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Contact Call Contact Call Newsletter of BirdLife Northern Queensland Volume 8 Number 1 March 2019 BirdLife Northern Queensland Annual General Meeting 2019 When : Thursday 14 March 2019, 7:30–9:30pm Where: Malanda Hotel, 2 English Street, Malanda Dinner is available at own cost at the venue from 6 pm. Double-eyed Fig-parrot. Image courtesy of Peter Valentine. Contents ➢ Convenor’s report ➢ A Bourke’s Parrot story Following the AGM there will be a ➢ Queensland Gouldian Finch research update special guest presentation by ➢ Carpentarian Grasswrens are calling Kath Shurcliff on ➢ Amazing bird discovery on Cairns Esplanade Cooktown Birds mudflats The Jewel In The Crown of North ➢ BirdLife Northern Queensland Kirrama Range Bowerbird Survey Queensland?? ➢ Golden Bowerbirds and a dead Green Ring-tailed Possum Cooktown – the site of the first British settlement in Australia, and importantly, the first reconciliation ➢ Sunbathing Papuan Frogmouth between British and Aboriginal cultures. But what is ➢ Strange colours in Victoria’s Riflebird immature its importance to our unique north Australia birds? males It lies at the very top of the Wet Tropics and the ➢ News from Mount Isa - January 2019 very bottom of Cape York. Is it poor cousin or jewel in the crown? What is the Torresian Barrier and is it ➢ Do you have BADS? real? Come and find out, add your own insights, ➢ A birders camping guide to exploring north and together we'll discover one of our most unique, Queensland and often missed-out birding places. ➢ Lake Barrine and Cathedral Fig outing Peter Valentine, Convenor ➢ Why has North America only 1000 breeding species? For more information, please contact me on 4096 6171 or email [email protected]. We look ➢ Warrina Lakes birding forward to seeing you there! ➢ Stickybeaks calendar ➢ Noticeboard and events calendar BirdLife Northern Queensland toll on wildlife, often over-looked while we count the From the Convenor human tragedy. Reports of crashes in local insect populations from around the world ought to engender It is always a pleasure to read about birders enjoying fears not just about pollinators for human crops but birds and for me one of the great benefits of BirdLife the prospect of ecosystem collapse. I hope that this membership is the Australian BirdLife magazine from Federal election can have a big focus on our response the national office (replete with advertisements) and to Climate Change. Meantime we still learn of human our very own Contact Call so expertly edited by Ceri pets (owned by irresponsible citizens) taking out Pearce. The November edition was brim full of breeding colonies of beach birds like Hooded Plovers excellent stories that took us all around our region and and Fairy Terns. One of our important roles as a appraised us of the latest developments in birding. Our Branch is to keep working at the local level to make Branch is fortunate to have such a wonderful sure we take the necessary actions to better protect newsletter and I express my appreciation to all the our birds and that means lots of effort to inform our members who contribute and encourage others to local Councils and to work with them to produce write a piece for Ceri. Of course, in our modern world improved bird conservation. It might be useful for the we can also take advantage of the internet and first Branch to find a member who could take on the role of stop is our own informative website. Here the collated liaison with local government over bird conservation wisdom of a generation or more of BirdLife members and keep the Branch informed about improvements. informs our bird lists and birding information area, an excellent first stop for anyone planning a birding Our Branch has been concerned about the potential excursion. It’s also the way to keep up with events and effects of climate change on some of our species, to discover more about some of our ongoing projects especially the upland rainforest birds. I am hoping that like the grasswren survey and the crane count. I we may have a chance to hear from one of our experts appreciate the work that Mikey Kudo does in keeping about the basis for those concerns in April. Professor the website up to date. Our Facebook page, managed Steve Williams, who led a major program of field by our champion, Doug Herrington, is also a great research to collect data about habitat requirements for forum to share information and stay up to date with our wildlife, has developed the capacity to model the the very latest events and bird sightings in our region, ways in which various changes associated with global as well as seek advice on bird identification and share warming in our region would impact on our different birds and mammals. We will let you know the details of your amazing bird photos. the presentation when confirmed. A recent development in our communications is the Late last year I received reports from members about occasional eNews now being sent to members by our access issues at Lake Mitchell. It appears that although Secretary Renee Cassells. In a world with rapidly the causeway used by birders remained accessible, changing circumstances, email helps keep us better police had been accosting birders about the legitimacy connected and Renee is able to bring members up to of their being on the causeway. I had noticed myself date with emerging events and any essential that the old wooden gate had been replaced but that it information about our projects and other activities. remained unlocked. Subsequently I spoke with the The Senate Inquiry into Australia’s faunal extinction Mayor (of Mareeba Shire Council) about the situation crisis continues slowly and in late November an and on behalf of the Branch I have made a formal extension was granted that will not see the final report representation to the Council to clarify the question of tabled until the end of May this year. Over 400 access, after first discussing the matter with the submissions have now been made including our own Queensland Parks and Wildlife Department to ensure I and one by the national office. These can be consulted knew the facts. It is by no means a simple situation as on the website for the inquiry maintained by the the area used includes areas of a Camping and Water Parliament: Reserve (Big Mitchell Creek) but also some privately https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Com leased land and some freehold land. I hope to use this mittees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Fa opportunity to highlight the importance of birding, both unalextinction for residents and local businesses, in the Mareeba Sadly, the critical nature of this crisis has been brought Shire and to ensure Council is fully supportive of these home even more by the numerous weather disasters activities. In the first instance, we need clarification around Australia. The record-breaking heat extremes about the access situation from the Council, who hold across most of the continent does not just make life the C&W Reserve in trust. If any members have views uncomfortable for humans but places severe stress on or experiences about this matter please feel free to let wildlife and increases the risks from wildfires. The me know (email is good) and I hope to report back unprecedented wildfires in the Tasmanian World soon with the Council response. It would be helpful if Heritage Area not only destroys ancient vegetation BLNQ members who live in the Mareeba Shire communities but stresses other wildlife. The encouraged their local Council member to take a astonishing rain events of north eastern Queensland positive view about this matter. and north western Queensland will have taken a huge Peter Valentine, Convenor. 2 Contact Call Volume 8 Number 1 Contact Call BirdLife Northern Queensland Committee A Bourke’s Parrot story Committee Name Contact details I'll always remember seeing my first Bourke’s Parrot. Convenor Peter Email: It was in 2002 and we were on the Cairns Esplanade. Valentine [email protected] and This is when Keith and I were still living in Cairns and phone: 07 40966171 spent a lot of time watching waders and also talking to Deputy Convenor Martin Email: [email protected] and birdwatchers that gravitated to this iconic stretch of Willis phone: 07 40966581 mudflat. We loved it when we met up with overseas Secretary and Renee Email: birders who had just flown into Cairns and were Communications Cassels [email protected] experiencing Australian birds for the first time. Coordinator Treasurer Wendy Email This day it was a young enthusiastic English couple Cooper [email protected] who were enthralled at seeing waders so close. We and phone: 07 40968272 chatted to them about their travel plans and then they Cairns Area Tom Collis Email: [email protected] told us that they had just seen a Bourke's Parrot Coordinator and phone: 0401783795 feeding with Peaceful Doves further down the Conservation Kath Email Esplanade. I think we rolled our eyes in disbelief, but Coordinator and Cape Shurcliff [email protected] and then they brought out their digital camera and showed York Area phone: 07 4069 6595 us a photo. Just as they said, a group of Peaceful Coordinator Doves with a Bourke's Parrot feeding with them. This Tablelands Area Martin Email: [email protected] and was in the days when we both still had film cameras Coordinator Willis phone: 07 40966581 and it was my first experience of seeing a bird on the back of a digital camera. Stickybeak Golo Email: Coordinator Maurer [email protected] A short walk took us to see for ourselves – obviously KBA Coordinator Ray Pierce Email: [email protected] an escapee, but still my first Bourke's Parrot.
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