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| Double barred Finch at Parklakes |
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| Great crested GRebe at Wappa Dam |
I describe myself as a teacher by profession and a birder by
preference so much of my activities are related to birding and this past year
was no exception. I like birding in Australia, however birding overseas, with
the ever present promise of new birds, really excites me. This year I did some birding overseas,
achieved my target of over 200 species photographed for the [greater] Sunshine
Coast region and did a month-long trip to FNQ and the southern part of Cape
York. Being Convenor for Birdlife Sunshine Coast has set me the challenge of
helping Birdlife members to ‘improve their birding life’. Weekend-aways,
regular outings, surveys and organising a variety of Facebook pages designed to
improve participants’ bird identification skills and local area knowledge are
part of my [self designed] brief.
Early 2019 saw me doing a little birding in the Indo- China
region, specifically Cambodia and Vietnam with a small amount of time in
Thailand. It was my first time in both Cambodia and Vietnam so there were quite
a few new birds for me there. I led a group of birders from Australia to
Cambodia and employed a guide from the Cambodian Bird Guides Association. Here
is a lengthy essay summarising my time in Cambodia;
Three weeks plus in Cambodia is an adventure! We encountered a great
range of nearly 300 species of birds; [too] many that were threatened – some
critically so. We saw amazing ancient history and experienced stories of their
brutal not-so-distant-past. We enjoyed amazing food and saw ways of lives that
have disappeared from much of the world. We were lucky to have been able to
travel and stay in relative comfort, given Cambodia’s state of development.
Lucky, too, we were in our guide Sophal Chen aka Naran the main
man. Naran was a very, very good guide with excellent knowledge of
birds and one saw again and again his quiet compassion and true joy in seeing
and photographing Cambodian nature [even species that he had no doubt
photographed many times before]. That was special. ‘A smiling Buddha’ was how
he described himself and like that man he remained calm and unruffled despite
heat and stress and ants invading picnic lunches and constant questions and our
petty concerns and requests. The only time he became a little stressed was
enduring the pain of the bullshit of Bokor National Park and the vandalism
described as development within.
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| Our birding guide; Sophal Chen |
Credit, too, to our drivers who nearly lasted the whole trip with an
unblemished record despite the chaos of Cambodian traffic – their last day
ending with a minor smash!
Everyone saw lifers and many got many. Even our guide, Naran scored
three. The birds can be summarised by our group’s top ten – derived
mathematically.
3. Cambodian Tailorbird &
Oriental Bay Owl
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4. Long tailed Broadbill
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5. Red headed Vulture
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6. Giant Ibis & Bengal
Florican & Mekong Wagtail
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| Bengal Florican |
7. Milky Stork & Collared
Falconet & Large tailed Nightjar
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| Collared Falconet |
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| Large tailed Nightjar |
Now these species were obviously selected according to the perspectives
of each of the participants as were the birds of the day on pages past. Some
species were selected because of uniqueness or endemism [or regional endemism]
or the quality of the view and / or their threatened status.
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| White naped Ibis |
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| Heart spotted Woodpecker |
We were also lucky to get an insight into the conservation ‘scene’ in
Cambodia. Sadly, there is not a great argument for optimism. While Cambodian
Bird Guides Association and the similar Sam Veasna are promoting local grass
roots campaigns and projects, and these are having local effects more active
and well-funded NGO’s and projects are needed. Most importantly, and I claim
this without having any idea on how to achieve it, a Cambodian Government [with
some integrity and free of corruption] is needed to make and enforce thoughtful
laws regarding the preservation and conservation of their natural resources,
biodiversity and endangered species. Failures in the government respecting
protected areas that they do have points to continued and serious problems in
fauna protection.
Hunting, a tradition sadly in no real danger of dying out, continues
putting more wildlife at risk. Case in Point Eld’s Deer, a species listed in
our information as easy to find proved impossible to find with Naran claiming
that they had not been seen this year! Perhaps they have, through hunting,
become locally extinct for the area that they are usually found in is within a
Nature Reserve [set up most specifically for the endangered Sarus Cranes]. At
several places we heard gunshots; if not hunters then I am yet to think of another
possible theory.
Deforestation is continuing, clearly. Many places, deemed reserves,
seemed to be reserved for illegal logging. In many areas key trees have been
logged, cut up in-situ and then the remaining vegetation burned and agriculture
emerging among the still smoking ruins.
Population, a perennial global issue, remains an issue in Cambodia.
And, of course, it contributes, as does capitalism, to the loss of
biodiversity.
If responsible governance was available Rewilding could be part of the
solution for Cambodia’s wildlife. Reserves, established in the relatively lowly
populated northern plains, could potentially, be rewilded. The original fauna,
in some instances absent for decades or even centuries, could be returned and
thereby further encouraging a tourist trade in wildlife viewing [but having the
result of biodiversity protection]. Case in point; in the northern plains there
exists populations of three critically endangered vulture species. These birds
are critically endangered globally for a variety of reasons but, chief among
them, was the spectacular decline because of a drug used on cattle in India
named diclofenac. Currently the birds need to be fed as many of the big mammals
in this area have been hunted out. To save the vultures their ‘prey’ species
need to be returned. Potentially wild cattle [Asian Water Buffalo, Gaur,
Banteng], Sambar and perhaps Eld’s Deer could be reintroduced or have their
populations supplemented. Wild Boars remain but are probably quite low in
numbers. Most exciting though; perhaps tigers and leopards could / should be
brought back offering a unique ‘safari experience’ that would be truly
indo-chinese. Btw Elephants and rhinos were there too…. Imaginary, I know but
there is no harm in thinking out loud….Rewilding [creating something new] is
perhaps easier to get supporters for than trying to save existing last
fragments…
A memorable twitch at the beginning of the year to score
some vagrant waders was both successful and memorable. A new Aussie bird for
me, Buff breasted Sandpiper plus a new bird for my Qld list, Long toed Stint
plus Asiatic Dowitcher and a good number of Broad billed Sandpipers made fro a
great day despite being slightly south of the ‘Zone of Happiness’.
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| Long toed Stint [r] [Sharp tailed left |
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| Asian Dowicher [2nd bird from right] |
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| Long toed Stint in foreground [red necked behind] |
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| Asian Dowicher |
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| Buff bellied Sandpiper - vagrant from North America |
After achieving some 270 birds photographed in 2018 in the
Zone of Happiness I was ‘less keen’ to spend quite as much time chasing species
in 2019, however I did aim for 200 species as a score. In the event I managed
to photograph 220 plus species in the new extended ‘Happy’ zone. Key species, for
me, photographed this year include some spp that I missed and / or were ‘new’
to the region. Some memorable birds for me included Blue winged Kookaburra,
Banded Lapwing, Eastern Spinebill [which proved to be invisible in 2018], Wood
Sandpiper [first known record for Yandina Creek Wetland and my first photograph
of this sp on the Sunshine Coast], Double banded Plover [again one missed in
2018], Jimna provided Diamond Firetail plus Brown Treecreepers as well as some
other goodies like Fuscous and Yellow tufted Honeyeaters, Rufous Songlarks,
Dusky Woodswallows, Jacky Winters while just up the road Buff rumped
Thornbills.
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| Blue winged Kookaburra |
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| Blue winged Kookaburra |
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| Diamond Firetail |
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| Eastern Spinebill near Jimna - this was one specie that avoided my lens in 2018! |
We only had two weekend aways this year with the club and I
rate them both as successful with a good variety of birds seen. The Kilcoy –
Jimna – Kingaroy trip scored Black Falcon near Kilcoy, a great variety of spp
near Jimna including a wonderful active pair of Crested Shrike tits [voted Bird
of the Day by our party], some magic dry forest species along the Kilcoy –
Murgon Road such as Buff rumped and Striated Thornbills, White throated
Gerygones, Sitellas, Jacky Winters and Weebills. Kingaroy’s Gordonbrook Dam
produced a great variety of species around the water including the very
special, White backed Swallow – the bird of the weekend. Bustards were also a
highlight!
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| Yellow rumped Thornbill near Nanango |
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| White bellied cuckoo Shrike at Jimna |
Our weekend at Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach produced Sanderlings,
Beach Stone Curlews, Ruddy Turnstones at Inskipp Point, surprisingly, Fuscous
Honeyeaters at Carlos Point plus Ground Parrots, Brown Songlarks, King Quail
and briefly for one, Southern Emuwren at Cooloola NP.
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| Striped Honeyeater - a regular at Parklakes for the first few months of the year.... |
Far North Queensland – the huge area between Townsville and
Cairns and northward onto Cape York - is perhaps Australia’s birding Mecca and
it has been far too long since I did any birding there. In September and
October 2019 myself and Steve Grainger led two trips, one from Cairns to Weipa
via Atherton Tableland, Daintree River, Lakefield NP, Iron Range NP to Weipa,
and the second vice versa. Needless to say these trips were excellent. Many views of Cape York specials plus Wet
Tropic endemics were had and I’m already looking forward to the return trip!
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| White bellied Crimson Finch - perhaps an 'armchair' lifer soon? |
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| Palm Cockatoo |
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| Double eyed Fig Parrot from Iron Range |
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| Marbled Frogmouth |
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| Yellow billed Kingfisher |
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| Golden shouldered Parrot |
Late in the year a few more special species were recorded
here on the coast. Oriental Cuckoos were recorded in several spots – one bird
going so far as to commit suicide in my backyard…
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| Oriental Cuckoo |
Parklakes in Bli Bli hosted Little Grassbirds with both
Baillons and Spotless Crakes plus Australian Little Bittern.
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