January has been quite an exciting month around Bundaberg and the Wide Bay, with lifers a plenty to keep one satisfied and numerous interesting sightings being reported around the region. My new years was spent at Tinnanbar, one of many significant wader roosting sites along our coast, which got the year going with some cracking birds.
Sunday the following weekend was spent at the Bundaberg Port where I and a few of the other local birders conduct monthly fauna surveys of the port's spoil ponds. The surveys are conducted according to the high tide as, in particular, monitoring the numbers of waders utilising the ponds are our best interest. The Broad-billed Sandpipers that had been present for the last couple of months were still here, and in addition a Pectoral Sandpiper was identified from a group of more common and very similar Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Also of interest at the port were two Black-tailed Godwits, which were seen earlier in the morning. I usually check a lagoon on Rubyanna Rd on the way to the surveys every month, and this time in particular - the Black-necked Storks and Glossy Ibis were still present as they have for the past month or two.
Also, this week saw a fellow young birder from Sydney, Ashwin Rudder, visit Bundy. It was a pleasure meeting him and, although briefly, showing him around. On the afternoon of his arrival, we were joined by Jack Moorhead to stake out some target birds at Burnett Heads, and while there Brown Noddy was seen as well as a Common Sandpiper. This relatively uncommon Sandpiper seems to be making a regular route to Bundaberg. Also, Burnett Heads has also had Beach Stone-Curlews quite regularly reported earlier in the year, a target bird for Ashwin, but didn't find any that afternoon...
A boat trip organised by the club provided a great opportunity for many to see some seabirds and other birds of the region otherwise restricted to the sand islands and cays in the Barrier Reef. This was a few peoples' first oceanic birding trip and Birdlife Bundaberg's first official boat trip, and it was enjoyed by all who came aboard. Some of the birds that were lifers to me and many others on the boat were Black Noddy, Great Frigatebird, Wandering Tattler, Sooty Tern, Roseate Tern and Streaked Shearwater. And among these were other great birds certainly of interest and noteworthy for the Bundaberg region, such as Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Bridled Tern, Black-naped Tern and Beach Stone-Curlew.
One particular evening I did some spotlighting at dusk at the marsh at the bottom of the hill at Kirby's Rd, and just before dusk a Black Bittern flew over the road, also an uncommon sight in the area. This month proved to be a fantastic start to the year...
Brandon
No comments:
Post a Comment