BUNYA ROAD TRIP

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

Around Kingaroy we added another macropod specie to our list; Whiptail Wallaby. The main site around Kingaroy that we aimed for was Gordonbrook Dam. The Dam's water level was low and the birding was a little disappointing based on earlier visits. Some great birds on the way in though. Chief among them a good group of four Australian Bustards; birds that are always great to see. Zebra Finches were also seen with a small flock of Double barred Finches.

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 - 

1. Australian Bustard          
2. Magpie Goose  
3. Black Swan        
4. Cotton Pygmy-Goose    
5. Maned Duck      
6. Pacific Black Duck            
7. Grey Teal            
8. Hardhead           
9. Australian Brushturkey 
10. Australasian Grebe        
11. Great Crested Grebe     
12. Spotted Dove   
13. Brown Cuckoo-Dove      
14. Crested Pigeon
15. Wonga Pigeon  
16. Peaceful Dove  
17. Bar-shouldered Dove    
18. Pheasant Coucal              
19. Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
20. Dusky Moorhen               
21. Eurasian Coot   
22. Australasian Swamphen               
23. Pied Stilt              
24. Masked Lapwing             
25. Black-fronted Dotterel  
26. Painted Buttonquail       
27. Gull-billed Tern (Australian)        
28. Caspian Tern     
29. Whiskered Tern               
30. Black-necked Stork         
31. Australasian Darter        
32. Little Pied Cormorant    
33. Great Cormorant             
34. Little Black Cormorant  
35. Australian Pelican           
36. Pacific Heron    
37. Great Egret        
38. Intermediate Egret (Plumed)     
39. White-faced Heron        
40. Little Egret (Australasian)            
41. Cattle Egret       
42. Glossy Ibis          
43. Australian White Ibis     
44. Straw-necked Ibis           
45. Royal Spoonbill
46. Yellow-billed Spoonbill  
47. Black-shouldered Kite   
48. Wedge-tailed Eagle        
49. Black Kite           
50. Whistling Kite   
51. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
52. Laughing Kookaburra    
53. Rainbow Bee-eater        
54. Australian Kestrel           
55. Brown Falcon    
56. Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo     
57. Galah   
58. Little Corella      
59. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo           
60. Cockatiel             
61. Australian King-Parrot   
62. Red-winged Parrot         
63. Crimson Rosella
64. Pale-headed Rosella      
65. Greater Bluebonnet      
66. Red-rumped Parrot        
67. Rainbow Lorikeet            
68. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
69. Green Catbird   
70. Regent Bowerbird          
71. Satin Bowerbird               
72. White-throated Treecreeper     
73. Superb Fairywren           
74. Red-backed Fairywren  
75. Lewin's Honeyeater       
76. Yellow-faced Honeyeater            
77. Noisy Miner       
78. Yellow-throated Miner 
79. Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater        
80. Singing Honeyeater       
81. White-plumed Honeyeater         
82. Scarlet Myzomela           
83. Brown Honeyeater         
84. Blue-faced Honeyeater
85. White-throated Honeyeater      
86. Brown-headed Honeyeater        
87. Black-chinned Honeyeater          
88. Striped Honeyeater       
89. Little Friarbird   
90. Spotted Pardalote          
91. Striated Pardalote          
92. White-browed Scrubwren          
93. Large-billed Scrubwren 
94. Brown Thornbill
95. Inland Thornbill
96. Yellow-rumped Thornbill             
97. Yellow Thornbill               
98. Weebill
99. White-throated Gerygone          
100. Brown Gerygone             
101. Western Gerygone        
102. Grey-crowned Babbler 
103. Ground Cuckooshrike   
104. Black-faced Cuckooshrike            
105. Eastern Whipbird            
106. Grey Shrikethrush          
107. Little Shrikethrush          
108. Golden Whistler              
109. Rufous Whistler               
110. Australasian Figbird        
111. Grey Butcherbird            
112. Pied Butcherbird             
113. Australian Magpie          
114. Pied Currawong               
115. Willie-wagtail    
116. Grey Fantail       
117. Spangled Drongo             
118. Paradise Riflebird            
119. Magpie-lark       
120. Restless Flycatcher         
121. White-winged Chough  
122. Apostlebird       
123. Torresian Crow
124. Jacky-winter     
125. Eastern Yellow Robin     
126. Golden-headed Cisticola              
127. Australian Reed Warbler              
128. Tawny Grassbird              
129. Welcome Swallow          
130. Tree Martin       
131. Silvereye            
132. European Starling            
133. Common Myna
134. Mistletoebird   
135. Red-browed Firetail       
136. Zebra Finch        
137. Double-barred Finch      

MAMMALS SEEN

Eurasian Hare

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Whiptail Wallaby

Red necked Wallaby

Black striped Wallaby