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Winding up 2020 Sunshine Coast Big Year with Black Bittern & Pectoral Sandpiper

January 5, 2021, 1:16 pm
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The Covid-19 pandemic extinguished 2020 travel plans for Africa and Europe. We had local birding for entertainment, however, as well as an excellent winter trip to Cape York and the Atherton Tableland. I set myself the goal of beating my 2018 total of 310 bird species photographed in a calendar year in the greater Sunshine Coast region. This is an annual competition run by BirdLife Australia Sunshine Coast. Photographs in Spring reported previously included Red-backed Buttonquail, Lewin’s Rail and Barn Swallow, while Eastern Ground Parrots showed brilliantly at Cooloola. As November was drawing to a close, I was short of catching my 2018 total of 310. A Short-tailed Shearwater on a Mooloolaba pelagic trip was a belated addition, though nothing else was added out wide and a hoped for December trip was cancelled due to bad weather.
Photographing a Masked Owl in Bellthorpe National Park was a welcome break as I’d heard them several times during the year without even a glimpse.
Nutmeg Mannikin was another I’d searched far and wide for before finally nailing a few in long grass near Bli Bli, while I managed poor but identifiable images of King Quail at Finland Road.
I had better luck photographing a female Red-backed Buttonquail at Finland Road in flight – extraordinary to capture a bird I’d never photographed before, twice within a few weeks.
A trip to Double Island Point was adventurous because I got bogged (and rescued) twice in the soft beach sand, but I did manage to snap a fine Lesser Frigatebird soaring over the light house - Number 310 for the year, equalling 2018. (This species I saw but failed to photograph on a pelagic earlier in the year.)
I did a trip out to Kilcoy, and was pleased to find a Black Falcon at the town abattoir, though I’d photographed one earlier in the year (a species I missed in 2018). A fine pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles put in an appearance nearby.
So the hunt was on in the final days of 2020 to exceed the 2018 total. Success came in the form of two rarities on the same morning. I photographed an adult male Black Bittern along Cranks Creek in Tewantin. I’d seen the species there several times in the past but never managed an image, and I’d looked without success from my kayak at Tin Can Bay, where I photographed one in 2018.
Later that morning I found a Pectoral Sandpiper at Yandina Creek Wetland. This is always an excellent shorebird to encounter and just the third record for our region, so it was a fitting end to the 2020 Big Year, with a total of 312 species. The bird in the following images is in the company of Red-kneed Dotterels and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. (In 2020 I also photographed Brush Bronzewing at Cooloola, Bridled Tern on a pelagic trip and Red-chested Buttonquail near Nanango - but the images didn’t pass muster.) I regard these indulgences as a personal challenge – the setting of fun goals to achieve – rather than a competition. I won’t be partaking this year and would be very happy for this tally to be overtaken.
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Row over Queensland Government permits to kill rare quail-thrush

January 8, 2021, 12:14 pm
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Male Atherton (Spotted) Quail-thrush, image by John Young. This is a longer version of my story published in this weekend's edition of The Weekend Australian newspaper. A decision by the Queensland Government to allow the killing of rare birds for scientific study has sparked a furious response from nature lovers and debate about whether government agencies should be moving on from a centuries-old tradition requiring the “collection” of wildlife for research. The Queensland Environment Department approved the collection by the CSIRO’s Australian National Wildlife Collection of up to six specimens of a recently discovered bird known as the Atherton Quail-thrush The decision was made without the department undertaking studies to determine the bird’s population or distribution. The department nonetheless concluded that the conservation status of the quail-thrush is of “least concern”. The quail-thrush is known from a small area of woodland in north Queensland on the western fringes of the Atherton Tableland. It is closely related to the more widely distributed Spotted Quail-thrush of south-east Australia. The northern limit of the range of the Spotted Quail-thrush is 800km south of where the Atherton Quail-thrush is found. The CSIRO argues that collection permits are needed for DNA studies to determine the taxonomic status of the bird – whether it might possibly be an undescribed species, or more likely a new subspecies of the Spotted Quail-thrush. North Queensland naturalist John Young, who came to fame in 2013 when he took the first photographs of a Night Parrot, discovered the first nests of the Atherton Quail-thrush in 2019. John Young says the necessary information to allow DNA studies to determine the bird’s taxonomy could be obtained by netting one alive for feathers and blood analysis; it could then be released: “In this day and age there is no way that killing birds for this sort of study can be condoned. We don’t know how many are out or anything about the bird’s status. There is no way the government can justify saying it is of ‘least concern’.” Scientists have for centuries “collected” large numbers of specimens of wildlife to facilitate the study of its taxonomy and behaviour. Many museums prize collections of specimens of rare animals. Over-collecting in the past has been identified as a key factor in causing the extinction of many species. In 1985, American scientist Christopher Filardi caught and killed an extremely rare moustached kingfisher in the mountains of Solomon Islands. The kingfisher was known from just three historic specimens. Its collection prompted an international outcry against Filardi’s American Museum of Natural History.
Female Atherton (Spotted) Quail-thrush (Image by Jonathon Munro) At the time, eminent evolutionary biologist Marc Beckoff wrote in The Huffington Post: “Of course, “collect” means kill, a lame attempt to sanitise the totally unnecessary killing of a remarkable sentient being. When will the killing of animals stop? We need to give this question serious consideration because far too much research and conservation biology is far too bloody and does not need to be.” In a letter to concerned north Queensland residents last week, Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanion (below) defends the quail-thrush permits. The letter says the department took into consideration whether the CSIRO’s objectives could be met by non-lethal means; the immediate and long-term impacts that collection would have on species conservation; and the experience and qualifications of collectors. “The minister acknowledges the contribution organisations such as CSIRO and state museums make to the conservation of native species and that at times, it is necessary for specimens to be collected from the wild to enable vital work to be undertaken,” the letter says.
The quail-thrush was first photographed by Atherton wildlife tour guide Jonathon Munro in 2008. Jonathon Munro says he has been contacted by several museums asking for the whereabouts of birds so multiple specimens could be collected: “I was prepared to help trap birds and take tissue/blood/feather samples and whatever else was necessary for their study, and then release them, but I was told that birds had to be collected. It was further suggested that if they were netted, that would be better than shooting because it would cause less damage to the specimens. Not once was I ever asked about numbers, habitat or distribution.” Leo Joseph, the director of the CSIRO’s Australian Wildlife Collection, says he has deferred plans to collect birds in response to community concerns, but he would discuss the matter further with those concerned. Leo Joseph says the conservation of birds can be enhanced by collection, and a type specimen was needed to describe a new species or subspecies: “I wouldn’t see the need to collect more than one or two…. We won’t properly know if it’s a distinctive population or subspecies or whatever without at least one specimen. The more we know about how distinctive a bird is, the better it can be for the bird.” He adds he has always been open to the birding community about the collection plan: “It’s no secret. I’ve been up there and talked to BirdLife North Queensland. I’m happy to talk to them again.” Jonathon Munro and John Young say the Atherton Quail-thrush differs from the Spotted Quail-thrush in various ways including call, the size and structure of nests, and the colour distribution on male birds. Image by John Young below: John Young in Atherton (Spotted) Quail-thrush habitat:
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Cooloolabin rainforest under threat; acquisition proposal to Sunshine Coast Council

January 25, 2021, 5:03 pm
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Cooloolabin rainforest (above) The Sunshine Coast Council is being asked to acquire a privately owned tract of subtropical lowland rainforest following the recent destruction of native vegetation in the critically endangered habitat. The area is one of the largest remaining tracts of lowland rainforest in the Sunshine Coast council area and provides habitat for several rare bird species. It falls within the catchment of Wappa Dam, an important water storage for the region.
Two lot plans (RP 26965 and RP 901254) comprising 21 hectares of forested land abut Shrapnel Road and Cooloolabin Road (above) in the hinterland suburb of Cooloolabin. The land is registered under Land for Wildlife, a program which although voluntary, obliges landholders to manage habitat on their properties for native plants and animals.
The area was logged historically, with axe scarfs (above) still evident on huge tree stumps, but has not been logged for many years. Recently, several large trees were felled and other native vegetation was bulldozed for firebreaks in the rainforest remnant (below).
Subtropical lowland rainforest is listed as critically endangered by the federal government. Once widespread in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, it has been reduced by land-clearing to isolated fragments. As elsewhere, very little of the habitat survives around the Sunshine Coast. The Cooloolabin forest (below) is one of the finest tracts of lowland rainforest remaining in the region. It embraces a freshwater stream and vigorous stands of piccabeen palm, strangler fig, rose gum and other rainforest/wet sclerophyll forest trees. The rainforest tract abuts the 10,064-hectare Mapleton National Park which, although including little similar habitat, would help ensure its long-term viability.
The Cooloolabin forest is unusually rich in birdlife. Rainforest species which are scarce or absent elsewhere in the region are found there regularly and several species are resident.
For instance, the Superb Fruit-Dove (above) is a rare visitor generally to south-east Queensland but it occurs annually in Cooloolabin in small numbers. Other fruit-eating rainforest pigeons, such as the beautiful Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (first image below) and Wompoo Fruit-Dove (second image) are common. Bird images here were taken at Cooloolabin.
The smartly plumaged White-eared Monarch (first image below) is a scarce inhabitant of lowland rainforest. Several pairs reside at Cooloolabin, where it can be reliably seen alongside its rainforest-loving close relatives, the Spectacled Monarch (second image below) and Black-faced Monarch.
Other uncommon wet forest birds include Barred Cuckooshrike, Regent Bowerbird and Crested Shrike-tit (below).
The property would require little maintenance as it is generally free of weeds other than lantana on its periphery, while the lush rainforest has resisted incursion by fire. The Sunshine Coast Council is being asked to purchase the land under its Land Acquisition Program, funded by council’s Environment Levy. The property could be subdivided by the council to allow an existing residence to remain, along with its access road. Ebird checklist:
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Buttonquail feast at Dunmore, Southern Queensland

February 6, 2021, 7:12 pm
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Good numbers of Red-chested Buttonquail (above), Little Buttonquail, Painted Buttonquail and Stubble Quail were the order of the day (and night) during a visit to Dunmore Road in Western Creek State Forest, south of Cecil Plains on Queensland’s Darling Downs. A fair sprinkling of normally difficult or uncommon inland species for south-east Queensland were also present.
Toowoomba birder Tyde Bands uncovered this hotspot, which features extensive grassland bordering well-grassed woodland. It’s the best part of a 5-hour drive from the Sunshine Coast but all those buttonquail were hard to resist. I began exploring the grassland at 4pm, being joined soon after by Matt Hansen. During 2.5 hours, I or both of us saw a total of 5 Red-chested Buttonquail (above), 6 Little Buttonquail and 4 Stubble Quail in the grassland, and 1 Painted Buttonquail on the road (below).
Driving the road slowly at night failed to turn up any hoped-for buttonquail, as observers have sometimes encountered elsewhere. It may be that birds are attracted to roads only in special, well-defined circumstances. However we heard a couple of Red-chested Buttonquail and several Little Buttonquail both in the grassland and the woodland. We encountered an impressive Eastern Snapping (Wide-mouthed) Frog (below) along with a couple of Common Dunnarts. Good numbers of frogs seen recently on the road at night here were not present; several Cycloranas of some kind were calling at a recently flooded area but were well inside their burrows.
During another 2.5-hour stint the next morning in the grassland, this time extending to other areas, a further 6 Red-chested Buttonquail were seen (totall 11 for the trip) along with 5 Little Buttonquail (total 11) and 6 Stubble Quail (total 10). Many more Stubble Quail were heard during both sessions. The quail and buttonquail were easily identifiable on the wing and their behaviour differed. Red-chested showed as quite or conspiciously rufous and the upperwing panels were evident; this species flew the furtherest when flushed, usually going a considerable distance before ditching. Little Buttonquail flew just a short distance and typically gave a distinctive short call as ithey did so; birds were much paler with their white underparts and “saddles”. Stubble Quail were considerably larger and bulkier; they looked uniform greyish above with clear streaking. I managed poor shots (below) of this species and none of Little Buttonquail. Several more Painted Buttonquail were seen and heard in the woodland.
Horsfield’s Bushlark was abundant in the grassland.
A classy act to follow the grassland forays was as many as 10 White-backed Swallows hanging about with Tree Martins in the woodland. This species was once regular in south-east Queensland but appears to be in decline.
In the same area were quite a few White-browed Woodswallows, including adults feeding youngsters. A single Masked Woodswallow was among them.
Diamond Dove, another species usually found well inland, seemed to be quite plentiful. Several Common Bronzewings were seen.
A few Plum-headed Finches(below) were about along with bigger numbers of Zebra Finches.
Hooded Robin was encountered a couple of times, and Jacky Winter was common.
A few Speckled Warblers were in the woodland.
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Emus in the Cooloola Region

March 8, 2021, 3:52 pm
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In the 1960s and 1970s, Emus were seen regularly on what was then called the Noosa Plain, now known as the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy World Heritage Area. However, it has declined drastically in numbers here and elsewhere in the Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay region. For instance, it was formerly common on Bribie Island, but the last emu there was killed by a dog in 2015. The species generally in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW is now very rare. Fortunately, some birds seem to be hanging on in the Cooloola region. I heard a bird drumming on the Noosa Plain in September last year but unfortunately it would not show itself. Prior to that encounter, the last record I can find for the site was during a Birds Queensland outing in 1997.
On March 6 (last Saturday) Christine Burton photographed two Emus – an adult and a well-advanced juvenile – on the edge of a pine plantation in Toolara State Forest (first image above by Christine's Wildscapes Photography). This site is about 15km west of the Noosa Plain. Christine reports that she saw another two birds in a pine plantation, also in Toolara State Forest, in October 2019 (image above). She has also seen in recent years a family with young birds in the nearby Tuan State Forest.Thanks to Tim Howell for drawing attention to these reports. Ebird includes records without further detail for Tin Can Bay in 1989 and Toolara State Forest in 1996, with three birds reported further south at Como in 2014. It seems that a small population of Emu is resident in the Cooloola region.
The causes of the decline of the species in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW are uncertain. Emus have been killed by dogs in the region (including "Eric", the last surviving Emu on Bribie Island, above) but they are well able to survive predation by dingoes and wild dogs further west. Habitat fragmentation could be in play but extensive areas of native habitat remain in the Great Sandy World Heritage Area and on Bribie Island; the birds also seem to be quite at home in pine plantations. There is no evidence that hunting and/or roadkill are important factors in the decline. So this population crash is a mystery yet to be unravelled. Image below of Cooloola's Noosa Plain.
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Norfolk Island: The Land Birds

April 1, 2021, 10:02 pm
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We had a pleasant week-long stay on Norfolk Island, our first “overseas” escape since the Covid 19 upheaval began in March 2020. We stayed at the pleasant Saints Apartments and had a hire car to get ourselves around this beautiful island, which I had visited previously, in 2007. Some scenic images below.
A highlight was finding a Norfok Island Boobook, or Morepork (first image). This endemic subspecies of the New Zealand Morepork had been reduced to a single female when two male New Zealand birds were introduced in 1987, in the hope of salvaging the taxa. Today an estimated 30-40 owls reside on the island. I first looked for them on the road to Mt Pitt and heard 4-5, some quite close to the road. However, the road’s steep banks made conditions difficult. I eventually tracked one down in forest near the Palm Glen picnic ground (below).
As usual, the endemic specialties were easy to find. Norfolk Island Parakeet (below) was seen near the summit of Mt Pitt and around Captain Cook Lookout in Norfolk Island National Park, as well as in the Botanic Gardens. Numbers appear to be stable these days after a precipitous decline it times past.
The Slender-billed White-eye (below) was in good numbers throughout forested parts of the island, although being outnumbered generally by Australia’s self-introduced Silvereye.
The recently split Norfolk Robin (below, pair and male alone) was similarly co-operative, being particularly easy to see on and around the summit of Mt Pitt.
Another endemic, the Norfolk Gerygone (below) was abundant in forest and gardens all over the island.
A good candidate for a split is the endemic anthoprocta subspecies of the Golden Whistler (below) which sounds nothing like the species in Australia and is unusual in not having brightly plumaged males.
Similarly, the endemic pelzelni race of the Grey Fantail (above) and norfolkensis subspecies of the Sacred Kingfisher (below) were ubiquitous.
Introduced birds are a feature of the island and there are no shortages of Red Junglefowl, Feral Goose, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, European Starling and others, although the quaint California Quail (below) is suitably agreeable.
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Norfolk Island: The Seabirds

April 2, 2021, 11:15 pm
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Seabirds were an ever present feature during our week-long stay on Norfolk Island. The star attractions during this trip were small numbers of Black-winged Petrels (above and images below) seen from the island’s north-western cliffs (first image below). They were about during the day, especially when the wind was up, flying along exposed cliff faces and grassy hillsides; the birds nest in small numbers here.
One bird was seen to land (below) before scurrying under a rock overhang, where presumably it was tending a chick.
I saw a well-advanced chick during the day (below). It was evidently being fed by parents returning at night. Why some birds appear to attend to young during the day and others at night is unknown.
I found the headless carcasses of three Black-winged Petrels together (below) at the Captain Cook Lookout in Norfolk Island National Park. The species once bred commonly on the island but was decimated by introduced rats and cats. It is making a minor comeback of sorts, but cats especially continue to be a problem. Nankeen Kestrels, self-introduced to the island, have also been recorded decapitating Black-winged Petrels.
I noticed a big difference in seabird numbers from my last visit to the island in 2007. Masked Booby (adults and juvenile below) for instance, was breeding commonly both on the main island and on offshore islands and rock stacks. It was nesting but in much smaller numbers in 2007.
Similarly, Red-tailed Tropicbird was numerous all about the island, and nesting in several places (adults and juvenile below); I recall seeing far fewer birds in 2007.
Frigatebirds were once scarce on the island but with growing populations of other seabirds, their numbers are on the rise. I saw about 80 together at Captain Cook Lookout and scattered birds elsewhere. Most appeared to be Lesser Frigatebird (below) but several Great Frigatebirds were seen.
Other seabirds were in similar numbers on this trip and in 2007. The delightful White Tern (below) was everywhere, nesting in the magnificent Norfolk Island Pines. Although at the tail end of the breeding season, plenty of well-advanced chicks were being fed on their nests.
Many chicks are blown from the frail nests and fall to the ground, like the youngster below. Unfortunately, large numbers die as a consequence.
Black Noddy (below) is also abundant but relatively few nests in the pines with well-fledged chicks were being attended.
Brown Noddy (below) was much less common and mostly on offshore stacks. About 80 distant Grey Ternlets were also on rock stacks off the north shore. A few Wedge-tailed Shearwaters were seen offshore but their nesting season appears to be over. I had hoped to get to Phillip Island to look for White-necked Petrel and a few other seabirds but rough weather prevented a trip.
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Eaglehawk Neck double header pelagics May 1-2, 2021

May 3, 2021, 6:27 pm
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We headed off about 7am on both Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2 for pelagic trips off Eaglehawk Neck in conditions that were similar on both days: starting off with a gentle 5-10knot NW breeze and little swell, with the wind picking up to 10-15 knots and moving to N as the day progressed and a 1.5-2m swell. Fine, relatively warm (water temperature 16) and sunny, with light cloud sometimes on Sunday. On both occasions we checked out Chevron Rock and the Hippolyte on the way out where the usual good numbers of Australian Fur-Seal, Black-faced Cormorant, Kelp Gull and other inshore birds were present. Short-tailed Shearwaters were common inshore with smaller numbers out wide, while Sooty Shearwater was widely dispersed but small in number.
On Saturday we laid berley trails at 310, 260 and 470 fathoms. On Sunday the trails were at 235, 540 and 95 fathoms. Great-winged Petrels (below) began appearing well before the shelf but were more frequent out wide, appearing in reasonable numbers on both days.
Grey-faced Petrel was in much smaller numbers.
White-chinned Petrel was common on both days, as to be expected.
White-headed Petrel (first image and below) was spotted regularly at the shelf, with a couple of birds closer inshore on Sunday; it was a reasonably common species for the day. Providence Petrel was about in small numbers.
A single Cape Petrel (race capense) was about most of the day offshore on Saturday.
Small numbers of Fairy Prions were about off the shelf and closer in.
A single White-fronted Tern appeared over the shelf on Saturday.
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel showed well off the shelf with three birds seen on Saturday.
White-faced Storm-Petrel performed nicely on both days.
Surprisingly just a single Wilson’s Storm-Petrel appeared.
Single Yellow-nosed Albatross were seen inshore briefly on both days, not offering much of a photo opportunity.
Buller’s Albatross was in good numbers, especially on Sunday when several birds were present inshore.
A single Salvin’s Albatross on Saturday was a sight for sore eyes.
Shy Albatross was as usual the most plentiful albatross.
Black-browed Albatross was surprisingly absent on Saturday but adults and immatures were about on Sunday.
Just a single Campbell Albatross was seen over the weekend.
A single Wandering Albatross was recorded, soon after we arrived on the shelf on Saturday.
Two Antipodean Albatross were seen on Saturday and two again on Sunday, all of race gibsoni.
A single Northern Royal Albatross was spotted distantly when we arrived at the shelf on Sunday. The image below is from John Baas.
Two Southern Royal Albatross were also seen at the shelf on Sunday.
Single Brown Skuas were seen out wide on both days and a flock of three inshore on Saturday was unexpected. A couple of people saw a few Common Diving-Petrels inshore on Sunday.
Seabirds aside, the big surprise of the weekend was a Spangled Drongo – a very rare vagrant in Tasmania - appearing off the shelf on Saturday. Also on Saturday, a Blue Shark hung around the boat for quite awhile while we were on the shelf.
The troops: Peter and Margie Appleton, Scott Baker, John Baas, Janet Carew, Michael Kearns, Chris Murray, Cheryl Ponter, Greg Roberts, Nick Thompson, Jayden Walsh, Peter Vaughan, Els Wakefield. Special thanks to Karen Dick for helping me out with the organisation, to Scott Baker for scrutinising the great albatross and to Peter Vaughan for his expert local knowledge and writing up the Saturday elist; I’ve submitted the Sunday elist. All up a good variety of birds with 32 species recorded, including 10 albatross species. Below is an image of some of the Australian Fur Seals, followed by a full species list for the weekend with the total number seen for Saturday first and Sunday second.
Australasian Gannet: 16 and 7, White-headed Petrel: 4 and 14, Providence Petrel: 1 and 5, Grey-faced Petrel: 1 and 3, Great-winged Petrel: 12 and 15, White-chinned Petrel: 8 and 10, Fairy Prion: 5 and 5, Short-tailed Shearwater: 65 and 150, Sooty Shearwater: 4 and 4, Common Diving-Petrel: 0 and 3, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel: 0 and 1, Grey-backed Storm-Petrel: 3 and 0, White-faced Storm-Petrel: 5 and 2, Yellow-nosed Albatross: 1 and 1, Buller’s Albatross: 9 and 17, Shy Albatross: 32 and 30, Salvin’s Albatross: 0 and 1, Black-browed Albatross: 0 and 5, Campbell Albatross: 0 and 1, Wandering Albatross: 1 and 0, Antipodean Albatross: 2 and 2, Northern Royal Albatross: 0 and 1, Southern Royal Albatross: 0 and 2, Crested Tern: 270 and 140, White-fronted Tern: 1 and 0, Silver Gull: 160 and 130, Kelp Gull: 60 and 45, Pacific Gull: 1 and 0, Brown Skua: 4 and 2, Black-faced Cormorant: 270 and 160, White-bellied Sea-Eagle 2 and 2
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Tasmania: Quolls, Potoroos, Golden Brushtail & Pygmy Possum

May 5, 2021, 7:54 pm
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A visit to Tasmania for double header pelagic trips off Eaglehawk Neck (see following post) provided opportunities to chase some sought after mammals. On an earlier trip, I saw Eastern Quolls while night driving around North Bruny Island but failed to capture an image. I wanted that remedied so after flying from the Sunshine Coast to Hobart, I drove to Bruny Island for another effort. I saw a few Forty-spotted Pardalotes and Dusky Robins (below) – two of Tasmania’s more difficult bird specialties - not far from the ferry terminal along Missionary Road.
It was here that I started spotlighting after sunset. In a paddock about 1km from Missionary Road’s junction with the busy Lennon Road, the first animal I saw was a Long-nosed Potoroo close to the fence. I’d seen this odd-looking animal occasionally in Queensland in times long past – once rescuing one from a Carpet Python - but was happy to snare an image.
In the same paddock were a couple of distant Eastern Quolls. Way too far for photographs, I drove various roads on North Bruny - including the main road to the ferry - seeing a total of at least 50 Eastern Quolls over 3.5 hours. No wonder North Bruny Island is known as Quoll Central. Unfortunately the animals were either skittish, disappearing quickly into roadside scrub, or distant in open paddocks. I had brought polystyrene to moisten and rub against the car windscreen: the high-pitched squeaking noise can elicit responses from animals. The quolls ignored this, however. I had pretty much given up on getting anything other than distant, poor pictures as the evening progressed. I decided to wind things up by returning to the potoroo paddock. Here I tried simply pishing for the first time that night, after again seeing a couple of distant quolls. To my surprise, a torch scan of the paddock revealed about 10-12 quolls, many sitting upright and looking intently my way. More pishing and a dark morph quoll was virtually at my feet. A couple more dark morph quolls then obliged by showing nicely.
I approached some of the more distant pale morph quolls and two or three again were responsive to pishing, allowing close approach. Mission accomplished.
On a more sombre note, I found a freshly killed quoll on the road not far from the ferry. It seemed to me that vehicles were driving far too fast along this road, with some clearly speeding to catch a ferry. This stretch of road is known for its abundance of wildlife; surely slower speed limits are in order, preferably with well-positioned speed bumps.
During the drive I spotted a scarce golden morph of the otherwise abundant Common Brushtail; this animal was quite a beauty. The only other mammal species I saw were Red-bellied Pademelon and Bennett’s Wallaby. I spotted two more Long-nosed Potoroos distantly in roadside paddocks.
After Bruny Island it was off to Eaglehawk Neck for the pelagics and with a night to spare, I checked out the road to Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula. Using my thermal monocular, I scrutinised the many bushes of flowering banksia along a walking track that runs south from the road just before the national park/camping ground entrance. Eventually I spotted and photographed a gorgeous Eastern Pygmy Possum. I was to see three more pygmy possums later in thick roadside scrub but was unable to get a camera on to them; at least one was a (truly tiny) Little Pygmy Possum. Pygmy possums in Tasmania go into winter torpor so I was by no means certain I’d have any luck, but the weather was pleasantly and unseasonally mild.
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Night Parrot records from Diamantina National Park

May 28, 2021, 11:49 pm
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The critically endangered Night Parrot (image above by John Young) has been found in at least three sites in Queensland’s Diamantina National Park where they were recorded earlier by north Queensland naturalist John Young. The revelation, in a 2019 report to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, raises questions about suggestions by authorities that there is no evidence of the bird being resident in the park. Young was sacked from his job in September 2018 as a senior ecologist with the AWC amid allegations that he fabricated evidence of Night Parrot records in Diamantina National Park and in Kalamurina Wildlife Sanctuary in South Australia. The AWC said it was retracting all its Night Parrot records from Diamantina National Park and other sites. In a report to the AWC in June 2019 - eight months after Young’s sacking - researchers Nick Leseberg, Steve Murphy and James Watson reported that song meters set up in the northern section of the park had confirmed the presence of Night Parrots.
Young (above) famously took the first photographs of a Night Parrot in 2013 in what is now the Pullen Pullen Reserve, which adjoins the northern boundary of Diamantina National Park. The bird photographed was also the first confirmed sighting of a live Night Parrot for about a century. The 2019 report shows that automated recording units (ARUs) were set up at 20 sites in the national park in April 2018. “Definite Night Parrot calls were detected on two ARUs during the April survey period, and one ARU during the August survey period,” the report says. “Possible Night Parrot calls were detected on one additional ARU during the April survey period, and three additional ARUs in the August survey period.” At one site, according to the report, there was “definite” recording of “multiple calls over multiple nights”. This site is just a few kilometres from where Young photographed his 2013 parrot (below). Calls detected were one-note and two-note whistles, hollow whistles, and on one occasion a pair of croak calls.
“The short duration of most of the calling periods, and the two main call types, suggest a pair of birds moving through,” the report says. At two other sites, there were “definite” recordings of call events. At a further four sites there were possible recordings, including one of multiple calls. “These detections provide evidence that Night Parrots are using the eastern section of the park,” the report says. “Although no long-term stable roost sites were detected, these results suggest it is likely that Night Parrots are roosting and breeding on Diamantina National Park.”
Given that a dead Night Parrot was found in the same part of the park in 2006 (above), the outcome confirms that parrots have been using the eastern section of the park “presumably continually for the past 13 years”. The AWC has not released the report.
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South-West Queensland Road Trip, Winter 2021

June 22, 2021, 8:37 pm
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We opted for a three-week camping trip to south-west Queensland to take advantage of the lush conditions in the wake of good rains in recent months over much of the region. Among the highlights were multiple encounters with Bourke’s Parrot, Crimson Chat, Little Buttonquail (above) and Black Honeyeater. Seed-eaters including Budgerigar, Zebra Finch and Cockatiel (below) were abundant. Other good birds included Black-breasted Buzzard, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Chirruping Wedgebill, Orange Chat, Barking Owl, Painted Honeyeater and Ground Cuckoo-shrike. Watercourses and lakes everywhere were full - a pleasant change from the drought which has ravaged the region for so long.
We started off with a two-night stop at Lake Broadwater near Dalby, camped by the lake instead of the bush camp where we’ve stayed previously. Hoary-headed Grebe and Red-winged Parrot were common.
We moved on to Bollon for a night at the free camp by Wallum Creek. Here was our first sampling of decent numbers of seed-eaters, with many finches and doves present included good numbers of Plum-headed Finch (below).
We moved on to Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary near Cunnamulla. About the first birds we saw after entering the property were a fine pair of Black-breasted Buzzards above the road (first image below), followed soon after by a dark phase Little Eagle (second image).
Quite a bit had changed since our last visit in 2012, notably the introduction of a long list of rules such the annoying absurdity of having to sign in and out whenever you leave camp. Also disturbing was an abundance of barbed wire that remains on fences inside the reserve; a Barn Owl was killed by striking a fence during our visit. Still, Bowra remains one of Australia’s top inland birding destinations and is well worth a visit. Although camping is no longer allowed around the waterhole, our site had an excellent outlook.
Seed-eaters were very much in evidence here. Everywhere were clouds of Budgerigars, Zebra Finches and Cockatiels. Many were feeding newly fledged young or attending nests.
I was surprised to see an Australian Raven kill and eat a cockatiel.
I had three encounters with Bourke’s Parrot during the 4-day stay, compared to zero during our last visit of similar duration. I was to have 11 encounters with this normally scarce species during the trip overall.
Also at Bowra were the first of many Crimson Chat encounters for the trip.
Black Honeyeater (female and male below) was in small numbers but no Pied or White-fronted were noted as little vegetation was in flower.
Some birds that I expected to be calling exuberantly in these conditions, like Rufous Songlark (below) and White-winged Triller, were instead skulking quietly, presumably due to time of year.
Little Buttonquail was encountered on eight occasions at Bowra and I tracked down a fine trio roosting at night with my thermal monocular. Southern Boobook, Eastern Barn Owl and Spotted Nightjar were vocal at night.
I found a pair of Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush at the well-known stony ridge site.
Hall’s Babblers were spotted in a couple of places.
Chestnut-crowned Babblers were more common.
Other nice birds included Purple-backed Fairywren (first image below), Southern Whiteface, Black-tailed Nativehen (second image) and Hooded Robin (third image).
Mulga Parrot, Pink Cockatoo, Australian Ringneck and Greater Bluebonnet (pictured below in that order) were among the many parrots.
A few Spotted Bowerbirds were about and a bower found was adorned with all manner of debris, notably broken glass.
Emu (first image below), Euro (second image) and Red Kangaroo were among the bigger critters on offer.
The only reptile of note was an Eastern Tree Gecko (Gehyra versicolor) under a piece of tin.
Our next stop was Lake Bindegolly, where we spent two nights at the free camping site south of the Eulo-Thargomindah road. This place has happy memories because it was here where I saw many western birds for the first time during a 1971 visit. The camping site atop a sand dune overlooking the lake was far more pleasant than expected.
We did the 9km circuit walk to Lake Bindegolly and saw a few Orange Chats and large numbers of Pink-eared Ducks among the many waterbirds, most of which were too far to identify without a scope.
White-winged Fairywrens were abundant.
We had a night by the Bulloo River at Thargomindah.
Large numbers of White-browed (first image below) and Masked Woodswallows (second image) were feeding in flowering eucalypts here. I was surprised not to see these species earlier but they were to remain numerous for the rest of the trip.
At night we were entertained by a pair of Barking Owls. I looked without success for Grey Grasswren in an area of lignum near the town where they were seen several years ago but found Painted Honeyeater there.
Next stop was two nights further west by the Wilson River near the historic Noocundra pub. Another delightful spot to camp, with hot showers by the friendly pub a nice bonus.
Black Falcon was seen here and just up the road to the north were good birds including more Black Honeyeaters, Bourke’s Parrots and Crimson Chats, the first Chirruping Wedgebills of the trip and Ground Cuckoo-shrike.
As we left to head west towards Eromanga we found yet more Bourke’s Parrots, Crimson Chats and Black Honeyeaters at roadside stops; these species were seemingly all over the place. We encountered small flocks of Little Crow as we approached the town.
We planned to stop at Eromanga but were put off by the noisy oil drill that now dominates this small town. So we continued on to Lake Houdraman near Quilpie, where we enjoyed a three-night stay in delightful settings, with much of the mulga in flower.
The mulga woodlands around the lake again had plentiful Bourke’s Parrot, Black Honeyeater and Crimson Chat while another Painted Honeyeater (below) was encountered just up the road.
Spinifex Pigeon was an unexpected find here.
At Baldy Rock Lookout west of Quilpie I found White-browed Treecreeper (first image below), the pileta race of Varied Sittella (second image), and yet more Bourke’s Parrots and Black Honeyeaters.
We moved on to Charleville for a two-night stay at the Bush Caravan Park outside town; no birds of note but another pleasant outlook. In fact, nowhere on this trip did we not have a bush, lake or river outlook from our camping spot. After that it was two nights in Roma, staying at the Gun Club camping ground on the edge of town. Apart from catching up with relatives and revisiting old haunts, I walked the grassy fields by the camping ground flushing good numbers of Stubble Quail (first image below), Little Buttonquail and Horsfield’s Bushlark (second image).
Our final night was at the Bowenville free camping ground just east of Dalby. This is another favourite spot, with Eastern Barn Owl performing well at dusk. Zebra Finch here was somewhat easterly for the species while Rose Robin (below) was somewhat westerly. All up, a very pleasant trip.
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South Island Pied Oystercatcher on North Stradbroke Island

June 27, 2021, 7:51 pm
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The South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO), endemic to New Zealand, is a rare but increasingly reported visitor to Australian shores. Yesterday I finally caught up with a bird on the foreshore at Dunwich on North Stradbroke island which was first reported by Andy Jensen on May 29. It later emerged that the bird was first photographed there on March 8 this year.
A flock of Australian Pied Oystercatchers appears to gather on the beach at high tide 200m north of the One Mile Jetty, where the Stradbroke Flyer passenger ferry operates to and from Cleveland on the mainland. I arrived at the spot yesterday morning two hours before a 1.8m high tide. Several observers had reported that an incoming tide was the best time to see the SIPO. There were about 40 Pied Oystercatchers there when I arrived but no sign of the SIPO.
The SIPO has a foot missing but so have a couple of Pied Oystercatchers. Small groups of Pied Oystercatchers were flying in and after about half an hour, the SIPO finally appeared. It stands out among the Australian Pied Oystercatchers with its much shorter legs, appearing markedly dumpier and smaller. The long, narrow bill is another good feature when the two species are seen together. In flight, the larger white wing bar and extended white rump on the SIPO (compared to Australian Pied Oystercatcher) was evident.
The birds are quite approachable. When I left after an hour, the tide was in and 95 oystercatchers were gathered on the beach. Interestingly, I saw it being briefly chased by Australian Pied Oystercatchers on several occasions.A dropby at the nearby cemetery revealed a pair of Bush Stone-Curlews at a grave.
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On the Paradise Parrot, the Golden-shouldered Parrot, and fire mismanagement in Australia's tropical savanna

July 12, 2021, 4:53 pm
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TRANSCRIPT OF MY FEATURE IN TODAY'S EDITION OF THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER: Eric Zillmann’s eyes twinkle as he recalls when, 86 years ago, he spotted a pair of paradise parrots while riding his horse as a young station hand on a property near the south-east Queensland town of Gin Gin. “I remember them still, feeding on the ground and flying up into trees,” says the 98-year-old from his Bundaberg retirement village home. “I could see the lovely colours on the birds. We’d ride up there to dip the cattle once a month and I’d see them every time.” He observed the parrots for a further three years until 1938, when he left the area. Zillmann (below) was likely the last person to see a paradise parrot, and is the only individual alive to have had the fortune to lay eyes on one.
One of Australia’s most beautiful animals, the paradise parrot is the only bird on the nation’s mainland to become extinct. It was thought to have been lost before the turn of the 19th Century but was rediscovered in 1921 near Gayndah, not far from Gin Gin, by pastoralist Cyril Jerrard. Ornithologists this year are marking the 100th anniversary of what was regarded at the time as a natural history find of great significance for the country.
The joy was short-lived. Jerrard (below) photographed the parrot for the first time; his grainy images of birds at a nest are the only ones existing (above). Parrots were seen sporadically for a while longer, until Zillmann’s encounters. Then the paradise parrot was lost again, this time forever.
Now, the fate of the paradise parrot’s closest relative, the equally resplendent golden-shouldered parrot, is in the balance. The two species share the unusual habit of digging tunnels in termite mounds to build nests. (The mound housing the nest that Jerrard famously photographed remained intact until collapsing half a century later in 1974.) Both birds favour lightly wooded country with a plentiful supply of grass seed. The paradise parrot (below) was restricted to a small area of southern Queensland. Its demise followed the extensive modification of its habitat for cattle pasture and the widespread destruction of termite mounds, which were highly valued as base for tennis court construction.
The golden-shouldered parrot (first image in post and below) is similarly confined to a small area of woodland but further north, in southern Cape York Peninsula. A 125,000ha cattle station, Artemis, is the epicentre of the parrot’s territory. Fourth generation grazier Susan Shepherd has been observing golden-shouldered parrots on the property for 30 years.
In that time, Shepherd says, the parrot population has crashed from as many as 2000 to 50 today. In woodland not far from the station homestead, she points to a small hole in a “witch’s hat” termite mound a metre above the ground that leads to a parrot nesting chamber used last season. “Once I’d find 100 nests or more in a season. Now it’s a struggle to find three or four. Birds are gone from many places where you could find them before.” Shepherd (below, at a parrot nest) is battling to protect her 50 parrots and hopes to grow the population. Cattle grazing has reduced the supply of seed favoured by the birds; seed is now purchased and left out for them. A bigger challenge facing the parrots is one afflicting the vast tropical savanna woodlands that cover the northern quarter of Australia: the mismanagement of fire on an epic scale.
On Cape York, traditional light burning by indigenous people was replaced by tighter restrictions on fire after European settlement. Open grassy areas were invaded by thick scrub not suitable for parrots and other woodland animals. The vegetation provides cover for feral cats, butcherbirds and other predators which kill golden-shouldered parrots. Some cats have learned how to track down and pillage the termite mound nests. Bush Heritage Australia estimates the total surviving parrot population is as few as 780. The conservation group is helping Shepherd to rehabilitate Artemis. A 2000ha plot has been destocked and other areas are being cleared or thinned to restore open woodlands and reduce cover for predators. A new fire regime will be implemented and feral pests controlled. “Hopefully there’s a brighter future,’ Shepherd says. Elsewhere across the savanna belt (map below) the mismanagement of fire is wreaking havoc in a different way. The horrendous bushfires of the 2019-2020 summer in south-east Australia captured the world’s attention, but massive and frequent fires of great intensity are a common feature of the tropical north.
Data collected through LANDSAT satellite imagery estimates 20 per cent of the 1.9 million square kilometres of savanna woodland in northern Australia burns each year. Savanna fires account for 70 per cent of the area burned in Australia annually; most of the rest is in the arid inland, with just two per cent in the country’s heavily populated south-east. Mismanagement of fire in Australia’s savanna – the most extensive area of that landscape in the world – has far-reaching consequences for biodiversity. Several threatened species have been wiped out in the rugged escarpments of the Borroloola region of the Northern Territory by fires lit by landholders. Among them was the entire NT population of a rare small songbird, the carpentarian grasswren. Says an environmental consultant working in the area, who asked not to be identified: “Planes went up each season dropping hundreds of incendiary devices across huge areas. Everything burned. Pockets of vegetation high up in the escarpments that normally provide refuge for animals from fire were incinerated. It’s a moonscape.” Charles Darwin University researchers confirm that recent surveys have failed to find rare animals known previously from the region. While natural open woodland in some parts of the savanna belt, like Artemis Station (below during my visit last year) on Cape York, is replaced by thick vegetation because fire is restricted, elsewhere fires for pasture improvement or control burns are lit too often or at the wrong time of year, resulting in the widespread torching of the countryside. The most fire-prone part of the most fire-prone continent is poorly managed.
Northern Australia’s 60,000-year history of fire management by indigenous people centred on fires lit throughout the year, particularly early in the dry season. Many fires today occur late in the dry season, when they are more intense due to greater fuel loads and higher temperatures. Says Charles Darwin University professor Alan Andersen (below): “Recent decades have witnessed precipitous declines in populations of small mammals across northern Australia and changed fire regimes are implicated as an important factor.” For instance, the unusual brush-tailed rabbit-rat has been pushed to the brink of extinction on the NT mainland.
Andersen says fire is “not inherently bad”; savanna is well adapted to fire every two to five years. The severity and frequency of fire is the issue. Mammals and reptiles are vulnerable to increased predation by feral cats (below) when protective vegetation is removed.
That’s an ironic variation of the cat threat to golden-shouldered parrots: fire mismanagement threatens the survival of native wildlife in different areas in different circumstances. Australia is the only country to include emissions from savanna fires in its national greenhouse gas accounts, with landholders earning carbon credits by reducing emissions through changed fire management. The program rewards burning early in the dry season to reduce the frequency of hot fires. The scheme has had limited impacts on curbing the extent and intensity of damaging fires, however, and perversely creates new hurdles. Over at Artemis, carbon credits are an important money earner for Susan Shepherd, like many landholders, but they mean she can’t burn the hot fires late in the year needed to restore open woodlands. “It’s a big bad circle that keeps going round and round,” Shepherd says.
Large areas of savanna are under public stewardship. Kakadu in the NT, managed jointly by traditional owners and Parks Australia, is widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of Australia’s national park estate. Satellite imagery shows a third of Kakadu’s 20,000 square kilometres burns annually (above). Charles Darwin University ecologist Stephen Garnett, who has conducted detailed research on fire impacts, says of Kakadu National Park: “There is a legacy of loss in Kakadu from very poor fire management that’s extended over many years. A whole lot of animals are gone.” Another songbird, the white-throated grasswren, is found nowhere in the world but atop the sandstone cliffs of Kadadu. The bird’s population was estimated to be as high as 182,000 in 1992; today it is about 1100, perhaps fewer. Says Garnett: “It’s going to take years and a good deal of investment to turn things around. It’s been a big wet season and I fear we’re going to see big fires later in the year.” Leading fire research scientists John Woinarski and Sarah Legge, referring to the savanna generally, conclude: “There is evidence that many species of birds and other vertebrates and plants are declining across substantial parts of this region and that current fire regimes are contributing to that decline and in some cases are the major driver of it.” Legge says carbon emissions abatement has helped improve fire management, but climate change is making control burns more difficult because of the increasing variability of the duration and quantity of rain in the wet season.
Meanwhile, introduced grasses such as buffle and gamba are running riot across the savanna as well as over much of inland Australia. Prolific growth of exotic grasses is fuelling the intensity of fires (gamba grass alight above) and allowing them to reach previously protected areas of spinifex and other native vegetation. The CSIRO’s Historical Records of Australian Science has published an essay by James Cook University historian Russell McGregor marking the 100th anniversary of the paradise parrot’s rediscovery. McGregor says: “Rediscovery of the paradise parrot in 1921 failed to inspire sufficient action to save the species. We can’t afford similar inaction towards endangered species today. Experts had scant scientific information on wildlife extinctions 100 years ago and even less on how to avert them. That is no longer the case.”
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1000 Hectares of Sunshine Coast Wetland Protected

July 19, 2021, 11:22 pm
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Combined efforts by the Sunshine Coast Council, statutory authority Unitywater and the Queensland Government have led to almost 1000 hectares of wetland and associated woodland being protected as environmental reserve in the centre of Australia’s tenth largest city.
More property acquisitions are expected to be added to reserves as government authorities make good on promises to protect the Sunshine Coast’s so-called “Blue Heart” – 5000 hectares of the environmentally rich and diverse Maroochy River floodplain (protected areas shown in the map above). The designated Blue Heart area is described as an "innovative partnership" including the Sunshine Coast Council, Unitywater and the state Environment Department. Its aim is to "build future economic and environmental resilience, while retaining a focus on flood hazard management and climate change adaptation". However, the good news is tempered by the continuing subdivision of sugarcane farmland in the designated Blue Heart area south of the Maroochy River.
The Sunshine Coast Council recently acquired three parcels of land totalling 38 hectares in the vicinity of River Road, expanding its Coolum Creek Environment Reserve to 433 hectares. The council reserve provides important buffer zone protection for Unitywater’s 191-hectare Yandina Creek Wetland (first image in post, captured this week). Part of the buffer area is pictured above. The protected areas includes extensive areas of grassland and wetland that provide habitat for scarce birds such as King Quail, Eastern Grass-Owl (below) and Lewin’s Rail. Together with the Queensland Government’s 342-hectare Coolum Creek Conservation Park, a total of 966 hectares is now protected in the area surrounding Coolum Creek and Yandina Creek in interconnected reserves.
Included in the council’s Coolum Creek Environment Reserve is the 90-hectare “West Coolum Wetland” (below), a diverse and bird-rich wetland sanctuary east of Coolum Creek that I proposed be protected as a reserve in 2016 (for further information see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2016/09/newly-discovered-wetland-on-sunshine.html - note that Blogger no longer provides hyperlinks; URLs need to be copied and pasted to search engines).
Another part of the council reserve is a River Road property I first suggested be acquired and protected in a submission to the council in 2012 (see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2012/12/wetlands-destruction.html). The council rejected the submission at the time, saying the area was not of significant environmental value and was not in a “highly strategic” location. The property adjoins Yandina Creek Wetland. The present owners will be able to continue current land uses for a further five years under a lease agreement.
Later, the council used similar arguments to reject my submission to purchase Yandina Creek Wetland (above) for a reserve. It was ultimately acquired by Unitywater in 2018 - following a concerted campaign backed by BirdLife Australia and others - and has been restored as a wetland (see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2018/05/yandina-creek-wetland-back-from-brink.html). A 1.7 kilometre walking trail which was opened last year by then Unitywater chairman Jim Soorley (pictured with me below at the trail opening) has proved popular with birders and more broadly the general public.
The council has clearly turned full circle in a substantial and welcome change of heart, having now spent more than what Unitywater paid for Yandina Creek Wetland on conservation property acquisitions in the area. Following the most recent land purchases, mayor Mark Jameson (below) acknowledged that the Blue Heart area had “significant environmental and natural flood plain characteristics”, adding: “It’s an area where responsible land and water management will showcase – and deliver – exemplary environmental, social and economic outcomes.” The acquisitions by the council in the Blue Heart are a substantial contribution to protecting biodiversity and increasingly threatened habitats and wildlife in the Sunshine Coast region.
Across the Maroochy River from River Road, the story is not so rosy. The floodplains adjoining Burtons Road and smaller roads south of the river host a variety of grasslands and woodland habitat that attract vagrant shorebirds such as Pectoral Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper (below), as well as infrequent avian visitors from the inland like Brown Songlark and Stubble Quail.
A small number of large cane farms in the area have been allowed to subdivide and much of the grassland has been bulldozed and filled for home sites in what is surely a highly flood-prone area. Earlier this year I took these images of some of the subdivided properties (below) following heavy rainfall in the region.
The area is also being used as an unofficial rubbish dump for all manner of debris (below).
These subdivisions are well within the boundaries of the designated Blue Heart conservation hotspot and stand in stark contrast to the positive developments north of the river.
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Green Tree-Frogs in Queensland & NSW - Death by Chytrid Fungus

July 22, 2021, 8:14 pm
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The dreaded chytrid fungus is believed to be responsible for the mysterious deaths of growing numbers of Green Tree-Frogs in Queensland and NSW. Dead and dying frogs have been reported from as far north as Yeppoon in Queensland to south of Sydney. While the fungus is known to favour colder weather, a substantial concentration of deaths have not been noted previously in this species, a favourite of Australian frog enthusiasts. The frog in the image above was found this morning in the driveway of a friend at Marcoola on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Like many other reported casualties, it was in the open during the day, its legs slightly splayed, and close to death. Underneath it was bright pinkish-red, a feature being noted consistently in dead frogs reported elsewhere. Chytrid fungus attacks parts of a frog's skin that have keratin in them; frogs breath through their skin so they are effectively suffocated. The fungus also damages the nervous system. It is widespread around the world and believed to be native in Australia, but what factors trigger deadly outbreaks from time to time are not known. Chytrid wiped out several species of frog in the late-1970s that lived in mountain rainforest streams in Queensland, including the remarkable Gastric-brooding Frog (below). Hundreds of frog species around the world have been impacted.
Australian Museum biologist Jodi Rowley told the ABC this week: "We're hoping this is just a temporary thing and as soon as the weather warms up the frogs will be able to bounce back, but we are pretty alarmed. This is particularly alarming because you don't often see a dead frog – they decompose pretty quickly - so when you do see them you know that there's probably more of them around and we're very worried."
Last week, the Queensland Frog Society posted an alert on its Facebook page of reports of sick and dead Green Tree-Frogs. Within 24 hours, the society had received 50 reports from Queensland and NSW, like the one above from Scotts Head, NSW. The following are samples: “Found one on my verandah at Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour NSW. He was red and stiff and could barely breathe. Very sad." / “One in my shower drain looked brown on his back. I tried saving one on the patio, put him in the [frog] hotel and was dead by morning.” / “We've also been finding dead frogs on our property. We are located in Junction Hill just north of Grafton NSW. We've noticed that it is all ages of frogs from young ones to some of our oldest that we've had here for approx 8yrs. “ / “Emptied a half dozen at least out of tank strainer.” / “I found 2 dead in Casino NSW. Thought it was so weird they were red in colour.” / “I lost one of my frogs… red legs splayed out in my Moss pot. Poor fella. Yeppoon. Central Queensland. July.” Below is what a healthy Green Tree-Frog looks like.
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Unusual encounters with Sunshine Coast rodents and backyard critters

August 31, 2021, 4:49 pm
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I had some excellent encounters with rodents and an antechinus in the Sunshine Coast area over the winter months. A Grassland Melomys (Melomys burtoni - above and below) was much appreciated as it was released from a trap in which it was caught near Bli Bli during environmental surveys conducted by Wildwise Environmental Services. The site was in open forest adjoining a narrow strip of subtropical lowland rainforest that is flanked by mangroves along the Maroochy River.
Also in a survey trap at the site was a Buff-footed Antechinus (Antechinus mysticus - below). This species was recently split from the widespread Yellow-footed Antechinus. Its range and status in South-East Queensland is unclear but it is known from elsewhere in the Sunshine Coast region.
I’ve continued to come to grips with my relatively new thermal monocular. I found the Grassland Melomys’s close relative, a Fawn-footed Melomys (Melomys cervinepes - below) in rainforest near Kureelpa Falls, not far from home. It was sitting motionless in a tree three metres from the ground, about an hour before sunrise. Using the monocular, I found another Fawn-footed Melomys in rainforest at Booloumba Creek along with a Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes).
The Water Rat, or rakali, is reasonably common but seldom spotted as it is shy and usually nocturnal. I was surprised when one came out into the open in the middle of the busy Lake Alford park in Gympie mid-afternoon. Looking very wet, the animal (below) nonchalantly groomed itself for several minutes in full view of a throng of human passers-by and onlookers.
It’s now 10 months since we moved from Ninderry to Nambour in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Some of the Ninderry critters are missed, especially the Eastern Grey Kangaroos, but we’re happy with the new home, and there’s a fair bit to watch. The verandah offers fine views from the town’s western hill ridges out over the Nambour valley. The hills are part of the crater wall of an ancient volcano.
Raptors seen from here include Square-tailed Kite (above) and Grey Goshawk (below).
Elsewhere in the garden, a Dwarf Crowned-Snake (below) was a nice fine. Bluetongues like the rock walls around the house and are often encountered. Dark Bar-sided Skinks are about. Frogs including Graceful Tree-Frog and Tusked Frog are attracted to an ephemeral pool that forms in bush at the base of the property after rain. Not much on the mammal front so far but an Eastern Ringtail was located during the day thanks to a flock of hysterical Noisy Miners.
During a visit to Brooyar State Forest I found a colony of Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters (below) on the main state forest road, 2km in from the Wide Bay Highway (second entrance along from Gympie). The species is highly localised in South-East Queensland and rare in the Sunshine Coast region. Fuscous Honeyeater – another localised species - was also plentiful here.
Good numbers of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were feeding on white cedar berries nearby at Scotchy Pocket.
I enjoyed a walk through the Kawana Forest Environmental Park in the southern Sunshine Coast. A good variety of habitat here includes melaleuca wetland, grassland, subtropical rainforest patches and mangroves.
Nice birds included Fairy Gerygone (above), Dusky Honeyeater (below) and White-eared Monarch. The park is likely the southern-most Sunshine Coast site where the gerygone and honeyeater can be found readily. A pair of Fairy Gerygones, likely to be nesting, were also seen at Port Cartwright, at the northern end of the point’s forest patch.
In other activities we completed an 11.5km hike through Kondalilla Falls National Park. We took two vehicles to the Lake Baroom end, leaving one there and taking the other to the falls end. The one-way walk (below) is beautiful if strenuous. Following good rains this year, the rainforest is looking vigorous and fresh and creeks are running strongly.
A pair of Marbled Frogmouths spotted at their day roost in a tangle of thickets was a pleasant surprise.
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North Queensland Spring 2021 – Part One: The journey north & Atherton Tablelands

October 2, 2021, 4:00 pm
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We headed up to north Queensland for a month-long sojourn with the central focus being a visit to Iron Range on Cape York. No caravan this time as much of the trip was accommodation-booked. That was handy in some respects but we missed the van. Overnight stops at Mt Larcom and Sarina before Ayr, where the first birding was underway in a fine mix of freshwater wetland and mangroves along Old Wharf Road near the town. Brolga (below) and Black-necked Stork were about.
Of surprise was a grouping of 8 Wood Sandpipers (below) – an unusually large concentration for this species. A few Red-kneed Dotterels and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers were on the wetland.
In the mangroves were Shining Flycatchers (above) and Yellow White-eye (below). The white-eye is inexplicably scarce along the east Queensland coast and indeed this was a state tick for me.
Large-billed Gerygone (below) and Olive-backed Sunbird were common.
We moved on to Ingham and checked out the Tyto Wetlands. A 2.5m Saltwater Crocodile (above) was here; rangers had set a trap with wild pig bait, presumably for this animal. Also about were two big Red-bellied Black Snakes (below) embroiled in what seemed to be territorial fight between males.
Green Pygmy-Goose (above) was common and Northern Fantail (below) put in an appearance.
We moved on to Forrest Beach (below) nearby, a delightful retreat. Mostly we opted for caravan park cabins on this trip, or motel rooms when these were not available. The park here is excellent.
Brown-backed Honeyeaters were attending a nest nearby.
I visited the indigenous-owned Mungalla Station (below) which like the rest of the countryside was lush and green after consistently good rains this year.
I heard White-browed Crake in a few places and eventually had excellent views of a bird close up.
Crimson Finch showed nicely on lawns around the homestead.
I found a 3.5-metre Saltwater Crocodile hauled up on the banks of a waterhole.
It was then on to the Atherton Tableland, taking a look at the Millaa Millaa (below) and other fine waterfalls along the way.
We called in on the Nerada tea plantations, a hotspot for daytime views of Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo. A tree-kangaroo (above) duly obliged, as a curled up Green Ringtail (below) dozed in a nearby tree.
We settled in to a cabin in the Lake Eacham Tourist Park for a 4-night stay. Grey Whistler (below) and Bower’s Shrike-thrush were among the birds about the cabin.
Spotlighting around the Lake Eacham picnic area turned up a Northern Long-nosed Bandicoot (above). A Coppery Brushtail (below) was seen at the Curtain Fig near Yungaburra.
The cream of the cake came with a Lesser Sooty Owl near the Lake Eacham tourist park. I’d been chasing this species for an image for some time so to have one performing at eye level so well was gratifying.
Another one I’d been chasing for a picture was Tooth-billed Bowerbird, which is difficult to find in the dry season as it is not calling. It was certainly calling during this trip, and a bower was found at nearby Lake Barrine.
We called in on our friends Peter (above) and Val Valentine near Malanda. As usual, Victoria’s Riflebird (below) and other birds coming in to feed obliged nicely.
In the rafters of their home was a delightful grouping of Northern Long-eared Bats.
We headed to Kuranda via Atherton, seeing a few Sarus Crane (below) along the way. We stayed with Alexander Watson overnight where Red-necked Crake was seen and heard – as it was at Lake Barrine – but sadly not photographed.
We had two nights in the Kuranda Rainforest Park. More rails calling but not showing. The Barron River falls (above) outside town were in full flow. The newly renamed and split Cryptic (formerly Graceful) Honeyeater (below) was common.
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North Queensland Spring 2021 – Part 2: Iron Range & Portland Roads

October 3, 2021, 11:29 pm
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I had been to Iron Range twice previously but long ago: in February 1975 (for 11 days) and in November 1982 (for 8 days, a Queensland Museum trip with curator Glen Ingram), so was keen to revisit this iconic biodiversity hotspot in the far north of Cape York. We decided to take the easy option and fly in from Cairns for a week-long stay in September 2021 at Portland House in the village of Portland Roads, 22km north of the main rainforest areas of Iron Range.
We flew to Lockhart River and were met by our hosts at the airport with a 4WD hire vehicle for the week. Portland House organises the accommodation/flight/vehicle package. Whether you’re a large group or a single person, you have the whole house to yourself as part of the package. You can buy stores at Lockhart River and prepare your own meals or buy excellent meals at the restaurant next door, owned by the same people. We opted to make our own breakfasts and lunches, with a mix for evening meals. The operators can order in any alcohol supplies you need. The views from the sprawling verandahs over the sea (above) and of the beach and mangroves from the boat ramp up the road (below) are quite something.
The first morning we visited nearby Chili Beach and its busy camping ground. More fine coastal scenery here (below) but none of the Iron Range specialties were encountered.
The first of those was not far from the house when we got back: an immature male Red-cheeked Parrot (below) perched up high.
I tracked down an active Fawn-breasted Bowerbird bower found by Dominic Chaplin by mangroves about 500m from Portland House. I waited 40 minutes before the bird turned up, putting on a fine show of rearranging the bower and the large green berries in place for show.
Around Portland House, the newly split Graceful (from Cryptic) Honeyeater was common in the gardens.
Olive-backed Sunbirds were building a nest on the verandah.
Early most mornings for the rest of the week I drove 30 minutes to reach the rainforest, birded several kilometres of road or track and returned to Portland House around lunchtime. Traffic on the roads was horrendously busy compared to previous visits as indicated by this sign, although early mornings were usually okay.
The Iron Range specialties were out and about from the start. The first was a White-faced Robin making a roadside appearance soon after dawn; several were seen during the week but usually deep in the undergrowth.
Eclectus Parrots (male below) flew overhead occasionally but I only ever saw them perched briefly and distantly.
A flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were unimpressed by a white phase Grey Goshawk.
We saw three Palm Cockatoos on the first morning in the forest but managed just poor views in very windy conditions. An immature Palm Cockatoo showed a little better the next day but surprisingly these were the only encounters with the species.
Quite a few more Red-cheeked Parrots (like the adult male below) were seen but both Eclectus Parrot and especially Palm Cockatoo were much less common than during earlier visits.
As the days unfolded, the target list shrunk. Green-backed Honeyeater was encountered more easily that I recalled from earlier trips and several parties were seen.
Most observations were centred on the area around the Gordon Creek, Rainforest and Cook’s Hut camping grounds in Kutini-Payamu National Park. An old hut at the latter site was my shelter during earlier visits to Iron Range. Gordon Creek and the Claudie River (below) were in full flow and the countryside was unusually green for this time of year, having had quite a bit of dry season rain.
Some differences from earlier visits that were later in the wet season were stark. Species like Northern Scrub-Robin and Yellow-billed Kingfisher were a good deal less vocal, while Magnificent Riflebird this time seemed to be everywhere. A male was regularly at its display perch at the Cook’s Hut camping ground, putting on a fine show (below and fist image in this post).
The 5km Old Coen walking track linking the Rainforest Camp to Portland Road was productive, especially the first 2km. Along here I tracked down a Black-eared Catbird, having heard one the previous day on the main road but failing to see it. These were the only two records of the species for the week.
Also along the Old Coen track I found a co-operative pair of Yellow-legged Flycatchers (below) in the rainforest canopy. White-eared Monarchs and Yellow-breasted Boatbills were about.
Around the Rainforest Camp I spotted a nice pair of Northern Scrub-Robins, although the birds were scarcely calling and getting these less than adequate images took a deal of patience.
Trumpet Manucode was another that was not as vocal as I recalled and it took a while to find a couple, again along the Old Coen track.
Frill-necked Monarch was spotted in several places, including the Rainforest and Cook’s Hut camps.
Tawny-breasted Honeyeater was one of the more plentiful specialties.
One day I left the house in the afternoon to visit the Mango Farm between Portland Road and Lockhart River. Here I saw a large Saltwater Crocodile. A flock of about 20 whistling-ducks flushed and quickly disappeared before I could get on to them, but the first couple had pale bellies and were quite likely Spotted Whistling-Ducks. Lemon-bellied Flycatcher (below) was here.
At the sewage treatment works near Lockhart River, a few Pied Herons were about but not the hoped for whistling-ducks.
Nearby at Quintell beach, the unusual rock formations on the beach are an eye-catcher.
On this day I opted for an evening excursion. As the sun set at the Rainforest Camp, the forest was lit up by countless fireflies and I remembered what a sight they were on earlier visits. A chorus of good numbers of Australian Wood-Frogs resounded from the banks of the nearby Claudie River.
It wasn’t long before I heard the characteristic call of the marmoratus race of Marbled Frogmouth and two or three were present around the camping ground, with one showing nicely.
Using my thermal monocular, I found a couple of Cape York Melomys (below) as well as a Giant White-tailed Rat and a Cape York Rat (Rattus leucops).
Spotlighting along the road back to Portland Roads was not particularly productive, with Spectacled Flying-Fox )above) in the rainforest and several Large-tailed Nightjars (below) lushed.
I had previously photographed Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and White-streaked Honeyeater so did not spend time chasing these Cape York specialties. The only potential target that I failed to see or photoghaph was Yellow-billed Kingfisher. (It was too early in the season for two others: Black-winged Monarch and Papuan Pitta.) I frustratingly failed to see cuscus although others were reporting them, especially at Cook’s Hut Camp; I had seen both Spotted Cuscus and the Southern Common (Grey) Cuscus during previous visits.
I photographed the northern races of Fairy Gerygone (personata - above) and Tropical Scrubwren (minimus - below), both of which were common.
The distinctive race of Australian Brush-turkey (purpurceicollis) was also plentiful.
As was the ever photogenic Shining Flycatcher.
Relaxing in the beautiful tropical surroundings at Portland House was one of the highlights of the trip. Among the creatures about the house were plenty of Robust or Six-toothed Skinks (Carlia sexdentata).
White-lipped Tree-Frogs (below) were ever present. We were serenaded by constantly calling Large-tailed Nightjars and the occasional Papuan Frogmouth at night.
I didn't tire of the views from Portland Road during my frequent drives.
I was back at Chili Beach on the last morning and surprised to find a male Satin Flycatcher - a little-recorded transient migrant in far North Queensland.
We finished off our stay on the last night with an excellent seafood platter dinner at the restaurant.
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North Queensland Spring 2021 – Part 3: Cassowaries & the homeward run

October 6, 2021, 4:52 pm
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After visiting Iron Range (next post) we had a few days relaxing in Cairns. From our hotel balcony on the esplanade (a favourite outlook for decades) we had good numbers of Torresian Imperial-Pigeon about, as expected for this time of year.
Varied Honeyeater was plentiful along the foreshore.
We moved on for a couple of nights at Wongaling Beach, near Mission Beach. This is a well-known hotspot for Southern Cassowary but we didn’t expect three encounters in two days. An adult male and two medium-sized chicks were spotted on South Mission Beach Road on our first morning. They moved on and off the road over about 10 minutes, drinking from roadside water pools. Vehicles in both directions slowed down or stopped, flashing warning lights. While locals and visitors often try to do the right thing, too many people ignore warning signs and speed, and way too many cassowaries in the area continue to be killed by motor vehicle strike.
That afternoon, as I was taking a stroll from our Wongaling Beach caravan park, an adult female cassowary crossed the road and entered the forest. I watched her for some time as she wandered about, feeding on fallen fruit and drinking from a large pool (first image in post). The next morning, another adult female (below) was seen on the forest edge along the main Tully-Mission Beach Road, 12km north of Tully. On this open stretch of road - through the last big rainforest patch before Tully coming from Mission Beach - vehicles barely slowed down, although the bird may not have been immediately obvious to motorists.
Also near the Wongaling caravan park, a Papuan Frogmouth showed very nicely in a rainforest patch after dark.
Shining Starling was nesting in large numbers around Wongaling Beach.
It was then on to Bowen for a couple of days. Radjah Shelduck was again present in numbers at Muller’s Lagoon.
Beach Stone-Curlew (below) and Great Bowerbird were among the birds at the mouth of the Don River.
Quite a few Lesser Crested Terns (below right) were on the rocks with Greater Crested Terns (below left) at Clump Point.
Further south, another fruitless attempt was made to photograph Yellow Chat along the Port Alma Road, south of Rockhampton. Good birds included displaying Zitting Cisticola, Diamond Dove, Australian Bustard (above) and Brown Songlark (below).
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Twitching Semipalmated Plover & checking Lockyer Valley hotspots

October 31, 2021, 11:23 pm
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Queensland twitchers were all a flutter when Michael Daley reported last night (October 31, 2021) that he had found a Semipalmated Plover at the Geoff Skinner Wetlands Reserve, at Wellington Point by Moreton Bay, not far from Brisbane. It is only the second record of this vagrant from Queensland and there are just a handful of sightings for Australia, mostly in Western Australia.
By the time I got there about 11am today, it was low tide. Apart from the initial sighting late yesterday, quite a few people saw it early this morning, but all sightings had been at or close to high tide, when large numbers of shorebirds roost here. So whether it would be around all day was an unknown quantity, although Red-capped Plovers and some small shorebirds often remain at high tide roosts throughout the day, providing there is sufficient feeding habitat around. I ran into a couple of local birders; we spread out and I spotted the plover through my scope about 10 minutes after arriving.
The Semipalmated Plover appeared quite settled, feeding with a couple of Red-necked Stints and Red-capped Plovers on one of a small number of shallow pools that were scattered around the large claypan. Apart from these three species, the only other shorebirds were 2 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers; just a few hours earlier, hundreds of shorebirds were present. The plover was flushed by a council mosquito inspector and settled on a nearby pool, where we watched it for about 30 minutes before the small group flew off to another pool 50 metres away. We left the birds there. Harsh light conditions in the middle of the day did not make for ideal photographic conditions. Gum boots are strong advised for this site! The species elsewhere in Australia has sometimes (but not always) hung around for long periods of time. The image below is the plover with stints.
At the end of last week I checked out some of my favourite sites in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane. Bird of the day was Ground Cuckoo-shrike – a party of 4 feeding close to the road, just south of the junction between Watsons Road Boyces Road, near Atkinsons Dam. This species, a rarity in south-east Queensland, is resident in small numbers in the valley but always difficult to come across.
Also on Watsons Road, a Little Red Flying-fox was found dead after evidently striking a barbed wire fence.
At Lake Galletly near Gatton, 6 Blue-billed Ducks were present. The birds have long been attracted to this site but are absent for lengthy periods. They’ve been there for several months now and were recently reported to have young but I saw no ducklings; they may have been eaten or were hiding.
Pink-eared Duck was in good numbers on the lake, with 140 counted. This is another species that fluctuates wildly in numbers in south-east Queensland, often being absent for lengthy periods.
Plenty of Short-necked (Brisbane River) turtles (Emydura macquarii) were on the lake edges.
Australasian Shoveler was found with ducklings at Karasch’s Lagoon. Better still were the 14 Hoary-headed Grebes present here. The birds have evidently been on the lagoon since early this year. During my last few visits this lagoon has been dry so it was nice to see it full.
Other birds at Karasch’s included about 10 Red-kneed Dotterel and more Pink-eared Ducks.
Rains this year have been patchy, however, and other wetlands like Lake Clarendon and Seven Mile Lagoon remain dry. A small dam near Lake Clarendon had good numbers of Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage.
A Spotted Harrier was close to the road at Seven Mile Lagoon.
At Peach’s Lagoon, few waterbirds were in evidence but Red-rumped Parrot (above) and White-winged Triller (below) were about.
On the home front, a pair of Square-tailed Kites are nesting for the second year in a row at Koala Park in Nambour, not far from home.
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