Lewin's Honeyeater, Australian Brushturkey, Noisy Friarbird)
Two days' later, I headed to the City Botanical Gardens in pursuit of a very species. After a short walk, I came across three of this fantastic bird.
The amazing Bush Stone-curlew. What an awesome bird to find living in the CBD!!!
Sadly the lakes in the gardens were virtually devoid of birds, with Pacific Black Duck and Dusky Moorhen the only waterbirds seen, though a fly-over flock of Little Corellas was a nice surprise.
List total: 58, additions: 5 (Bush Stone-curlew, Tree Martin, Little Corella, Silver Gull, Fairy Martin)
The next day, I decided to visit Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve, another regular birding spot for me. I made a brief stop at the Toombull Shopping Centre for some House Sparrows, the only regular site for this species that I have been able to find in Brisbane so far (I can't actually believe I effectively twitched this species!). Sure enough, I quickly found two individuals, and moved swiftly on towards the reserve. It was a great surprise to find a Striated Pardalote by the entrance, flitting about in a tree directly above my head. This was only my second sighting of the bird in Brisbane, and my first here since settling here in September. Over the course of the next two hours, I found most of the classic birds of the reserve, along with some surprises, not least a magnificent Swamp Harrier gliding low over the grasslands. Despite being abundant in New Zealand, this can be a difficult bird to find on the other side of the Tasman, and was in fact my first sighting of the species in this country since I first visited in 2006! A Chestnut Teal and an Intermediate Egret were firsts for me at this location, while two Black Swans were my first in Brisbane! Other birds seen included a magnificent White-breasted Sea Eagle, numerous Mangrove Gerygones and Mangrove Honeyeaters, two Australian Pelicans and a Brahminy Kite. What a successful trip! While heading home, I was extremely pleased to spot a Pheasant Coucal flying into the riverside grass at Kalinga Park, another fantastic bird to end a fantastic day.
White-headed Stilts, an abundant bird at Kedron Brook Wetlands
A pair of Black Swans in the distance, always a nice bird to see and a Brisbane tick for me
An Australian Pelican flying in to land
Intermediate Egret
List total: 76, additions: 18 (House Sparrow, Australasian Darter, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Golden-headed Cisticola, Swamp Harrier, White-headed Stilt, Mangrove Gerygone, Mangrove Honeyeater, Grey Fantail, Scaly-breasted Munia, Chestnut Teal, Black Swan, Australian Pipit, Australian Pelican, Brahminy Kite, Intermediate Egret, Pheasant Coucal)
I will continue to do as much birding as possible over the next few days, while I search for a car and try to figure out how to spend my final month-and-a-half before university!
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