June 2015 in Bundaberg

I'd hate to sound repetitive, but I'm afraid that this post will probably sound vaguely familiar to last month's... I went for another visit to Gengers Rd one bliss morning to try again for the Black-breasted Button-Quails. Gengers Rd is a reliable site close to Bundaberg were to see rainforest species amongst the other usual birds. Regularly seen here are Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, Spectacled Monarch and Rufous Fantail, and birds seen by others include Noisy Pitta, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Topknot Pigeons and White-eared Monarch. The most surprising birds of this visit was a pair of Satin Flycatchers and a Little Eagle along Moore Park Rd. Since I first reported the button-quails at Moore Park, most of the locals have been visiting the site quite regularly over the last few months, which has produced some good records during this short period of time. This is, I think, very important data as the area is very close to residential land which is susceptible to development and is probably the last patch of sufficient coastal rainforest scrub in the region. The silver lining of this site is that Black-breasted Button-Quails are in fact endangered species and are very habitat-specific.

There are fewer and fewer waders at the port during our survey this month, however there is still some Red-necked Stints and Curlew Sandpipers flying about erratically, presumably ready to take off on migration. Just as well too because the Peregrine Falcon seems to have claimed the observation platform as its own. Raptors are generally easily come across at this time of year, and some that were about the port were Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Hobby, Brahminy Kite, Black Kite, Swamp Harrier and Spotted Harrier. Also at this time of year we can focus on some of our resident waders and appreciate them more than we do during summer - residents such as Red-capped Plover, Black-fronted Dotterel, Red-kneed Dotterel as well as the Double-banded Plovers which reside away from the NZ winter.

A local birder, John Hall was out and about this month and saw a couple of nice records for the region - Fairy Prions offshore from 1770 and a Red-backed Kingfisher, usually an inland inhabitant, on the way to Elliot Heads. I decided to check out a little conservation park in Bullyard as I'd never been there before, and it was quite interesting. The habitat featured eucalypt and stringybark dominated woodland that followed a rocky ridge which gave way to sclerophyll at the bottom and also had patches of brigalow woodland. Some of the highlights include White-throated Treecreeper, Varied Sittella, Variegated Fairy-wren and a calling Australian Owlet-nightjar.

Jack, Jane and I spent a day at Stockyard Crk and Cordalba SF. It was relatively quiet throughout the morning, particularly around Stockyard Crk where only the usual suspects seemed to be around. At Cordalba, however, we were able to add a few more species to the list, such as Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, Little Lorikeet, Dusky Woodswallow, Fuscous Honeyeater, Jacky Winter and Buff-rumped Thornbill. Overall a great day to be out birding, and a great month for birding...

Brandon

May 2015 in Bundaberg

The weather this month has been getting ever cooler, but is still rather mild pleasant. On the most part this is a brilliant time of year for bush birds, however I hadn't been out much at all. Some interesting news has came out this month... two migratory waders which are generally numerous Australian visitors have been listed as critically endangered and endangered in their breeding ranges - Curlew Sandpiper and Eastern Curlew. The Curlew Sandpiper suffering an 80% decline in only recent years!

I didn't make it to the port survey this month (mainly because I was lazy and slept in), and after hearing the report from the morning I was kicking myself for not being there. 7 Red-necked Avocets showed up as they seem to do at the same time every year. I'd be interested to know where else they go in the region. One of the avocets however fell prey to the juvenile Peregrine Falcon, which would no doubt be a spectacular show of nature. A few other raptors were about also that morning, including Swamp Harriers, Brown Falcon and Brown Goshawk. The most exciting bird from the survey is the site's first record of Plum-headed Finch!

Nev and I decided to go out to Stockyard Crk since we were bored at home, though we managed to pick one of the windiest days of the month. Bird activity was pretty light-on and quiet. Despite the circumstances we still saw Azure Kingfisher, Common Bronzewing, Spectacled Monarch, Golden Whistler, Fuscous Honeyeater and Wedge-tailed Eagle. Also while driving around trying desperately add birds to the list were Brown Falcons, Australian Hobby and Nankeen Kestrel.

Chris Barnes visited Cordalba again this month, which always produces nice birds. Along with the usual birds such as Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, a Speckled Warbler made an appearance as well as a single Little Woodswallow amongst flocks of Dusky Woodswallows and Tree Martins. One of the Square-tailed Kites of the area showed up and disturbed a Glossy Black-Cockatoo from its feeding.

The club's campout this month was around the Mount Perry region, in the brigalow country north-west of Bundaberg. Some birds that are generally brigalow specialists seen on this trip include White-eared Honeyeater, Speckled Warbler and Varied Sittella. At night the only thing around was a calling Australian Owlet-nightjar. Overall 77 species were seen on the outing, which isn't impressive but not as disappointing considering blossom in the trees was minimal.

April 2015 in Bundaberg

This month saw the weather finally start to cool down and bush birds become more active, which gave me the motivation to get away from the waders for a while. I decided to return to Gengers Rd earlier in the month to look for the button-quails again. Not far past the causeway where the habitat turns to coastal rainforest scrub, fresh platelets and a slight rustle gave away the presence of feeding button-quail! This is probably the easiest way to find them. Sure enough, a couple of Black-breasted Button-Quails took to cover allowing me a quick look. Other birds seen this morning were Rufous Fantail, Spectacled and Black-faced Monarch and a fruit-dove (presumably Rose-crowned) as well as the Australian Owlet-nightjar calling again.

Around the house Square-tailed Kites have been occurring regularly and have also been recorded in Bargara. At the port the waders have depleted as they prepare to migrate north again, although a Glossy Ibis and a pair of Black-necked Storks briefly stopped by. Chris was very lucky with Black Bitterns this month, flushing a juvenile at the Barolin Nature Reserve and an adult at Stockyard Creek. I went to try my luck at the Barolin Reserve but only managed to flush a Buff-banded Rail and a possible Bush-hen but also seen was Pacific Baza, White-throated Gerygone and Grey-crowned Babbler. Chris also had a more thorough morning at Gengers Rd as well... reporting Rose Robin, Noisy Pitta, Topknot Pigeon, Shining Flycatcher and White-eared Monarch.

I also decided to do a day outing to Meadowvale and Sharon Gorge this month, which was quite a productive morning with 89 species recorded. Grey Fantails had returned with force for the winter ahead. Birds that were seen at Meadowvale include Little Lorikeet, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, White-throated Treecreeper, Forest Kingfisher, Little Wattlebird and Cicadabird. Sharon Gorge produced the usual, such as Golden Whistler and Rufous Fantail, but also surprisingly a Dusky Myzomela. I also stopped at a roadside dam, and later the Botanic Gardens which saw a Swamp Harrier, Collared Sparrowhawk and Azure Kingfisher as well as Brown Goshawk and Great Cormorant at the gardens.

There was only one Birdlife Bundaberg outing this month as it was their annual week-long camp, this year to Currawinya NP. I could not come on this trip, although I wanted to, however those that did had a blast. Not much has been said about the trip since then, but apparently a trip report was being written and I will post that when it's finished...

Batrachotoxins in Birds!

I got really excited when I found out that birds of a whole genus, as well as some other species, had batrachotoxins in their feathers... have a read of this and see what you think:

Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather

This certainly raises a lot of questions, but nonetheless is very interesting. There seems to be few articles or scientific journals about this on the internet, and I haven't had a chance to read many, but I am keen on developing some sort of bigger picture myself for my own interest. I will definitely post anything else that I find.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC34071/#__ffn_sectitle

Brandon

March 2015 in Bundaberg

March was very productive around Bundaberg with plenty of interesting and noteworthy birds being recorded. In our first month of Autumn, the weather showed no sign of cooling down as we were experiencing quite hot days for almost the whole month. I did not get out and about much this month so I have no reports of my own apart from the Square-tailed Kites which were still hanging around Walker St and the TAFE campus... one was even spotted over my house, which is a fair way from TAFE and is a new bird for my house list.

The first scheduled outing was to Garnett's Lagoon with an optional campout at the nearby Wongi State Forest. I could not attend this one, however being south of Bundaberg, this is generally a popular outing for the Hervey Bay birders as well. There wasn't much of a report for this outing, so I don't know exactly what was seen this weekend but I do know Wood Sandpipers were seen and that birds like Latham's Snipe, Glossy Ibis and Black-tailed Godwits are regular there in Summer. Wongi has some excellent birding and is usually good for Black-chinned Honeyeater, Varied Sittella, Fuscous Honeyeater among others, as well as some freshwater causeways do have White-throated Nightjars hawking over on dusk.

The second outing of March was a day trip to Moore Park and surrounds, lead by me. My main objective of the morning was to look for some button-quails that I had seen off Gengers Rd before. We never located any button-quails that morning probably because birding with a group is partially a contributing factor there. The habitat off Gengers Rd is quite moist with some parts of monsoon forest being generally good for some rainforest birds. It was a drizzly morning so bird activity started slow but picked up in between showers, and produced some cracking birds indeed, such as Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Shining Flycatcher, Azure Kingfisher, Dusky Myzomela, Black-faced and Spectacled Monarch. I was also surprised to hear an Australian Owlet-nightjar call from within the mangroves, which I have never encountered before. Other birds seen on this outing include Nankeen Night-Heron, Swamp Harrier, Brown Falcon and Brown Goshawk... overall a great morning.

A couple of the locals decided to head to Cordalba State Forest one morning and reported some nice birds. Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters are apparently in good numbers and Black-chinned Honeyeaters are present. Cuckoos recorded include Brush, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, and Little and Shining Bronze-Cuckoos. Red-tailed, Yellow-tailed and Glossy Block Cockatoos were also seen that morning which is a pleasing sighting.

Some of the other birders have been scouting the area recently, including Chris Barnes who has been visiting the Port almost weekly. A Pectoral Sandpiper was found again, the Asian Dowitchers have still been around (presumably moving between Burnett Heads and our survey site with the tides) and plenty of Fork-tailed Swifts in the sky from the few storm fronts we've had. Two Brolgas have also turned up briefly, it appears and a Peregrine Falcon likes to perch on top of the huge sugar sheds. Chris says the resident Grey Goshawks have been making regular appearances over the Botanic Gardens recently and the Peregrines that have bred in the CBD in previous years are back and can be usually seen of an afternoon flying and calling anywhere from the main street. So, that's basically March in a nutshell... looking forward to posting next month's snippets.

Brandon

February 2015 in Bundaberg

Birding in Bundaberg this month was rather quiet, however most birding that I did involved waders... I haven't really had the motivation this summer to do some bush birding but I'm looking forward to doing so soon when the weather cools down. Earlier in the month we port surveyors were allowed to hold a shorebird identification day at the port's survey site. This was following a short outing to Gorman's Park for anyone that was interested. For many of the people who attended their best interest was seeing the Pectoral and Broad-billed Sandpipers that have been present lately. And while we all tried to find them, it wasn't until we were doing the survey and most people had left did we find the birds.

Earlier in the month a young British birder, Ros Green, visited Bundaberg as she was travelling up eastern Australia. It was organised that I show her around the area, and it was the least I could do as I helped her gain 50+ new birds! A Common Noddy on the coast was presumably a result of the miserable weather that day. But despite the weather it was a good day, and it's always great to show new people around this area.

It was very sad news on February 11 that we inevitably lost one of birding's greats, Trevor Quested, who fell victim to MND. He had been a mentor to me and many others, he was revered and will be remembered for his kind heart and incredible knowledge. RIP Trevor.

Since starting TAFE this month I have been seeing a resident pair of Square-tailed Kites, which are generally uncommon locally except for this regular pair that frequent this part of Bundaberg. Also while scouting the region, two Wood Sandpipers appeared at the wetland on Hermans Rd as well as Latham's Snipe as usual.

Later this month Cyclone Marcia threatened the region but missed, however Yeppoon and Rockhampton copped the direct hit. Although, we still had plenty of storm activity to blow in some unusual birds with Great Frigatebirds, shearwaters and offshore terns being reported along the coasts. And at Burnett Heads we also had two Asian Dowitchers appear after the storms, which were a surprise! That's all for February and I hope March is more productive.

Brandon

January 2015 in Bundaberg

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