The Wren

Volume 7 Number 4 December 2018

Red-backed Fairy-wren ...................................................................................................................... Jason Stanyer

PRESIDENTS REPORT

CELEBRATIONS!! It’s time to congratulate

the local team Red-backed Hairy-men for competing in the 2018 Twitchathon and winning the Queensland division of the

Birdathon event. They were placed fourth nationally. Well done HAIRY MEN.

I must apologise for my poem this issue.

Whilst it does include a bird, it is not primarily a bird story. December is the month of Christmas and so an appropriate story I

thought. Hope you like it?

The spring time of every year is always a

busy one for birds as well as for people and this year has been no exception. For Birdlife Mackay, the annual Bird & Wildlife Week at

Eungella is always going to be a major commitment and effort by those who become involved. Participating with the Mackay

Conservation Group, Reef Catchments and Conservation Volunteers Australia keeps us busy through this time of year.

Daryl Barnes

Contents Eungella Bird & Wildlife Week .................................... 2

Eungella Bird & Wildlife Week / MCG Beautiful Walk ...... 3

Regional Wildlife Gallery ........................................... 4

Regional Wildlife Gallery / A Berry Lovely Plant ............ 5

Hunting Fairies ........................................................ 6

Hunting Fairies ........................................................ 7

Hunting Fairies ....................................................... 8

Reef Blitz ............................................................... 9

Calendar 2019 / Finch Hatton & Fruit-Doves .............. 10

Finch Hatton & Fruit-Doves / Sightings ..................... 11

Thank You Santa Claus .......................................... 12

Birds of Western Australia ...................................... 13

Birds of Western Australia / Twitchathon ................... 14

Clermont Report - IRNP .......................................... 15

Calendar 2019 / Personal Profile .............................. 16

Whitsunday Report / September Outing .................... 17

September / October Outing ................................... 18

October Outing / November Outing .......................... 19

2019 Monthly Outings Calendar ............................... 20

The Wren

2 The Wren

EUNGELLA BIRD & WILDLIFE WEEK 2018

The second annual Eungella Bird Week has been completed and the overall outcome for those of us who

contributed was a positive one.

I would like to start off by thanking Birdlife Mackay members who gave up their time to support the week-

long event. Graham Armstrong and Jason Stanyer were great ambassadors for our club and proved popular

guides with the visitors until they both had to leave early. Gerry Woodruff’s availability and his input into the

event during the final couple of days were important and shouldn’t be overlooked.

On behalf of Birdlife Mackay, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful work of the Wildmob

duo of, Steve Fisher and Sally Stutsel for their detailed planning and for their tireless work prior to and

throughout the week at Eungella. Every aspect of the event was attended to in great detail with the prime

objective not only being the satisfaction of the visiting participants but also the welfare of Birdlife members who

volunteered and everyone who played a role in the event. So, a big thank you goes to Wildmob.

And, how could I not mention the cameo role played by Steve’s son Indus. By him not being a shy thirteen

year old, he was a significant contributor with his youthful enthusiasm evident throughout. He capped it off by

‘stealing the show’ with his speech and presentation to Joan Lennox and the kitchen staff before performing a

trick, his well-rehearsed back flip and with an encore! He is becoming a very capable young man. (Keep asking

those questions Indus!

Thank you also to Birdlife’s Simon Kennedy

from Cairns for officially opening the event and

for being a guest presenter. Thanks also to

Marion (and Kevin) Crouther for sharing their

local birding knowledge and using a power

point presentation also.

We also had the privilege of the company of

Irene Champion who identified some of the

significant local flora of Eungella.

Accompanying Irene from DNRM was Maree

Cali who ably led with her sharp eyesight a

spotlighting trek into state forest discovering 5

Greater Gliders, 2 Ring-tailed and 1 Brush

tailed Possum. The playing of Powerful, Rufous,

Boobook and Sooty Owl calls at three locations

on the return drive unfortunately failed to

produce a reaction or an owl for the group.

Maree Cali, Irene Champion, Steve Fisher and Graham Armstrong

White-eared Monarch Jason Stanyer

The Wren

December 2018 3

Others to take part locally were; Ian & Maz Wright, opening up their house with generous hospitality; Miles

Jefferson for his knowledgeable night walk around the Broken River area finding several skinks and geckos and

of course platypus; Luana for her great detailed and interesting site presentation, primarily about the life of the

platypus. Darcie and Marie Shuttlewood must also be thanked as they shared with everyone, Brian and Belinda

Brolga and their pair of week old chicks.

Thanks to Rosemary Braithwaite for allowing us to bring a group onto her property and for being such a good

host. Tracey Crittenden at the River Rock Café and Mandy Tennant at Cloudbreak must also be thanked for

supplying lunch for several of our crew.

*On the Eungella Bird & Wildlife Week we encountered this traffic hazard come ‘speed bump’ on our drive to the dam. Would

you class these animals as WILDLIFE? Photo by John Brinnand.

Thanks to the McEvoy family for allowing us to enter through the locked gate at the end of Schumann’s Road

for a spotlighting tour.

Our accommodation hosts were Shane and Jolene Robinson and their Rustic Rural Retreat off Bee Creek

Road. They were always on hand to attend to our needs and to make sure we didn’t go without.

Report by Daryl Barnes

MACKAY CONSERVATION GROUP

A BEAUTIFUL WALK

On Sunday October 21st Birdlife Mackay participated in a

Mackay Conservation Group Beautiful Walk in the Mackay

region. The location for this event was the Shellgrit

Conservation Reserve adjacent Illawong Drive East Mackay.

The event was well patronized with 47 registered.

The other speaker representing the Mackay Regional

Council was Jonathon Dykyj who explained the importance

of foreshore habitat for assisting in the stabilization of our

beach fronts and providing a unique habitat that birds and

wildlife generally can take advantage of. Kleinfelder were a

contract company responsible for the maintenance and the

upkeep of the reserve.

Thank you to Emma Barrett for doing a great job in

organising this event and for inviting Birdlife Mackay who

were able to play a role and explain the plight of the migratory shorebirds.

Report by Daryl Barnes

Eungella Bird Week. Do these animals qualify as WILDLIFE?

The Wren

4 The Wren

OUR REGIONAL WILDLIFE GALLERY

Just over 12 months ago Whitsunday, Pioneer & Sarina Landcare Groups launched a joint project to populate

their Websites’ Wildlife Gallery with at least one photo of every type of terrestrial vertebrate wildlife found

within our region. The photographs must be taken within the region roughly from around Carmila to Bowen on

the eastern side of the coastal ranges and from Nebo to Collinsville on the western side.

Due to a fantastic response to the call for photographs I am happy to report that, with 430 species depicted,

the Gallery is largely complete. The photo gallery can be located on the websites of each of the Landcare

groups or directly via http://www.cqclandcarenetwork.org.au/wildlife/.

Examples of species which are known to occur in our region and for which a photograph is still needed is

attached below for those wildlife photographers who may wish to chase up the remaining ones. Indeed, you

may already have a picture we could use.

So, to date the photographic catalogue contains the following diversity, all with a snip-it of information about

the species - 29 mammals; 289 birds; 100 reptiles and 22 frogs. It is hoped the Gallery will act as an

introductory reference base for anyone with an interest in and appreciation of our region’s wildlife diversity.

We will to improve and populate the gallery with additional photos as they become available

*Here are the four most recent entries:

Eastern Horseshoe Bat photographed by

Graham Armstrong at Strathdickie

Eastern Horseshoe Bat

Eastern Horseshoe bat

Clamorous Reed Warbler photographed by Marlis Schoeb

in Mackay

b in Mackay.

Spotted Tree Goanna photographed by Angus Emott at

Campwin Beach

Jacky Winter photographed by Marlis Schoeb at

Homevale National Park

Clamorous Reed Warbler photographed by Marlis Schoeb

near Mackay

The Wren

December 2018 5

*Some of the animals for which local photos are still required are -

Sugar Glider Little Eagle Spotted Crake

Feather-tailed Glider Black Honeyeater Spotless Crake

Ring-tail Possum Brown Treecreeper European Sparrow

Little Red Flying Fox Spotted Pardalote White-browed Woodswallow

Mangrove Mouse Weebill Little Lorikeet

Water Python Buff-rumped Thornbill Great-billed Heron

Yellow-spotted Goanna Brown Gerygone

Gould's Goanna Little Woodswallow

Report by Graham Armstrong

A BERRY LOVELY PLANT

I was told it was a weed, that must be eradicated....but I protest, the bush stays nice and green, doesn't

require watering and produces these delightful bright red berries, just like holly berries, which hang on the bush

for weeks giving colour to the forest. The garden lacks colour, everything is green, green, green...which is

pleasing but some colour adds delight to the picture. But you say "It is bad, you should at least cut the berries

off so the birds won't spread them." But if I do that I'm back to green, green, and green!!

Well if you present me with a good valid reason why, then I may be willing to take action. Then Aaron told

me, "it is not native, fast at colonizing areas in favourable conditions, the fruit contains a toxin that to most

mammal’s causes bleeding of the intestines, causes soil degradation, known to cause anaphylactic reactions in

people."

Well! These facts certainly have some weight, enough for

me to take action. I slipped on my garden gloves, found a

bag, shouldered the hoe and headed reluctantly up to the

pretty Christmas Berry bush, (Ardisia crenata). There I

stripped it of its gorgeous berries, I didn't feel very

enthusiastic about this....then uprooted the whole plant. I

then proceeded to pull out all the little, (some were more

established) seedlings that had come up around the mother

plant.

They are marvelously resilient, growing in dry ground,

uncared for, yet flourishing. I could set up a market stall

and make a mint selling these hardy, evergreen pretty

plants! Within a square meter or less I pulled up and

counted 98 of the babies into the bag!!!! They must have

been created for some good, surely!! Wikipedia says it is native to East Asia.

I brought the seedlings, mother plant and berries back to the homestead and put them in the fire. To Tom,

Maria, Shelley, Aaron and some others from SGAP, I hope you are pleased with my effort and bravery.

Now, what to plant to bring back some colour!!!

By Rosemary Braithwaite at The Emerald Forest

Weebil

The Wren

6 The Wren

HUNTING FAIRIES

Up until this year Australia had 9 species of fairy-wren and at the end of 2016 I had tracked down 6 of them.

The Red-backed Fairy-wren, (Malurus melanocephalus) is regularly seen in my home town of Mackay. I have

since encountered these guys as far afield as Cape York and

Darwin, (Malurus melanocephalus cruentatus) the northern

species being much more crimson in colour than the eastern

although their range covers Broome in the west to northern

New South Wales (the northern species being much more

crimson in colour than their eastern counterparts)

I first met the Variegated (Malurus lamberti assimilis) and

Superb (Malurus cyaneus cyanochlamys) wrens when I

moved to the Riverina for a few years, both being relatively

common around the town of Griffith where we spent 5 years.

Variegated Fairy-wren ranges across most of the country

and until recently boasted 5 subspecies.

The Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens) is found mostly in the south-east corner of the country ranging

from the Eyre Peninsular in South Aussie up to Tropic of Capricorn and inland a bit, earning 6 sub-species in the

process.

My first experience with the Eastern sub-species of

Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens melanotus)

was at Cocoparra National Park, near Griffith, I doubt

I’d seen anything bluer than this guy and I seek him

out each time I’m back in the area. He’s also found in

many other parts of the country

This guy is found in all the mainland States and NT,

usually but not exclusively in the dryer inland parts of

the country.

I first encountered the mainland sub-species of the

White-winged Fairy-wren (Malurus leucopterus

leuconotus) at Bowra near Cunnamulla and have run

into him many times since.

He seems shyer than the previously mentioned Fairy-wrens and I always seem to battle to get closer to him.

White-winged Fairy-wren ranges throughout central

Australia and is also found on the dryer coastlines of

Western and South Australia.

The nominate race (Malurus leucopterus) is only found

on Dirk Hartog Island and is a black bird with white-

wings, sadly I haven’t had the pleasure of his company

yet but have seen many of his blue and white cousins.

Fairy-wrens are a classic example of sexual

dimorphism, with the male of the species being extremely

colourful when in full breeding plumage and the females

being a fairly drab parade of browns with a hint of colour

in the tail or around the lores.

The Lovely Fairy-wren (Malurus amabilis) kicks that trend with the female being blessed with a lovely blue hue

around the head, tail and back.

Variegated Fairy-wren

Superb Fairy-wren

Variegated Fairy-wren

Splendid Fairy-wren

The Wren

December 2018 7

I was lucky enough to be shown a pair up near

Rollingstone Beach north of Townsville in late 2016,

managing to get photos that will need improvement.

And so it was in early 2017 when Barbara and I took off

for our Lap of Aussie, that the 3 remaining fairy-wrens

would need to be targeted to complete the set.

First cab off the rank was to be the Purple-crowned

Fairy-wren in the Victoria River area of West Aussie but a

tip from a fellow birder told us we could get the Blue-

breasted Fairy-wren (Malurus pulcherrimus) (along with a

couple of other species I was chasing) in the Lake Gilles

Conservation Park.

So with a couple of tips and a bit of direction we headed off in that direction (we were already looking near

Whyalla for the Western Grasswren, Redthroat, Slender-billed Thornbill and Rufous Fieldwren).

The tip also included Western Yellow Robin, Rufous

Treecreeper and Chestnut Quail-thrush.

Well we scored on the Treecreeper and the Quail-

thrush, also picking up the Blue-breasted Fairy-

wren….well we think we did, sadly we only saw a male

in eclipse plumage and it was virtually impossible to

differentiate between Blue-breasted Fairy-wren and

possible Variegated Fairy-wren.

The next Fairy-wren on the list (albeit a few months

later) was indeed the Purple Crowned (Malurus

coronatus) and the boat ramp at Victoria River was the

hotspot, not only for him but the Yellow-rumped

Mannikin.

The little guys were easy enough to find, they live in the cane grass along the road to the boat ramp, we got

close enough for pics of both the male and female on our first visit, subsequent visits however yielded little in

the way of good photographs.

The Yellow-rumped Mannikins also put in an appearance

so that was a bonus.

Next cab off the rank (once again after a couple of

months travelling the west coast), was to be the Red-

winged Fairy-wren (Malurus elegans).

We were looking like being in the south-west corner of

WA for the Christmas-New-year period and arranged a

house-sit in a little town called Narikup, just south of

Mount Barker. It ended up being a good choice as we used

it as a base to explore the area, and with plenty of WA

endemics on hand to keep us amused.

The Porongurups were only about 30k to the east of us and we visited there half a dozen times.

First day in the Porongurups and as we arrived at the car park for Castle Rock, a fairy-wren crossed the road in

front of the car, Barbara by now knows what’s going on when I stop the car, grab the camera and make a bee-

line for something feathered.

White-winged Fairy-wren

Lovely Fairy-wren (female)

Red-winged Fairy-wren

The Wren

8 The Wren

Sure enough a small family of Red-winged Fairy-wrens

were right at the car park and stuck around for a few

pics.

We had many opportunities over the next couple of

months to see the Red-wings as they are common in the

south-west corner and the males are fairly easily

discernible from the other similar wren, the Blue-

breasted, with the Blue on the Red-wing’s head being a

lighter blue.

Well that was the set, we had seen and photographed

all nine species of Fairy-wren….until there were ten.

The IOC decided in June 2018 to split the sub-species

of the Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti assimilis)

to a species of its own, the Purple-backed Fairy-wren, as

this guy is the most wide-spread of the previous

species, we have seen him many times so it was a

simple tick to my list.

Of course although I’m sure I’ve seen and

photographed (M. lamberti), I’m keen to see him again,

as well as the (M. rogersi) (the female of which has a lot

of blue feathers) from the Kimberley and (M. dulcis)

from the East Arnhem escarpments.

We also ran into the Blue-breasted again on numerous

occasions and managed to get pics of him in breeding

plumage.

A visit to Borroloola in the NT Gulf Country to try for

the eastern sub-species of the Purple-crowned Fairy-

wren (M. coronatus macgillvrayi) found us once again

arriving whilst males were in eclipse plumage, although

we did get good looks and pics of the male and female

on the banks of the McArthur River.

Hoping for better luck in Queensland we headed for

Gregory Downs (found male and female Purple-crowned

Fairy-wren but male was eclipse) and had a day trip to

Lawn Hill NP once again to photograph the eclipse

plumage of the same guy.

All in all it’s been good fun hunting fairies…..I never get

sick of seeing them.

Story and photos by Steve Dew

_________________________________________________________________________________________

TWITCHATHON RESULTS 2018.

The Twitchathon is primarily a fun fundraising exercise where anyone can participate. Birdlife Mackay entered a

team in the Birdathon category. The 2018 state and national results are:

Queensland Birdathon 3 hr: 1st/ Red-backed Hairy-men = 110 species. 2nd/ Redland Eagle Eyes = 84

species. 3rd/ Tropical Tanagers = 75 species.

National Birdathon 3 hr: 1st/ Spotted Hobbies (Vic) = 137 species. 2nd/ The Lazy Little Last-minute, Lame

Loser Listing Lesser Lophorinas (NSW) = 134 species. 3rd/ Thee Manky Shearwaters (Vic) = 125 species. 4th/

Red-backed Hairy-men = 110 species. 5th/ Wide Angled Shutters = 94 species.

TOP to BOTTOM: Variegated Fairy-wren. Purple-

crowned Fairy-wren. Blue-breasted Fairy-wren.

The Wren

December 2018 9

REEF BLITZ

On Sunday October 14th Birdlife Mackay joined Conservation Volunteers Australia in conducting a Reef Blitz

event at Iluka Park. After CVA’s Skye Salisbury-Briggs welcomed everyone and outlined the need for these

types of events, we took control of the proceedings prior to the beach clean-up. I explained the clubs role in

general and then talked about the migration of the shorebirds. Then with fellow birders in Jason, Gerry and

Greg in support, I led the dozen or so people out and onto the beach where a vast area of exposed sand and

mudflats greeted us.

With the tide mark nowhere to be seen, we strolled along and onto a sand bar for a short way in an attempt

to reduce the distance between us and the nearest birds without scaring them off. Trying to get a closer look at

some of the well-scattered birds without aid is often difficult. Binoculars and telescope were mandatory

requirements to get identification in most cases. Of the birds on the ground, two of the dozen or so just

happened to be Eastern Curlews, which seeing for some was a highlight.

The welfare of birdlife and marine life was ultimately the object of this event and so it was time to get on with

the job at hand, that of removing all litter from the foreshore.

Results from the mornings clean-up are as follows:

There were 19 people attend, collected 37kg of marine debris, which was 1140 individual items, 487 of those

items were microplastics. Also, the area of beach cleaned up was 3.6 hectares!

Report by Daryl Barnes

Daryl, Jason, Gerry and Greg conducted a bird walk and helped with the clean up.

The Wren

10 The Wren

FINCH HATTON and FRUIT-DOVES

My wife and I decided to travel to Finch Hatton Gorge Cabins to stay for a night. We were accompanied by

Margaret's sister from Melbourne. While the girls relaxed by the creek I grabbed my camera and walked

upstream looking for birds.

Things were pretty quiet except for the ever present Eastern Yellow Robins and a few Topknot Pigeons

feeding high in the trees. Suddenly, I noticed some action across the creek quite a distance away high in a tree.

This turned out to be a Grey Goshawk. The bird sat in the same position for at least ten minutes, so I was able

to get some good photos before it flew off.

I then walked further up the creek. After a couple of stumbles over rocks and fearing for my camera's safety,

I decided to go out of the creek onto the road which was quite close. While walking back to the cabins, I

observed two Barred Cuckoo- Shrikes feeding near the road. This was the first time I'd seen these birds in our

area.

Next morning I was up early, walking the road with my camera. Lots of birds were calling, but the call that

really interested me was that of the Superb Fruit Dove. I managed to photograph both the male and female

after much perseverance. The Rose Crowned Fruit Dove obligingly came and sat in full morning sun as did the

Grey Goshawk. Got some great shots.

Superb Fruit-Dove Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove

Story and photos by Bill McLean

Grey Goshawk

The Wren

December 2018 11

THANK YOU SANTA CLAUS

All I wanted for Christmas was a pet from Santa Claus

One with teeth and jaws and with no major flaws

All I wanted for Christmas was a little puppy dog

A pet I could rely on when I went out for a jog

If the dog don’t like me

Then I’ll trade it for a frog

Santa didn’t bring me a little puppy dog

All I wanted for Christmas was a pet from Santa Claus

One with teeth and jaws and four soft furry paws

All I wanted for Christmas was a cute little kitty cat

A pet I could rely on to always want a pat

If the cat don’t like me

Then I’ll trade it for a rat

Santa didn’t bring me a cute little kitty cat

All I wanted for Christmas was a pet from Santa Claus

One that has strong jaws and long sharp pointy claws

All I wanted for Christmas was a talking cockatoo

A pet I could rely on, to talk when spoke too

If the bird don’t like me

Then I’ll trade it for a ‘roo

Santa didn’t bring me a talking cockatoo

All I wanted for Christmas was a pet from Santa Claus

One that neither snores nor roars but opens wide its jaws

All I wanted for Christmas was a squirming slithery snake

A pet I could rely on not to bite me by mistake

If the snake don’t like me

Then I’ll trade it for a drake

Santa didn’t bring me a squirming slithery snake

So what did Santa bring me?

Santa went and brought me, a fearsome fighting fish

A pet I could rely on, that’s elegant and swish

If the fish don’t like me

Then I’ll cook it for my tea

So thank you Santa Claus, I’m as happy as can be!

Daryl Barnes

The Wren

12 The Wren

BIRDS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

We are in love with Western Australia. We are rapt with the

stunning landscapes of red sand and spinifex, sculptured gorges,

unending golden wheat fields, pristine beaches and clear

turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

We have also had some good birding opportunities. We started

well our WA birding with a Lake Argyle boat tour visiting Chat

Island where we saw many Yellow Chat and a pair of Painted

Snipe as well. The Gouldian Finches came to water every

morning at the Wyndham Caravan Park and pretty Marlgu

Billabong had great viewing of waterbirds. Of course, the

Broome Bird Observatory just blew us away with their hundreds

upon hundreds of shorebirds. Although it would be good to visit

in March when breeding plumage might make them a little

easier to identify!

The modern mining town of Tom Price harboured the secretive

Pilbara Grasswren. Cape Range National Park was mostly about

snorkelling, but we managed to find some elusive Emu-wren and

also an Osprey pair nesting on driftwood not more than a metre

from the ground. Many hundreds of Banded and Pied Stilt made

a wonderful sight feeding in the very pink waters of the Pink

Lake at Port Gregory. But our favourite birding place of all has

been Hamelin Station.

Hamelin Outback Station Stay is a Bush Heritage Australia

Property acquired in 2015. Stock (sheep and goats) have been

removed which has made an extended natural wildlife corridor

from the Shark Bay World Heritage Area through Hamelin to

Nerren Nerren. Take a look at their website

http://www.hamelinstationstay.com.au/ to find out more

and to see a lovely video clip of the facilities and local

attractions. We had a couple of quite cool and windy days there

but still enjoyed every minute.

There is a walk part way around the fenced dam and we saw

about 20 species of water birds, although it was impossible to

creep up without the Ducks and Coots all taking to the air.

Careful observation though turned up a Red-necked Stint and a

Long-toed Stint among the many Dotterel.

Fairy-wren twittered constantly with both Variegated and

White-winged flitting through the sapphire. The Crimson Chat

was as numerous as mice and they ran across the ground just

like them. When I saw a brilliantly red male feeding a young bird

on a dead branch I thought it was my best bird sighting ever. (I

seem to keep saying this though.)

Barry found a Brown Goshawk sitting on a fence post and got

some photos as the bird seemed to be not too interested in

moving. Passing the same place later, he was swooped at more

than once and so found out, rather unnervingly, that a Goshawk

will aggressively defend its nest. There are no Goshawk nesting

photos!

When we were on the phone to our daughter, she asked what

that bell-like call was in the background. (Sometimes she feigns

interest in birds just to please us.)

Top to Bottom: Crimson Chat, Brown

Goshawk, Chiming Wedgebill and White-

winged Fairy-wren.

The Wren

December 2018 13

It was the Chiming Wedgebill and by the end of the phone call she was well and truly sick of hearing that

rather melancholy chime. They are certainly persistent and seem tantalizingly close enough to photograph but

they are extremely wary and sighting is not as easy as is hearing them.

Another favourite bird was the Red-capped Robin

which always delights. They dance to the ground with

a flash of bright colour and quickly fly back to their

perch with some poor insect in their beak and then

announce their skill with a cheery metallic trilling.

We would have liked to have spent longer at

Hamelin and maybe extended the birding to be even

more profitable with some better weather, but, there

is still a lot of this huge state to see. And, there is a

whole heap of different species in the south-west

corner!

The binoculars will not be hung on the hook just

yet!

Story by Lesley Deacon. Photos by Barry Deacon.

TWITCHATHON 2018

It was decided between a few of us that we, Birdlife Mackay, should again enter a team in this year’s National

Twitchathon. Last year Barry Deacon initiated a three-man team to enter the Birdathon category where teams

compete during three hour-long sessions in one day. The team of Barry, Gerry and I managed 94 species.

This year’s team was obviously determined to ‘out-do’ the efforts of last year’s Red-backed Fairy-men team.

Whether extra sets of eyes would make the difference was unclear but the team grew from three originally to

six and comprised of: Gerry Gerygone Woodruff, Richard Robin Atkinson, Brolga Bill McLean, Jason Jabiru

Stanyer, Sam Piper Tarlinton and Daryl Darter Barnes. These keen birdo’s made up Mackay’s team of Red-

backed Hairy-men.

The plan was to go out and attack DeMoleyn’s Lagoon early and we did just that. Once the first of the three

hour-long sessions (6am to 7am) was completed we then drove to Sandringham Reserve for the second session

(8am to 9am). After smoko and a photo shoot at the Botanic Gardens, we began our final hour there as well.

This hour included the drive to Shellgrit

Creek (10.30am to 11.30am) allowing

us sufficient time to get all the waders.

We made sure our visit to Shellgrit

coincided with the high tide of the day.

Numbers overall briefly were; the first

hour produced 49 species, the second

produced 34 new species and the third

managed another 27 new species for a

grand total of 110 species.

Surprise additions were Latham’s Snipe,

Pallid Cuckoo, Red-kneed Dotterel,

Torresian Kingfisher and Beach Stone-

curlew.

The event was not only a fundraiser for threatened birds and their habitats, but it was also a fun exercise.

Report by Daryl Barnes

Red-capped Robin

The Wren

14 The Wren

THE CLERMONT REPORT

Iron Range National Park trip.

It has always been on our agenda to go to the Iron Range

National Park, so this year with some helpful advice from fellow

birders who had been there, made it happen. Our first stop was

the free camp at Mt Molloy, always a great place for some R&R

and the birding here is always fabulous. Never having been to

Cooktown before, this was our next stop. This part of the trip

reminded us of the possibilities of incurring mechanical problems.

A timing-light needed attending to and so we had an extra couple

of days in the Peninsular Caravan Park at Cooktown. In the park

were Mistletoebirds, Rose-crowned Fruit-doves, Wompoo Fruit-

doves and heaps of Orioles kept us occupied whilst after dark a

Large-tailed Nightjar went on for long periods of time.

Our next stop was Laura and again, with the advice of other

travellers, left our van at the compound at the hotel. We stopped

in their park for the night and enjoyed a shower. The next

morning when we started the car there was a terrific scream

coming out of the intake snorkel. A broken manifold stud was the cause but we ignored the noise and travelled

on. Fellow travellers said to us, “Toyota tough, no problem, it will handle the distance!” (It did last out the trip

and we got it repaired back in Cairns.)

Leaving Laura there was about 20klms of sealed road and then we had to stop and reduce tyre pressure to

cope with the atrocious conditions. After a torturous trip we arrived at Artemus Station where Sue told us about

her wonderful work with the preservation of the Golden-shouldered Parrot. She had installed feed stations

around the property to help with their preservation. Our cameras were very busy taking photos of this

endangered species. Sue showed us where the Golden-shouldered Parrot fed naturally on the ground. We would

never have spotted them as they blend in so well with their surroundings. Another first for us was the Black-

backed Butcherbird. We stopped here a couple of days and were privileged to go with a tour guide to a dam on

the station to photograph some White-eared Masked Finch.

As well as car issues to deal with, the next problem came when I got the settings wrong on the freezer and

we had to feed everyone in the camp as the meat was thawing out.

We moved on to our next camp on the Archer River

stop. The following morning we were off to ‘Cooks Hut’

and the Iron Range National Park for five days. The first

morning after arriving at the Rainforest Camping Area I

got my first lifer, the Red-cheeked Parrot. Most days we

could see them both perched on a particular broken limb.

This was fantastic as mostly it flew overhead. Other

species in the vicinity were Magnificent Riflebird, Boatbill,

Northern Scrubwren, Frilled Monarch and many others.

We were privileged to be given a map where our friend

at Artemus Station (Tour Guide operator) showed his

customers around the hot spots at Iron Range National

Park, we got the Electus Parrot (M & F), Palm Cockatoo,

Magnificent Riflebird and White-faced Robin. We had a

30 second tent and blow up mattress to camp in, two

nights it sprinkled rain with no problems, but after 5

days camping in the tent we were pleased to get back to

Laura for a bed in the caravan.

We had some communication problems with our friend who towed her van all the way to IRNP and returned

the same day. The road was that rough (for us) doing 40klms on the rough stuff, others flew past and it looked

like we were parked up! We travelled back from Laura to Mt Molloy and camped the night. John & Joanne Morris

had mentioned the birdlife at Mt Carbine was exceptional and we were pleased we did go as there

Palm Cockatoo

White-faced Robin

White-faced Robin

The Wren

December 2018 15

Yellow-breasted Boatbill

was quite a lot of birdlife there. We camped at Cairns where

we had our car attended to, then onto Mission Beach where

we hoped to get the Cassowary but missed out.

Crystal Creek was our next camp where we stopped a few

days. From here we went up to Paluma and saw the

Victoria’s Riflebird and Eastern Yellow Robin getting fed plus

saw many other birds. Don was a magnificent host making

us cups of coffee and toast which enticed us to visit on

consecutive mornings arriving at 6am each time. Whilst we

encountered very windy weather at Paluma, we lapped up

the hospitality.

We then travelled down to Groper Creek and saw our

friends there and had a few days in the park, and then it

was onto Seaforth. We spent some time up at Eungella and

got good photos of the EH thanks to Daryl for putting us on

the HOT SPOT straight up. Our friends from Melbourne

thought the EH was common we saw more than 10 for the

morning as well as Topknot Pigeons that were everywhere

we went.

After a week based at Seaforth it was homeward bound. A tree next door was in blossom and Black

Honeyeaters were attracted to its nectar. In other news, three of the neighbour’s cats had disappeared three

weeks before we got home (lucky us as we would have received the blame being bird lovers).

Story by Olive McTrusty and photos by Bob McTrusty

Sightings of Interest:

16/08/2018. 2 Brown Cuckoo-Doves at Botanic Gardens, seen by Joanne Morris 16/09/2018. 3 Emus near Crediton Hall Eungella, seen by Desley Williams

28/09/2018. 1 Latham’s Snipe at Botanic Gardens, seen by Jason Stanyer 30/09/2018. 2 adult and one juvenile Black-necked Stork, seen by Sylvia Martinez 10/11/2018. 4 Varied Sittellas near Marian/Hampden Road

White-faced Robin

Yellow-breasted Boatbill

The Wren

16 The Wren

PERSONAL PROFILE of MARGARET LANE

1/ What is it about bird watching that appeals to you?

Answer: There is always something to look at or look for if you are interested in birds. And I am interested in

habitat so want to know where the birds live and what they feed on, although I don't know very much as I am a

‘trainee’ birdo and haven’t done too much training for the last year.

2/ Do you have a favourite bird and why?

Answer: Brown Honeyeater because a family lives in my

garden and every day I hear them feeding on the native

plants and I see them queuing up for a bath in one of the

two bird baths. They are very busy, very chatty birds. I

observed a nest on one of bottlebrush shrubs in my

garden a few years ago - sadly, the two chicks did not

fledge. I have not seen a nest since then but am sure

they have one hidden away where I can’t see it.

3/ If money was no object where would you like to go

birding

Answer: Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley

to see the Gouldian Finch and everything else to see on

that property.

4/ What bird has eluded you the most?

Answer: Well, I am just happy to see what I see, but I am having trouble identifying the Golden-headed

Cisticola that I know can be seen in the grassland of Sandfly Creek Reserve. And, I have a wonderful painting of

the Regent Honeyeater by John Wolmsley. I'd love to see a Regent Honeyeater in situ.

5/ Do you prefer to go birding alone or with company?

Answer: With company, because I need lots of help!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE FROM THE WHITSUNDAY REGION

Unfortunately, with no significant rainfall since last newsletter the Whitsunday Region remains exceptionally

dry with the best chance of maximizing bird watching being to sit oneself near a source of water – although

finding a natural source of water that has not dried up is a task in itself. As expected for this time of year, those

with artificial water containers such as bird baths, ponds or other containers are reporting a decent amount of

species, especially if their property is located close to bush land. Whilst the feeding of birds is not encouraged,

ensuring birds have access to clean water at your property is the best helping hand one can do for our

feathered friends.

Popular birding location Glen Isla Road has all but

dried up, with species numbers down as a result. Small

freshwater ponds such as Kelsey Creek, Brandy Creek

and sections around the Gunyarra area are probably the

better birding locations at this time of year if one wants

to maximise the number of species seen. Summer time

migrants such as Torresian Imperial-Pigeon (Pied

Imperial-Pigeon), Channel-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Koel,

and Dollarbird have made their way back to the area,

along with Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. The

cuckoos in particular are still very quiet with the Koel

yet to get into full song as it tries to attract a mate (or

two!). The first decent rainfall will probably result in

many species starting to breed as many will only breed

once conditions are conducive to raising offspring. Pied Imperial Pigeon

The Wren

December 2018 17

It appears we may have to wait a little longer before we get the rainfall to trigger bird numbers.

Indian/Common Mynas are still being reported in the Region, however not in the large flocks as they once

were, however more widespread in smaller flocks. As they are not a designated pest in legislation, many

Councils tend to focus on the feral animals which are legislated pests in Queensland with Mynas unfortunately

being towards the bottom of Council’s priorities. Still, residents in the Whitsunday Region are encouraged to

report any sightings to Council so at least mapping of their spread can be pinpointed with areas with the most

sightings given priority for any potential trapping exercises.

Photo and report by Dale Mengel

MONTHLY CLUB OUTING SEPTEMBER 2ND

CATHU STATE FOREST

Patches of heavy fog were encountered along the Bruce Highway by our three-car convoy to our destination

eighty kilometres north from Mackay. From the Cathu State Forest turn-off, our first stop was a short distance

away at the O’Connell River crossing. It was here that we welcomed the company of Graham & Janice

Armstrong who had driven from Strathdickie to join us.

A few Poplar Gums were in flower here and so a variety of honeyeaters entertained our contingent of eleven

enthusiastic explorers, several of whom had not been to this location before. Lewin’s, Scarlet, Dusky, White-

throated and Yellow honeyeaters were identified by sight and by sound. An Azure Kingfisher flashed into view

and perched in the sun briefly before continuing upstream along the eastern bank.

It was here that I raised Ian’s hopes of getting a ‘lifer’ by suggesting that the half-dozen birds that flew into a

river-side tree were Cicadabirds. But their behaviour had me worried and so I checked my Morcombe field guide

plus a photo that Ian had taken, then realising my mistake. They were in fact White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes.

Sorry Ian! I think I was wishing them to be Cicadabirds because it was some time since I’d seen any.

The drive from the crossing to the Jaxut Camp

Ground wasn’t very productive. Being at the front

of the convoy of the now four vehicles, Frances

and I had the opportunity to see well over twenty

Peaceful Doves as they flew off the dirt track and

out of our way. A White-necked Heron and one

male Red-backed Fairy-wren were the only other

birds seen as we drove to our destination.

Shortly after our arrival at the camp ground,

the only campers there packed up and proceeded

to leave the area. We had the place to ourselves.

With birding pretty quiet in general, we settled

beside the flowing stream and enjoyed the

setting for awhile and in the hope that some birds

might come to us.

Whilst setting up for a cuppa back at the camping area, a snake of about a meter in length was spotted

nearby. Graham called it a Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis).

After smoko and bird call, where Kate Slinkard guessed closest to the 42 species recorded, we climbed into

the three 4WD’s and took on the challenge of reaching the top of the range. To the surprise of those familiar

with the road conditions normally encountered, damaged culverts had been replaced and the climb had been

graded to a reasonable standard. This indicated to us that logging was in progress or was about to commence.

This assumption was soon reinforced when a logging truck rumbled past.

The destination was to the lookout on south road where the view was spectacular as ever. The Proserpine

Sugar Mill was visible in the haze to the north of us, however, bird species were very scarce.

Report by Daryl Barnes

Scarlet Honeyeater Bill McLean

The Wren

18 The Wren

MONTHLY CLUB OUTING OCTOBER 7TH

EUNGELLA

With the Eungella Bird & Wildlife Week still fresh in my mind,

it wasn’t hard to get back into the swing of things ‘up on the

hill’ this day.

The trek from Mackay to Chelman’s Road was much like a

traditional ‘milk run’ stopping frequently as we picked up

people at Mirani (1), Eungella Hall (4), Snake Road (1) and the

Chelman’s Road turn-off (1) making a total of 14 for the

outing.

Whilst it was good to have Steve Dew back within our midst,

we also welcomed John Formosa from Mackay and Gary &

Debbie Quirk from the Gold Coast.

The target species at Chelman’s didn’t want to play ball

although the bird called frequently for us. The photographers

struggled to get a quality pic or two and it was all due to the

climbing pandanus vine. Where-ever the vine grew it looked

healthy and lush but was almost completely devoid of flowers.

This meant that the honeyeaters were forced to obtain feed

over a wider area making them harder to find and to

photograph.

The next leg of the mornings outing was to see ‘Brian & Bridget Brolga’ and their two chicks on the property

of Darcy & Marie Shuttlewood. Having built this sighting up to be the highlight of the day, I was forced to ‘eat

humble pie’. Whilst both Darcy & Marie were not at their ‘Eungella retreat’ residence on this day, neither were

the Brolgas. With the two chicks now at three weeks of age, I was particularly keen to see how tall they had

grown since I last saw them a fortnight earlier.

It was Eungella monthly market day at the local hall where a hot barista coffee was available and very

welcome. Bird call was completed by the oval opposite where Alison Silman correctly guessed 50 as the number

of species identified during the mornings birding ‘up the hill’.

After smoko, three 4WD’s crept along the gravel road to the Diggings Camp Ground. When nearing the

camping area; ahead striding up the centre of the road was a very mature goanna, (Lace Monitor). It was the

last day of school holidays and so the camping area was completely empty when we arrived at 1.00 pm. The

object of this venture was to search for Speckled Warblers………supposedly discovered here by one person

during Bird Week. With eight sets of eyes and ears on alert for around one hour, no warblers were found.

Report by Daryl Barnes

SIGHTINGS of INTEREST

Left. This photo of the Barred Cuckoo-shrike was taken in the Finch

Hatton Gorge area by Bill McLean on the 5th of October 2018.

_________________________________________________________

Would a sheltered horizontal section of white 100mm PVC

‘down pipe‘ make a good place to build a nest? Apparently yes!

A Magpielark successfully prepared a mud nest and raised a

brood of chicks. The nest was hardly empty when another bird

was seen sitting on it. It was a Nankeen Kestrel.

An observation made by Julie Boyd of Nindaroo.

Marie informs me that the Brolga family return to

their island nest site late each afternoon and

spend the night there together. (Chicks 4 weeks)

The Wren

December 2018 19

The Superb Fruit-Dove frequents rainforest type

habitats and is more commonly located in the canopy of

fruiting trees. Prior to searching for this bird, it’s a good

idea to become familiar with its call.

12/11/2018. Greg Strohal whilst driving between

Mackay and Rocky at the Ogmore turn off, saw 4 Emus

with two half-grown chicks.

MONTHLY CLUB OUTING

LAKE CLIVE NOV. 4th

It was November, it was dry and it was hot, so early outing starts would be the go from now on.

Lake Clive was an open body of water and with little shade. However, this mattered little to the many water

birds that made it their home. The irrigation dam (used for sugar cane) is a valuable resource for farmer Alan

Farquhar but it still needed to be managed appropriately to produce the required outcome.

At 6.35 am fourteen of us arrived at Lake Clive full of enthusiasm and expectation.

Armed with their gear in hand, the ‘serious’

photographers, Bill, Leigh and Julie were soon

into action with a myriad of water birds to

‘shoot’ choose from. Birds ranged from the

largest, Pelicans, Black Swans and Darter, down

to the smallest, Red-kneed and Black-fronted

Dotterel and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. Away from

the water, the range went from Brolga and

Bustard down to Mistletoebird and Sunbird.

There was a good range of birds on hand but

for many in attendance, there was nothing out

of the ordinary to get excited about. Watching

the graceful flight of Pelicans and Brolgas as

they effortlessly cruised through the sky and

land nearby was certainly a highlight.

First timer, James Nixon, not only enjoyed his

birding experience but he also took home the

prize for guessing correctly the ‘bird call’ total.

Eight of the fourteen guesses were in the sixties

with James’s 63 the lucky number.

As is always the case, it was good to have among us three regular bush walking club members. On this

occasion it was Frances Eiteneuer, Elaine Nicolson and Penny McMahon.

Report by Daryl Barnes

Wildlife Rescue Hotline: 49473389

Bird watchers at Lake Clive Penny McMahon

Superb Fruit-Dove – female Bill McLean

The Wren

20 The Wren

BIRDLIFE MACKAY OUTINGS CALENDAR 2019

Our half-day outing is on the first weekend of each month.

It is suggested that food and water is carried as well as hat, sunscreen and insect repellent.

Gold coin donation appreciated.

Date 2019 Destination Meeting Place Meeting

Time Contacts

January 6th

. Lake Barfield - Hay

Point Tourist Info Centre 0600

0438134738

February 3rd

. Padaminka Tourist Info Centre. 0600

0438134738

March 3rd

. Wetlands Walkabout Keeley’s Road car park. 0600

0438134738

April 7th

Black’s Beach Spit Pacific Drive Black’s

Beach. 0630

0438134738

May 5th

. Proserpine District

(TBA)

Service Station

Coningsby. 0630

0438134738

June 2nd

. Cape Palmerston

Caravan Park. Tourist Info Centre. 0630

0438134738

July 7th

.

Sandringham Bay

Conservation

Reserve

Tourist Info Centre. 0630

0438134738

(TBA) Botanic Gardens

meeting room AGM 09.00

August 4th

. McLean’s Mt Ossa Service Station

Coningsby 0630

0438134738

September 1st. Tedlands Koumala Tourist Info Centre. 0600

0438134738

October 6th

Chelman’s Road. Tourist Info Centre. 0600

0438134738

November 3rd

. Lake Clive near

Belmunda

Service Station

Coningsby 0600

0438134738

December

7th

& 8th

.

National Challenge

Bird Count Nil Nil

0438134738

Contact: president.mackay@birdlife.org.au

For further information go to: www.birdlifemackay.org