Minnippi was a little more active this morning than it has been of late - maybe as a result of the recent rain and lower temperatures? A total of 52 species including, among the usual suspects, 2 Drongos (noticeably lower nos this season), a pair of White-browed Scrub-wrens (probably always there but not seen every visit) 3 each of Sacred and Forest Kingfishers, 1 Channel-billed Cuckoo flew by very close and a Brush Cuckoo sitting silently in the canopy. Jacanas with 2 chicks pranced across the lily pads, 4 Hardhead, 7 White-breasted Wood-swallows, 2 Yellow Robins and a pair of Dollarbirds keeping watch over a recent fledgling. I got some nice shots (finally) of a Welcome Swallow and juvenile and a couple of macro shots of an, as yet, unidentified butterfly. (See Album)
My last birding trip before heading for Ireland tomorrow.
Manly again - high tide at 08.40, we arrived at 6.15. As per this season - large numbers of Godwits, Curlews and (especially today) Silver Gulls,smaller nos of Red-necked Stints, Curlew and Sharp-tailed Sands, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Golden and Red-capped Plovers were on the ‘upper’ pond. 10 Caspian Terns also roosting there. The main roost - the island - also held Bar-tailed Godwits, Tattlers, Stints and both Sandpipers along with a few Tereks, Little Pied Cormorants, 6 Pelicans and in excess of 240 Pied Oystercatchers. The waders appeared very nervous on the island, chattering and walking away from any percieved intruders. I wonder if they have been stirred up by dogs? Usually they are quite relaxed and confident in their security. A pair of Brahminy Kites harrassed the lone Osprey and a few Little Terns fed on the Bay. Made a rough estimate of numbers but did not attempt a serious count. Rain squalls moved through, and a more serious shower threatened so we left before high tide.
R bought us coffee in Manly and then we went on to Hope Island lakes and disappointment - the flooded ground, with the mangrove stumps, on the river side of the road is being filled in. Bulldozers, trucks, water pumps…it’s not looking good. Black Swans, Black-winged Stilts, Little and Intermediate Egrets persisted despite the movement and noise, but we wondered how long before the area is completely submerged beneath tons of soil and rock and another precious area of wetland disappears.
Golden-headed ‘Cisticola Sunday’ - the place was hopping with them this morning - sitting on the fences, fluttering into the long grass, they seemed to be everywhere. Happy to sit for a photo until one tried to move within reasonable range then off they’d flit again. Usual birds along the track including two immature Little Friarbirds sporting very yellow throats and upper breasts, Double-barred Finches, several Mistletoebirds, an agitated Sacred Kingfisher - maybe with juveniles nearby? - and plenty of Red-backed and Superb Fairy-wren family parties. We expected a higher water level at the ponds following the week’s rain, however, they were about the same as last visit with the plant growth still completely covering Pelican Pond. Overflow was running across the track from there, but not extensively. One Great Egret, 2 Intermediate and several Cattle Egret, Black Ducks, Aust Grebes, 1 Hardhead and a Darter were present on the first ‘pond’. Swamphens and Moorhens only at Pelican Pond. A Black-shouldered Kite and an Australian Kestrel the only raptors today.
As promised I returned to Bulimba Creek to film the Darter’s nest again. I sat on the oppoite side of the creek, to get the best light, in long grass that effectively screened me but was full of mossies. After about 20 minutes of watching, scratching and filming the three chicks the female arrived back, but didn’t stay long and I had to wait an additional 20 minutes before both parents arrived and fed their offspring. (see photos in album). It was an interesting experience watching the chicks stimulate the reguritation and wondering what they could see in reprocessed slimy fish or eel…. Two of the chicks are more dominant, the third didn’t manage to get any food while I was there and definitely looks smaller. I took some video but don’t know if it will upload to this site.
I left the Darter family and walked the creek. Spotted the Azure Kingfisher again and in a good position to photograph. I took some grab shots but was interrupted by a ‘helpful’ passerby and the AK disappeared…. the photos were not good enough to keep. Maybe next time.
Saw a Buff-banded Rail in the open but it vanished before I could get the camera on it. No sign of the Bush Hen tonight.
Saturday morning and an early start for Eagleby in R’s new car - Suzuki Vitara, very smooth, felt like I shd be sitting on a rug or something in case I soiled the seats….!
Most of the same birds from the previous trip (2 wks ago) altho the Pink-eared Ducks didn’t show. We did have an Azure Kingfisher which was a bit of a surprise - I have always associated them with creeks or billabongs rather than open ponds and ditches. The WW ducks showed well again and the Whistling Kite sat in the big gum trying to be discreet, until 5 Galahs found him and nearly had heart failure! A large specimen of a Hare lolloped along the road towards us. We stood as still as possible and it looked as if it would run right up to us, however, it spotted my slow movement towards my camera and after that sort of ‘Holy Crap‘ look that animals (and people) get in these situations, turned and headed back the way he had come at full tilt!
Leaving the main pond (off Fryar RD) we drove down Eagleby Rd and then onto Schmidt road. There is some good swampland all through this area and a shallow dam/pond on private property part way along on the left. There were 3 Black-necked Storks, 1 adult, 2 juveniles, there and the adult took off after a few minutes and provided a striking spectacle as it flew off across the fields. A couple of distant Sharp-tailed and a few Marsh Sands completed the wader picture. We finished the morning at the dead end of River Hills rd where R spotted 2 Plumed Whistling Duck in the long grass beside yet another swampy area.
Saturday evening.
Got inspired and decided to go to Bulimba to check for Bush hen again. Staked out a Buff-banded Rail feeding in the open but he failed to reappear after I positioned myself - instead I watched a Sacred Kingfisher begin building a nest hole in a terrestrial ant’s nest and was semi-mobbed by 10 or 12 extremely noisy Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Moving on I flushed a second BB Rail further down the river bank and eventually had some good views of the Azure Kingfisher - but too dark for photography. No sound or sight of any B Hens.
Sunday morning
R and I decided to check Bulimba Creek again, despite my lack of success last night. As I was pointing out the Sacred King’s nest start, R spotted a movement on a log up river and there it was preening in full view - a Bush Hen. It was a new bird for R and we watched it for several minutes until it flew a short distance and dropped into the long grass out of sight. It’s bill was not a bright yellow, but it’s plumage indicated an adult - female? I had taken a heap of photos but the light was too poor at the early hour and the bird had never stayed still! Moved on downriver and had good views of a BB Rail just below the bridge - a really well marked individual. Added White-browed Scrub-wren to my area list and, on the way back up the track, found a Darter’s nest with 3 begging chicks. I must have walked right past it last evening and we had, again, this morning! Excellent position for photographs but my results were less than satisfactory so deleting them all I resolved to return this week some morning before work.
We headed on to Metroplex. This is a complex of 2 lakes, each with an island, surrounded by minor commercial premises in the up-river shadow of the Gateway bridge. The island on the ‘lower lake’ is an Ibis and Egret breeding colony. A few Little Pied Cormorants and Royal Spoonbills also nest among the White Ibis (majority = 500?), Cattle Egrets (300?), Straw-necked Ibis (breeding pairs?), Intermediate Egrets ( a few) and there are probably other species I haven’t picked up. Dusky Moorhens, Purple Swamphens, Black Duck, Hardhead, Magpie Goose, Tawny Grassbirds, Reed Warblers and Black Swan also breed here and it has great potential as a Bittern breeding area - Black-backed has been seen here occasionally. We walked around the two lakes in about an hour checking out the immature punk-haired Ibis, Cattle and Intermediate Egrets displaying and Cormorants trying to keep cool while brooding. The ‘upper lake’ is very, very quiet compared to the lower - it’s strange that none of the colony species have chosen to nest there as the lower lake island is very crowded. Got some shots of a Common Eggfly which is a terrible name for a handsome pair of butterflies. After we completed the circuit we walked down to the river bank and along the bike path under the bridge. I have had Red-rumped Parrots there in the past, but nothing showed today. We sat and enjoyed the view at the fishing platform for a few minutes before heading home at 9.00.
Being on standby for work meant both heavy celebrations and distant travel were out of the question so localised birding only and with the high teamperatures - only in the early morning too!
Saturday 311205 Last day of the year - Manly Wader Roost. Met Paul W & Dan M. Checked out the waders for oddities - nothing unusual, just the expected varieties of Godwits, Stints and Sandpipers, and no Little Terns in evidence. We were there a little before high tide so maybe they don’t come in until then? We drove to the Hope Is ponds and scanned through the Sharp-tailed and Marsh Sands - there again, nothing different, altho the ponds are well flooded.
5.30 pm Went to Bulimba Creek looking for Bush Hen in the usual locality - a nice place for an evening walk after the heat of the day, but no Bush Hen. Did have a distant glimpse of a Buff-banded Rail, and an immature Brown Goshawk mewled in the trees on the opposite bank. (I’m pretty sure it was a BG and not a Sparrowhawk - barring very heavy from throat to under tail coverts.) Lots of Eastern Water Dragons diving into the creek and the turtles swam in looking for food as usual!
Sunday 010106 - Eagleby and a lovely morning - warm, but not extreme. The light was good, not too intense. Usual birds on the well flooded pond - including 4 Magpie Geeses herding 10 (I think!) young goslings across and into the grass on the other side of the water. I haven’t seen imm M Geese before and they are probably a localised breeder in SE Qld. As I sat under a tree a Kookaburra flew in and landed right above me - with a small frog’s head protruding from it’s bill! It took off closely followed by a Willy Wagtail ‘riding’ on it’s back! 2 Pink-eared Duck and 3 Wandering Whistle-duck were nice to see. The latter been quite confiding and I managed to get a couple of shots I was happy with (see Album). Tawny Grassbirds with food for young, family parties of Fairy-wrens, a Koel, Pheasant Coucal and Brush Cuckoo heard only. 2 Marsh Sands the only waders and a Whistling Kite mobbed by a pair of White-breasted Wood-swallows. Nice morning!
Monday 020106 Had thought of Enogerra resevoir but I was afraid the pager would be ‘out of range’ so instead… Minnippi and Matt and Kath and Snorkel (a recently acquired puppy). Quiet this morning as seems to have become the habit at Minnippi this summer! Usual birds, nothing out of the norm - 1 White-throated Needletail high in the sky and a couple of Channel-billed Cuckoos. Lazy walk around the lake before the real heat came on - 35 degrees predicted.
