The Wren September 16 2019

The Wren

Volume 8 Number 3 September 2019

Female Red-backed Fairy-wren ...... Steve Dew

PRESIDENTS REPORT Contents PRESIDENT’S REPORT ...... 1 Welcome to another edition of The Wren, September 2019. JUNE OUTING TO CAPE PALMERSTON ...... 2/3 The month of August has seen bird activity EUNGELLA BIRD WEEK ...... 3 go from almost nonexistent to rather hectic. NAIRANA NIGHTJARS ...... 4 At least it did where I went. JULY OUTING – SANDRINGHAM CONSERVATION PARK .. 5 Bush birds at the Mackay Regional Gardens ST LAWRENCE WETLANDS ...... 5 came alive as grevillea and bottlebrush plants PALUMA IN JULY ...... 6/7 began to flower. SPLASH FEST – LAMBERT’S BEACH, MACKAY ...... 7 However the water bid numbers haven’t AUGUST OUTING – MCLEAN’S MT OSSA ...... 8/9/10 changed for the better with Water Hyacinth DE MOYLYNS DELIVERS ...... 10 and Water Lettuce covering much of the MANGEY WOMBATS ...... 11/12/13 lagoon and consuming dissolved oxygen. SIGHTINGS BY MEMBERS ...... 13 The MRC have a plan to rectify the problem. BUFF BREASTED KINGFISHER FLEDGLING ...... 14 Planning for the October 14th to 20th ETHICAL PHOTOGRAPHY ...... 14 Eungella Bird Week is progressing well. THE BOWRA EXPERIENCE ...... 15/16 The project coordinator, Sheena Gilman of AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT ...... 16 Save the Bush Alliance, is an experienced organizer and is on top of the job. Please BIRD MONITORING AT EUNGELLA ...... 17/18 make contact if you’d like to be involved in BIRDLIFE MACKAY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ...... 18 the data collecting week. Citizen science in MEMBER PROFILE ...... 19 action. MONTHLY OUTINGS CALENDAR ...... 20 Daryl Barnes

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BIRDLIFE MACKAY JUNE OUTING - CAPE PALMERSTON June 2nd 2019. Two days prior to this monthly outing, Mackay got its first cold blast from the south and it still lingered. However this morning, missing was the wind factor and so it was quite pleasant under the high blanket of cloud. Our four car convoy arrived at the Cape Palmerston Holiday Park and met with caretaker Ben at 7.35am. (Col and Kate Box were away traveling around Australia.) Ben directed us to a good place to park up for all five vehicles. We worked out a plan of attack. There was a short bush track that led us to the beach where we took time to absorb the atmosphere and admire the scenery as we searched the area for any bird life, before strolling northwards towards the creek mouth. On the ground and following the tide as it was receding were several Red-capped Plovers, we came across a few Rainbow Bee-eaters ducking and diving after insects before they’d return to an exposed dead tree branch to consume the catch. Another highlight along here were the nesting Striated Pardalotes. We identified two active nests that had been made in the two metre vertical sand bank and above the high tide mark. The beach was noticeably clean and free of litter but near the mouth of the creek it was a different story. We soon were able to fill a plastic bag with a mixture of litter that was predominantly small plastic items. The walk following the vehicle access track back to the park had Photo by Jenny White moments of high activity where good habitat for smaller birds existed. Birds like Little Shrike-thrush, White-eared and Spectacled Monarchs, Grey and Rufous Fantails, Fairy Gerygone, Varied Triller and Silvereye. Walking amongst the Magpie Geese, Radjah Shelducks, Wood Ducks and Masked Lapwings wandering around the fringes of the holiday park, made you feel like you were in a wildlife park. Smoko was taken in the large rotunda just before the migratory species of grey nomad bocci players descended. We then drove to the dam which wasn’t far off but because it was on the way out, it seemed the obvious thing to do. This area had open grassy habitat plus some eucalypts melaleuca’s, wattles etc. created an environment completely different to where we had spent most of the morning and so nearly all of the birds we identified were new. A few of these were White-throated Gerygone, Bar-breasted Honeyeater, Pale-headed Rosella, Red-backed Fairy-wren; Comb-crested Jacana and Royal Spoonbill. Bird call was conducted before leaving here and everyone guessed in the forties and fifties except for Alison who took 75 as the number of species identified for the morning. We came up with 72 species.

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Mary, Daryl and Francis on the creek bank ...... Photo by Jenny White Story by Daryl Barnes

EUNGELLA BIRD WEEK Preparations are steadily coming together for the third annual Bird Week at Eungella from the 14th to the 18th of October. Without Steve and Sally of Wildmob steering the ship this time, it will create a new set of circumstances that we’ll work our way through. We are changing the format from what occurred the previous two years. This year’s event will be more structured and will be more routine for the local guides as well as for the visiting volunteers. With Sheena Gillman of ‘Save the Bush Alliance’ at the helm and overseeing proceedings, we should compile a significant amount of data from surveying several specific sites during the week. Of particular interest will be if we can identify any tagged birds and capture a photograph. Story by Daryl Barnes

White-Browed Scrub-wren feeding a Fan-tailed cuckoo on Cockies Creek Road, in the Crediton State Forest at Eungella – photo by Richard Atkinson

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Juvenile Fan-Tail Cuckoo – photo by Richard Atkinson NAIRANA NIGHTJARS Fellow birder and club member, Richard Atkinson, put the suggestion to me that we take a trip west to Nairana National Park, and do some birding (der, why else!). The first thing I did after saying ‘why not,’ was to see exactly where this place was. The boundary of Birdlife Mackay lies roughly within a line that’s drawn between the towns of Bowen, Collinsville, Clermont and St Lawrence and the coastline back to Bowen, between Collinsville and Clermont and close to Belyando Crossing. This park was somewhere near that line. Okay, so let’s go. Being a permit access park, we were restricted by National Parks regulations to a maximum of eight personnel permitted on the property at any one time. When advertised, demand was excessive and so I apologise to those who missed out on a spot. The Mackay contingent arrived early to find a locked gate preventing access to the homestead, but before too long, ranger Michelle’s smiling face appeared. Graham wasn’t far behind and the site induction was held and was completed and Michelle departed. We were instructed to text head ranger Ben in Clermont around 5.00pm daily, which Richard managed without any prompting by the third day! We went to Nairana expecting cold nights and we got just that, the first night. It took us until mid morning Saturday before we started to shed jackets, scarves and beanies. However the following two nights were mild and very comfortable. I’ve written 240 words here and it’s time I mentioned a few birds I guess. My poem about the Spotted Nightjar in this edition of The Wren, sums up the highlights of the trip from a birding perspective. I went to this park hoping to see lots of dry country birds and whilst the 92 species recorded contains a few different ones, numbers of each was low. Of the honeyeaters, the Singing was the most prominent with only isolated sightings of the Spiny-cheeked, Striped, White-plumed and Rufous-throated. Other birds of note include Variegated Fairy-wren, Rufous Songlark, Brown Treecreeper, Little Woodswallow, Varied Sittella, Spotted Bowerbird, Grey-crowned Babblers and White-winged Triller. Story by Daryl Barnes

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NAIRANA NIGHTJARS

There was movement at the station, as the word was passed around That some birdo’s from Mackay were on their way From the tops of trees down to the ground They’ll use sharp eyes and ears for sound So if it’s there it will be found Both night and day they will survey

A Nairana map they were able to scan Gathered on the verandah and then made a plan The homestead dam, they walked to first Variegated Fairy-wrens on the scene they burst

A night excursion was to that same location Where they didn’t need any imagination Because on the gravelly bank, in the shining light Was a pair of eyes that were sitting tight

A nightjar yes, they could confirm Spotted or white-throated, was their concern It made no sound that they could hear And they didn’t see it, even disappear

Then during night three, at another site An image was captured, to help get it right But when a bird in flight, added to the confusion It didn’t allow, for a satisfactory conclusion

After much discussion, a decision got made Some reluctantly agreed, including young Kade Yet not all were convinced, within their mind That all birds they saw, were of the spotted kind

Daryl Barnes

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JULY OUTING – SANDRINGHAM BAY CONSERVATION PARK – DUNROCK The BOM site showed no rain heading our way and despite the dawn sky filled with heavy cloud, our intrepid bunch of birders set out for Dunrock. We were meeting up with Kade from the Pioneer River Catchment Landcare Group who was doing some mangrove water mouse monitoring in Sandringham Creek and he was going to show us the monitoring sites. The plan was to head out from the carpark through the conservation park along the paths along the creek banks and then come back and have morning tea down on the foreshore. I t soon became apparent that with the heavy rain of previous days and the high tides from the new moon a couple of days earlier, that conditions were too wet for our group to hike into the water mouse monitoring sites. As the morning fined up the birds started to come out to play. We had seen Magpie Geese, Radjah Shelducks, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Kookaburras on the way in off the Highway. Then came the usual noisy Rainbow Lorikeets and then hungry honeyeaters. We were treated to sightings of Dusky, Brown and Yellow then a shyer White-throated Honeyeater - attracted to the melaleuca in flower. Venturing off the track down to the mangroves edge, we spotted Little Black Cormorant and then a Brahminy Kite patrolling the waterways. W e came across a large nest high up in the trees further on and the Brahminy was again seen nearby but we couldn’t see any signs of young. Kade led us down to the marshland and in a distant tree to the south, there appeared to be another large nest but we were unsure about the occupants and we spotted a nesting pair of white-bellied sea eagles later on. The group had strung out now and you were spoilt for choice in where to train your binoculars – Varied Triller, Grey Fantail, Leaden Flycatcher, Rufous Whistler, White-browed Robin – all demanding attention and competing with the usual suspects of Hornbill Friarbird, Little Friarbird, Black-Faced Cuckoo -shrike, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow, and Magpie Lark. Years ago, the Sandringham Bay area had been a popular camping area and had been ‘loved to death’ with vehicles and tracks. I t was heartening to see signs of regeneration in the Conservation Park and a lot of weed eradication has taken place. As often happens on our outings, one piece of litter turns into an impromptu emu parade limited only by what we can physically retrieve.. By the time we reached the clearing on Sandy Creek, we had to decide some large pieces of tin would have to wait till next time. When we arrived at the clearing we disturbed a Striated Pardalote from nest making in the steep creek bank. Our photographers had a lot of fun setting up their photos and waiting for its return which it duly did. Across to the other bank, we could see first one then a second White-bellied Sea Eagle perched high in a couple of dead trees. Not to be over-looked, Olive-backed Sunbirds zipped about overhead. We re-traced our steps from this point and were rewarded with sightings of Spangled Drongo, Mistletoebird, Little Shrike-Thrush and Rainbow Bee-eaters before we reached the car-park. We adjourned to the water front for morning tea and bird-call but this had to wait till we checked out two Jabiru, (sounds much more melodic than Black-necked Stork) at the mouth of the creek. All in all 43 birds sighted and enjoyed by the group. Story by Mary Cruickshank

ST LAWRENCE WETLAND WEEKEND Birdlife Mackay flew the flag at this year’s wetlands weekend at St Lawrence for the first time. I had some enthusiastic support from Gerry Woodruff and Richard Atkinson throughout the weekend and we dealt with sufficient enquiries to keep us occupied for much of the time. Birdlife Capricornia, led by Alan Briggs, had been attending this event for many years and they conducted the morning bird walks. Alan also did a presentation highlighting some significant species that regularly inhabit this wetland. Story by Daryl Barnes

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PALUMA IN JULY (8-10 JULY) With an endocrinologist and two daughters to visit in Townsville, we decided to make a holiday out of it and spend some time at nearby Paluma. In the past we have merely gone up the range for the day and so missed the best early morning birding opportunities. On both of my visits, it was misty and overcast, which, although pleasantly cool and picturesque, is not the optimum weather for bird watching. We booked a delightfully retro self-contained cottage in Paluma township, packed food for three days and headed up the range. (Note, that if you intend visiting Paluma, the tea house is closed and the café/inn opens sporadically on weekends only.) The picnic area at Little Crystal Creek on the way up is a known haunt of the Noisy Pitta, but none were heard or glimpsed. I was already suspecting that Paluma in July is not a good idea. We unpacked the car and decided to spend the afternoon driving out to the dam which is the most distant birding site from the township and stop at Birthday Creek Falls on the way. Birthday Creek is a well- documented site of bowers for the Golden and the Tooth-billed Bowerbird. October would be the best time for viewing these birds at their bowers but we were optimistic they might start early this year. They didn’t. Or at least be somewhere in the area. They weren’t. The Golden Bowerbird’s bower is a massive monument of sticks and vines but it was vacant with no fresh decoration and looked drab and miserable in the drizzling rain. Despite it being school holidays, there were only a few people camped at the dam and the dam itself was totally devoid of birdlife. Maybe both campers and birds were holidaying somewhere a little drier and warmer. We retreated to our little cottage, heated up some stew and curled up in front of the log fire. Paluma in July might be quite cosy and comfortable after all. Our hosts had told us to be sure to bring some soft fruit up to put in the bird feeder. The townspeople have been sustainably feeding the local birds for over fifty years. The cottage had a large deck, an overhanging fern and dead tree trunk and a heavy glazed pottery tray. Barry chopped some fruit and put the tray on the railing and went to prepare his camera. We were not convinced birds would appear. A Lewin’s Honeyeater was the first brave visitor. When he was successful, he was soon joined by Satin Bowerbirds, then Macleay’s Honeyeaters, Victoria’s Riflebirds, Rainbow Lorikeets and Pied Currawongs. Even Spotted Catbirds watched from the tree branches for their chance for a raid. There was an obvious hierarchy in the feeding process with the Lorikeets and Currawongs clearly on top of the ladder and having to be chased away to allow the smaller birds a chance. Barry went to chop more fruit. With three mornings on the deck watching and photographing birds in PJs and raincoats, I only managed half a banana and one sliver of pawpaw for my own breakfast. We have never seen Satin Bowerbirds close enough to identify young males and females by their eye colour without the use of binoculars. The male Riflebirds were very shy, coming to the feeder only after the females had first checked it was safe to do so. They would fly away with their taffeta-shuffling wing sounds at the slightest movement. A walk down the road had us meet a local, Bruno, who Spotted Catbird ...... Barry Deacon invited us to his yard to see ‘his birds’. Bruno makes quantities of his special cooked oats and honey mixture which seemed to be a favourite of the Macleay’s and White-cheeked Honeyeaters. He loves these birds and is one day going to get a bird book so that he can find out their proper names so he doesn’t have to call them the big green spotty birds or the black and white birds with the white on the side of their face. (I tried to teach him but I don’t think he thought I knew what I was talking about.) There is a walk through the rainforest behind the town called the H Track. This is probably the best place for birding, but obviously not as many birds frequent this forest as the local back gardens which are also planted well with grevilleas and other nectar shrubs.

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We managed to identify both Yellow-throated and Atherton Scrubwren on this track as well as a Yellow- breasted Boatbill and some Chowchilla. Chowchilla are surely the sneakiest and most elusive of all rainforest birds. The low cloud and misting rain persisted. Rainforest walks turned out to be just that, rainy. I guess that is why it is called rainforest. But we enjoyed the walks and although there were no views from lookouts, the mist rolling up the range face was quite enchanting. We counted 34 different bird species over our three days which turns out is quite a good number for Paluma in July. We stopped again at Little Crystal Creek on the way down the range. The waterfall was very pretty and the rain had stopped although the water was freezing. There was still no Pitta. Story by Lesley Deacon

SPLASH FEST – LAMBERT’S BEACH, MACKAY – 18TH AUGUST 2019

A new event at Lambert’s Beach called Splash Fest was held to coincide with the farewell to the whales as they swim south for the spring-summer-autumn period. Whilst Birdlife Mackay only played a minor role at the event, we admirably flew the flag sharing the stage with the Turtle Watch Group represented by Faye Griffin and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Carolyn Roche who included in her talk mention of the significance of the Humpback Whales that made the annual migration past our shores.

Story by Daryl Barnes

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AUGUST MONTHLY OUTING - McLEAN’S – MT OSSA

A record number of participants (23) showed up to visit Bill & Margaret McLean’s property at Mt Ossa on the morning of August 4th. Perhaps the word had been circulated about the warm hospitality on offer. A relaxed atmosphere was enjoyed by all at ‘bird call’ after the casual meander around the property on the mown pathways was completed. The few who chose not to wander far from the house and dam were rewarded with sightings and photos of the White-browed Crake in a corner of the dam and a Black-chinned Honeyeater that came to visit the main bird bath by the deck. The sightings of two small flocks of Topknot Pigeons both flying roughly in a north to south direction, were interesting observations. Similar sightings at other locations in recent months might explain why they aren’t being seen when visiting Eungella and the Clarke Range. The topknots have to eat and are searching for food away from the rainforest where they are normally found.

Jamie and Kendra share a moment Ted Hudson , the subject

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Ted and Bill and Maggie enjoy a cuppa – Photo by Jenny White A Rufous Fantail, White-eared Monarch, White-browed Robin, White-throated Gerygone, Spangled Drongo, Pale-headed Rosella, Red-browed Finch and a Forest Kingfisher plus others, gave photographers in the group the opportunity to capture their beauty. Observing and recording 64 species for the morning was a good result, however numbers per species was low except for fairy and Tree Martins and Welcome Swallows.

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Nest boxes that Bill has installed on his Mt Ossa property

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Yellow Honeyeater ...... Jenny White

Red-browed Finch Orchard Swallowtail - Female Jenny White guessed correctly the number of species and won the mystery book prize. Thanks Bill and Maggie for your kind hospitality. Story by Daryl Barnes and photos by Jenny White

DEMOLEYNS DELIVERS

A trip out to DeMoleyns Lagoon was planned at the last minute. Five of us attended and as per normal there was enough activity to keep us entertained for nearly four hours. We managed to circumnavigate the lagoon although long grasses were dense, making the going slow when rounding the far end. Upon our arrival at 7.00am the first thing I noticed was the non-appearance of any Nankeen Night-herons which are usually in residence. Although almost as significant, was the sighting of seven Forest Kingfishers all were congregated there. Story by Daryl Barnes

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Mangey Wombats, Lyrebirds, Antechinus and the Rock Warbler that never was! We all look for “Lifers” the first of a species. As a birdo I, like all of you, am always on the lookout for a “lifer” - after a while they become fewer and further between. I look for “lifers” in other areas too. I’ll always remember my first Red Kangaroo, Koala, Perentie, Boyd’s Forest Dragon, 4 o’clock Moth, Blue Argus Butterfly….and so on. When the birding’s not so good, I’m easily amused looking for beetles, bugs, butterflies and buffalo (a bit more over my shoulder for the last one). So for our recent trip, (and let’s take it as a given I’m always looking out for a new bird) I wasn’t so much looking for them this time. I was keen for a good photo of a Lyrebird (I didn’t care which one), they’ve both been ticked but the photos left a lot to be desired. Also on the list was a Gang Gang Cockatoo (once again, ticked but not photographed well). But better than both of those, Barb and I have been getting desperate to see a Common Wombat in the wild. Yes I’d seen them at Australia Zoo, I’d seen them sadly as most who drive through their range have, deceased on the side of the road, but we’ve been travelling full time for 6 years now and the number of live Common Wombats seen in the wild was a disappointing big fat 0. So we had a bit of a loose plan when we left Mackay in January: Attend son Mark’s wedding on the Sunny Coast; visit family and friends in Griffith, Stockinbingal and Boorowa; attend Barb’s school reunion in Griffith, drive down through the Snowies, through East Gippsland and the south-east corner of the country and photograph dozens of Wombats, Lyrebirds and Gang Gangs, and come home holding my prizes. So a minor hiccup as we left friends and family behind and headed for the Snowies was the car engine blowing itself up. This put a dampener on things big time and put our trip schedule (yeah we sort of have one) way behind. So the whole Gang Gang thing ended up as one photo of one Gang Gang from about 900 yards. Not a good start. We visited quite a few places where a Lyrebird was on the cards, they just weren’t in the hand we were dealt.….and we saw lots of Wombat holes. Mangey Wombat We decided we should get serious and go somewhere we were guaranteed a Wombat, and seeing I had always wanted to go there, Capertee Valley was the destination chosen. Capertee is famous for a couple of reasons not involving wombats. Capertee Valley is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, and while Capertee isn’t as long or as deep as the GC, it’s about 1 kilometre wider. It is also thought by some to be the centre of the universe for the Regent Honeyeater, we were there at the wrong time of year but who knows, if only one RH decided to over-winter in the Valley when all its mates had gone to the coast, and if that one RH happened to be in a tree I was under, then I wasn’t going to complain. (if it did…and it was… then I didn’t see it). Finally, we had a win, within a half hour of setting up camp at Capertee Valley National Park we had our first wombat. Sadly, the poor old fella was extremely mangey and almost definitely blind. (Wombat Mange is a recognized and serious problem and is being tackled where funding is available by a number of non- profit organisations throughout the south-east of the country and in Tassy). This particular wombat was seen every day, during daylight hours and looked a mess….it didn’t’ feel like I’d seen my first wild wombat as all the healthy ones were holed up in their burrows.

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Mangey Wombats, Lyrebirds, Antechinus and the Rock Warbler that never was! (cont.) Not to be disappointed, that evening just on dusk they started to come out of their burrows, and we were treated to regular sightings of at least seven individuals within walking distance of the campground. Now it was on to the Lyrebirds, as we had information they were being seen regularly in the Wollemi National Park section of Capertee. We camped at Glen Davis, an almost- abandoned mining town where shale-oil was extracted and turned into fuel during the war years (WW2). Well the Lyrebirds were there, and I did get pics of them, but they were very nervous, and I got more rear-end pics than anything Common Wombat else. Later on in the trip we headed up to Barrington Tops, Dorrigo and Nightcap National Parks for another go at the Lyrebirds. More rear-end shots were taken. Whilst on the lookout for these guys I was still looking (as always) for a “lifer” and the Rock Warbler was my most likely species. Well for a split second I thought I had one….a small bird flitting around a rocky section of the track. You know the drill, you spot movement, you go into full on commando mode, sneak sneak, smooch, smooch, (is that revealing too much?) the movement comes back your way, there’s a bit of bracken in the way, I’ll just move another step, veeerry sslloowwly! There it is! Hang on that’s not a Rock Warbler, that’s only a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, HANG ON A SEC, THAT’S ALSO A LIFER! Wait, what’s that next to it on the rock, is that an Antechinus? Wow, a lifer (the Heathwren) and a small mammal I’ve only got crap photos of so far, both on the same rock at the same time! What am I doing talking about it and even thinking about it, why aren’t I taking pictures of them, maybe I’ll just enjoy the experience for a nano-second or two more, what could go wrong? Hang on, why would an Antechinus chase the Heathwren away BEFORE I CAN PRESS THE SHUTTER BUTTON and then hide in a crevice in the rock? Well you guessed it, I did tick the lifer, I didn’t get the picture, (of either bird of mammal) but I can turn anything in to a story if you ask me to. So the tally is: no Spectacular photos of Gang Gang Cockatoos, no Spectacular photos of Lyrebird (any species)and a few spectacular photos of Common Wombats. Well one out of three is better than none.

Superb Lyrebird

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Yellow-footed Antechinus

-Story and photos by Steve Dew

SIGHTINGS FROM MEMBERS

From Greg Strohal - Travelling Mackay to Gunnedah, NSW

Nebo - 3 Brolgas Capella - 2 Wedged - tail Eagles Rolleston - 1 Wedged - tail Eagle St George- 1 Emu Surat - 1 Bustard and 1 Wedged-tail Eagle Nindigully - 3 Wedge-tail Eagles Thallon - 1 White Bellied Sea Eagle Mungindi NSW 1 Wedged -tail Eagle

Around Mackay and district

1/7/19 DeMoleyns Lagoon 7 Forest Kingfishers in the same tree – Barry Deacon. 5/7/19 Kerrisdale Estate 200 plus Cattle Egrets – Margaret Lane. 14/08/2019 -Wedge Tail Eagle (On the wing very light in colour could be a juvenile) Mt Pleasant - Greg Strohal 29/8/19 2 Jabiru (black necked storks) on the wing flying low over Eulbertie Reserve, Eimeo – Ian Cruickshank 25/08/19 Common Koel heard calling - Daryl Barnes 30/08/19 Pied Imperial Pigeon seen – Daryl Barnes August – Orange footed scrub fowl – Eimeo and Bucasia – Mary Cruickshank Grass Owls – photographed by visitor to Mackay Large-tailed nightjar – heard by Steve in the mangroves around Mackay in early September 10/9/19 - Large-tailed Nightjar – Photographed by Steve Dew at Rocky Dam Creek

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BUFF BREASTED PARADISE-KINGFISHER FLEDGING. In February 2015 I was privileged to have sat in the hide and watched the two parents busily feeding the young in the nest up near Mt Ossa Road. I was absolutely astounded at the frequency and quantity of feeding trips the parents made delivering food to the nest. Average feeding times were about every three to four minutes for quite a while. It amazed me how much tucker the chicks could eat. Not sure how many chicks there were in the nest. I was also amazed at how many grasshoppers and worms the two parents were able to catch and deliver in such short times. Once again in February 2019 Daryl very kindly gave me the opportunity to observe the Buff Breasted Kingfishers from a hide once again. This time though the chicks were at fledging stage as we had observed a lot of pins scattered on the ground at the nest site. I sat initially for quite a while with not a lot happening to observe. A parent would come near the nest and just sit in a tree Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher ...... Kevin Smith then leave the area. Another parent would come and again land in a tree close by and sit for a while then vacate. Then it would come with food but not feed the chick and then leave again. It would perch in a tree with food and move from one branch or tree to another without feeding the chick. Then I saw a parent come with a caterpillar and not go to nest and feed young. It would tease the chick with the food. It would perch on a branch close to the nest and call. Then it would land on the ground in front of the nest and go to the entrance of the nest and put caterpillar inside the burrow just a bit then as the chick was about to take the grub, it would withdraw and fly back to the perch and call. Then back to the ground again in front of the nest, then tease the young again and once again withdraw and fly back to the perch and just sit there with the grub and call. It did the same again but this time seemed to give the chick the caterpillar. (Perhaps the chick got wise to this trick and snatched the caterpillar.) Then the parent went and sat on the perch and called. Then after a while, the chick poked its head out of the burrow, looked from side to side then flew from the burrow straight to a perch in a tree. It appeared to fly quite well. It was a bit shaky on the perch and sometimes appeared it was going to lose its balance and fall off the perch. Given that this was the first time it had ever flown, it flew seemingly easily. Perhaps as it had spent its life inside the hole in the termite mound, it may never have even had an opportunity to spread its wings fully or flap them at all. I find the steep learning curve of birds amazing. The parent then flew over to perch close to the chick. Then the chick flew from there to a perch in clear view of me in front of the nest. I took some photos of it there. Once again it was very unsteady on the perch. It then flew to another perch above and to the left of the hide. I tried to move my camera out of the hole in the hide cloth so as to get a close photo but this moving of the camera scared the chick and it flew away. The parent followed. I waited for some time but there was no other activity. What an absolute honour to be one of the very few people privileged such a rare event. Many, many thanks Daryl. Story and photo by Kevin Smith ETHICAL PHOTOGRAPHY From Australian Birdlife March 2017. Quote from Graham Cam, President of Birdlife Australia’s Photography Group. ‘Photography of altricial chicks (hatched with closed eyes and with little or no down} are not accepted in our public galleries because a single approach to a nest can result in parental desertion, predation or death by exposure.’ Tess Brickhill

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THE BOWRA EXPERIENCE We had never been to Bowra, the 140 square kilometre Conservation Park in the Mulga lands, near Cunnamulla, Queensland, where, for a week every Easter, a group of bird-banders from several states, converge to collect bird data. There are diverse habitats and many different species of birds here, nine of which are on the threatened list. We had heard about this property and were excited to be going there and be a part of the activities. On our arrival, we were horror-struck by what we saw! The desolation! Not at all what we expected. After checking in, we set up camp right beside the lagoon near the homestead, where we watched several birds coming in for their evening drink and a few skinny wallabies. The lagoon is kept to a certain level by water being pumped from an artesian bore. As the rest of the crew were not arriving until the next day, we spent the morning driving around the property to see the sights. What we saw was devastating, not a blade of grass, not a weed, dead broken trees, dried up water- holes, nothing green. Even the mulga was in really bad shape, and that's saying something about the state of the land. Bones of kangaroos, cattle, goats and we saw an emu skeleton, were part of this desolate landscape. We scarcely heard or saw a bird away from the lagoon. When the crew arrived, nets were soon set up and banding began. We were told we were seeing the land at its driest. Bird numbers were very low in comparison to other years. After a few days, we were in for another unexpected Red-capped Robin experience. The sky opened and poured its life-giving liquid onto the parched land experiencing heavy rainfall such as they had not had for many years. This changed everything. Our campsites were flooded, our bedding soaked, and it was cold, windy and wet. I wasn't enjoying my experience at all. Several of us moved up into the shearing quarters, higher ground, where my brother and his family were camped, taking away their tranquility. We were basically grounded being unable to travel the roads on the property, so birding activities were curtailed to around the homestead for a while. However, other unexpected events presented themselves - frogs! The rains had soaked down and awoken the Crucifix Frogs which bury themselves deep in the earth in the dry season and when the rains come, they find their way up to the surface to breed.

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At night many of us waded through murky calf-deep waters by headlight looking for these not often seen frogs, including also Water-holding Frogs and others. We have now been told we have seen the property at its wettest and driest all in a week. Then the miracle, the transformation of the land in such a short time. Grass was showing through the earth, plants now showing a tinge of green. Before we left there were even flowers blooming. The Australian Ring-necks were so beautiful, but so were the Red-wing Parrots, Blue-winged Parrot and seeing a flock of Mulga Parrots was a treat. The stunning Major Mitchell's Cockatoos, Black-breasted Buzzard, elusive Black-tailed Native-hen, the several Spotted Bowerbirds around the Homestead, the common Southern Whiteface's, Chestnut-crowned, Hall's and Grey-crowned Babblers, the cool Crested Bellbird's, White-plumed Honeyeaters and Jacky Winters and Southern White-faces were the most common seen.

Story and photos by Rosemary Braithwaite and Aaron Bean

AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT National Bird Week 2019 will take place between Monday 21 October and Sunday 27 October.

The celebration of National Bird Week has its origins back in the early 1900s when 28 October was first designated by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, as the first ‘Bird Day’. BirdLife Australia organises and promotes Bird Week with the goal of inspiring Australians to take action and get involved in bird conservation efforts. Celebrate National Bird Week by taking part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count — you will be joining thousands of people from across the country who will be heading out into their backyards, local parks or favourite outdoor spaces to take part. To get involved all you need is 20 minutes, your favourite outdoor space (this doesn’t have to be your actual backyard), and some keen eyesight. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or an expert — Simply record the birds you know and look up those you don’t on our ‘Aussie Bird Count’ app or the website. You’ll instantly see live statistics and information on how many people are taking part near you and the number of birds and species counted in your neighbourhood and the whole of Australia! Not only will you get to know your feathered neighbours, but you’ll be contributing to a vital pool of information from across the nation that will help us see how Australian birds are faring.

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BIRD MONITORING AT EUNGELLA AUGUST 2019 Monitoring and research into the bird species in the high altitude regions of Mackay particularly the Dalrymple Heights area of Eungella has been on-going for some years now. Bird banding/monitoring has been conducted on a regular basis in Finch Hatton Gorge since 2015, and in January 2019 was extended to properties in the Eungella region. As a starting point, three sites have been established with a view to more, as suitable locations are identified. At all of these sites a good cross-section of species is being encountered. Research of this nature is long term and so far these sites have been monitored on a three monthly basis, the most recent being the last weekend in August 2019. This type of activity requires us to be on site at first light, which makes for long early morning drives from Finch Hatton Gorge. I n August this year we decided to find some accommodation on the mountain. We stayed at Rustic Rural Retreat just out of Eungella which was very cosy and had all the comforts we needed after a full day in the field. It was a much more practical and efficient use of our time and efforts and we will be looking to do the same in the future. On our most recent visit we sampled two of these sites over an afternoon and morning each. The weather, although a bit cool for us in the mornings, was perfect for bird banding with no wind or rain and moderate day time temperatures. At both sites we caught 45 birds including some recaptures from previous visits. Traditionally the recapture rate for established sites seems to hover around the 30% mark, so we were quite pleased to achieve a recapture rate of 24% and 28% respectively for these two relatively new sites. Whilst this is predominately about sampling and gathering baseline data on a cross-section of species in this habitat, there is a very real opportunity to learn more about the poorly understood endemics, so we were quite excited to recapture an adult male Eungella Honeyeater. This was one of 13 banded by us since January, with this particular bird first banded in May this year. Two more Eungella Honeyeaters were subsequently caught and banded bringing the total now to 15. Below is a summary of all birds encounter at Eungella in August including Recaptures.

SPECIES TOTAL RECAPTURES Pied Currawong 1 1 Grey Fantail 3 1 Rufous Fantail 11 1 Red-browed Finch 2 1 Brown Gerygone 2 1 Eungella Honeyeater 3 1 Lewin’s Honeyeater 3 0 Spectacled Monarch 5 4 Eastern Yellow Robin 12 5 Crimson Rosella 2 0 Large-billed Scrubwren 4 White-browed Scrubwren 9 5 Eastern Spinebill 21 4 Brown Thornbill 2 Grey Shrike-thrush 1 Eastern Whipbird 1 Golden Whistler 8 1

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Below is a summary of all birds encountered at the well-established site at Finch Hatton Gorge in August including recaptures. 56 birds with a 55% recapture rate. Some of these birds have been recaptured multiple times since 2015 providing good ongoing seasonal data.

SPECIES TOTAL RECAPTURES Bar-shouldered Dove 10 5 Emerald Dove 8 4 Peaceful Dove 10 7 Rufous Fantail 2 0 Leaden Flycatcher 1 0 Superb Fruit-Dove 1 0 Lewin’s Honeyeater 3 3 Azure Kingfisher 2 1 Laughing Kookaburra 1 0 Spectacled Monarch 6 4 Eastern Yellow Robin 3 2 Large-billed Scrubwren 2 2 White-browed Scrubwren 5 3 Russet-tailed Thrush 2 0

The next visit is planned for November this year.

Story by David Braithwaite

BIRDLIFE MACKAY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of Birdlife Mackay was held on Saturday, 27th July, 2019 at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens Meeting Room with 14 members in attendance.

President, Daryl Barnes presented his annual report detailing the activities of the club for the year.

With well attended monthly outings, new members and a number of main initiatives such as Eungella Bird Week, the Twitchathon and collaboration with other local organisations such as Pioneer River Catchment Landcare Group and the Mackay Conservation Group, the club continues to grow and prosper.

The incoming executive for 2019-20 are:

President Daryl Barnes Secretary Mary Cruickshank Treasurer Shannon Smith

Lesley Deacon moved a vote of thanks to the executive and to out-going secretary, Margaret Lane for their work and dedication over the past year.

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MEMBER PROFILE – MARY CRUICKSHANK What is it about bird watching that appeals to you? As someone who grew up on a farm, I enjoy being outdoors and I find birdwatching keeps me aware of the the seasons, and the environment that I am in wherever I am. It is also a great opportunity to ‘stop and smell the roses’. Whenever I take the opportunity to stop and observe I notice so much more and there is always something to see– whether flora or fauna. Do you have a favourite bird and why? Australian parrots with their regional diversity and colours are fascinating to me and parrots’ behavours are so amusing even though I am told that you shouldn’t anthropomorphise birds but I do give them human characteristics. If money was no object, where would you like to go birding? I’d love to see the legendary flocks of Gouldian finches in central Australia – though I’m not sure they exist to that extent now. Which bird has eluded you the most? As I’m fairly new to keeping a bird list, I don’t have a must see list as such. I am yet to sight the Eungella Honeyeater but hope to remedy that soon. Do you prefer to go birding alone or with company? I enjoy birding with company as two pairs of eyes are better than one. Often one of us sees the bird but it takes two to confirm what we thought we saw and agree on what bird it is. Also when you do spot something unusual, I just love being able to share it with someone. Interesting bird you’ve seen recently We heard Brolgas recently near McCready’s Creek behind Plantation Palms but saw a flock of about ten in the Slade Point Road wetlands behind the old Bayersville Zoo site. Watching them dancing is always a delight. They are also frequent visitors to the creek flat paddocks on the banks of Jane Creek at Glenella – after the cane is harvested.

Brolgas on the wing – Jane Creek, Glenella - photo by Ian Cruickshank

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Large-tailed Nightjar, Rocky Dam Creek ...... - photo Steve Dew

BIRDLIFE MACKAY OUTINGS CALENDAR 2019 Our half-day outing is on the first weekend of each month It is suggested that food and water is carried as well as hat, sucnscreen and insect repellent. Gold coin donation appreciated.

2019 Destination Meeting Place Time Contact Sept 1st Tedlands Koumala Tourist Info Centre 0600 0438134738

Oct 6th Chelman’s Road Tourist Info Centre 0600 0438134738

Nov 3rd Lake Clive near Belmunda Service Station Coningsby 0600 0438134738 Dec Xmas function Dec 7 & 8 National Challenge Bird Nil Nil 0438134738 Count

Contact [email protected] Wildlife Rescue Hotline 07 49473389 For further information go to www.birdlifemackay.org

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