NEW BOOK ON MARY CAIRNCROSS SCENIC RESERVE

OCTOBER – SATURDAY OUTING

OCTOBER – SATURDAY OUTING

Group – Sunshine Coast

Leader/s and contact details – John Birbeck John.Birbeck@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

Location – Crohamhurst Ecological Reserve - a Sunshine Coast Council Environmental Reserve. Peachester - Meet near the corner of Crohamhurst and Cemetery Roads (on Cemetery Road)– [Crohamhurst Road runs off Bald Knob Road which itself runs from the Maleny- Landsborough towards Peachester].

Date – 19th October, 2019

Time – [beginning] – 7am

Time – [ending -estimated] – c. 10am with bird call

What to bring – hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, folding chair, morning tea.

Other details – The October outing will visit a new addition to the Crohamhurst Ecological Reserve. This visit is on rain or shine! Please park along Crohamhurst Road near the intersection of Cemetery Road. The new reserve protects wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest and adjoins pine plantation with rain-forested gullies.

October Mid week Outing

OCTOBER – WEDNESDAY - MID WEEK OUTING

Group – Sunshine Coast

Leader/s and contact details – John Kooistra (johnkooistra60@gmail.com)

Location – Kureelpa Falls Track, Kureelpa.

Location – Meet at the end of Kureelpa Falls Rd (off Nambour-Mapleton Rd opposite Dulong Lookout)

Date – 9th October, 2019

Time – [beginning] – 7am

Time – [ending -estimated] – c. 10.30am with bird call and morning tea.

What to bring – hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, folding chair, morning tea.

Other details – This walk goes into Mapleton National Park, through mainly dry eucalpyt forest, with patches of rainforest.

It does involve a creek crossing (on stepping stones) and a couple of steepish inclines. A good variety of bush birds here and a total of over 50 species should be possible. Nearest toilets are at Kanyana Park on Dulong Rd, near the lookout.

Some rare birds recorded on the Sunshine Coast in 2019

perhaps the Bird of the Year on the Sunshine Coast - Australasian Bittern photographed by Gillian Matthew at Coolum Industrial Estate.

Banded Lapwing taken at Caloundra. This bird is generally found a little further west with Lockyer Valley a more regular haunt. Some have also been recorded recently near Lake Samsonvale [outside the 'Zone of Happiness']

Blue winged Kookaburra - a rare visitor from the north? This bird was sitting politely on power lines between Yandina and Coolum 

Blue winged Kookaburra

Striped Honeyeater - an uncommon Sunshine Coast bird that has recently been regular at Parklakes, Bli Bli

TOORBUL OUTING - 14/09/19

slightly blurry pic of Terek Sandpiper - left of centre [Grey tailed Tattlers to the right]

We were hoping to see the first returning migratory waders [and also to fulfil a survey for World Shorebird Day - https://worldshorebirdsday.wordpress.com/ ] at Toorbul. And we were reasonably successful.

The following waders were seen; Bar tailed Godwits, Far Eastern Curlews, Whimbrels, Greenshanks[3], Great Knot, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpipers, Grey tailed Tattlers and one Terek Sandpiper. 

an obvious Curlew Sandpiper with distinct bill exposed

Curlew Sandpipers as commonly seen - note remnant red breeding plumage on bellies

Red Knot [Bar tailed Godwits in foreground]

Great Knot - centre - Red Knot right of centre

one of the three Common Greenshank

Resident birds included Stilts, Pied Oystercatcher, Pelicans, Swans etc.

 Toorbul is an excellent location for resident birds as well and at an adjacent lagoon we had Red kneed and Black fronted Dotterels, a good flock of Sharp tailed Sandpipers, Stilts, White faced Herons and some busy Mangrove Gerygone.

juvenile Mangrove Gerygone - yellowish plumage circling eye

juv Mangrove Gerygone

juv Mangrove Gerygone

A quick visit to Bribie to search for a recently reported Freckled Duck proved fruitless however at the nearby marina a Ruddy Turnstone kept a single golden Plover company. A single Whimbrel was nearby.  

Ruddy Turnstone on Bribie

Also at Bribie Russ Lamb visited Buckley's Hole and had a few good birds there with water levels low; 2 Latham's Snipe, 2 Buff banded Rail, 2 Spotless Crakes, 2 Sharp tailed Sandpipers and a single Baillon's Crake. Be warned though a scope was needed to view these birds.  

Spotless Crake - recently taken at Parklakes Bli Bli

11/09/19 - Wednesday September Outing!

Eastern Yellow Robin [Vince Lee]

Eleven keen birders of various ages turned-up to explore the Hamilton Rd section of Noosa Trail 7, in somewhat unexpected chilly conditions. We welcomed some visitors as well from the Noosa Bird Observers group, checking-out more of their local environment. 

male Scarlet Honeyeater [Vince Lee]

Birding commenced where we parked the cars as there were a profusion of  bottlebrush, grevillia and melaluca trees in full and spectacular blossom, attracting a variety of nectar-feeding birds. Literally dozens of Scarlet Honeyeaters swarmed through the blossom allowing the many photographers easy shots of this often difficult to photograph species. Smaller numbers of Little Wattlebird, White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Noisy Friarbird and Lewin's Honeyeater joined in the feeding frenzy. Starting down the trail we then took our usual detour into Liane Bushland Reserve where Eastern Yellow Robin Robin, Large-billed Scrubwren and Golden Whistler were constantly calling and on the move. 

Golden Whistler [Vince Lee]

Our sharp-eyed young visitor Spencer found us a Crested Shrike-tit high up in a Spotted Gum and we were fortunate that it descended to enable better views and photos. A second bird was later seen some distance away. This site is usually good for various pigeons and  fruit-doves but today we could only locate a Brown Cuckoo-Dove, and hear Bar-shouldered and Peaceful Doves in the distance. A couple of folk spied a single Varied Sitella, always fun to watch, and a new addition to this site's list.

Kookaburra [Paul Jensen]

Rainbow Lorikeet [Paul Jensen]

Variegated Fairy Wrens [Vince Lee]

          Back onto the main track we spied White-bellied Sea-Eagle soaring overhead, an adult and later an immature bird. Small parties of Little Corella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were also overhead, but unusually we saw no Yellow-tailed Blacks on the day. A couple of families of Variegated Fairy-wren and Red-browed Finch darted in and out of the trackside grass as we headed to our end-point, the bridge of a branch of 6 Mile Creek. We noted some severe erosion on the eastern bank with a number of trees having fallen into the creek beside the bridge. One birder heard a Logrunner call but we were unable to locate it. The habitat here is very suitable for Logrunner but this was the first record at the site.

White breasted Sea-Eagle [Vince Lee]

Rufous Whistler [Vince Lee]

     Morning tea was had back at Lake Macdonald where bird call revealed we had seen or heard 59 species on our morning walk. Most of the group then moved to Jabiru Park for a further hour's birding where the highlight was a large raft of Australasian Grebe. Water levels remain high and there's a fair amount of aquatic vegetation about so species numbers were down.We tallied-up 27 species before calling it a day around noon.

Russ Lamb

female Golden Whistler [Vince Lee]

WEEKEND AWAY - VINCE LEE'S PICKS!

New Holland Honeyeater at Peach Trees

Yellow faced Honeyeater

Bell Miner

Eastern Yellow Robin

male Satin Bowerbird

Brown Thornbill

SC Cockatoo

White throated Treecreeper

Brown Treecreeper

Buff rumped Thornbill

Yellow Thornbill

Striped Honeyeater

Apostlebird

Australian Bustard

Wedgetail Eagle

Australasian Grebe

White backed Swallow

White backed Swallow

White backed Swallow

Yellow rumped Thornbill

Mc House Sparrow

Dam Birding.

** all photos by Vince Lee