Wedge tailed Eagle |
My Covid school term finally finished and with that end of term freedom a short-ish Road Trip beckoned.
Everyone loves a road trip and when a road trip is mixed with birds the result is desirable indeed.
So accompanied by my wife, Megan, our daughter, Millie, our daughter’s friend, Chloe, my partner, Steve, my partner’s partner, Winnie, we decided on a little journey to Dalby and onto to the South Burnett region with the Bunya Mountains in between.
Millie and Megan - not birds in the strictest sense but important to me... |
The purpose of the trip, certainly for Steve and I, was to do some preparation for a Brisbane Birding Break – a short five day birding trip which we plan to run for clients next year during the week of 10 May, 2021 - Friday 14 May. The trip has been named, in keeping with the alliteration established in Brisbane Birding Breaks, the Bunya and Beyond Birding Break.
This trip travels from Brisbane to Dalby via some birding around Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley. Some Dalby birding, especially in the Lake Broadwater Area and then the Bunya Mountains for a two night stay focussing on the rainforest species there and the final day near Kingaroy.
Travelling from our Sunshine Coast and Morayfield base respectively Steve and I and our respective gang met in Kilcoy; not far from a traditionally wounded Yowie statue and a large flock of Corellas. After a coffee we were off; we travelled south west for a quick look around the Lockyer. Atkinson Dam, despite or perhaps because of lower water levels had heaps of birds; Black necked Stork, Glossy Ibis, three terns, Whiskered, Australian [aka Gull billed] and Caspian among them.
Gatton campus, specifically the wetlands, were sadly only a very slight shadow of what they were once. Much of the wetland has been smothered with weeds and visibility of the remaining birds is poor. Good numbers of Magpie Geese and Plumed Whistling Ducks but the hoped for Pink eared Ducks, once common, were invisible. The birding experience there is further diminished by the smell from a piggery, perched above the wetlands. It is easy to muse that the extra nutrients supplied by this source may have something to do with the explosion of weeds. Does anyone know what the plans are for this once special area?
Cockatiels were in good numbers and we encountered a roosting flock of some fifty birds.
Everybody's fave - Cockatiels |
Dalby is a polite little town supporting the western downs and the communities there. Cotton, among a range of other crops, dominate the landscape but here and there small patches of forest remain and perhaps the pick of them is Lake Broadwater – 20 or so kilometres away from Dalby.
Western Gerygone |
The birding around the lake within a variety of landscapes is really enjoyable; especially for the Brisbane or Sunshine Coast birder as there are a range of species that are impossible or uncommon further east. Jacky Winters, Weebills, Yellow-rumped, Yellow and Inland Thornbills plus Grey Fantails and a lovely Western Gerygone were among the smaller passerines. Honeyeaters included Brown, White plumed, Black chinned, Brown headed, Singing, Yellow faced, Blue faced, Spiny cheeked and Striped. Painted Button quails were seen as well. Red winged Parrots, Cockatiels, Pale headed Rosellas were there in addition to Galahs, Sulphur crested Cockatoos and abundant Little Corellas. One of Australia’s favourite birds – the Superb Blue Wren is common in this area.
Striped Honeyeater |
Yellow rumped Thornbill |
Yellow Thornbill |
Grey crowned Babbler - common in the picnic area at Lake Broadwater |
On the outskirts of Dalby we saw a pair of Greater Blue Bonnets. Sadly, they flew away towards the sunset before we had a chance to photograph them.
Dalby sunset |
Back in town both Noisy and Yellow throated Miners hold territories in different areas.
Yellow throated Miner - in the Dalby suburbs |
Bunya Mountains is a beautiful place; an upland island of rainforest punctuated by small grassland patches, caused by traditional indigenous burning over thousands of years, known as balds. Part of the area’s beauty are the distant views possible onto the flats of the plains that surround the mountains. Part of the appeal for the visitor is the cooling elevation that allows the setting of a night-time fire – a pleasure only rarely enjoyed in Brisbane houses further east. The appeal for the birder / naturalist is a range of rainforest bird species, especially the Bowerbirds, a Riflebird, Green Catbird which are all relatively easy to be seen here.
Bunya Fungi |
Satin Bowerbird at his bower in the Bunya Mountains rainforest |
Red necked Wallabies are abundant in the Bunyas; indeed it is impossible for visitors to fail to mention them. Less common but easy enough to see if you know where to look is the Black striped Wallabies.
Black striped Wallaby |
Australian Bustard - seen near Kingaroy |
Zebra Finch female - again near Kingaroy |
All in all a very good four days birding and touring.
AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS
Come birding with us!
BIRDS RECORDED DURING OUR 4 DAY TRIP -
- Australian Bustard
- Magpie Goose
- Black Swan
- Cotton Pygmy-Goose
- Maned Duck
- Pacific Black Duck
- Grey Teal
- Hardhead
- Australian Brushturkey
- Australasian Grebe
- Great Crested Grebe
- Spotted Dove
- Brown Cuckoo-Dove
- Crested Pigeon
- Wonga Pigeon
- Peaceful Dove
- Bar-shouldered Dove
- Pheasant Coucal
- Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
- Dusky Moorhen
- Eurasian Coot
- Australasian Swamphen
- Pied Stilt
- Masked Lapwing
- Black-fronted Dotterel
- Painted Buttonquail
- Gull-billed Tern (Australian)
- Caspian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- Black-necked Stork
- Australasian Darter
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Great Cormorant
- Little Black Cormorant
- Australian Pelican
- Pacific Heron
- Great Egret
- Intermediate Egret (Plumed)
- White-faced Heron
- Little Egret (Australasian)
- Cattle Egret
- Glossy Ibis
- Australian White Ibis
- Straw-necked Ibis
- Royal Spoonbill
- Yellow-billed Spoonbill
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Wedge-tailed Eagle
- Black Kite
- Whistling Kite
- White-bellied Sea-Eagle
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Rainbow Bee-eater
- Australian Kestrel
- Brown Falcon
- Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
- Galah
- Little Corella
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- Cockatiel
- Australian King-Parrot
- Red-winged Parrot
- Crimson Rosella
- Pale-headed Rosella
- Greater Bluebonnet
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
- Green Catbird
- Regent Bowerbird
- Satin Bowerbird
- White-throated Treecreeper
- Superb Fairywren
- Red-backed Fairywren
- Lewin's Honeyeater
- Yellow-faced Honeyeater
- Noisy Miner
- Yellow-throated Miner
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
- Singing Honeyeater
- White-plumed Honeyeater
- Scarlet Myzomela
- Brown Honeyeater
- Blue-faced Honeyeater
- White-throated Honeyeater
- Brown-headed Honeyeater
- Black-chinned Honeyeater
- Striped Honeyeater
- Little Friarbird
- Spotted Pardalote
- Striated Pardalote
- White-browed Scrubwren
- Large-billed Scrubwren
- Brown Thornbill
- Inland Thornbill
- Yellow-rumped Thornbill
- Yellow Thornbill
- Weebill
- White-throated Gerygone
- Brown Gerygone
- Western Gerygone
- Grey-crowned Babbler
- Ground Cuckooshrike
- Black-faced Cuckooshrike
- Eastern Whipbird
- Grey Shrikethrush
- Little Shrikethrush
- Golden Whistler
- Rufous Whistler
- Australasian Figbird
- Grey Butcherbird
- Pied Butcherbird
- Australian Magpie
- Pied Currawong
- Willie-wagtail
- Grey Fantail
- Spangled Drongo
- Paradise Riflebird
- Magpie-lark
- Restless Flycatcher
- White-winged Chough
- Apostlebird
- Torresian Crow
- Jacky-winter
- Eastern Yellow Robin
- Golden-headed Cisticola
- Australian Reed Warbler
- Tawny Grassbird
- Welcome Swallow
- Tree Martin
- Silvereye
- European Starling
- Common Myna
- Mistletoebird
- Red-browed Firetail
- Zebra Finch
- Double-barred Finch
MAMMALS SEEN
Eurasian Hare
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Whiptail Wallaby
Red necked Wallaby
Black striped Wallaby
Wow! So many birds I've either not seen or not heard of. Thanks. I love seeing new (to me) species.
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