Sandy Camp Road Wetlands

Today I caught the train to Sandy Camp Road Wetlands in south-east Brisbane, where I hoped to continue to add to my year total. I was excited to visit this reserve, having read of its diversity of habitats and fantastic diversity of bird species. Immediately upon my arrival, I came across some good birds, including three Royal Spoonbills and these three Magpie Geese, my first ever in Brisbane.

Trio of Magpie Geese at Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, as a close relative of one of the earliest ancestors of Swans, Geese and Ducks, this species really is a living fossil.

Over the course of the next four hours, I searched the lakes and surrounding forest and reed-beds. I found 61 species in the search, a great total at one small inner-city reserve on one day! On the lakes were waterbirds such as Australasian Grebe, Hardhead, Little Egret and Australasian Swamphen, all of which were additions to my year list.

Australasian Swamphen

Hardhead

Australian White Ibises, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants and Australasian Darters were present in huge numbers, all with recently fledge young. The young Darters were some of the ugliest birds I have ever seen! On top of that, other waterbirds included Intermediate Egrets, Australian Pelicans, Dusky Moorhens, White-faced Heron, and Pacific Black and Maned Ducks, while a White-bellied Sea Eagle flew overhead and numerous Sacred Kingfishers were present. I was extremely pleased to find five stunning Comb-crested Jacanas strolling across the floating vegetation.

Comb-crested Jacana, what an awesome bird!

I was also very pleased to find six Wandering Whistling Ducks. This was my first addition to my '600 challenge' total in 2016- it has certainly slowed up drastically! The Whistling Ducks are fascinating birds with complex genetics- it seems that they may be in a family of their own, distinct from all other waterfowl, and it was a great pleasure to see this species again for the first time in nine years!

Five Wandering Whistling Ducks with a single Pacific Black Duck (third from left)

The surrounding forest was also teeming with birdlife, with White-throated, Striped, Blue-faced and Brown Honeyeaters, Striated Pardalotes, Olive-backed Orioles, Rufous Whistlers, Silvereyes and Leaden Flycatchers all present among numerous other species, including three Bar-shouldered Dove, another first for me in Brisbane. The skies above the reserve were filled with Rainbow Bee-eaters, White-breasted Woodswallows, Fairy and Tree Martins and Welcome Swallows, while I flushed six Brown Quails from grassy areas which also contained Red-backed and Superb Fairywrens, Australian Reed Warblers, Tawny Grassbirds, Chestnut-breasted Mannikins and Double-barred Finches. What a great place!

Striped Honeyeater

I will certainly return to this reserve, especially as it is something of a local hotspot for Pink-eared Ducks, Horsefield's Bronze Cuckoos and Brush Cuckoos, all of which would be lifers for me.

Brisbane year list total: 95, additions: 19 (Royal Spoonbill, Magpie Geese, Leaden Flycatcher, Brown Quail, Australasian Grebe, Little Egret, Spangled Drongo, Australasian Swamphen, Bar-shouldered Dove, Comb-crested Jacana, Rufous Whistler, White-throated Honeyeater, Common Cicadabird, Olive-backed Oriole, Striped Honeyeater, Grey Shrikethrush, Wandering Whistling Duck, Hardhead, Oriental Dollarbird)

Meanwhile, at home several Channel-billed Cuckoos have arrived and hearing their extraordinarily raucous calling has become a regular occurrence, while Pacific Koels can also be heard (but, of course, sadly not seen).