Birding the Tip (of Cape York Peninsula)

 Day1

The object of this trip was to see some of the Cape-York specials and see if a scheduled tour was viable.

We left Cairns on Friday 20th January at 2pm on the little 30 seater SAAB aircraft and arrived at Bamaga Airport just after 4pm. We drove out to Seisia  where we had hired a cabin. A quick beer on the veranda and we were right into the birding. Crested Terns and Lesser Frigatebird’s before we even left the veranda. Palm Cockatoo’s in the camp ground, purple wattled Brush Turkey, Friarbirds and all the usual suspects. We had dinner and an early night to prepare for an early morning start.

Australian Brush Turkey

Day 2

We headed out to Little and Big Wood Islands by boat. On Little Woody we quickly bagged the Pale and Yellow White-eye’s and had spectacular views of Mangrove Golden Whistler. It was pleasing to note dozens of turtle tracks up the beach and many fresh nests. We also saw several Mangrove Robin and had heart racing views of a Peregrine Falcon pursuing the nesting Torresian Imperial-Pigeons. On our return to the mainland we were engulfed by a nasty squall and had to take shelter in the lee of a small island along with Crested and Little Tern and a solitary Pied Oystercatcher. The rest of the day was spent poking around the local area.

Pale White-eye

Day 3

Our destination for the morning is the Lockerby Scrub. First up we searched for the Northern Scrub-robin of which we heard four and manage to get cracking views of one. Unfortunately it would not keep still long enough for a photo! Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher’s where calling everywhere as were the Magnificent Riflebird of which we got 2 male flybys and a good perched female. We heard at least 6 Red-bellied/Papuan Pitta’s calling and had cracking views of one male. Once again the light was atrocious for photography but I did manage a quick id shot.

Red-bellied/Papuan Pitta

Yellow-legged Flycatcher was heard and many Trumpet Manucode where seen and heard. We spent the afternoon exploring various settling ponds where we turned up 25 Spotted Whistling-duck’s, Magpie Goose, Common and Marsh Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis and others. Later that afternoon whilst again imbibing in a cold beer on the veranda of our cabin we just happened to notice two Beach Stone-curlew stroll by on the lawn.

Spotted Whistling-Duck

Day 4

We are back in the scrub chasing Yellow-legged Flycatcher in the rain. We had some fantastic photo opportunities with Palm Cockatoo and then went sightseeing along the east coast in the rain. After lunch and we focused on some rain-forest fringe for the local subspecies of the Spectacled Monarch (albiventris) whose buff markings end abruptly high on the breast and the Yellow-breasted Boatbill (faviventer) which has an olive back.

Palm Cockatoo

After dinner we went out spotlighting and where rewarded with six Marbled Frogmouth calling of which we were able to see three. Spectacular end to the day indeed!

Marbled Frogmouth

Day 5

Today is clear with no imminent rain showers and we head south in search of the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird. We began with a Black-backed Butcherbird, White-streaked Honeyeater, three species of Friarbird and more Palm Cockatoo sightings. We found the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird easily at his bower and spent the next two hours totally engrossed as he came and went with decorations for his bower.

Fawn-breasted Bowerbird

Later we went in the direction of Muttee, a former WWII radar instillation where we picked up Trumpet Manucode, Cicadabird, Grey Goshawk (white morph), White-streaked Honeyeater and more Palm Cockatoo. We once again spent the afternoon poking around the back roads and rain-forest pockets of Bamaga where we picked up the usual suspects and an Oriental Cuckoo.

Trumpet Manucode

Day 6

Once again a fine sunny morning and we revisited the Lockerby Scrub where I got fantastic views of a perched male Magnificent Riflebird but our main objective today was to reach the tip of Cape York, the most northerly point of the Australian Mainland.

Magnificent Riflebird

 This we did and had lovely views out to the multitude of island in the straits. Just as we were finishing up the sky blackened and the rain came down in torrents! It was still raining when we left Bamaga Airport at 4 in the afternoon.

Tip of Cape York

A 5 night 6 day fly-in fly-out birding trip from Cairns for late December this year and every year thereafter has now been planned! See the details at http://mangroverobin.wixsite.com/birding-port-douglas/extended-tours ! 

Why should you use a LOCAL GUIDE when visiting a new area?

Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater in the beautiful late afternoon light

I have just returned from a birding trip to the Alice Springs area in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was a totally new area for me and I was unfamiliar with the birds and where to find them.

Western Bowebird at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens
One of my lifers I found for myself

So I studied my field guide and checked out all the hotspots and recent sightings on eBird . Still not satisfied that I knew enough about the area I hired a guide with a vehicle. This gave me all the advantage of local knowledge and not having to drive in an unfamiliar area and look for birds!

Redthroat

My guide, Mark Carter, knew exactly where to find the birds and at what time of day they where lightly to be there. It saved a lot of time that would otherwise have been wasted waiting around for or missing out on a new species.

Red-capped Robin (female) quickly identified for me by my local guide - Mark Carter

The other saving was having a walking, talking, bird calling field guide whose pages I did not have to turn! And what do you know? 27 new species for my life list! If I had just poked around without a guide I would have found this hard to achieve.

Spinifexbird in its natural habitat! My local guide set me up nicely for this photo!

When visiting a new area I always use the local guides who know the best spots, have access to private property's and know the best time of day to visit. We even managed to locate a Bourke's Parrot in day light and then watch them coming in to drink after sunset. Thanks mark for a wonderful 3 days birding and the wealth of local knowledge - not only about the birds!

Bourke's Parrot. Not a perfect photo but a memorable sighting. 

By Doug Herrington of Birdwatching Tropical Australia in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia.

Willie Wagtails at Abattoir Swamp

Being a regular visitor to Abattoir Swamp at Julatten I noticed a pair of Willie Wagtails building a nest next to the exit on 2 January. The nest was already well advanced and the birds seemed totally unperturbed by all the comings and goings of the workers repairing the boardwalk to the bird hide.

Wrapping spider web around the nest

Both birds where coming in with pieces of bark and grass and carefully inserting them into the nest. Every now and so often one would turn up with its bill and head covered in spider webs. It would wrap these around the outside by turning around and around whilst standing in the nest.

The half completed nest

After arranging each piece of nesting material they would sit in the nest and shuffle around to shape the inside of the cup.

Shaping the inside of the nest

On another of my visits to the swamp on 14 January the pair was sitting on three eggs and still totally unperturbed by all the comings and goings. Vehicles leaving the area pass within 2 metres of the nest!

Sitting on 3 eggs

On my latest visit on the 29^th January one of the eggs had hatch and the chick was loudly demanding to be fed.

Nestling loudly demanding food

Waiting quietly for food to arrive

March with Birdwatching Tropical Australia

Cyclone Nathan finally managed to cross the coast 100km north of Cooktown on its second attempt. Here in the Port Douglas/Julatten area attempt one brought some wind and much needed rain along with several frigate birds. These could be seen in the skies above Port Douglas and Thala Beach. The second attempt brought only a few drops of rain and a light breeze as the cyclone was much further north.

Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher

Birwatching Tropical Australia has been having some good sightings of Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher in Julatten.  8 adults and 2 juveniles were seen on one of last week’s tours. Mt Lewis is as good as it always is with great sightings of Blue-faced Parrot-Finch this month.  We also saw a 2.5m long Amethystine Python along the walking track which made for a bit of excitement for our visitor from Perth!

Blue-faced Parrot-Finch

One of the ponds at Port Douglas produced an impressive 24 Pied Herons for a photographer from Melbourne and the Wandering Whistling-Ducklings and Magpie Goslings produced plenty of oh’s and ah’s from the ladies.

Wandering Whistling-Duck

The Metallic Starlings nesting at Mossman have managed to pump out a third brood of youngsters again this season.

Metallic Starling

As we look forward to the cooler dryer months of winter our shore birds and summer migrants are preparing to leave our shores. Departures should begin within the week.

Happy Birding to all!

Mount Lewis in the Summer

Recent tours to Mt Lewis have been turning up some really good birds. We usually manage to get most of the Wet Tropics Endemics and sometimes all 12. (Or 13 if you wish to include the Spotted Catbird which is also found further north on Cape York Peninsula.)

Spotted Catbird

 The Tooth-billed Bowerbirds are still very active at their respective display courts and can be heard calling all along the track.

Tooth-billed Bowerbird

We have also seen Superb and Wompoo Fruit-dove, Topknot Pigeons and Barred Cuckoo-shrike. Up to 5 flocks of Chowchilla are usually encountered along the length of the track. Both the Bridled and Lewin’s Honeyeaters are abundant and we have occasional sightings of the Eastern Spinebill.

Lewin's Honeyeater

Victoria’s Riflebird are also showing well. The hardest of the endemics to find at the moment seem to be the Golden Bowerbird and the Pied Monarch.

Pied Monarch

The recent rains have encouraged the fungi to grow and we see some really fancy looking growths

Various Fungi photographed on Mt Lewis

The  Brush Mistletoe,  Amylotheca dictyophleba, and the Climbing Guinea Flower , Hibbertia scanders, are flowering at present and add vivid splashes of colour to the usually green rainforest.

Brush Mistletoe,  Amylotheca dictyophleba

Climbing Guinea Flower , Hibbertia scanders

The Yellow-breasted Boatbill is also frequently seen along the track

Yellow-breasted Boatbill

The Dry Savannah in November

What a busy month November has been. I have had many tours with some very exciting bird encounters.  I am really enjoying the dry savannah section of my tours at the present time. This is possibly because I have managed to get two lifers for myself, including one I never expected to see in this area.  A Grey Falcon! Many thanks to John Pearson for putting me onto this bird. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get a photograph.

 

Early morning on the road to Mt Carbine

I did however get a photograph of my other lifer, the Little Curlew, which we came across at the rodeo grounds at Mareeba where he remained for almost a month, much to the delight of guests.

 

Little Curlew

Mary Farms has been fantastic for Bustards with up to 20 birds seen per visit. We have had cracking views of male birds displaying close to the road. Two guests from Red Mill House even managed to video a bird doing his boom and roar call.

 

Australian Bustard

Further north at Mt Carbine caravan park, breeding season is in full swing. Blue-faced Honeyeaters carrying nesting materials, Apostlebirds building their mud nest above the road and the Tawny Frogmouth rearing a beautiful fluffy chick. The Blue-winged Kookaburra's have hatched two chicks in an arboreal termite nest which are now well feathered.

 

Tawny Frogmouth

Apostlebird

Since the rains began, water birds at Lake Mitchell and Brady Rd Swamp have dispersed far and wide. We have been seeing White-faced and White-necked Heron in pools of water at the side of the road and many species of duck as well as Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on muddy pools in the farm paddocks.

 

Australian Pratincole

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Other interesting sightings have been a Grey Wagtail, observed for about 30 minutes, at Brady Road and several Australian Pratincole.

Birding in the Rain?

A grey and overcast morning. To bird or not to bird? It looks like rain. Oh well, let’s go anyway. Off to Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway. There are plenty of White-breasted Wood-swallows about and even a few Pacific Black Duck around in the muddy pools in the sugar cane paddocks. Ferrero Road may be worth a look. Last week there were three Barn Swallow about near the pond. Not today though. There are some Wandering Whistling-duck, a tree full of Little Black Cormorants and two Australasian Grebe. Well, here comes the rain. Wipers on and off we go. Glancing at a herd of cattle I notice a lone Cattle Egret still with some of his breeding plumage. A quick look down Heritage Lane turns up a bedraggled Horsfield’s Bushlark on the fence. The rain eases off to a light drizzle and then sunshine. I put the windows down and hear Golden-headed Cisticola calling and then the humid heat hits me like a wet slap in the face.

Australasian Grebe

Turning into Port Douglas Road the Purple Swamphen line the roadside to give a birdie welcome. Swing a left at the first traffic circle and visit the lakes in St Crispin’s Street. Bugger, here comes the rain again. The usual Grey Tattler has company today. A Pacific Golden Plover. The rain is really belting down now. Hang on, what was that? I back up and see a large bird on the green at the golf course. I open the window a crack and peer through the sheets of rain. A Beach Stone-curlew! On the golf course?

It’s Sunday and the markets are on so I head into town. Maybe I should take a look at the mangroves near the Marina before stopping at the markets. The rain is easing. Two Nankeen Night Heron. Worth the detour. A quick whip around the muddy markets is uneventful. I get back to the car just in time to watch a young fisherman pull in a mug crab. He has no idea of what to do with it and it eventually plops back into the water.

Ah! here comes the sun again. Pass another golf course. This time it’s two Bush Stone-curlew on the golf course. And a Magpie Goose! A stop at Warri Park and its lake full of water lilies is rewarding. More Purple Swamphens, a few Dusky Moorhens and one White-browed Crake. No – make that two! Dash back to the car to grab the camera, focus on the crake. What’s that? A two and a half meter croc! These birds are inches away from becoming a snack! Last time I was here I’m sure there were three crake...  Here comes the rain again.

Crake 'n Croc (Bottom right)

Back on the Captain Cook Highway again I think a quick visit to the local rubbish tip may be rewarding. The skip bins are swarming with Australian White Ibis. Two Pied Heron are also scavenging for a free feed. A Black-fronted Dotterel dashes across the road. Even a couple or Radjah Shelduck are enjoying the roadside puddles. Down at the settling ponds a flock of Hardhead are cruising about watched by a few Black-winged Stilt. A Collared Kingfisher shoots out of the mangroves followed by a Sacred Kingfisher. A Brahminy and a Whistling Kite float overhead. There are Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and Golden-headed Cisticola in the grass. Am I really at a rubbish tip?

Pied Heron and Australian White Ibis

Radjah Shelduck

Time to go home. Yes it is worth birding in the rain.