October Mid Week Walk

This Wednesday the mid week walk is to be held at Maroochydore Wetlands Sanctuary at Bli Bli. Please meet at the education centre at 8am. The walk will be led by John Malings or Vince Lee. The sanctuary hosts a good variety of species including specialities such as Mangrove Gerygone and perhaps the highly sought after Lewin’s Rail. It may well be worth a quick visit to Park Lakes as there has been a recent report that the wetlands are beginning to be restored.

Cheers and good birding

Ken

MINI TWITCH REPORT/S

Wood Ducks [J Kooistra]

Great Egret [J. Kooistra]

Thanks to all who came and saw [or heard] and ticked on the mini twitch. 

Between all the four twitching groups some 160+ species were recorded. Over $200 was raised for Birdlife SE Queensland. Best birds included Striped Honeyeater, White-bellied Cuckoo - shrike, Brown Quail, etc. Team reports follow;

before it begins....

John Kooistra writes;

lone Royal Spoonbill [J. Kooistra]

"The three members of our team (Drangled Spongos) were Russ Lamb, Tom Tarrant and John Kooistra.

We got off to a good start at Ferntree Creek National Park where the bush birds were obliging, highlights being Shining Bronze-Cuckoo and Varied Sittella. Wappa Dam was next with dozens of Jacanas and a White-bellied Sea-eagle being the standouts. We dipped on the Night Herons which were absent from their roosting tree and no sign of the Pygmy-geese.

Logrunner [John Kooistra]

Mapleton Falls National Park was next, quiet at first but picked up in the drier forest. Then the lily ponds nearby, with an unexpected Royal Spoonbill among the more common species. The picnic area at Mary Cairncross was crowded but the tracks surprisingly not. The usual suspects were recorded here, including a confiding Logrunner and a single calling Riflebird. We dipped on Pitta and Russet-tailed Thrush. A quick squiz at Ewan Maddock Dam just off Steve Irwin Way yielded a single White Ibis and a mishap when Russ’s scope eyepiece fell apart (unknowingly) with the bits scattered along the entrance track. Thankfully we were able to retrieve the pieces and make it usable enough for our next site, Golden Beach.

Our count picked up again here with various waders and raptors, but a search for the mangrove specialities at Bells Creek just down the road was unsuccessful. We had lost some time with the scope incident, so we by-passed Caloundra headland and finished off our day at Finland Road. King Quail were calling here, and Brown Quail were flushed along the road and a few more species brought our number to 132 for the day.

Black-shouldered Kite [J. Kooistra]

Surprisingly we dipped on common species like Purple Swamphen, Silvereye and White-faced Heron.

We had a great day out, saw some cool birds, raised some money for conservation and finished off with a well-earned beer and old fashioned pub tucker at the Royal George Hotel in Nambour."

Striped Honeyeater [Cross]

Ken Cross writes;

"Our team began, like all the teams in Nambour and finished at the Royal George. Our team included myself, Jan England, Summer Wong – a visiting birder guide from Sichuan in China, and Karen Blake from Brisbane. We were not adequately named…

The birding began in the park and down the main street – many common species quickly falling. The plan was to aim immediately for Toorbul where a high tide promised to push all the waders towards the high roost site for easy identification. A good selection of migratory waders were seen oncluding grey tailed tattler, both knots, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers, Red-necked Stints, Greenshanks and Bar-tailed Godwits, Eastern Curlews and Whimbrels. The three mangrove specials; Gerygone, Kingfisher and Honeyeater were added by call. Striped Honeyeaters were seen – one of the birds of the day.  

morning tea! On a twitch?

Next stop was Caloundra. This was a mistake. The traffic and crowds were horrendous! Sooty Oystercatcher, Pied Cormorant, Silver Gull, Crested Tern and Osprey were the only new species and to ass insult to injury we dipped on House Sparrow…

Ewen Maddock Dam was also somewhat of a bust – empty expanses of water by and large – however the bush held a White bellied cuckoo Shrike which was a bonus.

A reasonable variety of birds were recorded at Mary Cairn Cross [including good views of Pitta and Logrunner] and at Mapleton.

Satin Bowerbird on thehome patch [Cross]

Wappa Dam followed with many Jacana and a single Great Crested Grebe. The regular roosting Rufous Night Heron had flown.

We finished with a rush at Finland road and Park Lakes.

We scored 131 species but were dirty about the ones missed; House Sparrow, Little Friarbird, White headed Pigeon all seen but not by a majority. Swans were proabably missed at Tootbul while inexplicably we forgot to look and listen for Bell Miner at Mapleton – another certain bird missed.

Birds unseen were perhaps surprising. No Hardheads or Coot. No Straw-necked Ibis. No white faced Herons."

  

Steve Popple writes;

"Our team (Steve, Carol, Berry and Reg) probably spent more time driving than birding covering nearly 500km in the day. We travelled to Wappa Dam, Toorbul, Beerwah – Cove Rd, Bellthorpe, lunch at Lyola (thanks to an invite from David), Mary Caincross Reserve, Maroochy Sewerage Ponds, Maroochy Wetlands, Finland Rd and a final stop riverside at Bli Bli. Thanks for orgainising a great day out and Carol & I are already planning our strategy for next year. Highlights were Striped Honeyeater at Toorbul, a flock of Satin Bowerbirds at Bellthorpe, Russet tailed Thrush at Mary Cairncross and Black faced Monarch at Maroochy Wetlands. Our big misses were White browed Scrubwren and Silver Gull."

A summary of the birds recorded by each of the four teams below, in alphabetical order;

Bird	Feral O	Drangles Sprongos	Kens Eggs	David/Pam	Total
Australasian Grebe	X	X	X		3
Australian Brush Turkey	X	X	X	X	4
Australian Figbird	X	X	X	X	4
Australian King Parrot	X	X		X	3
Australian Magpie	X	X	X	X	4
Australian Pelican	X	X	X	X	4
Australian Pied  Oystercatcher	X	X	X		3
Australian Pipit			X	X	2
Australian White Ibis	X	X	X	X	4
Australian Wood Duck	X	X	X	X	4
Azure Kingfisher			X		1
Bar Tailed Godwit	X	X	X	X	4
Bar-shouldered Dove	X	X	X	X	4
Bell Miner	X	X			2
Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike	X	X	X	X	4
Black Faced Monarch	X	X			2
Black Fronted Dotteral		X	X	X	3
Black Kite		X	X		2
Black Shouldered Kite	X	X	X	X	4
Black Swan	X	X	X	X	4
Black Tailed Godwit	X				1
Black Winged Stilt	X		X	X	3
Blue Faced Honeyeater	X	X	X	X	4
Brahminy Kite		X	X		2
Brown Cuckoo Dove		X		X	2
Brown Falcon		X	X		2
Brown Gerygone	X	X	X		3
Brown Honeyeater	X	X	X		3
Brown Quail	X	X			2
Brown Thornbill		X	X	X	3
Buff Banded Rail			X		1
Caspian Tern	X	X	X	X	4
Cattle Egret	X	X	X	X	4
Channel Billed Cuckoo		X			1
Chestnut Breasted Mannikin	X		X		2
Chestnut Teal	X	X	X		3
Cicadabird		X			1
Collared Kingfisher	X		X	X	3
Comb Crested Jacana	X	X	X		3
Common Myna	X	X	X	X	4
Cotton Pygmy Goose	X			X	2
Crested Pigeon	X	X	X	X	4
Crested Tern		X	X		2
Crimson Rosella	X	X			2
Curlew Sandpiper	X		X	X	3
Darter	X	X	X		3
Dollarbird	X	X	X	X	4
Double Barred Finch			X		1
Dusky Honeyeater	X				1
Dusky Moorhen	X	X	X	X	4
Eastern Curlew	X	X	X	X	4
Eastern Great Egret	X	X	X	X	4
Eastern Koel	X	X	X	X	4
Eastern Osprey	X	X	X		3
Eastern Spinebill	X	X			2
Eastern Whipbird	X	X	X	X	4
Eastern Yellow Robin	X	X	X		3
Eurasian Coot		X		X	2
Fairy Martin	X		X		2
Fantailed Cuckoo	X	X	X		3
Forest Kingfisher	X	X	X		3
Galah	X	X	X	X	4
Golden Headed Cisticola	X	X	X		3
Golden Whistler	X	X	X	X	4
Great Cormorant		X			1
Great Crested Grebe		X			1
Great Knot	X		X	X	3
Green Catbird	X	X	X	X	4
Grey Butcherbird		X	X		2
Grey Fantail	X	X	X	X	4
Grey Goshawk		X		X	2
Grey Shrike Thrush	X	X	X	X	4
Grey Tailed Tattler	X		X	X	3
Grey Teal				X	1
Gull Billed Tern	X	X	X	X	4
Hardhead				X	1
House Sparrow	X	X	X		3
Intermediate Egret	X	X	X	X	4
King Quail		X			1
Large Billed Scrubwren	X	X	X	X	4
Laughing Kookaburra	X	X	X	X	4
Leaden Flycatcher		X	X	X	3
Lewin’s Honeyeater	X	X	X	X	4
Little Black Cormorant	X	X	X	X	4
Little Corella	X	X	X		3
Little Egret	X	X	X	X	4
Little Friarbird		X			1
Little Pied Cormorant	X	X	X	X	4
Little Shrike Thrush		X	X		2
Little Wattlebird		X	X	X	3
Logrunner		X	X		2
Magpie Goose	X		X	X	3
Magpie Lark	X	X	X	X	4
Mangrove Gerygone	X		X		2
Mangrove Honeyeater	X		X		2
Masked Lapwing	X	X	X	X	4
Mistletoe bird	X	X	X		3
Nankeen Kestrel	X				1
Newholland Honeyeater			X		1
Noisy Friarbird	X	X	X	X	4
Noisy Miner	X	X	X	X	4
Noisy Pitta			X		1
Olive Backed Oriole		X	X		2
Pacific Baza	X	X			2
Pacific Black Duck	X	X	X	X	4
Pacific Golden Plover		X			1
Pale Headed Rosella		X	X	X	3
Pale Yellow Robin		X	X		2
Paradise Rifflebird	X	X		X	3
Peaceful Dove		X	X	X	3
Pied Butcherbird	X	X	X	X	4
Pied Cormorant		X	X	X	3
Pied Currawong	X	X	X	X	4
Purple Swamphen	X		X	X	3
Rainbow Bee-eater	X		X		2
Rainbow Lorikeet	X	X	X	X	4
Red Backed Fairywren	X	X	X	X	4
Red Browed Finch	X	X	X		3
Red Capped Plover			X		1
Red Knot	X		X	X	3
Red Necked Stint		X	X		2
Restless Flycatcher		X			1
Rock Dove	X		X	X	3
Royal Spoonbill	X	X	X	X	4
Rufous Fantail	X	X	X		3
Rufous Whistler	X		X	X	3
Russet Tailed Thrush	X				1
Sacred Kingfisher	X	X	X		3
Satin Bowerbird	X		X	X	3
Scaly Breasted Lorikeet		X	X	X	3
Scarlet Honeyeater	X	X	X		3
Sharp Tailed Sandpiper	X		X	X	3
Shining Bronze Cuckoo		X		X	2
Silver Gull		X	X		2
Silvereye	X		X		2
Sooty Oystercatcher			X		1
Spangled Drongo	X	X	X	X	4
Spectacled Monarch		X			1
Spotted Pardalote		X		X	2
Spotted Turtle Dove	X	X	X	X	4
Striated Pardalote	X	X	X		3
Striped Honeyeater	X		X		2
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo	X	X	X	X	4
Tawny Grass Bird		X	X		2
Topknot Pigeon		X			1
Torresian Crow	X	X	X	X	4
Varied Sitella		X			1
Varied Triller		X			1
Variegated Fairy Wren				X	1
Wedge Tailed Eagle		X			1
Welcome Swallow	X	X	X	X	4
Whimbrel	X	X	X	X	4
Whistling Kite	X	X	X	X	4
White Bellied Cuckoo Shrike	X		X	X	3
White Bellied Sea Eagle		X			1
White Breasted Wood Swallow	X	X	X	X	4
White Browed Scrub Wren		X	X		2
White Cheeked Honeyeater	X	X			2
White Eared Monarch		X			1
White Faced Heron	X				1
White Headed Pigeon				X	1
White Naped Honeyeater		X			1
White Throated Gerygone		X	X		2
White Throated Honeyeater		X	X		2
White Throated Treecreeper	X	X	X	X	4
Willie Wagtail	X	X	X	X	4
Wompoo Fruit Dove	X	X	X		3
Wonga Pigeon	X		X	X	3
Yellow Faced Honeyeater		X	X		2
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo	X	X	X		3
Yellow Throated Scrub Wren	X	X	X	X	4
Total	114	132	131	91