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Ambon - First Stop on Southern Moluccas Trip

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Our three-week trip to the southern Moluccas and far eastern Lesser Sundas kicked off today with a morning in the field on the Indonesian island of Ambon. Our group proved popular with the locals as we checked out the scrub patches along Tulahu Road.

Lazuli Kingfisher
 The highlight of the morning was a pair of fine Lazuli Kingfishers. This species is endemic to Ambon and neighbouring Seram and can be difficult to find, so it was nice to have it under our belts so early in the trip.

Lazuli Kingfisher - female left, male right
 We also managed excellent views of Ambon White-eye, the only bird endemic to Ambon. We saw individual white-eyes in two spots along the road through secondary forest.

Slaty Flycatcher
Slaty Flycatcher, a Moluccan endemic, was common. Other species included Moluccan and Metallic Starlings, Superb and Claret-breasted Fruit-Doves, Seram (Spanged) Drongo, Black-breasted (Olive-backed) and Black Sunbirds, Ashy Flowerpecker (endemic to Ambon and Seram),  Red-cheeked Parrot, Seram Swiftlet, Uniform and Glossy Swiftlets, Collared Kingfisher, Seram Golden Bulbul (endemic to Ambon and Seram), Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Arctic Warbler and Spectacled Monarch.

Metallic Starling


Rare Black-lored Parrot Seen on Buru Island, Indonesia

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Black-lored Parrot
The Black-lored Parrot, endemic to Buru Island in the southern Moluccas of Indonesia, can fairly be described as one of the most difficult birds to see in the wild. So our group was thrilled to find a Black-lored Parrot on the second day of our visit to Buru.

Black-lored Parrot
 We were birding at an altitude of about 1050 metres on the fairly new logging track leading to Danau Rana, which runs off the Wamlana logging road, well-known to birders visiting Buru. A large green parrot flew across the road in front of us and landed perhaps 30 metres away in the sub-canopy. It sat there for several minutes, affording superb views, as can be seen from these images.

Black-lored Parrot
Interestingly, the bird was seen in the heat of a sunny day at about 1pm. This parrot is so rarely seen that until recently, it was thought to be nocturnal. Another Black-lored Parrot was seen by Craig Robson's Birdquest tour in 2012 late in the morning; clearly this parrot is not nocturnal. The Birdquest sighting was the first for several decades. Our birding group is only the second to have scored this species..

Black-lored Parrot
The parrot was the icing on the cake of a very successful visit to Buru - see here.


This is the spot where the parrot was seen on the Danau Rana road.


The road is a little tough going in places. Certainly a high clearance 4x4 is need to get up there.

Birding Indonesia's Buru Island

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Buru Golden-Bulbul
Our group of seven Australians and Americans has concluded a great week of birding on Buru Island in the southern Moluccas of Indonesia. We saw 18 of a possible 20 (or 21, depending on what taxonomy you follow) species of bird that are endemic to Buru. (We were not within the range of the only two we missed.) The endemics we saw included the extremely rare Black-lored Parrot (see here). We were fortunate to see two other particularly difficult endemics. A Buru Thrush was on the road as light was breaking early one morning. A group of 5-6 Buru Honeyeaters were feeding over a small area of flowering shrubs; one of our group was able to record its little-known call. Buru Golden-Bulbul was one of the more widespread and common endemics.

Buru Jungle-Flycatcher
Our efforts were concentrated in the highlands, mostly between 900 and 1350 metres, along the Wamlana logging road and the recently completed logging road to Danau Rana. The Danau Rana road was particularly good. It was along here that nice endemics seen included Buru Jungle-Flycatcher and Buru Cuckoo-shrike, neither of which resemble the field guide illustrations much.

Buru Raquet-tail
The delightful Buru Raquet-tail, another endemic, was one of the most common birds we encountered. Other endemics we saw were Buru Oriole, Buru Friarbird, Buru Drongo, Buru Flowerpecker, Buru Mountain-Pigeon, Buru Leaf-Warbler, Tawny-backed Fantail, Buru Bush-Warbler, Black-tipped Monarch and Buru Green-Pigeon. The latter two species were in lowland rainforest patches near the villages of Barra and Eruba. Another highlight of the trip was seeing a Lesser Masked Owl along a rainforest track near Eruba; we were impressed at how small it was.


Drab Whistler - Buru race
Apart from endemic species there are quite a few subspecies endemic to the island, including Drab Whistler and Northern Fantail. Others, such as Pale Cicadabird, are endemic to Buru along with other Moluccan islands.

Northern Fantail - Buru race

Pale Cicadabird

Black-faced Munia
Widespread species included Black-faced Munia, Slender-billed Cuckoo-shrike and Brown Goshawk, although the endemic race of the latter, pictured here, appears to be quite distinctive.
Brown Goshawk - Buru race

Buru Drongo

Slender-billed Cuckoo-shrike

Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon
The impressive Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon was widespread. Other interesting birds included Black Eagle and a host of parrots including Red-cheeked, Eclectus, Moluccan King and Great-billed.

Moluccan King-Parrot


Tawny-backed Fantail

Black Eagle

Red-cheeked Parrot


The group at bird call at our accommodation, the comfortable Waspait Resort Buru.


And birding along the trail. Our trip to the southern Moluccas and far eastern Lesser Sundas began on Ambon Island.

Birding Indonesia's Yandema Island in the Tanimbars, Lesser Sundas

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Arafura Fantail  
After our highly successful visit to Buru Island in Indonesia's southern Moluccas, we flew to the Tanimbars in the far east of the country, where for three days we were based in the town of Saumlaki on the island of Yamdena. While Buru is in the Moluccas, the Tanimbars are at the eastern extremity of the Lesser Sundas. We birded remnant patches of primary and secondary forest not too far from town, on sometimes wet and muddy walking trails.

Cinnamon-tailed Fantail
We succeeded in seeing all the Tanimbar endemics and specialties except for the scrubfowl, which is extremely difficult these days; we didn't try for it. Cinnamon-tailed Fantail was one of the more common endemics and local races of species such as Arafura Fantail were good to add to the list.

Tricoloured Munia
It was nice to catch up with species some of us had seen in the Lesser Sundas during our 2012 trip, like Five-coloured Munia and Tricoloured Parrotfinch.

Golden-bellied Flycatcher
Dusky Cuckoo-Dove
Tanimbar Oriole
Tanimbar specialties seen included Tanimbar Corella, Tanimbar Triller, Rufous-sided Gerygone, Tanimbar Flycatcher, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Wallacean Whistler, Loetoe Monarch, Tanimbar Friarbird, Scaly-breasted Honeyeater, Tanimbar Oriole, Tanimbar Starling, Black-bibbed Monarch and Tanimbar Bush-Warbler. Tanimbar Boobook was seen very well on two occasions. It took a bit of time to track down some of the skulkier specialties such as Long-tailed Fantail, Slaty-backed thrush and Fawn-breasted Thrush.

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
Some races of more widespread species are so distinctive that they are likely to be elevated to species status. These include Dusky Cuckoo-Dove, Greater Wallacean Drongo and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove.

Tanimbar Starling

Yellow-eyed Imperial-Pigeon
Greater Wallacean Drongo

Scaly-breasted Honeyeater

The group in transit from Saumlaki

Tanimbar Corella

Birding the Kai Islands of Indonesia

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Great Kai White-eye
 The next chapter in our just concluded trip to the southern Moluccas and the Tanimbar islands of Indonesia. After visiting Yandema Island in the Tanimbars and Buru Island, we flew to Tual on the island of Kai Kecil in the Kai group of islands in far eastern Indonesia. Our accommodation here was the pleasant Suita Indah Hotel. We saw Kai Coucal on the drive from the airport and in beachside scrub at nearby Ohoililir, we tracked down another Kai endemic, the White-tailed Monarch.

Black-eared Friarbird
The following day we boarded our chartered ferry early in the morning to visit Kai Besar Island, where our efforts were concentrated in the scrub around the Bukit Indah Mission.

Landing on Kai  Besar
 We found Kai Leaf-Warbler easily enough after a short hike up the trail along with plenty of Great Kai White-eyes, a species that is endemic to this islana. Also added to the list was Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot. In the afternoon we returned to Kai Kecil and found Island Whistler at Ohoililir.

Island Whistler
 Our third day was spent on the recently completed road to the airport, where there are numerous trails leading into nice stands of rainforest and small areas of cultivation. The birding here was excellent and this area appears certain to replace Ohoililir as the main birding destination for the Kai Islands. We found plenty of Little Kai White-eyes - a species endemic to Kai Kecil - along with Pied (Little) Bronze-Cuckoo (supposedly rare in the Kai islands but we ended up seeing quite a few) and Red-bellied Pitta.

Island Whistler
We were back at the airport on our final morning, seeing Kai Cicadabird and an unusually large flock of 18 migrating Channel-billed Cuckoos. Among other birds were distinctive Kai endemic subspecies of Australasian Figbird, Northern Fantail, Variable Goshawk and Arafura Fantail.

Kai Coucal

Australasian Figbird - Kai race

Little Kai White-eye

Northern Fantail - Kai race

Pied Bronze-Cuckoo

Variable Goshawk - juvenile, Kai race

Wallace's Fruit-Dove

 We found large numbers of Wallace's Fruit-Doves in the Kai islands and quite a few White-breasted Fruit-Doves.
White-breasted Fruit-Dove

Blue-eared Lory and Other Birds on Indonesia's Seram Island

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Ashy Flowerpecker
Seram was the last island to be visited during our three-week tour of the southern Molucca and Tanimbar islands of eastern Indonesia. As elsewhere, we did extremely well here. Overall, our trip to this part of Indonesia has been one of the most successful undertaken by any group. The finding of Blue-eared Lory on Seram was icing on the cake; I am unaware of any group encountering this species on previous visits. To see the lory in addition to Black-lored Parrot (see here) - along with a host of tricky species such as Purple-naped Lory, Buru Honeyeater, Lesser Masked Owl , Lazuli Kingfisher, Buru Green-Pigeon, Buru Thrush, Fawn-breasted Thrush, Tricoloured Parrotfinch, Grey-backed Tern and Rufescent and Grey-hooded Dark-eyes - was an extraordinary experience. Many thanks to our Indonesian operator, Ceisar Riupassa  (email - likestours@yahoo.co.id) for his excellent work in organising this trip, and his amiable and highly capable assistant, Vinno.

Blue-eared Lory
We saw a flock of up to 14 Blue-eared Lories on three consecutive days in the same flowering trees near the summit of the Trans-Seram Highway at 1250m on Seram, where our birding was centred on the forests of the Manusela National Park. The birds were extremely difficult to photograph but in this image, the diagnostic blue belly can be discerned. The blue ear patch can be seen in images taken by other members of the group. which I hope to post soon. Normally this species (a Seram endemic) is not encountered by birding groups because it occurs at much higher altitudes. The only Seram endemic that we failed to find was Seram Thrush. Others that we saw included a Purple-naped Lory at 900m, seen well in flight as it crossed the road and flew through the sub-canopy. This is another rarely encountered Seram endemic.

Blyth's Hornbill

More widespread species such as Blyth's Hornbill, Eclectus Parrot, Oriental Hobby, Grey Plover and Superb Fruit-Dove were nice to see.
Eclectus Parrot

Grey Plover

Long-crested Myna
En route to offshore islands
Olive Honeyeater
We took a boat ride to two offshore islands - Palau Sawai and - Palau Lusaolde - and up the Salaway River. We encountered Forsten's Scrubfowl both on Palaw Sawai and along the river, where a nice Saltwater Crocodile was also seen. Good numbers of Olive Honeyeater were present on Palau Lusaolde.

Oriental Hobby

Seram Cockatoo
Other endemics that we saw included Seram Cockatoo (quite common at higher altitudes), Streak-breasted Fantail, Seram Leaf-Warbler, Seram Honeyeater, Seram Mountain-Pigeon,  Seram Myzomela, Seram (Violet) Crow, Seram Oriole, Seram Friarbird and Long-crested Myna. Rufescent Dark-eye was seen twice and Grey-hooded Dark-eye on four occasions. Other species shared with Ambon Island included Ashy Flowerpecker, Seram Drongo and Seram Imperial-Pigeon.

Seram Honeyeater

Seram Oriole

Streak-breasted Fantail

Superb Fruit-Dove

Wakalo Myzomela
Regionally distinct races such as the dark-bellied form of Wakalo Myzomela were encountered. Hantu Boobook took a lot of effort; in the end we had to make do with brief fly-over views. We visited the parrot rehabilitation centre near the village of Sawai, where Ceisar, Vinno and others have done excellent work in attempting to rehabilitate wild population of species such as Seram Cockatoo and Purple-naped Lory, which have been severely depleted by the trade in cage birds.

The group in Manusela National Park

Ceisar and Vinno at the Sawai Parrot Rehabilitation Centre

Saltwater Crocodile
See the following posts for accounts of our visits to the Kai Islands as well as Yandema Island in the Tanimbars, Buru Island, and our base for the tour, Ambon.

Southern Moluccas of Indonesia - Scenery and People

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View from Palau Sawai, Seram
Following a series of birdy posts from our trip to the southern Moluccas and Tanimbar islands of Indonesia, some general shots of scenery, habitat and people.

Boarding the Ambon-Seram ferry

Coast on Buru Island

Aboard the Ambon-Buru ferry

Children on Buru

Picture Plant on Buru

Birding group on Buru
Fisherman - Yandema Island

View from our Saumlaki hotel, Tanimbars
Kai Kecil Island

Aboard the bus, Kai Besar

Kai Besar Island

Beach on Kai Cecil

Rice farm in forest, Kai Cecil

Beach on Kai Besar
Haruku Island

Bringing in the boat, Palau Lusaolde

Palau Lusaolde

Salaway River

Bathing time - Sawai Village

North Seram coast

Preparing durians - Sawai

Our lodge in Sawai Village 

Palau Sawai

Sawai Village

In Search of the Enigmatic Moluccan Scrubfowl

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Moluccan Scrubfowl - Picture by Merilyn Browne

One of the memorable experiences from our recent trip to Indonesia was connecting with the enigmatic Moluccan Scrubfowl on the island of Haruku, off the coast of Ambon. Haruku is one of only two major breeding grounds remaining for this endangered species. The birds land at night in sandy clearings in the rainforest, not far from the beach. They dig a hole 1 metre-deep and deposit a single egg before flying off back into the forest. Sometimes the birds fly considerable distances to reach their nesting places, even crossing water.


On the boat

We had already had a long day, being up at 4am for an early morning birding session in the Kai islands, then catching a flight to Ambon before unpacking at our hotel and making the long drive to the harbour, where we boarded our chartered speedboat after dark. After tiptoeing our way around an army of cockroaches aboard the boat, we were off across the waters to Haruku Island.

Moluccan Scrubfowl
After a wet and slightly tricky landing, we were met by some locals with torches and led through the outskirts of the village of Keiololo to a strip of forest. A short distance further brought us to a wide, sandy clearing. As a full moon shone through the tree tops, we watched the shadows in anticipation. After perhaps a 2-minute wait, a shape appeared abruptly on the sand 10 or so metres away. My torch revealed an impressive bird, relatively brightly patterned for the usually drab megapodes. It didn't hang around. A second bird flew in after another 20 minutes or so, this one about 50 metres away.


Most megapodes build large mounds of sand or vegetation in which to lay eggs, carefully adding to or removing the material so eggs are incubated at the appropriate temperature. The young hatch and dig their way to the surface.The fully fledged chicks that emerge from the mound receive no assistance from their parents; they are expected to manage on their own. The Moluccan Scrubfowl is unusual in not building a mound. Its egg weighs about 100g, or 20 per cent of the weight of the adult.


Haruku Island
On Haruku, the scrubfowl population is carefully managed by the people of Keilolo. Villagers are allowed to collect a stipulated quantity of the much sought-after scrubfowl eggs each year. The right to harvest the eggs is determined by auction, with the village chief issuing a licence to the successful applicant.




TRIP REPORT – SOUTHERN MOLUCCAN AND TANIMBAR ISLANDS, INDONESIA

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Black-lored Parrot

1-22 MARCH, 2014

PARTICIPANTS: Greg Roberts (leader- email friarbird.roberts@gmail.com), Merilyn Browne, Tim Burr, Barbara De Witt, Peter Ginsburg, Marie Tarrant, Bill Watson

SUMMARY
This was a highly successful private trip to far-flung islands of eastern Indonesia that have been relatively little visited by birders. Among the goodies we scored were a male Black-lored Parrot on Buru that landed in a tree near the road, affording us prolonged views of this mega-rarity. The Black-lored Parrot has been seen so rarely that it had been thought to be nocturnal; we are only the third group of birders to the region to see the species - see here for more pictures and details, and this is only the second time the species has been photographed in the wild.

Almost as exciting was Blue-eared Lory on Seram.  We had up to 15 birds on three days in the same flowering tree. Again, we are only the second birding group to see this species; the last sighting was in 2007. Soon after seeing the Blue-eareds, we saw a single Purple-naped Lory, another very difficult endemic.  (Images of Blue-eared Lories and other Seram birds can be found here.)

Other difficult endemics and rarities that we saw included Buru Honeyeater, Buru Thrush, Lesser Masked Owl, Lazuli Kingfisher, Grey-backed Tern, Moluccan Scrubfowl, Buru Green-Pigeon and Grey-hooded Dark-eye. The only endemics and specialties missed were Blue-fronted Lorikeet and Rufous-throated Dark-eye on Buru (no easily accessible sites are known for either), Seram Thrush on Seram (very difficult), the newly discovered Seram Masked Owl (though we tried for it), and Tanimbar Scrubfowl on Yandema (this tricky species needs a whole morning; we did not have one to spare).

The trip went very well logistically; we encountered no difficulties with transport, food and accommodation arrangements, which were organised expertly by Ceisar Riupassa of Ambon-based Likestours (email -likestours@yahoo.co.id). Ceisar and his amiable and helpful partner, Vinno, are not birding guides but they know where all the hotspots are, and their eyes are sharp. I cannot recommend highly enough the services of Ceisar, who did an excellent job in pulling together a potentially quite difficult trip.

The islands visited were, in order: Ambon, Buru, Yamdena, Kai Cecil, Kai Besar, Haruku, Seram, Palau Sawai, Palau Lusaolde.

We were fortunate also with the weather, losing almost no birding time due to rain. Most days were hot but not unbearably so, with cloud cover often helping. Our only negative experience was a nasty flu-like virus which temporarily put some of the group out of action. Thanks to Peter and Tim for putting together a useful checklist for the trip.

ITINERARY AND DIARY  

Lazuli Kingfisher
March 2. The group met at Jakarta International Airport for the early morning flight to Ambon. We went directly from the airport to the main birding site on Ambon – secondary forest along Tulahu Road. Here we encountered our first regional specialties including a nice pair of Lazuli Kingfishers close up and individual Ambon White-eyes – endemic to this island – in two places (see here for more). We had a rest at the Hotel Mutiara in Ambon (our base for the trip) before boarding the packed overnight ferry to Buru. We slept in crowded but reasonably comfortable air-conditioned cabins.

March 3. Disembarking at the Buru capital, Namlea, we headed north-west in 4-wheel drives, birding fragments of secondary growth where nice birds included 100+ Great-billed Parrots, Buru Oriole and Moluccan Cuckoo. We arrived at the village of Waspait on the north coast of Buru and checked into the Waspait Resort Buru, our (surprisingly flash) hotel for the next five nights. In the afternoon we drove up the Wamlana Logging Road (Wamlana Road) to 650m, coming to grips with endemics and specialties such as Buru Friarbird, Moluccan King-Parrot, Buru Raquet-tail, Buru Drongo, Buru Flowerpecker, Buru Golden-Bulbul and Yellow-throated Whistler.

March 4. Our morning began with an unsuccessful pre-dawn search for the Buru race of Hantu Boobook but nice looks at a co-operative Moluccan Scops-Owl. Our focus for the day was the higher elevation forests (900-1300m) of the Wamlana Road and a relatively new logging road running off Wamlana to Danau Rana (Danau Road). The latter was particularly rewarding; it was along here that we found the Black-lored Parrot, in the heat of the day shortly after lunch. Buru Raquet-tails were surprisingly common. We chalked up Buru Mountain-Pigeon, Buru Leaf-Warbler, Buru White-eye, Tawny-backed Fantail, Wakolo Myzomela, White-naped Monarch and Drab Whistler. The various distinctive island races of species such as Drab Whistler and Northern Fantail suggest many more splits in future. For more pictures and information from Buru, see here.

Buru Golden-Bulbul
March 5. Back up in the mountains, today birding solely along the Danau Road. Birds included Pale Cicadabird, Buru Cuckoo-shrike, Buru Bush-Warbler, Buru Jungle-Flycatcher and Cinnamon-chested Flycatcher. We heard what we believed was Buru Honeyeater and Merilyn taped its call, although we did not see the bird.

March 6. We drove west through the lowlands to the coastal villages of Bara and Eruba, where we birded patches of lowland rainforest and secondary forest.  We heard Forsten’s Scrubfowl and some of us saw a Buru Green-Pigeon. Black-tipped Monarch, a snappy lowlands endemic, was seen several times.

March 7. We returned to the Danau Road, with those in the front vehicle seeing Buru Thrush on the road early in the morning. At the spot where we taped the suspected Buru Honeyeater two days earlier, we saw 6-8 Buru Honeyeaters feeding in a band of white flowering trees. 

March 8 - We went back to Eruba village for the morning, crosssing the river before dawn and calling in a fine Lesser Masked Owl. In the afternoon we drove back to Namlea, calling in at Danua Sawah, a small lake, and boarded the overnight ferry to Ambon.

March 9. After disembarking we again visited the Tulahu Road, failing to see the white-eye or kingfisher again but adding Seram Imperial-Pigeon to the list.

Cinnamon-tailed Fantail
March 10.  Because of baggage weight restrictions on small planes, most of our luggage was left at Hotel Mutiara before we caught the flight to Saumlaki, the capital of Yamdena Island - the largest of the Tanimbar group. For most of the trip we were in the Moluccas but on Yamdena we were in the eastern Lesser Sundas. Our birding on Yamdena was at various roadside scrub patches along the main road out of Saumlaki, particularly a strip of forest lining the creek at Kebun 45. During our first afternoon we saw the distinctive regional races of Dusky Cuckoo-Dove, Mistletoebird and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove. The specialties and endemics came thick and fast: Yellow-eyed Imperial-Pigeon, Blue-streaked Lory, Tanimbar Corella, Tanimbar Triller, Rufous-sided Gerygone, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Loetoe Monarch, Cinnamon-tailed Fantail, Wallacean Whistler, Tanimbar Friarbird, Tanimbar Starling, Scaly-breasted Honeyeater. After the difficult birding on Buru, birds seemed to be everywhere. Our accommodation in Saumlaki was the Harapan Indah Hotel, positioned nicely over the water.

Tanimbar Corella
March 11. In the early morning we taped in a Tanimbar Boobook along the Yonif 734 Road. Further along this road during the morning we had Tanimbar Oriole, Tanimbar Crow, Tanimbar Bush-Warbler, Banda Myzomela, Wallacean Cuckoo-shrike and Tricoloured Parrotfinch.

March 12. Back to the scrub patches on the main road. At Kebun 45 we saw Long-tailed Fantail, Slaty-backed Thrush and Fawn-breasted Thrush. Along another scrubby trail we had Wallace’s Fruit-Dove and better views of the parrotfinch, while Greater Wallacean Drongo was found along the road. More from the Tanimbars can be found here.

March 13. We returned to Yonif 734 Road in the early morning and saw a pair of boobooks and another Long-tailed Fantail. We later flew to Tual, the capital of Kai Kecil Island in the Kai Islands. Our hotel, the Suita Indah, was ordinary but there’s not much choice here. We saw Kai Coucal while driving from the airport and in the afternoon visited a patch of scrub at the coastal village of Ohoililir, where White-tailed Monarch showed.

Grey-backed Tern - Pic Merilyn Browne
March 14.  We boarded a chartered boat to take us to Kai Besar Island. Watching from the boat was most rewarding: we saw a juvenile Grey-backed Tern (along with several Bridled Terns), 5 Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrels and 2 Streaked Shearwaters. On Kai Besar we easily found Great Kai White-eye, endemic to this island. Kai Leaf-Warbler was spotted after a shortish walk to 370m above the Bukit Indah Mission, where we saw Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot and White-tailed Monarch again. In the afternoon we returned to Kai Cecil and drove to Ohoililir, where an Island Whistler - a specialty for this site - was seen.

Island Monarch
March 15. The morning was occupied on the quite new road to the airport (dubbed here the Airport Road) which cuts through some excellent rainforest, with plenty of side-trails to garden plots in the forest. This roadside forest is set to overtake Ohoililir as the prime Kai birding site. We saw plenty of Little Kai White-eyes (endemic to Kai Cecil) as well as Pied Bronze-Cuckoo, Grey-headed Whistler, Island Monarch and Red-bellied Pitta.  For more from the Kai Islands, see here. In the afternoon we visited a small lake, Danel Abel, and the coastal village of Namar.

Kai Coucal
March 16. We returned in the morning to the Airport Road, seeing Kai Cicadabird, large numbers of Wallacean Fruit-Doves and a migrating flock of 18 Channel-billed Cuckoos. In the afternoon we flew back to Ambon. That evening we boarded another chartered boat to take us to HarukuIsland, famed for its breeding population of the rare Moluccan Scrubfowl. We saw two birds well about an hour after sunset - a fitting end to a very long day.  A more detailed account of the Haruku visit and pics can be found here.

March 17.  We caught the ferry from Ambon to Seram, arriving at the port of Amahai and crossing the island along the Trans-Seram Highway, passing through the Manuseli National Park, our primary birding destination for the island. Stopping along the road we saw our first Seram endemics including Streak-breasted Fantail, Seram Cockatoo, Seram Leaf-Warbler and Seram Mountain-Pigeon, along with Blyth’s Hornbill. Our accommodation in the delightful village of Sawai was the basic but enchanting Lisar Bahari Community Guest-house, where an impressive array of coral marine life can be watched from the balconies.

Seram Cockatoo
March 18. The morning was spent in the highest area (about 1200m) of Manusela along the road closest to Sawai. In a single flowering tree we saw Seram Myzomela, Wakalo Myzomela, Seram Honeyeater and most surprisingly, a flock of Blue-eared Lories.  Nearby we had Seram White-eye and for some, Grey-hooded Dark-eye. We drove down to about 900m, seeing Seram Oriole, Seram Friarbird and for some, Rufescent Dark-eye in roadside scrub. We had lunch at a parrot rehabilitation centre operated by Ceisar and his colleagues. Seram’s parrot populations have been severely depleted by the cage bird trade and the centre aims to re-establish wild populations through captive breeding. We saw Seram Crow after lunch and later in the afternoon, near the Sawai turnoff, several Long-crested Mynas and another Seram Crow.

Seram Oriole
March 19. Early in the morning on the road up to Manusela we had a calling pair of Hantu Boobooks, with the birds offering brief fly-over views. Boobooks were also heard on the hillside behind our hotel. On the higher stretches of road we again had Blue-eared Lory and Rufescent Dark-eye. Some of us in the afternoon enjoyed a delightful snorkelling session near Sawai, seeing among other things a huge Broadclub Cuttlefish.

Saltwater Crocodile
March 20.  In a hired boat we crossed the water from our hotel to Palau Sawai, where one of us (GR) saw a Forsten’s Scrubfowl near its mound. We moved on to the tiny Palau Lusaolde, where about 20 Olive Honeyeaters - a small island specialty species - were seen. Some honeyeaters were watched flying out to sea and returning to the island. The boat moved on to the Salaway River, where another Forsten’s Scrubfowl flushed from the bank and a sunbaking Saltwater Crocodile was a nice find. The coastal scenery along the north coast of Seram was quite spectacular.

March 21. We drove back to Amahai, stopping once more in high altitude forest in Manuseli where Grey-hooded Dark-eye and Blue-eared Lory were again seen. We caught the afternoon ferry back to Ambon.
March 22. Everyone left on early morning flights from Ambon to Jakarta or Denpasar.

This report has also been posted on Surfbirds: http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=2442

Our group at birdcall, Buru

SPECIES LIST

Moluccan Scrubfowl Megapodius wallacei - 2 Haruku
Forsten's Scrubfowl M. forstenii - 1 Palau Sawai; 1 Salaway River; calling Bara
Orange-footed Scrubfowl M. reinwardt - 1 Ohoililir
Blue-breasted Quail Coturnix chinensis– 4 roadside, Buru lowlands
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis - 4 Danau Sawah
Australasian Grebe T. novaehollandiae - 2 Danel Ablel
Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas - 1 offshore north Buru coast; 2 from ferry to Kai Besar
Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma matsudairae– 5 from ferry to Kai Besar
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor– a few off north Buru coast
Lesser Frigatebird F. ariel– common off north Buru coast
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster– a few off north Buru coast
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Little Pied Cormorant P. melanoleucos
Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae– 2 Danau Sawah
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus– 7 Saumlaki Harbour
Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis– 1 Salaway River; 1 Seram roadside lowlands
Striated Heron Butorides striata
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea– a few Buru
Great Egret A. alba
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Pacific Reef-Heron E. sacra– common
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Rufous Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus– 1 Bara
Australian Ibis Threskiornis moluccus– 1 Salaway River
Osprey Pandion haliaetus– 1 near Sawai
Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata– race reinwardtii 1 Salaway River
 Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis– common Seram, Buru highlands
Variable Goshawk Accipiter hiogaster– race polionotus 2 Yamdena; race pallidiceps 1 Wamlana Road; race hiogaster 1 Manusela ; race albiventris 2 Kai Kecil
Brown Goshawk A. fasciatus - race buruensis 1 Danau Sawah
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus - race leucomelana2 Salaway River
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola– 4 Palau Sawai
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes– 2 Palau Sawai
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Far Eastern Curlew N. madagascariensis– 2 Palau Sawai
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus– common off north Buru coast; several from Seram-Ambon ferry
Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum - 1 Saumlaki Airport
Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus– 2 off north Buru coast; 6 from ferry to Kai Besar; 2 from Seram-Ambon ferry
Grey-backed Tern O. lunatus– 1 juvenile from ferry to Kai Besar
Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
White-throated (Metallic) Pigeon Columba [vitiensis] halmaheira– 1 Danau Road; 1 Manusela
Dusky (Bar-necked) Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia magna - race timorlaoensiscommon Yamdena
Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove M. amboinensis– race amboinensis common Buru,Seram; race keyensissmall numbers Kai Islands
Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica– 2 Ambon
Pacific Emerald Dove C. [indica] chrysochlora– several Yamdena; 2 Kai Kecil
Stephan’s Dove C. stephani - 1 Kai Kecil; 1 Kai Besar
Barred Dove Geopelia maugei – small numbers Yamdena, Kai Kecil
Buru Green-Pigeon Treron aromaticus – 1 Bara
Wallace's Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus wallacii– common Kai Kecil (100+ in one grouping); a few Yamdena
Superb Fruit-Dove P. superbus – a few Ambon, Buru, Seram
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove P. regina - race xanthogastercommon Yamdena; a few Kai Kecil
White-breasted Fruit-Dove P. rivoli – common Buru highlands, Kai Kecil
Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove P. viridis – common Ambon, Buru; a few Seram
Seram Imperial-Pigeon Ducula neglecta – 1 Ambon; common Seram
Spectacled Imperial-Pigeon D. perspicillata  - common Buru
Elegant (Yellow-eyed) Imperial-Pigeon D. concinna– common Yamdena, a few Kai Kecil
Pied Imperial-Pigeon D. bicolour- widespread in small numbers
Buru Mountain-Pigeon Gymnophaps mada– 4-6 Danau Road
Seram Mountain-Pigeon G. stalkeri – 2-3 Manusela
Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus– calling Kai Islands
Moluccan Cuckoo C. aeruginosus– common Ambon, Buru, Seram
Pied (Little) Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx [minutillus] crassirostris– 4-5 Kai Kecil, adults and juveniles photographed
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus– 1 Bara, heard elsewhere Buru & Ambon
Eastern Koel E. cyanocephalus– Heard Yamdena, Kai Islands
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae– flock of 18 Kai Kecil
Kai Coucal Centropus spilopterus– small numbers Kai Kecil
Lesser Coucal C. bengalensis– a few Buru, Yamdena
Lesser Masked-Owl Tyto sororcula– 1 called in near Eruba
Moluccan Scops-Owl Otus magicus– race bouruensis 1 Wamlana Road, 1 Bara, others heard Buru; race magicus heard Manusela
Tanimbar Boobook Ninox forbesi– 2 Yamdena
Hantu Boobook N. squamipila– 2 Manusela; heard Sawai
Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus– 1 Wamlana Road; heard Eruba
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta– common & widespread
Seram Swiftlet Aerodramus ceramensis– common Ambon, Buru; a few Seram
Uniform Swiftlet A. vanikorensis– Ambon, Kai Kecil, Seram
Moustached Treeswift  Hemiprocne mystacea– a few Buru, Seram
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis– 1 Danau Rana
Lazuli Kingfisher Todiramphus lazuli– 2 Ambon
Collared Kingfisher T. chloris– common
Beach Kingfisher T. saurophagus– 1 Palau Lusaolde
Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher Todiramphus australasia– heard only Yamdena
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis– a few Kai Kecil, Seram
Blyth's Hornbill Aceros plicatus– common Manusela
Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis– race moluccensis common Buru, 2 Manusela; race microbalius a few Yamdena
Oriental Hobby Falco severus– 1 Manusela
Tanimbar Corella Cacatua goffiniana– common Yamdena; a few Kai Kecil
Seram (Salmon-crested) Cockatoo C. moluccensis– small numbers Manusela
Moluccan Red Lory Eos bornea– race bornea small numbers Yamdena, Manusela; race cyanonothoruscommon Buru
Blue-streaked Lory E. reticulate– fairly common Yamdena
Blue-eared Lory E. semilarvata– up to 15 on 3 days Manusela
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus–race haematodus a few Ambon, Buru; common Manusela
Purple-naped Lory Lorius domicella– 1 Manusela
Red-flanked Lorikeet Charmosyna placentis– a few Kai Kecil, Seram
Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot Micropsitta keiensis– small numbers Kai Islands
Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi– race rhodops common Buru, Seram; race timorlaoensis a few Yamdena
Buru Racquet-tail Prioniturus mada– common Buru
Black-lored Parrot Tanygnathus gramineus– 1 Danau Road
Great-billed Parrot T. megalorynchos – race affinis common Buru, Seram; race subaffinis a few Yamdena
Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus - race roratus fairly common Bara, Manusela, Kai Kecil; race riedelia few Yamdena
Moluccan King-Parrot Alisterus buruensis– race buruensis fairly common Buru; race amboinensis a few Manusela
Red-bellied Pitta erythrogaster– race rubrinuchaheard Bara; race piroensis heard Manusela; race kuehni 1 Kai Kecil, others heard
Elegant Pitta Pitta elegans - heard only Yamdena
Seram (Drab) Myzomela Myzomela blasii– small numbers Manusela
Wakolo Myzomela M. wakoloensis– race wakoloensisfairly common Buru highlands; race elisabethaea few Manusela
Banda Myzomela M. boiei– a few Yamdena
Streak-breasted (White-tufted) Honeyeater - Lichmera squamata– common Yamdena
Buru Honeyeater L. deningeri– 6-8 Danau Road
Seram Honeyeater L. monticola– common Manusela
Olive Honeyeater L. argentauris– common Palau Lusaolde
Buru (Black-faced) Friarbird Philemon moluccensis– common Buru
Tanimbar (Black-faced) Friarbird P. [moluccensis] plumigenis– common Yamdena, Kai Islands
Seram Friarbird P. subcorniculatus– common Seram
Rufous-sided Gerygone Gerygone dorsalis– race dorsalis common Yamdena; race keyensis a few Kai Kecil
White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus– common Buru, Yamdena
Moluccan Cuckooshrike Coracina atriceps– 1 Manusela
Wallacean Cuckooshrike C. personata - race unimodaa few Yamdena
Buru Cuckooshrike C. fortis– 2-3 Danau Road
Tanimbar (White-browed) Triller Lalage moesta– common Yamdena
Varied Triller L. leucomela– common Kai Islands
Pale Cicadabird Edolisoma ceramense– small numbers Buru, Seram
Kai Cicadabird E. dispar– 2-3 Kai Kecil
Common Cicadabird E. tenuirostre– 2-3 Danau Road
Yellow-throated Whistler Pachycephala macrorhyncha – race buruensis fairly common Buru; race macrorhyncha common Seram, 1 Ambon; race fuscoflava a few Yamdena
Island Whistler P. phaionota– 1 Ohoililir
Grey-headed (Grey) Whistler P. [simplex] rufipennis; a few Kai Kecil
Wallacean Whistler P. arctitorquis– common Yamdena
Drab Whistler P. griseonota– race examinata common Buru; race griseonota a few Manusela
Buru Oriole Oriolus bouroensis– fairly common Buru
Tanimbar Oriole O. decipiens– fairly common Tanimbar
Seram Oriole O. forsteni– a few Manusela
Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti– fairly common Kai Kecil
Greater Wallacean Drongo Dicrurus densus– race kuehni a few Yamdena; race megalornis common Kai Islands
Buru (Spangled) Drongo Dicrurus [bracteatus] buruensis– common Buru
Seram (Spangled) Drongo D. [bracteatus] amboinensis– a few Ambon, Manusela
Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris– race bouruensis common Buru; race cinerea a few Manusela; race assimilis common Kai Islands
Willie Wagtail R. leucophrys - common Buru
Cinnamon-tailed Fantail R. fuscorufa– common Yamdena
Tawny-backed Fantail R. superflua– 1 Wamlana Road; 2 Danau Road
Streaky-breasted Fantail R. dedemi – fairly common Manusela
Long-tailed Fantail R. opistherythra– 2 Yamdena
Arafura Fantail R. dryas– race hamadryas fairly common Yamdena, race squamata 1 Ohoililir
White-naped Monarch Carterornis pileatus– fairly common Buru
Loetoe Monarch C. castus– common Yamdena
Island Monarch Monarcha cinerascens– common Kai Islands; 2 Palau Sawai
Spectacled Monarch Symposiachrus trivirgatus– 1 Ambon; fairly common Manusela
White-tailed Monarch S. leucurus– a few Kai Islands
Black-tipped Monarch S. loricatus– fairly common Bara
Black-bibbed Monarch S. mundus– a few Yamdena
Slaty (Moluccan) Flycatcher Myiagra galeata– race buruensis small numbers Buru; race seranensisa few Ambon, Manusela
Broad-billed Flycatcher M. ruficollis– common Yamdena
Seram (Violet) Crow - Corvus  violaceus– 2 near Sawai
Tanimbar (Torresian) Crow - Corvus [orru] latirostris– 2 Yamdena
Golden-bellied Flyrobin (Flycatcher) Microeca hemixantha– common Yamdena
Buru Golden-Bulbul Alophoixus mystacalis– common Buru
Seram Golden-Bulbul A. affinis– race affinis common Seram; race flavicaudus 2 Ambon
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Pacific Swallow H. tahitica
Mountain Tailorbird Phyllergates cucullatus– fairly common Buru highlands, Manusela
Tanimbar Bush-Warbler Cettia carolinae– 3 Tanimbar, more heard
Buru (Chestnut-backed) Bush-Warbler Bradypterus [castaneus] disturbans– 1 Danau Road
Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis– widespread in small numbers
Buru (Island) Leaf-Warbler P. [poliocephalus] everetti– common Buru highlands
Seram (Island) Leaf-Warbler P. [poliocephalus] ceramensis – common Manusela
Kai (Island) Leaf-Warbler P. [poliocephalus] avicola– 2 Kai Besar
Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis– heard Tanimbar
Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis– common Buru
Grey-hooded Dark-eye (White-eye) Lophozosterops pinaiae– 3-4 Manusela
Rufescent Dark-eye (White-eye) Tephrozosterops stalkeri– 2 Manusela
Mountain White-eye Zosterops montanus– race montanus a few Buru highlands; race obstinatuscommon Manusela
Ashy-bellied White-eye Z. citronella– common Yandema
Great Kai White-eye Z. grayi– common Kai Besar
Little Kai White-eye Z. uropygialis - common Kai Kecil
Seram White-eye Z. stalkeri– a few Manusela
Buru White-eye Z. buruensis– common Buru highlands
Ambon White-eye Z. kuehni– 2 Ambon
Grey-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta– widespread
Buru Jungle-Flycatcher Rhinomyias additus– 2 Danau Road
Island (Verditer) Flycatcher E. panayensis– a few Manusela
Tanimbar Flycatcher Ficedula riedeli– a few Yandema
Cinnamon-chested Flycatcher F. buruensis– race buruensis2 Danau Road; race ceramensis heard Manusela
Buru Thrush Geokichla dumasi– 1 Danau Road
Slaty-backed Thrush G. schistacea– 2 Yandema, others heard
Fawn-breasted Thrush Zoothera machiki– 1 Yandema
Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica– common Ambon, Buru, Seram
Tanimbar Starling A. crassa– fairly common Yandema
Moluccan Starling A. mysolensis– fairly common Ambon, Buru, Seram
Long-crested Myna Basilornis corythaix– 3-4 near Sawai
Buru Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrothorax– common Buru
Ashy Flowerpecker D. vulneratum– common Ambon, Seram
Mistletoebird D. hirundinaceum– race fulgidumcommon Yandema
Black Sunbird Leptocoma sericea– race proserpina common Buru; race aspasioides common Ambon, Seram; race chlorolaema a few Kai Kecil
Black-breasted (Olive-backed) Sunbird Cinnyris [jugularis] clementiae  – race buruensiscommon Buru; race clementiae common Ambon; race keiensis fairly common Kai Islands
Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis– 30+ Danau Sawah
Grey Wagtail M. cinerea– widespread
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Tricolored Parrotfinch Erythrura tricolor– a few Yandema
Black-faced Munia L. molucca– common Buru
Nutmeg Mannikin L. punctulata– 2 Yandema
Five-colored Munia L. quinticolor– fairly common Yandema
192 species
Other animals included Black-bearded Flying-Fox (common Kai Kecil) and an impressive Broadclub Cuttlefish seen while snorkelling off Seram








Cordalba: Spotted Quail-thrush, Black-chinned & Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters

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Spotted Quail-Thrush - male
A nice pair of Spotted Quail-thrush was the highlight of a visit to Cordalba, near Childers in south-east Queensland. I camped in the forest overnight and found the quail-thrush the next morning in the recently declared Cordalba National Park as they flew across the road. The male paused briefly for a photograph. This species is in decline in parts of its range: the South Australian subspecies is believed to be extinct and the bird has disappeared from several sites south of Cordalba on the Sunshine Coast.

Black-chinned Honeyeater
Not far outside the national park, in the adjoining Cordalba State Forest, I found a group of four Black-chinned Honeyeaters, another species that is rare in south-east Queensland. I was alerted to their presence by the characteristically loud, ringing calls.

Black-chinned Honeyeater

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
A group of Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters was encountered in the national park. This species has a strange distribution in south-east Queensland. It is common on the western slopes of the Great Divide but generally absent from the coastal lowlands. However, the honeyeater occurs in small, disjunct colonies in places in the hinterland (such as near Jimna) and to the north (at Cordalba and around Childers, for instance).

Common Bronzewing
Other birds at Cordalba included Common Bronzewing, Fuscous Honeyeater, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-crowned Babbler, Fairy Gerygone, Dusky Woodswallow, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, loads of Scarlet Honeyeaters and Jacky Winter - full list here. Swamp and Red-necked Wallabies were seen.

Swamp Wallaby
Widening road - Cordalba


I noticed quite a bit of woodland destruction in the state forest. The road was being widened for reasons which are not clear as traffic is minimal. Presumably it is to facilitate more extensive logging. I saw quite a bit of evidence of recent logging of ironbark and spotted gum along some tracks. Logging had been stopped in these state forests by the former Labor Government but has been reintroduced by the Liberal National Party Government. See here for more about what Premier Campbell Newman is doing to destroy Queensland's natural environment.

Recent logging - Cordalba

Scarlet Honeyeater - female

Zebra Finch
I found a fair number of (40+) Zebra Finches just south of Childers. This is a western species which is scarce in south-east Queensland, occurring sporadically in northern and western parts of the region.

Bush Stone-Curlew
I visited the Bundaberg home of friends Trevor and Annie Quested, where birds included Bush Stone-Curlew and Leaden Flycatcher.

Leaden Flycatcher

Back in the Kayak on Maroochy River

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Azure Kingfisher
I took to the kayak yesterday for a 12-kilometre paddle, launching at the end of West Coolum Road in Coolum Creek, and finishing at the Bli Bli boat ramp. Nice to see three kingfishers up close - Azure, Sacred and Collared. I watched the Sacred as it tackled a crab.

Sacred Kingfisher

Collared Kingfisher
Maroochy River
A look up the river to Mt Ninderry, our home base.

Shining  Flycatcher
I encountered Shining Flycatchers on five occasions - a pair and three singles. They are clearly about all year though more difficult to see in the cooler months.

Brahminy Kite
Always a pleasure watching some of the more common river birds.
Little Pied Cormorant
At Bli Bli I found a small colony of Mangrove Honeyeaters. That's of interest because while this species is abundant further north at Tin Can Bay and south in the Pumicestone Passage, it is rare and local along the Noosa and Maroochy rivers for unknown reasons, despite plenty of suitable habitat.

Mangrove Honeyeater
Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, White-faced Heron
I popped into the Cooroy sewage treatment works, which are again open to the public after an extensive closure due to rehabilitation works.
Chris Corben and I visited the Parklakes wetlands at Bli Bli. Nothing of interest on the water but a Square-tailed Kite quartering open forest in the Parkland Reserve was nice.

Little Friarbird
Normally Little Friarbird is uncommon on the coastal plains but there is presently a local invasion, with the species outnumbering the resident Noisy in places.
Pacific Baza
A baza in the garden at Ninderry.

Black-necked Stork
A Black-necked Stork flies overhead near Bli Bli.

Welcome Swallow, Fairy Martin, Tree Martin

Welcome Swallow, Fairy Martin and Tree Martin share a line. Note how small the Fairy Martin (centre) is compared to the Tree Martin (right).

Tree Martin

Brown Tree-Snake
 In the home garden, Brown Tree-Snake was an addition to the reptile list. This was a young animal curled up in a dustpan, which I didn't see until it bit me.
Purple Swamphen, Plumed Whistling-Duck
A visit to the North Arm ponds.

Murder Mystery in Sunshine Coast Hinterland

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Celena Bridge
The beautiful forests of the Conondale Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland are the unlikely setting for one of Australia's more gruesome and baffling series of crimes. Those crimes are back in the spotlight with the resumption of the search for the bodies of three murdered women and girls. Yet police are ignoring evidence which could have implications for their investigation. I have a direct interest in this case because it is likely that I and two companions were the last people to see one of the victims alive.


Celena Bridge, a 28-year-old British backpacker, was the first of the three women to be murdered. Celena was staying at Crystal Waters, a permaculture farm near the township of Conondale, in July 1998 before setting off with her backpack to hitch-hike and walk 20km to the Booloumba Creek camping area, in what is now Conondale National Park. A keen birder, Celena planned to join a Queensland Ornithological Society campout there.

Booloumba Creek
I and two companions were also camped at Booloumba Creek that weekend. We saw a woman about Celena's age camped by herself late on the Friday afternoon preceding the weekend, a short distance upstream from our tents. That was around the time that Celena expected to arrive there. We noticed that her oval tent had a dove, some sort of peace symbol, on it. Some cooking utensils appear to have been recently arranged near the tent door. The woman, crouched as she tinkered with the utensils, was wearing a hooded jacket. There was no vehicle near the tent.

A fair amount of rain fell that evening. From our tent during the night, we heard the sound of a vehicle, possibly a small truck, twice as it drove along the camping area access road.

The next morning, we saw that the woman's tent had been relocated to a more secluded spot in the forest about 100 metres away. The tent was zipped up; there was no sign of the woman or her utensils outside. We did not see her during the rest of the weekend. That Friday afternoon was the last time Celena Bridge was seen.

Sabrina Glassop
The second woman to go missing was a 46-year-old teacher's aide,Sabrina Ann Glassop. Sabrina lived in Booloumba Creek Road - the road leading to the Booloumba Creek camping ground. Sabrina's mother, Joan Worsley, heard her daughter's car speeding away the morning she disappeared. It was found a short distance away on the Maleny-Kenilworth Road, by Little Yabba Creek. Also missing was Sabrina's black poodle, Poppy.

Jessica Gaudie
In August 1999, 16-year-old Nambour schoolgirl Jessica Gaudie disappeared. Jessica was babysitting the children of Mia Summers, the estranged partner of Derek Sam. Sam worked at Piabun, a rehabilitation centre for young Aborigines (since closed) on Booloumba Creek Road. He was known to Sabrina. The bodies of Celena, Sabrina and Jessica have never been found, but Sam was found guilty of Jessica's murder In August 2001 and jailed for 15 years. He will be eligible for parole next year. Maroochydore coroner Paul Johnstone  found in November 2002 that there was no direct evidence linking Sam to the murders of Celena and Sabrina.

The rugged forests of the Conondale Range
The search for the bodies has resumed now because for many years police resources were tied up by the search for the murderer of Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe. With that crime resolved and Daniel's murderer behind bars, attention has returned to the three missing females. Last night, the ABC's 7.30 Report featured a lengthy piece on the case. Police are concentrating their search on the steep slopes of the Conondale Range which tower above the Booloumba Creek camping ground.

Detective Sergeant Kim Cavell told the program that the Piabun rehabilitation centre was the last place Celena Bridge was seen as she walked past it on her way to the camping ground. "We believe that she didn't make it to the campsite, that someone has intercepted her and taken her away,." Cavell said, reflecting a finding by the coroner that Celena was abducted somewhere along the 1.5km stretch of road between where she was last seen and the camping ground. 

Derek Sam - Picture Sunshine Coast Daily
However, police had been told by me and my two companions about our encounter at the camping ground. They took 10 days to interview us and did so only after we had telephoned them several times. At first, we were uncertain about whether the photographs of Celena that police produced during an interview at my Brisbane home depicted the woman we saw. However, upon reflection, we became more convinced that she quite likely was. Although we could not be certain, police appear to have elected to ignore what could be key evidence. If she had in fact arrived at the camping area; if a vehicle had been driving in and out during the night in the direction of her tent; if her tent had been mysteriously moved during the night....

Nor do police appear to have interviewed an elderly woman who saw Celena walking along Booloumba Creek Road that Friday afternoon. The woman told me that Celena stopped to chat to her. "I told her she was a brave little girl doing that alone," the woman said. "She said she'd had a bit of trouble but only once."

Police did not convey news of our encounter at the camping ground to Celena's family in the United Kingdom, although I publicised it at the time (without quite the same level of detail above) in a feature in The Sydney Morning Herald - see here for the link. Celena's brother, Jason, posted the feature online last July, commenting as he did so:  "Its been 14 years since my sister disappeared and most of what is written here I have never heard about. Thank you so much." I did not see that comment until today.






Ninderry Barn Owls, Interesting Cuckoos, Departing Waders

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Barn Owl
Barn Owl is common in many parts of Australia but not on the coastal plains of southern Queensland. I have seen many more of its more sought after cogeners - Sooty, Masked and Eastern Grass Owls - than Barn Owls around the Sunshine Coast. So it was gratifying to come across a family not far from my home in Ninderry. The birds nested in a large, dead eucalypt and I was able to see at least four and probably five birds - presumably the adults with fledged young.

Barn Owl

Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo is a regular visitor to my Ninderry garden but a small flock of 4-5 birds was an unusually large concentration. These birds appeared much whiter about the face than normal; in particular they showed white flecking on the forehead and obvious white ear patches. They generally had a much cleaner, paler look. These features suggest the New Zealand race, lucidus, a scarce visitor to Australia. However, the crown appears to be bronze, a feature of the Australian resident race plagosus. Any suggestions are welcome.

Shining Bronze-Cuckoo

Terek Sandpiper
The migratory waders have headed north. A recent visit to the Toorbul roost was notable because of a gathering of about 30 Terek Sandpipers - an unusually large number of this species in south-east Queensland.
Terek Sandpiper & Grey-tailed Tattler
The commonest wader at the roost was Grey-tailed Tattler, many in breeding plumage. Grey-tailed and Wandering Tattlers are among the last wader species to depart.

Elsewhere about the region, pairs of Great Crested Grebe are present on Wappa and Poona Dams. A Large-billed Scrubwren was co-operative at Cooloolabin.

Terek Sandpiper & Grey-tailed Tattler
Great Crested Grebe
Large-billed Scrubwren

Little Friarbird
In the garden at Ninderry, plenty of Little Friarbirds are about. There is an abundance of this species presently on the Sunshine Coast, where it is normally scarce.

Tawny Frogmouth
A new frogmouth has taken up residence in the garden.

Spotted Pardalote
Spotted Pardalote is a winter visitor here. Less endearing was a headless Northern Brindled Bandicoot found at the bottom of the garden. This bandicoot was well-known to us and had been about for several weeks. It appears likely to be yet another cat victim.

Northern Brindled Bandicoot
Long-necked Turtle
I found this turtle near Cooroy.

Sunshine Coast Pelagic Trip May 2014

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Brown Booby & Crested Tern
Highlights of our May 31 pelagic trip off the Sunshine Coast included an unusually large number of Black-bellied Storm-Petrels, White-faced Storm-Petrel, a late Long-tailed Jaeger and Arctic Jaeger, Lesser Frigatebird and Brown Booby.
We departed Mooloolaba Marina at 7.15am aboard our catamaran, Cat-A-Pult, and it soon became apparent as we left the river mouth that conditions were not going to be as smooth as we had hoped, with a 1.5-2m swell and 18-20-knot easterly that did not ease off until the afternoon.

Fedor Konyukhov
A few kilometres offshore our bumpy excursion eastward was interrupted by a sighting of the Bird of the Day - Russian explorer Fedor Konyukhov. Konyukhov, 62, was heading into Mooloolaba to make his first landing in almost six months since leaving Chile last December to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. Quite an achievement and here he was, just about to reach his final destination. He looked somewhat bemused by our presence. We called out to him; although he evidently didn't speak English, we assume he got the drift - so to speak - of our greetings.

White-faced Storm-Petrel - Pic by Matthew Binns
We saw very little on the way out until the first Wilson's Storm-Petrel appeared at a depth of 52 metres along with a White-faced Storm-Petrel, the only one of the day.

Brown Booby
The skipper made the call that the lousy conditions meant we could not get out as far as we would have liked, so we stopped at 26 nautical miles offshore at 9.50am in 110 metres (25.32.586S; 153.34.622E) - the beginning of the sharp drop to the shelf edge; the air temperature was 25 C. There was an anchored trawler near us with a Brown Booby and a few Crested Terns perched on it.

Lesser Frigatebird
At this point we began laying a trail of shark liver berley and drifted in the vicinity for the next three hours or so. A male Lesser Frigatebird appearing out of nowhere was a pleasant surprise.

Lesser Frigatebird

Long-tailed Jaeger chasing Crested Tern - Pic by Matthew Binns
Our attention was drawn by a tern-like bird in the distance flying low to the water, which we believed initially to be a Common Noddy. Then it started to chase a Crested Tern and quickly morphed into a jaeger. There is general consensus that the small size and slender, overall shape - particularly the wings; the pigeon-headed, small-billed look; and the body proportions - indicate that this was a Long-tailed Jaeger. A couple of distant images by Matthew were the best we could manage.


Arctic Jaeger - Pic by Matthew Binns
Another surprise was an Arctic Jaeger coming into the boat. It is very late in the season for both Long-tailed and Arctic Jaegers.

Black-bellied Storm-Petrel
Wilson's Storm Petrels were constantly about the boat and it was the common species of the day. Less expected were the relatively high numbers of Black-bellied Storm-Petrels seen - a further indication that this species is not uncommon as an autumn-early winter visitor to south-east Queensland waters. We failed to see any Pterodroma petrels, probably because we were not far enough out to sea.

Wilson's Storm-Petrel
We saw a fly-by Hutton's Shearwater before turning around at 1pm and heading back, arriving at the harbour at 2.45pm.

SPECIES SEEN: Total (Highest number at one time)

Black-bellied Storm-Petrel 10 (3)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel 40 (6)
White-faced Storm-Petrel 1 (1)
Hutton's Shearwater 1 (1)
Lesser Frigatebird 1 (1)
Brown Booby 1 (1)
Crested Tern 40 (15)
Silver Gull (6 inshore)
Arctic Jaeger 1 (1)
Long-tailed Jaeger 1 (1)
Pied Cormorant (5 inshore)
Little Black Cormorant (10 inshore)
Eastern Reef-Egret (1 inshore)

PARTICIPANTS: Paddy Dimond (skipper), Greg Roberts (organiser), Ken Baker, Matthew Binns, Jean Chell, Robyn Duff, Alex Ferguson, Nikolas Haass, Brian Johnston, Steve Kerr, Ross Sinclair, Helmut Schaider, Annette Scott, Murray Weir.

Around Oz - Ninderry to Longreach

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Plum-headed Finch
Our road trip around Australia has started off on a good footing. Our first day took us to the southern Queensland town of Roma, where we caught up with relatives.
With Dot & Ferg Brindley in Roma 
 Heading west from Roma, a stop in a patch of scrub near Mitchell yielded White-throated Gerygone, Yellow Thornbill and Inland Thornbill.

White-throated Gerygone
Barcoo River camp Blackall
 Our first bush camp was on the Barcoo River outside the town of Blackall. Common birds about the camp included Spotted Bowerbird and White-plumed Honeyeater. We had a pleasant two night-stay here.

Spotted Bowerbird

White-plumed Honeyeater
 In Blackall we visited the historic Woolscour facility. Nice birds in the vicinity included good numbers of Plum-headed Finches coming into the artesian well spills.

Plum-headed Finch

Wool Scour, Blackall
Euro

There is an abundance of macropods about, with large numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Euro. Red-necked Wallaby, Swamp Wallaby and Black-striped Wallaby are in small numbers. Once we started heading west of Barcaldine, large numbers or road-killed Red Kangaroos were noted.

White-winged Fairy-wren
It was nice encountering classical western species such as White-winged Fairy-wren, Splended Fairy-wren, Red-winged Parrot and Red-capped Robin.
Gidgee woodland - Blackall

Red-winged Parrot

Emu
Heading west of Barcaldine towards Longreach, we found large numbers of Emu on the grassy plains.

Australian Bustard
Then just before Longreach, a trio of stately Australian Bustard.


Around Oz Part 2 - Winton to Mt Isa

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Spinifex Pigeon
Following our stay in the Blackall area (see next post) we moved on to Winton for a two-night stay in Bladensburg National Park. We camped at the pleasant Bough Shed Waterhole. A birding highlight of Bladensburg were the good numbers of Spinifex Pigeon.

Bough Shed Waterhole

Budgerigar
Budgerigars have been one of the most common species during our travels in western Queensland. Every watercourse appears to have its share of budgies. Conditions generally are surprisingly dry. Budgerigars in large numbers are usually associated with good weather conditions but the Winton-Longreach region missed out on summer rains and is in a serious drought situation.

There are extensive areas of spinifex in the park, which is not too far removed from where John Young photographed his Night Parrot earlier this year. Plenty of perfect-looking Night Parrot habitat here. Unfortunately it was extremely windy during our visit so I didn't contact with spinifex specialties such as Striated Grasswren and Rufous-crowned emu-wren.

Spinifex - Bladensburg National Park
Australian Bustard
Birds in good numbers included Diamond Dove and Zebra Finch. It is encouraging that we have regularly encountered Australian Bustard (10 so far) and Brolga.

Brolga

Diamond Dove

Spinifex Pigeon

Euro
Macropods continue to be present in abundance, with large numbers of Euro and Red Kangaroo in Bladensburg.
Red Kangaroo

Grey-headed Honeyeater
 A nice find in the Bladensburg spinifex was Grey-headed Honeyeater. Red-browed Pardalotes were present in small numbers and a single Flock Bronzewing was seen late one afternoon.

Combo Waterhole
Moving on from Winton we visited the Combo Waterhole, famed as the spot where a jolly swagman allegedly drowned while escaping state troopers in Banjo Patterson's Waltzing Matilda.

Little Woodswallow
Little Woodswallow was present in the waterhole parking area along with more Plumed Pigeons.

Black-chinned Honeyeater
At a stop between Cloncurry and Mt Isa, it was nice to find Black-chinned (Golden-backed race) Honeyeater and Grey-fronted Honeyeater.

Grey-fronted Honeyeater
Zebra Finch

Long-tailed Finch
 Grey-fronted Honeyeaters were numerous in the rocky country around Lake Moondarra, outside Mt Isa. Long-tailed Finches were another nice find. We are camped for a couple of nights in a caravan park by the Leichardt River. Birds here include our first Varied Lorikeets and Great Bowerbirds of the trip.

Lake Moondarra
Varied Lorikeet
 Nice local parrots include Varied Lorikeet and the distinctive regional ("Cloncurry") race of the Australian Ringneck.
Australian Ringneck (Cloncurry) Parrot

Around Oz Part 3 - Barkly Tableland to Mataranka

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Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater
After travelling the best part of 3000km and leaving Mt Isa (see following post) we crossed the Northern Territory border to traverse the treeless Barkly Tableland. Of interest near the border was a flock of 5 Flock Bronzewings flying over.

NT Border
Little Crow
Another long drive and we camped for the night at 41 Mile Bore, one of a series of free overnight, roadside camping spots. It was surprisingly quiet and pleasant given the large number of grey nomads with caravans and assorted mobile accommodation. A flock of Little Crows was about the area. I had seen my first Australian Raven just east of Dalby; Torresian Crows continued to be seen as well as ravens at least as far as Longreach. Then the odd small flock of Little Crows was encountered.

White-browed Woodswallow
 The desert steppe in the vicinity of our roadside camp was ablaze with wildflowers. Among the birds was a single Black-chinned (Golden-backed) Honeyeater, a male Pied Honeyeater, White-browed Woodswallow and Masked Woodswallow in good numbers, and White-winged Trillers.

Masked Woodswallow
Pied Honeyeater
Wedge-tailed Eagle
 Plenty of Wedge-tailed Eagles as we travel along - we've counted 22 in 10 days of travelling. This particular bird looks a little shaggy because it was very windy.


After another long drive we left the desert and entered the tropical savannah woodlands, arriving at the settlement of Mataranka, where we are spending three nights at Mataranka Cabins and Camping, the place in recent years to see Red Goshawk, as a pair nested across the road. The birds have moved on, however; the owners of the property where the nest tree was located were so frustrated by the constant stream of birders that they evidently cut it down.

Mataranka - view from camp
At the camping ground, this frog was in the shower - to be identified later. We were fortunate to get a nice spot overlooking the Little Roper River at Bitter Springs. A pleasant walking trail takes you through some nice riverside maleleuca and pandanus forest along a line of thermal springs.
Bitter Springs - Mataranka
Birds about include plenty of Rainbow (Red-collared race) Lorikeets, Great Bowerbird, White-gaped Honeyeater, Rainbow Bee-eater, Northern Fantail, Bar-breasted Honeyeater and a nice Brown Gosahwk.

Great Bowerbird
Great Bowerbird bower

Red-collared Lorikeet
Brown Goshawk
White-gaped Honeyeater

Northern Fantail

Rainbow Bee-eater
Roper River
 We took a drive through Elsey National Park along the Roper River, a little south of where we are camped. Some great river scenery. We called into Mataranka Homestead, where the celebrated pioneer author Jeannie Gunn lived. We visited the replica homestead where the film based on Gunn's book, We of the Never Never, was made.

Mataranka Homestead
Agile Wallaby
  Agile Wallabies are abundant now we are in the savannah.

Another foray into the maleleuca woodlands was productive with nice views of Blue-winged Kookaburra, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Arafura Fantail and Yellow-tinted Honeyeater. Plenty of Shining Flycatchers about.

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Around Oz Part 4 - Rufous Owl

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Rufous Owl
As we prepared to depart our Mataranka Cabins and Campingsite camping ground this morning after a three-night stay, we were again alerted very early in the morning to the calls of a Rufous Owl, which we had heard during our first two evenings - always an hour or two before sunset. Previous attempts to call in the owls when they were heard  were unsuccessful but finally this morning, success.

Rufous Owl
The birds were most co-operative, flying over from the northern bank of the Little Roper River to where I was waiting. Not the most magnificent shots, but the best I could manage; playback was kept to the initial blast. The birds hung around from about 5.30am until it was getting light, when they were bombarded by Blue-faced Honeyeaters and other birds. Both the male and female afforded excellent views.

Rufous Owl

Little Roper River maleleuca woodland
I had spent quite some time during the day surveying the maleleuca-pandanus woodland on the eastern banks of the Little Roper River where I was sure the birds were roosting, but no success there. The above area is where the birds appeared to be roosting.
It was such a buzz to reconnect with Rufous Owl; I have seen the species only twice previously, both in Queensland. Owls I am very fond of owls.

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher

Just as we were leaving Mataranka, it was nice to connect with Lemon-belled Flycatcher. This is the spot,by the way, where Red Goshawk had until recently been reliable until persons unknown apparently cut down its nesting tree.

Around Oz Part 5 - Nitmiluk National Park:Katherine Gorge, Edith Falls

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Katherine Gorge
After our exciting encounter with Rufous Owls at Mataranka (see following post) we moved on to Katherine and Nitmiluk National Park. We opted to spend one night in the main camping ground at Katherine Gorge - in the southern portion of the park - and two nights in the northern portion at Edith Falls (Leliyn).
Savannah viewed from gorge lookout
The main Katherine Gorge area is extremely touristy and the camping ground extravagantly expensive, but the beauty of the gorge is spell-binding, with towering sandstone cliffs lining the Katherine River. I'm always impressed by the vista of endless tropical savannahs enjoyed from the various look-outs..

Rockhole - Katherine Gorge
We did two walking trails - Baraweit and Windolf. I've been to Katherine Gorge several times previously and while still impressive, it is unfortunate to see it so commercialised.
Katherine Gorge
At the cafeteria, ultra-tame Blue-winged Kookaburras and Great Bowerbirds were quick to snatch food from tables. Northern Rosellas came in to drink around tents. Other birds seen in the surrounding sandstone areas included Helmeted (Sandstone) Friarbird and Chesnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon, while Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and Bush Stone-Curlews were about the camp. .

Great Bowerbird
Northern Rosella
A huge colony of tens of thousands of Little Red Flying Foxes is established along the river in the vicinity of the park headquarters.

Little Red Flying-Fox

Little Red Flying-Fox
Agile Wallaby
Agile (Sandy) Wallabies were abundant around the camping area. Little Woodswallow was nice to see in numbers, both at Katherine Gorge and Edith Falls.

Little Woodswallow

Edith Falls - main rockpool
After leaving the gorge we had to hang around Katherine until 2pm to pick up alcohol supplies (NT alcohol restrictions unsuccessfully attempting to reduce imbibing by indiginous people). We moved on to Edith Falls, a spectacular series of waterfalls in a beautiful area of rugged sandstone gorges. Lovely to cool off in the heat by plunging into the huge rock pool at the base of the falls.

Edith Falls

Croc trap - Edith River
Baited traps are set along the Edith River below the falls in case a wayward saltwater crocodile wanders upstream.

Antilopine Kangaroo
A group of Antilopoine Kangaroos crossed the road on the way in. Silver-crowned Friarbird was one of the more conspicuous birds about. The camping ground was pleasantly situated a short walk from the main swimming hole.

Silver-crowned Friarbird

Around Oz Part 6 - Gouldian Finch & Hooded Parrot

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Gouldian Finch
While visiting Edith Falls in Nitmiluk National Park (see next post) I checked out a site detailed in the new guide book by Tim Dolby and Rohan Clarke as being good for Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot - two highly sort-after northern Australian endemics. The spot is a series of rock pools in a creek bed 5.6km down road to the the Edith Falls campground from its junction with the Stuart Highway.

Hooded Parrot male

I drove back from the camping ground to the site (a distance of about 14km) early on two consecutive mornings. On the first morning I quickly found a small flock of Hooded Parrots perched, and shortly afterwards, a pair of Gouldian Finches in long grass near the creek bed.

Gouldian Finch

Over the next couple of hours I repeatedly saw both species. In all, I saw about 100 Gouldian Finches in flocks of up to 30 birds, 80% of which were juveniles; about the same proportion of adults were black-faced, the rest red-faced.
Site for finches-parrots on Edith Falls road

The finches often associated with the parrots; very often they were in the same tree and often they flew together - mixed flocks of Hooded Parrots and Gouldian Finches. I saw a total of about 60 Hooded Parrots.

Hooded Parrot male

Other finches about included Double-barred, Crimson, Long-tailed and Masked, although Gouldian was easily the commonest species.

Gouldian Finch with juveniles

The finches and parrots appeared to be flying in from the west to alight in trees and grasses near the rock-holes.

Hooded Parrot
On the second morning, I found the pickings more sparse. No birds were encountered along the stretch of creek bed - quite close to the road - where so many had been seen the previous day. I went further upstream and eventually found a mixed flock of 15 Hooded Parrots and 20 Gouldian Finches. Some of the finches were drinking at a rock pool. Again, the parrots and finches flew off together in a mixed flock. A couple of Brown Goshawks were also about, clearly on the look-out for these birds.

Juvenile male Hooded Parrot (upper) and female

After leaving Edith Falls we went to the town of Pine Creek to overnight in the aptly named Lazy Lizard Hotel Caravan Park. Pine Creek is famed for its Hooded Parrots and we saw several small groups around the town, but it was more satisfying to find them earlier out in the bush.

Masked Finch
 I was very pleased to have these encounters with two much-wanted birds; I had previously seen both species but only once in both cases - too many moons ago. 
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