Kingaroy Birding - Report

Darter

   























 A select group [or should I say self-selected group] left Nambour for the cool of the South Burnet on Friday night the 31 July to see the start of the brand new month. We stayed at the interestingly named Oasis Motel in the town of Kingaroy. Which was a fine, if old, fashioned motel.

Glossy Ibis

Our plan for Saturday was to visit a number of sites and sights around the greater Kingaroy area. Helping us first decide on the sites and then helping us visit them were local Nanango birders, Julian and Fay Bielewicz. And our great thanks go to them.

Spiny -cheeked Honeyeater

First stop was Gordonbrook Dam. This place is a must visit on any ‘Kingaroyish itinerary’. Good numbers of a great range of species. Pelicans to four cormorants, darters, Grey Teal, Black and

Little Black Cormorants

Wood Ducks,  Hardhead before spying a single Shoveller and finally a pair of Pink-eared Ducks. The list also had Yellow-billed Spoonbill, three Egrets, White-faced and White-necked Herons, three Ibis, Jacana. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Little Corellas and Galahs attempted to drown out the calls of a pair of Cockatiels and Red-rumped Parrots. All of this plus a few passerines as well.

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On the way back to the main road I was lucky enough to spot some Zebra finches on the wire. Stopping to take in this bird allowed additional sightings;

Double-barred Finch, Yellow Thornbill, White-throated plus Striped Honeyeaters and Spiny-cheeked as well. A great area and my favourite for the weekend. Apostlebirds also were in attendance.

Zebra Finch

Next stop was Wooroolin Wetlands. The wetlands held common species plus hundreds of Coot and a few Dusky Moorhen [a species surprisingly missing from Gordonbrook.] Yellow-rumped Thornbills were also present as was a nice flock of migratory Silvereyes, both Variegated and
Superb blue Wrens, White-throated Honeyeaters and White throated Gerygones and White throated Treecreepers. Restless Flycatchers and Willie-Wagtails were also recorded.

Last reservoir was  Lake Barambah – the site of the vagrant Franklin’s Gull. Needless to say the

Striped Honeyeater

only gull seen was a Silver. Good numbers of Cormorants and Caspian and Gull-billed Terns were added to our list – which eventually just failed to top 100.

The final stop before our evening pub meal was at a billabong enroute back to Kingaroy. Again common species; Black Swan and other waterfowl, Kookaburra, Lorikeets, Pigeons etc.

Look up in the sky.... pointing out a Yellow Thornbill

After a fast breakfast we began heading home, first stopping near Yarraman. Here were signs, clearly quite recent, of Black-breasted Button-quail. Stopping immediately with the tree cover were the spread of platelets. The Button-quail choose a spot of leaf litter and spinning a full 360 degrees scratch earnestly, leaving a bare earth circle the size of a small plate. Needless to say the quail were non existent however we now know they’re in there……………..  

BBBQ - platelet

Next stop was Emu Creek area. And quite a birdy spot it was too. A good range of common species were seen here with a few nice highlights; the sight of an inquisitive Little Lorikeet peering from a small tree hollow, and a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo doing the same.

All in all an enjoyable weekend with good folks and good birds.