Esk Weekend-Away Photo Album

Courtesy John Thompson!!

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Trip Report - Esk Weekend Away

Black Falcon [Steve Popple pic]

Another successful weekend away for our group with good company and good birds and wildlife.

Blue billed Duck [poor pic by Ken Cross]

The weekend started at 5-30pm on the friday afternoon or it was going to start then however one of our number was delayed by a massive fire which caused a chaos that in turn caused massive traffic delays. It was soon forgotten though as we drove up over the Blackall Range through Mapleton and Maleny before dropping down west of Peachester enroute to Kilcoy and our evening meal. Next stop was our digs for a two night stay - Esk Caravan Park.

Pink eared Duck with Blue billed in attendance [Ken Cross]

Pink eared Duck [Ken Cross]

Pink eared Duck [Ken Cross]

From this base we explored, over a very windy Saturday, a variety of the Lockyer Valley sites. Best birds included multiple sightings of Black Falcon, two blue billed Ducks at Gatton's UQ campus,hundreds of Pink-eared Duck, several Banded Lapwing and excellent views of Buff rumped Thornbills plus migrating Silvereyes from Tasmania. Thanks to Mike Mathieson who was our trusty guide and navigator.

Buff rumped Thornbill [Ken Cross]

Buff rumped Thornbill [Ken Cross]

[Tasmanian sub sp] Silvereye [Ken Cross]

[Tasmanian sub sp] Silvereye [Ken Cross]

Banded Lapwing [Steve Popple]

A nice line of Cockatiels - rarely if ever seen on the Sunny Coast [Steve Popple] 

Had dinner and a few obligatory drinks at an Esk Hotel before some essential sleep...

Sunday allowed us to explore the nearby Crow's Nest Falls National Park and there was a lovely short two kilometre walk through forest that circled back via the creek line. A reasonable variety of bush birds with Rose robin perhaps the standout. Koala was the stand out mammal. 

Koala [Ken Cross]

Lake Perseverance  allowed us to 'twitch' Brush tailed Rock Wallabies. A cute little macropod species  that are reasonably easy to find on the dam wall.

Brush tailed Rock Wallaby [Ken Cross]

Bird Species recorded Esk Weekend

Australian Brush Turkey

Magpie Goose

Plumed Whistling-Duck

Wandering Whistling-Duck

Black Swan

Hardhead, Black Duck, Plumed Whistling Duck, Pink eared, Grey Teal [Steve Popple]

Australian Wood Duck

Grey Teal

Pacific Black Duck

Hardhead

Pink eared Duck

Blue billed Duck

Australasian Grebe

Rock Dove

Spotted Dove

Crested Pigeon

Peaceful Dove

Bar-shouldered Dove

Wonga Pigeon

Australasian Darter

Little Pied Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Little Black Cormorant

Australian Pelican

White-necked Heron

Eastern Great Egret

Intermediate Egret

Cattle Egret

White-faced Heron

Little Egret

Glossy Ibis

Australian White Ibis

Straw-necked Ibis

Royal Spoonbill

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Eastern Osprey

Black-shouldered Kite

Black Kite

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

Whistling Kite

Wedge-tailed Eagle

Nankeen Kestrel

Black Falcon

Purple Swamphen

Dusky Moorhen

Eurasian Coot

Black-winged Stilt

Black-fronted Dotterel

Red Kneed Dotteral

Masked Lapwing

Banded Lapwing

Whiskered Tern

Galah

Little Corella

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cockatiel

Rainbow Lorikeet

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Little Lorikeet

Australian King Parrot

Pale-headed Rosella

Red-rumped Parrot

Pheasant Coucal

Shining Bronze-Cuckoo

Southern Boobook

Laughing Kookaburra

White-throated Treecreeper

Superb Fairy-wren

Superb Fairy-wren [Steve Popple]

Red-backed Fairy-wren

Variegated Fairy-wren

White-browed Scrubwren

White-throated Gerygone

Striated Thornbill

Buff-rumped Thornbill

Brown Thornbill

Spotted Pardalote

Striated Pardalote

Lewin's Honeyeater

Yellow-faced Honeyeater

Noisy Miner

Little Wattlebird

Scarlet Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

White-throated Honeyeater

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Noisy Friarbird

Little Friarbird

Striped Honeyeater

Eastern Whipbird

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Golden Whistler

Rufous Whistler

Grey Shrike-thrush

Australasian Figbird

White-breasted Woodswallow

Grey Butcherbird

Leaden Flycatcher female [Ken Cross]

Pied Butcherbird

Australian Magpie

Pied Currawong

Grey Fantail

Willie Wagtail

Torresian Crow

Leaden Flycatcher

Restless Flycatcher

Magpie-Lark

Rose Robin

Eastern Yellow Robin

Silvereye

Welcome Swallow

Fairy Martin

Tree Martin

Common Starling

Common Myna

Double-barred Finch

Red-browed Finch

House Sparrow

 Mammals

Brown Bandicoot

Koala

Red necked Wallaby

Brush tailed Rock Wallaby

Reptiles

Macquarie River Turtle

Another weekend away, this time to Tin Can Bay is planned for the last weekend in November. 

AUGUST MID WEEK WALK

Hi all,

The mid week outing for August is happening on the 16^th August at the Maroochydore Botanical Gardens. The walk will be led by Vince Lee.

Please arrive at 7-45am so as to ensure an 8am start. As usual please bring a chair and morning tea. Be sun smart.

The Maroochy Botanical Gardens are located at Tanawha. The Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden comprises 82 hectares of lush forested areas and is located off Tanawha Tourist Drive. The gardens are a place of natural beauty, where visitors can come for a peaceful stroll and relax as they walk through the fern gullies and past the on-site lagoon.

SHEEP STATION CREEK - AUGUST OUTING

Powerful Owl adult

Sheep Station Creek is a little further than we would generally travel for a Sunshine Coast outing but
I'm sure all would agree that it was worth it!

Some 63 speces were recorded and quite a few would be rare to impossible on the sunshine Coast 'proper'.

Owls were the main highlights with excellent views of both Powerful and Boobook Owls. Passerines included White bellied Cuckoo Shrikes and the resident Fuscous Honeyeaters.

Photos that follow were taken by John Thompson.

Powerful Owl juveniles

Powerful Owl juveniles

Fuscous Honeyeater

Fuscous Honeyeater

Boobook Owl

Powerful Owl 

Powerful Owl juveniles

Rainbow Bee eaters

White bellied cuckoo Shrike

White bellied Cuckoo Shrike

Carpet Python

Powerful Owl juveniles - the final look!

Forthcoming Outings

A quick up-date regarding forthcoming outings.

There is a mid week outing on Wednesday, July 26 to Ben Bennet Botanical Garden in Caloundra led by Vince Lee. Please meet at the Queen Street entrance at 8am. Remember to bring morning tea, water etc. Good opportunities for birding after in and around the Caloundra headlands. No RSVP necessary.

Notice too for a ‘week end away’ for the weekend of 18, 19 and 20 of August. The plan is to depart Nambour c5-30pm on the 18 for Esk. Saturday would involve a day trip to Lockyer Valley – a variety of habitats which promise a suite of many species uncommon or impossible on the Sunshine Coast. Sunday will have a morning’s birding close to Esk before driving back to the Sunshine Coast in the afternoon. Cost tba, however it will be in the $150 ball park I imagine, depending on numbers. The price will include transport, accommodation and lunches on Saturday and Sunday. Please register your interest asap as it is “a case of first in best dressed’.

Our Saturday August outing will be to Sheep Station Creek – details to follow.

Cheers

Ken

Ken Cross | Local Branch Convenor                       

Sunshine Coast Branch

BirdLife Southern Queensland

PO Box 375                                       

Annerley QLD 4103                 

southernqld@birdlife.org.au |birdlife.org.au                   

ABN 75 149 124 774                           

birds are in our nature

Tel: 0754457881

friarbird43@bigpond.com

Blog address - http://scbab.blogspot.com.au/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1200095543411241/

CALENDAR UPDATE

October 14 – Saturday Outing – All day twitch – various locations          Leaders – Steve Popple + others - NOTE NEW DATE!!

July Outing

We have our July outing this Saturday morning at Ferntree National Park, near Nambour.

Travel along Nambour-Yandina connection road from Nambour turn left into Ferntree Creek Road. About 100mts turn left crossing the railway line. Travel to the end of the road, just past Munda Rd. Parking beside the road.

Please plan to arrive at 8am. The walk will be led by Nambour local, Vince Lee and assisted by myself and perhaps others. As usual please bring a seat, cuppa, snack to help you get through the bird call.