22nd May 2011 Report

Once again the great weather continues with mainly sunny days and a little rain overnight amounting to 12mm. Temperatures ranged from 13.1ºC to 23.0ºC, slightly warmer minimum and cooler maximum than last week. Bird species recorded were 100 seen and 2 heard, reptiles and mammals were 18 seen and 1 heard.

The weeks bird list is on the Eremaea Birds site.

The best sighting for the week in the area was a Red Goshawk seen flying over Abattoir Swamp on the road to Mt. Molloy. There has been a few previous sightings in this area over the years.

Topknot Pigeon numbers have been increasing with 20+ perched in a tree alongside Bushy Creek. 

Topknot Pigeon

 Papuan Frogmouth have split up again with the male on the edge of the orchard and the female outside the reception area for most of the week. An Australian Darter was in one of the swamps along McDougall Road which was the first for several months and a Little Black Cormorant was fishing in Bushy Creek near the Platypus viewing area. A single Straw-necked Ibis has also been along McDougall Road but no others reported in the immediate area. Nine raptor species this week Black-shouldered Kite, Pacific Baza, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Whistling and Black Kite, Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, Nankeen Kestrel and Brown Falcon. Red-necked Crake was seen twice in ponding on the edge of the orchard in the late afternoon. A pair of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot was along Bushy Creek in a large fig tree with a flock of Australasian Figbird and up to 20 Barred Cuckoo-shrike. The juvenile Eastern Koel was back in the same palm tree as last week polishing off the last remaining seeds and four juvenile Channel-billed Cuckoo were sunning themselves in a tree beside Bushy Creek. This was one of them.

Chanel-billed Cuckoo - juvenile

A single Eastern Barn Owl was seen exiting a nest tree and flying off and Azure Kingfisher have been foraging in the Crake Pool. They don't always perch in the right position to take an image as this one below shows.

Azure Kingfisher

Great Bowerbird, Red-backed and Lovely Fairy-Wren were along McDougall Road. Eleven Honeyeater species including Bridled, Dusky and Brown were around during the week. A male Cicadabird was foraging in a Poinciana Tree at the front entrance to the Lodge one morning. Both Yellow and Olive-backed Oriole were seen this week as well as a Black Butcherbird who was all around the Lodge grounds and our neighbours garden. Rufous, Grey and Northern Fantail were around with only one grey so far, reports suggest that the Grey Fantail are moving north and not far from arriving at the Lodge. Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Pied Monarch and Victoria's Riflebird continue to call and be seen around the Lodge grounds. Grey-headed Robin, which is a Wet Tropic endemic, continue to increase in numbers as more come down from the mountains behind the Lodge.

Grey-headed Robin

The juvenile Bassian Thrush has been seen all over the Lodge grounds and appears to be the only one here at the moment. Australian Pipit is regularly being seen along McDougall Road and nowhere else in the area.

Frogs have started to appear with the small amount of rainfall, eight species this week including Striped Marsh Frog, Jungguy Frog, 

Jungguy Frog

plenty of White-lipped Tree Frog hanging around the amenity block, Peter's Frog and Cogger's Frog. Striped Possum was seen twice on the edge of the orchard and a Tree Mouse showed well as it was foraging on flowers in a coconut palm. Long-nosed Bandicoot have been coming out of hiding and being seen foraging on grassy areas around the camping areas whilst the Northern Brown Bandicoot hang around the feeder.

Further afield Del Richards from Fine Feather Tours reported nine Glossy Ibis flying along the coast heading south at Newell Beach coming from ? To ?. Del also saw three Sarus Crane in a paddock and a Diamond Dove perched on a powerline at Maryfarms, both records are unusual. 20+ Little Corella were reported by Jack Leighton at Tinaroo Dam on the Atherton Tableland (Jack produced the DVD Rainforest Birds of Australia's "Wet Tropics. 100 Birds with 100 calls available in our shop).

The blog is a bit late this week due to us being away in Cooktown for two days. We'll post a bit about that trip next week.