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Cape York in the Wet (Part Two)

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Cape York in the Wet (Part Two) VOL. 16 (1) MARCH 1995 3 AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1995, 16, 3- 10 Cape York in the Wet (Part Two) by GORDON R. BERULDSENl and KLAUS UHLENHUP 1P.O. Box 387, Kenmore, Queensland 4069 2P.O. Box 133, Silkwood, Queensland 4856 In a previous paper, Beruldsen (1990) reported on selected species observed on Cape York Peninsula over the years 1986 to 1989 inclusive, with descriptions of habitats, seasonal conditions, nesting and migration. The two present authors have since made a series of trips to that area north of the Jardine River and here record further observations. Uhlenhut is a professional natural-history guide specialising in birds, and was the resident naturalist at the Cape York Wilderness Lodge (now Pajinka Wilderness Lodge) from April 1986 to February 1988. Selected systematic list Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami On 18 January 1994, along the road from Bamaga to the Jardine River crossing on the road to Cairns, a Brush-turkey broke cover and flew across the road just in front of the vehicle, to disappear on the other side. The area was tropical woodland and some kilometres from the nearest (small) patches of monsoon forest. It was a considerable distance from any extensive monsoon forest. The bird's wattle was pinkish white, not bright yellow. It was the breeding season and several of the Brush-turkey mounds seen over the previous few days were being worked. This observation is in contrast with the previous observation of a bird with a yellow wattle near this site, in January 1992 (Beruldsen 1992). The bird was probably a male. At Iron Range the purple/pink-wattled birds are found as far inland as Musgrave, well beyond the monsoon forest areas. In females the wattle is more or less incomplete, none or very little showing at the back of the neck (Uhlenhut pers. obs.). Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalnulta In January 1994 frequently, particularly in the late afternoon, small groups of this species were seen flying south down the coast past Seisea, almost certainly on migration and probably from New Guinea. Groups consisted generally of eight to 20 birds. Long-tailed Buzzard Henicopemis longicauda (?) In January 1993, Beruldsen was driving on the road from Bamaga to Seisea with participants in the Cape York Bird Week. A large raptor was observed in the distance near the settlement of New Mapoon. The raptor flapped and glided slowly, diagonally across the road, ultimately disappearing over the top of dense monsoon forest covering the next ridge. Beruldsen, having made a life-long study of the identification of raptors on the wing and at a distance, immediately recognised that this bird was 'strange'. The particular features that stood out were the large size, the almost uniformly dark (black) colour, the large wings held horizontally in glide with prominent fingers, and a very long tail. It was not possible to stop and pursue the bird, for it was proceeding to fly over dense monsoon forest and soon disappeared behind a ridge. The bird was not a Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax, for the wings were held horizontally in glide and the tail was not wedge-shaped. It was not a dark morph of the Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides, for the tail was far too long and slightly rounded, not slightly fanned with a square tip as in the Little Eagle, and the wing position in glide was too flat. It was not a dark phase of the Black-breasted Buzzard Hamirostra melanostemon, for the tail was far too long (short in the Black-breasted Buzzard), the wings were held horizontally not upswept, and there was no evidence of colour in the wing. It was not a Swamp Harrier Circus approximans, for that species' wings are held in a steep dihedral in glide. It was not a Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus or an immature Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus, for it was far too dark (appeared black) and the tail was far too long. It was not an immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster, for again the tail was far too long and the wings were flat and not in a dihedral as in the Sea-Eagle. One is left with little option but to consider a vagrant from New Guinea, and all the indications at the time fitted the Long-tailed Buzzard. AUSTRALIAN 4 BERULDSEN & UHLENHUT BIRD WATCHER This observation is not published for the purpose of claiming a new species for Australia, but rather as an incentive to others to be alert for a similar bird, or any unusual bird of prey, at the tip of Australia. Gurney's Eagle Aquila gumeyi (?) In January 1991 Beruldsen, with a group of guests, was at the western end of Frangipanni Beach which is on the western side of the tip of Cape York. A large bird of prey, which none of us could identify, was observed flying low over a rocky headland beyond the end of the beach. At first it looked like a Black-breasted Buzzard but the white 'windows' in the wings were indistinct and irregular, and the bird soared on horizontal instead of upswept wings. It was overcast and showery at the time, and we could not risk crossing the creek at the end of the beach where there were several large crocodiles. We had to retreat without an adequate identification, the bird being too far away and the light too poor. Several days later, Beruldsen was in the vicinity of the headland but this time on the western side, at the eastern end of Punsand Bay. A similar bird was observed again in poor conditions, but this time a little closer and in slightly better light. Again the perception was of a Black-breasted Buzzard but the white in the wings was indistinct and irregular, the tail was too long and too fanned, and the wings in glide were held horizontally and not upswept as in the Black-breasted Buzzard. The bird appeared to be the size of, or slightly smaller than, a White-bellied Sea-Eagle (which was also in the vicinity on that day) and uniformly dark, although lighting was poor, and glided on wings held flat . In January 1993 whilst walking along Frangipanni Beach, Beruldsen noticed a large raptor flying from the vicinity of the same headland towards York Island which is just off the tip of the Cape. The bird flew slowly with long, loping wing-beats, and was identical in appearance to the bird that had been seen two years previously. The bird was observed for 10 minutes, during which time it reached the island and commenced flying back and forth along the shore, apparently foraging. Each time the bird ceased flapping and went into glide, the wings were held horizontally. Ultimately the bird rounded the eastern end of the island and disappeared from sight. It was close in size to a Wedge-tailed Eagle or a White-bellied Sea-Eagle although it was definitely not either, for both those species glide with the wings swept upwards. Likewise it was not a Black-breasted Buzzard, for again that species glides with wings swept upwards, and has a short rounded tail. It was too large to be anything else and one had to conclude that it was a Gurney's Eagle. Again, this sighting is published to encourage others to keep watch. Several other people have reported a similar-looking bird, around the same location, over the past few years. There are records of Gurney's Eagle for Boigu Island in Torres Strait (Garnett 1987) and Cape York (Young in Britton 1992). Red-necked Crake Rnllina tricolor This species is relatively common both in the monsoon forest and elsewhere where there are creeks or water, and breeds freely in the wet season. On one occasion Uhlenhut heard one calling, and eventually located it high on a rocky hillside well away from water, but nevertheless still within monsoon forest. This species appears to wait until after the pre-Wet storms have passed and the monsoon sets in in earnest before it commences breeding. Nests have been found in a dense mat of lawyer vines, at the base of the leaf stem against the trunk of low-growing Pandmzus, and on the ground between the buttresses of a monsoon-forest tree. All nests were close to running streams. Bush-hen Amauromis olivaceus Both authors have searched for this bird, or listened for its call, on most occasions without success. On 14 January 1994 in the evening at Seisea, Beruldsen heard the typical and familiar 'braying' call of a Bush-hen coming from the long grass in a hollow that becomes flooded through the wet season. A search was made the next morning but, as anticipated from the dry conditions, none was found. A few days later, about a kilometre to the south in another area that floods through the Wet, the 'braying' call was again heard, this time at about 0900 h. A search was made of the area several days later, but no bird was seen although the typical 'clucking' call was heard coming from long grass. The locality appeared suited to the species but for the lack of water, and it would have been only a few days to a week or so before sufficient rain would have filled the area. In January 1994, Uhlenhut heard calls and flushed one in rank grass close to Pajinka Wildnerness Lodge just south of the tip of Cape York. Later, the species was also calling several times in the same vicinity. These records help to define the species' distribution in northern Queensland (cf.
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