Birds Australia North Queensland

Report of Birds Australia North Queensland Outing July 29th 2007 to southern Atherton Tablelands

What a magic day! Glorious weather great company and the birding was fantastic. The list below is my list of the day from when I picked up my new friends Celeste and John until I dropped them off in Yungaburra. it shows 96 species seen and another 10 heard. I must point out that it was not a vigorous day of mad twitching but a relaxed journey and stroll through some beautiful high altitude rainforest, tall wet sclerophyll forest and some eucalypt woodland. Of course there was open farming country as well. Four members and two guests travelled in two cars making for a compact, sociable group. The list of apologies was as long as those attending. From Yungaburra we drove via Bromfield Swamp. Here we saw both species of cranes and a Collared Sparrowhawk. Before reaching the meeting place at Mt Hypipamee we added Crimson Rosella to an expanding list. Grey-headed Robins and Brush-turkeys greeted us in the picnic area and a Golden Bowerbird shone overhead. A surprise here was two young Square-tailed Kites. After a walk to the crater we moved to some high altitude forest with emergent Blue Kauri. The highlights here were Mountain Thornbill and a male Grey Goshawk which posed on and exposed branch. Heading south we added more rainforest and eucalypt species to the list. Lunch was eaten in Ravenshoe. At Kaban we visited a farm dame and the state forest. An adult square-tailed Kite circled us and the nearby trees for about ten minutes. White-bellied Sea-Eagles had two well developed young in the nest and the dad came in while we were not watching. One of the most remarkable things of the day was the quality of the sightings. The birds were close and cooperative. An exception to this was the Little Lorikeets which stayed hidden except for dashing raids across our field of view and sometime only heard. Identification was made only because they were so small and there was the absence of any warm colour under the wing. Back in Yungaburra as we were shifting items between cars a pair of Pacific Bazas was seen as they searched a tree for tucker. One was observed to eat a green tree frog. Fourteen raptors, what a great day! Leader: Alan Gillanders».

Pacific Baza. Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway».

Atherton Tablelands Birdlist, July 29th 2007

Australian Brush-turkey Black Swan Australian Wood Duck Cotton Pygmy-goose Pacific Black Duck Hardhead Australasian Grebe Darter Little Pied Cormorant Little Black Cormorant White-faced Heron Cattle Egret Great Egret Intermediate Egret Nankeen Night Heron Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Pacific Baza Black-shouldered Kite Square-tailed Kite Black Kite Whistling Kite White-bellied Sea-Eagle Wedge-tailed Eagle Spotted Harrier Swamp Harrier Brown Goshawk Grey Goshawk Collared Sparrowhawk Brown Falcon Nankeen Kestrel Sarus Crane

Brolga Buff-banded Rail Large-Billed Scrubwren Brown Gerygone Mountain Thornbill Noisy Friarbird Noisy Miner Purple Swamphen Masked Lapwing Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) White-headed Pigeon Spotted Turtle-Dove Brown Cuckoo-Dove Emerald Dove Crested Pigeon Peaceful Dove Bar-shouldered Dove Topknot Pigeon Rainbow Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Little Lorikeet Australian King Parrot Crimson Rosella Pale-headed Rosella Brush Cuckoo White-rumped Swiflet Laughing Kookaburra Forest Kingfisher White-throated Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Red-backed Fairy-Wren Striated Pardalote Australian Fernwren

Lewin's Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater * Yellow-faced Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater Eastern Spinebill Brown Honeyeater Pale-yellow Robin Eastern Yellow Robin Grey-headed Robin Rufous Whistler Magpie-lark Grey Fantail Willie Wagtail Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Varied Triller Grey Butcherbird Pied Butcherbird Australian Magpie Pied Currawong Torresian Crow Spotted Catbird Golden Bowerbird Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Red-browed Finch Mistletoe Bird Welcome Swallow Fairy Martin Richard's Pipit Tawny Grassbird Common Myna

Heard Only Orange-Footed Scrub Fowl Australian King Parrot Orange-Footed Scrub Fowl Australian King Parrot Scarlet Honeyeater Victoria's Riflebird Chowchilla Eastern Whipbird Olive-Backed Oriole Golden-headed Cisticola