SICKLEBILL SAFARIS PO Box 387, Kuranda, Qld, Australia 4881, Ph. (61) 07 40 937 318 e-mail: [email protected] Iron Range Fly In- Fly Out Trip Report Jan 4th – 8th 2018 Guide: Ben Blewit Participants : This tour visited Iron Range, the major birding hotspot on Cape York Peninsular, during the wet season in search of Cape York endemics and Cape York/New Guinea specials including summer migrants. The tour began with an afternoon flight from Cairns to Iron Range on Cape York where the group was comfortably accommodated for four nights at the Iron Range Cabins. Meals were provided by Out Of The Blue Café, and transport was a Toyota Prado. The weather was mixed with fine and cloudy periods broken by showers and some heavy rain. We managed to avoid most showers and the rain probably improved rather than hampered our birding. Day 1 – Jan 4 After arriving late in the afternoon we headed to Quintell Beach and observed some shorebirds. As we turned to leave a Palm Cockatoo fly across and joined four others in a tree behind the beach. We were very lucky to have close and extended views of this iconic species, including foot tapping behaviour by one excited male. Day 2 – Jan 5 Rainforest birding produced our first views of Eclectus Parrot and Magnificent Riflebird. A Northern Scrub-robin came right out and hopped along the track. Great close up White-faced Robin bathing in the creek. Later we visited the sewage ponds and were dismayed as all the waterfowl were nervous and put to flight. Two Spotted Whistling-Duck were amongst them. At the community farm dam we had superb views of a male Yellow-billed Kingfisher. Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 1 Day 3 – Jan 6 Early morning saw us back in the rainforest where Papuan (Red- bellied) Pitta were calling well. We soon had a stunning individual showing well, which was then joined by a second bird, awesome! Later we observed a battle over nesting rights between a squadron of Eclectus Parrots and some Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, noisy and spectacular. Night spotting near the rainforest camp soon produced a splendid male Marbled Frogmouth which sat nicely for us. Day 4 – Jan 7 Birding behind the mangroves we found an active bower of the Fawn- breasted Bowerbird. This was a fascinating structure built on a higher than usual stick platform, soon after we had the bird itself showing well. Chilli Beach produced some good shorebirds and a bunch of different terns and we had some top views of both species of Frigatebird. Later in the rainforest a Yellow-legged Flycatcher was heard and responded to call playback, we had crippling looks at this tiny and elusive bird. Day 5 – Jan 8 Back in the rainforest we finally managed to get onto a juvenile Black- winged Monarch, a great joy as we had tried very hard for this one with no luck. A change of location resulted in the only Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo on the trip being heard. The ensuing call-back battle only resulted in flight views unfortunately. We had lunch at Quintell Beach with a pair of Beach Thick-knee and then made our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairns. Trip report and list by Ben Blewitt Trip List BIRDS Megapodiidae Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt Australian Brush-Turkey Alectura lathami Anseranatidae Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata Anatidae Spotted Whistling Duck Dendrocygna guttata Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 2 Flight view of 2 at sewage ponds Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Grey Teal Anas gracilis Podicipedidae Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Phalacrocoracidae Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos Fregatidae Great Frigatebird Fregata minor Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel Sulidae Brown Booby Sula leucogaster Ardeidae White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae Eastern Reef-Egret Egretta sacra Pied Heron Ardea picata 1 juv at sewage ponds Cattle Egret Ardea ibis Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus Threskiornithidae Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Up to 3 at sewage ponds Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia Pandionidae Osprey Pandion haliaetus Accipitridae Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides Flight view of an adult at Lockhart town Burhinidae Bush Stone-Curlew Burhinus grallarius Beach Thick-knee Esacus magnirostris A pair on Quintell Beach Haematopodidae Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris Recurvirostridae White-headed Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Charadriidae Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 3 Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Scolopacidae Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis Laridae Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica Crested Tern Sterna bergii Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana Little Tern Sterna albifrons Columbidae Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis Brown Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia amboinensis Pacific Emerald Dove Chalcophaps longirostris Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove* Ptilinopus regina Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus Several good views in rainforest Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus Torresian Imperial-Pigeon Ducula spilorrhoa Cuculidae Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis castaneiventris Flight views at Claudie R crossing Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus Podargidae Marbled Frogmouth Podargus ocellatus Night spotting near rainforest camp Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis Apodidae Australian Swiftlet Aerodramus terraereginae All 3 spp in huge mixed feeding flock evening above rainforest Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus Alcedinidae Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea Halcyonidae Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii Torresian Kingfisher Todiramphus sordidus Yellow-billed Kingfisher Syma torotoro 1 male seen very well at community farm dam Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera sylvia Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 4 Common Meropidae Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus Falconidae Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides Cacatuidae Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus 7 at Quintell Bch, 2 at Chili Ck, 1 near Portland Roads Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita Psittacidae Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus Up to 10 interacting with SC Cockatoo at nest Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi Excellent flight view of 1 male near rainforest camp Pittidae Red-bellied Pitta Pitta erythrogaster Great views at Gordon Ck Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor Ptilonorhynchidae Black-eared Catbird* Ailuroedus joanae Heard only near Cooks hut and rainforest camp Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Chlamydera cuviniventris 2 seen near old bower at farm dam, active bower in heath, 1 and active bower at Portland Roads Maluridae Lovely Fairy-wren Malurus amabilis Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus Meliphagidae Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Meliphaga notata Graceful Honeyeater Meliphaga gracilis Varied Honeyeater Lichenostomus versicolor White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis Brown-backed Honeyeater Ramsayornis modestus Green-backed Honeyeater Glycichaera fallax Fairly common in Iron Range NP. White-streaked Honeyeater Trichodere cockerelli 2 heard then seen in heath on Portland Rds Rd Dusky Honeyeater Myzomela obscura Tawny-breasted Honeyeater Xanthotis flaviventer Common Acanthizidae Tropical Scrubwren Sericornis beccarii Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa Pachycephalidae Grey Whistler Pachycephala simplex Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 5 Little Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha Oriolidae Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti Dicruridae Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus Paradisaeidae Magnificent Riflebird Ptiloris magnificus Many female plumaged birds seen and 1 male observed closely near rainforest camp Trumpet Manucode Manucodia keraudrenii 1 seen well near Gordon Ck camp 1 Monarchidae Black-winged Monarch Monarcha frate r 1 juv near rainforest camp White-eared Monarch Monarcha leucotis Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus Frill-necked Monarch Arses lorealis Fairly common in rainforest Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto Magpie Lark Grallina cyanoleuca Campephagidae White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina papuensis Varied Triller Lalage leucomela Macheirhirhynchidae Yellow-breasted Boatbill Machaerirhynchus flaviventer Artamidae White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorhynchus Cracticidea Black Butcherbird Cracticus quoyi Petroicidae Yellow-legged Flycatcher Microeca griseoceps 1 seen very well near rainforest camp White-faced Robin Tregellasia leucops common White-browed Robin Poecilodryas superciliosa Northern Scrub-Robin Drymodes superciliaris 1 seen very well near rainforest camp Cisticolidae Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis Zosteropidae Silvereye Zosterops lateralis Sturnidae Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica Nectariniidae Olive-backed Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis Dicaeidae Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum Estrildidae Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 6 *heard only Mammals Agile Wallaby Long-nosed Bandicoot Northern Brown Bandicoot Spectacled Flying-fox Giant White-tailed Rat Reptiles Brown Tree Snake Frill-necked Lizard Two-lined Dragon Cane Toad Butterflies New Guinea Birdwing Ulysses Swallowtail Lemon Migrant Common Eggfly Sicklebill Safaris January FIFO trip Report 7 .