May Outing - Curramore Road

Dear all

A late notice regarding this Saturday’s outing.

Please meet at 7am at the corner of Curramore and Ekert Roads, near Witta [west of Maleny]. Park on the road edges. We will be birding along Curramore Road and into Thorne Road. This area has been recognised for its conservation virtues as it is adjacent to both Maleny National Park and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s property named Curramore. For a little information about Curramore specifically and AWC’s great work in protecting Australian biodiversity please visit the AWC website.

Myself and John Birbeck, environmental officer with Sunshine Coast Council, will be leading the walk and John will be able to tell us more about the conservation work occurring in this area.

As usual please bring a chair, morning tea, good humour and patience. Insect repellent may be useful.

Please consider visiting the Maleny Wood Expo after the walk and check out the Birdlife Australia display as well as many other items of interest.

Cheers now and hope to see you on Saturday!

Ken Cross

Mid-week outing – 15 April - Maroochydore Botanical Garden

Mid-week outing – 15 April - 8 am - Maroochydore Botanical Garden - Leader - John Malings

Directions for Maroochy  Botanical Gardens for Weds 15th April, meet at 8am in the car park at entrance to Gardens. UBD P 18, detailed description on Maroochy Botanical Gardens web site

Toorbul - the other day........

Bar-tailed Godwits - Bribie Island bridge in the background.

Rain had scared many away however a modest sized group made the journey to Toorbul and while there was, perhaps, a smaller than expected group of waders at the high tide roost - it was still very much a worthwhile morning.

Some of our non damp group

Whimbrel and the occasional Bar-tailed Godwit

It is like they say; a bad day in Torrbul is still a pretty good day. [I don't claim to know who they are..] As expected many of the migratory waders had begun moulting into their breeding finery; brick red Bar-tailed Godwits mingled with their non-breeding grey comrades, Grey-tailed Tattlers had begun barring up on their bellies, an almost solitary two Red-necked Stints proved that their name was not a lie nor an exaggeration, Great Knots were Great [Red Knots invisible], and Greenshanks were starting to change also. Whimbrels were there in good numbers while a fewer numbers of their longer billed cousins, Eastern Curlews added to our list.

Royal Spoonbill

Black-winged Stilts and Pelicans

Missing were Black-tailed Godwits or many of the smaller waders or plovers. Conspicuous by their [already] absence were Curlew and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers.

Lone Chestnut Teal

Resident species; Pelicans, Black-winged Stilts, a lone Chestnut Teal plus a lazy 300 Black Swan were also seen as were the Mangrove treble; Gerygone, Honeyeater and Kingfisher.

Mangrove [or Collared] Kingfisher 

Mangrove Gerygone

Toorbul High Tide Roost, AU-QLD

Apr 4, 2015 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

Protocol: Traveling

2.0 kilometer(s)

Comments:     overcast day

58 species

Black Swan  302

Chestnut Teal  1

Little Egret

Pied Cormorant  1

Little Pied Cormorant  1

Australian Pelican  20

White-faced Heron  4

Little Egret  8

Australian White Ibis  21

Royal Spoonbill  22

Whistling Kite  1

Brahminy Kite  2

White-bellied Sea-Eagle  1

Black-winged Stilt (Australian)  66

Australian Pied Oystercatcher  12

Masked Lapwing  12

Grey-tailed Tattler  144

Common Greenshank  12

Whimbrel  105

Eastern Curlew  5

Bar-tailed Godwit  120

Great Knot  8

Red-necked Stint  2

Silver Gull  6

Gull-billed Tern  1

Caspian Tern  4

Crested Tern  1

Spotted Dove  4

Crested Pigeon  4

Bar-shouldered Dove  2

Laughing Kookaburra  3

Collared Kingfisher  2

Sacred Kingfisher  1

Rainbow Bee-eater  8

Galah  3

Australian King-Parrot  2

Pale-headed Rosella  3

Rainbow Lorikeet  6

Lewin's Honeyeater  1

Mangrove Honeyeater  4

Noisy Miner  12

Brown Honeyeater  3

Blue-faced Honeyeater  6

Striated Pardalote  3

Mangrove Gerygone  2

White-breasted Woodswallow  6

Grey Butcherbird  2

Pied Butcherbird  6

Australian Magpie  10

Black-faced Cuckooshrike  1

Grey Shrike-Thrush  3

Golden Whistler  1

Rufous Whistler  1

Australasian Figbird  8

Willie Wagtail  6

Magpie-lark  6

Torresian Crow  8

Welcome Swallow  6

Mistletoebird  2

Photos taken on the day and supplied by John Thompson!

Toorbul Tomorrow!

We are planning a trip to Toorbul on the 4 April to Farewell the [Waders] Shorebirds.  Toorbul is an excellent birding location on the east coast looking towards Bribie Island. There is a mix of woodland species but it is best known for migratory waders and a mix of mangrove species. Drive slowly around the town as there are large numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. There will be experienced birders there to assist your identification of these, sometimes difficult, species.

Meet at 8am at the southern end of the Esplanade. 

Depending on numbers we may split up into different groups to do a variety of locations in and around Toorbul. It is our chance to Wave the Shorebirds goodbye and there should be some waders beginning to show their [Northern Hemisphere] summer finery!!

Hope to see you there!