Three (mostly) frustrating weeks of birding

Over the past few weeks I have been trying my best to continue to add to both my 600 challenge and Brisbane year totals, with mixed results.

On the 26th January, I headed to the western area of Brisbane. I started at Priors Pocket in Moggill, where a large number of Pink-headed Ducks had been seen in late December, and I was very much hoping that this potential lifer would still be there. Sadly, this wasn't the case, but I was extremely impressed by the selection of birds present in this little farming area surrounded on three sides by the Brisbane river. A small farm pond (presumably where the Pink-eared Ducks had been) was swarming with Pacific Black and Maned Ducks, Grey Teals, Australian Pelicans, Eastern Cattle Egrets, Masked Lapwings and Straw-necked and Australian White Ibises, while an Australasian Grebe and several White-headed Stilts and Black-fronted Dotterels were also present. By the riverside, I was overjoyed to spot three enormous Wedge-tailed Eagles circling overhead together, a fantastic bird to find this close to the city, while other birds seen nearby included two Galahs, a Common Bronzewing, several Tawny Grassbirds and a small mixed flock of Red-browed Finches and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. It certainly felt like a spot with great potential, and I'm very hopeful that I'll see some great birds here at some point!

My next stop was one of my favourite wildlife-watching spots around Brisbane, Anstead Bushland Reserve. Sadly, it was a little quiet today, with a Black Kite, two Channel-billed Cuckoos, two Pheasant Coucals and my first Little Corellas and Tawny Grassbird at the reserve being the highlights.

I decided to move on to the nearby Moggill Conservation Park, where some fantastic species had been reported a few days earlier. Frustratingly, it was equally quiet here, with two Pale-headed Rosellas and several small flocks of Little Lorikeets (a species I had only seen once previously) the only birds of any note. With heavy rain starting to fall, I headed home after a rather disappointing morning.

The next day, I decided to stay closer to home by visiting the Grange Forest Park. I had a decent walk around the park, with 40 species seen, including my first Collared Sparrowhawk of the year, along with a Brown Goshawk and my first Black Kite at this location. Other birds seen included White-throated Needletail, Black-fronted Dotterel and Olive-backed Oriole. This really is a fantastic place for birds, considering its position right in the middle of the city.

Two days' later, I headed northwest of the city to Lake Samsonvale. The previous day, birders have found 92 species along Golds Scrub Lane, including several birds that would be lifers for me. I decided that I had to give it a go!

Sadly, it was once more a frustrating morning, as I missed all potential lifers. It was perhaps due to the heavy rain the previous night that forest bordering the road seemed virtually devoid of birdlife, though I did find a small number of decent birds. At least three Brush Cuckoos were heard, but unsurprisingly (and disappointingly, as this would be a lifer for me) none were seen. A young Little Bronze-Cuckoo, my first in the Brisbane area and of my 600 challenge, was more forthcoming, giving great views as it was fed by its Red-backed Fairywren foster parents. Both Black-faced and White-bellied Cuckooshrikes were seen, though I missed another potential lifer in their Barred relative, while an Australian Golden Whistler, several Yellow-faced Honeyeaters and Oriental Dollarbirds and a pair of Bar-shouldered Doves were to only other birds of note in the forest. The cemetery area at the end of the lane was a little more productive. Bizarrely, it seems as though some people have decided to dump their unwanted domesticated fowls at cemetery, with a magnificent Peacock, five Helmeted Guineafowls and a very loud male Red Junglefowl all proudly patrolling the area, and joined by a wild Australian Brushturkey. A Whistling Kite and a Brown Goshawk went overhead, along with numerous White-breasted Woodswallows and a Rainbow Bee-eater. A search of the lake with my telescope produced a good selection of waterbirds, with four species of Cormorant, along with Australasian Darter, present, along with a Great White Egret, two Black Swans and several Mallards along with most of the regular Brisbane waterbirds. The highlight of the morning was undoubtedly finding at least 12 Great Crested Grebes around the lake, a bird I had not seen in Australia for nine years. Rather like Prior's Pocket, this feels like a place with great potential and I will certainly be back to find some great birds here at some point I hope!

I decided to visit Bunyaville State Forest on the way home, another place that had recorded some fantastic birds in the previous few days. I was feeling starting to feel despair, as once again I failed to find my target birds. In fact, I saw virtually no birds at all, with several White-throated Needletails and a Common Cicadabird the only notable sightings, and actually virtually the only sightings at all.

I then headed to Nudgee Beach, where a pair of Beach Stone-Curlews had been seen the day before. On what was shaping out to be one of my most frustrating days' of birding ever, it was inevitable that I would miss them. And of course, I did. In fact, with the tide almost all of the way in, no waders were present, and I had to make do with two Oriental Dollarbirds, eight Torresian Kingfishers and a Grey Shrikethrush. It didn't really help to improve my day!

Two of my friends from England arrived in Brisbane on the 31st January for ten days, which rather thwarted my attempts at birding. I still kept an eye out as we spent the time mostly fishing (almost as unsuccessfully as I had been birding!). Birding-wise, a Common Sandpiper (a year-tick), a Striated Heron and a flock consisting of several Little and Noisy Friarbirds (new for me at the reserve) at Kedron Brook Wetlands, a Spotted Harrier over Pinkenba Boat Ramp and two Wedge-tailed Eagles and a Channel-billed Cuckoo over Enoggera Reservoir were the only highlights. Fishing-wise, two decent Bream and two minute Catfish were the only fish of note.

With my friends, who have about as much interest in wildlife as Tony Abbott has in legalising same-sex marriage, gone, I was finally able to go birding again, and I decided to visit Kedron Brook Wetlands for a proper session on the 10th February. It was amazing to discover that the reserve was flooded, with about 200 metres of wading through truly foul water carrying all sorts of rubbish along the cycle path required to access the area. I held high hopes of being able to find some more waterbirds than usual on this visit, with the dry grassland now a boggy marshland. I was unable to find any rare birds on the reserve unfortunately, though it was great to see great numbers here than I have for some time. Herons and their allies were particularly numerous, with several Great White, Intermediate, Little and Eastern Cattle Egrets, ten White-faced Herons and a Straw-necked Ibis joining the ubiquitous Australian White Ibises. Two Chestnut Teals and a single Grey Teal (my first here) were seen, along with three Pacific Black Ducks, while a decent number of raptors were hunting over the reserve. These consisted of two resplendent White-bellied Sea Eagles, a Whistling Kite, a Brahminy Kite and, best of all, two Swamp Harriers, my first here.

Almost a record shot? One of two Swamp Harriers showing much better than my photograph would suggest at Kedron Brook Wetlands

It was a great day for members of the Gallinule/Rail family as well with record reserve counts for me of both Australasian Swamphen (5) and Dusky Moorhen (a spectacular count of two), along with a fantastic Buff-banded Rail, my first of the year.

It was equally pleasing to find that the number of waders, if not species diversity, was vastly improved from my previous visit, with close to 100 White-headed Stilts, 60 Masked Lapwings and four Sharp-tailed Sandpipers present. Hopefully something more interesting will take advantage of the great habitat here soon!

At least 95 (I didn't count, that is definitely an estimate) White-throated Needletails (a Kedron Brook Wetlands tick) were hawking overhead, while other species of note included Australian Pipit, Tawny Grassbird, Australian Reed Warbler, both Mangrove Gerygone and Honeyeater, Sacred Kingfisher and three Spangled Drongos, another first for me here. Overall, 47 species were seen, a decent total for a short walk at this inner-city reserve.

On the 12th February, I headed back to west Brisbane for an early-morning walk around Anstead Bushland Reserve. I found several birds I had not previously seen at the reserve, including eight superb Australian King Parrots, a great count of 22 Pale-headed Rosellas, a White-bellied Cuckooshrike, a Common Cicadabird, a Galah and several White-browed Scrubwrens, Eastern Yellow Robins and Rufous Whistlers, while at least 15 White-throated Honeyeaters and two Bar-shouldered Doves were nice birds to see. Sadly none of these were new for me in Brisbane this year, but it was still a very pleasant walk. I then headed to Hawkesbury Road Nature Refuge, where some interesting birds had been seen the day before. I missed them all again. Four Common Bronzewings and two Australian King Parrots were the most interesting birds seen.

I decided to head back to Priors Pocket in Moggill next, bearing a forlorn hope that the Pink-eared Ducks may have returned. They hadn't, but a flock of 22 Grey Teals was the largest I have ever seen, while a similar selection of common waterbirds was also present. Two Whistling Kites went over, another nice bird to see.

The next day, I returned to Bunyaville State Forest in pursuit of any of the several interesting Honeyeater species seen there recently. I failed completely, though finding this Koala was immensely satisfying!

Koala at Bunyaville State Forest, what an awesome creature!!

Finally, I decided to head back up to Mount Glorious in D'Aguilar NP this morning. My short walk was a great success. Almost immediately after starting the rainforest loop, I found an extraordinary medium-sized bird creeping about the undergrowth.

A Noisy Pitta!!! This has been one of the birds I have most wanted to see since moving to Brisbane. What a beast! I watched this bird for some time before it creeped too far into the undergrowth for me to be able to see it.

This Green Catbird was one of 12 seen along the walk. With their extraordinarily-varied voicebox, this really is a fantastic bird.

A great selection of other rainforest birds were also present, with two White-headed Pigeons, two Crimson Rosellas and two magnificent Grey Goshawks providing further year-ticks, while two Russet-tailed Thrushes, an Australian King Parrot, five Pale-yellow Robins, two Satin Bowerbirds, a White-throated Treecreeper and an Australian Golden Whistler were other great birds to see. What an awesome national park this is!

Brisbane year total: 170; additions: 14 (Collared Sparrowhawk, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Australian Pied Cormorant, Great Cormorant, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Common Sandpiper, Buff-banded Rail, Noisy Pitta, Green Catbird, White-headed Pigeon, Grey Goshawk, Crimson Rosella)