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Contact Call
Newsletter of BirdLife Northern Queensland Volume 6 Number 4 November 2017
Birdlife continues to
grow in the far north. Hi everyone, I am
Simon Kennedy.
I am the second BirdLife
staff member in Cairns,
joining Key Biodiversity
Areas Manager, Golo
Maurer. My role as the
Great Barrier Reef
Wetlands Bird
Monitoring Co-ordinator
will find me assessing
how wetland bird
populations respond to
restoration works by
Greening Australia and
Conservation Volunteers
Australia. These
organisations are
conducting weed control, revegetation and restoration
of natural freshwater/salt interfaces as part of the Reef
Aid program, funded by federal and state
governments, Virgin Australia, the Ian Potter
Foundation and other private donors.
My focus is currently the Mungalla Indigenous
Protected Area near Ingham, and a property near Giru
on the edge of the Bowling Green Bay wetlands. Both
wetlands are on grazing properties in agricultural
landscapes dominated by sugar cane. If left
unmanaged, they become blanketed in aquatic weeds
such as Olive Hymenachne and Water Hyacinth. But
these wetlands can and some already have been
restored to a state where the weeds are replaced by
areas of open water, water lilies and native sedges.
The aim is to work out which birds best indicate the
transition from a weedy to a healthy wetland. From
there, I hope to expand the project, learn from local
experts and communicate the results in a way that
might encourage other landholders in the reef
catchments to bring wetland birds back to their
properties.
I have been a birder since the age of 8, when I lived in
western Victoria and we went on family birding trips to
the Victorian mallee, and down to the coast at
Portland. I did my Honours degree on the Swift Parrot
in Victoria, and moved to Queensland soon after. I
have since worked for a range of government
departments, non-government agencies and
indigenous land management organisations, picking up
skills in cartography, advocacy and the study of fauna
more broadly. I live with my fiancée in Yorkeys Knob,
and we regularly go out to nearby Cattana in the
evenings in search of birds such as White-browed
Crakes, Black Bitterns and Crimson Finches.
Contents ➢ Convenor’s report
➢ First Golden Bowerbird Survey
➢ Crane Count 2017
➢ Birdlife weekend at Paluma
➢ Carpentarian Grasswren - Who cares?
➢ Grasswrens need our help!
➢ Why are Red-necked Crakes “resident” in some
areas, but seasonal visitors to others?
➢ Icelandic Birding
➢ A Trip to Bowra
➢ White-bellied Crimson Finches with variable belly
colour: a request
➢ Sand on Cairns esplanade mudflats – an update
➢ Chasing Carpentarian Grasswrens in July
➢ Noticeboard and Activities
Crimson Finch
at Tyto Wetlands
BirdLife Northern Queensland
2 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
The Convenor I want to first of all congratulate all of our members
and supporters who generously gave to our appeal to
raise $14,000 to fund the next crucial part of our
grasswren program. We had decided to raise the
money through “crowd-funding” - spread the word via
social media (Twitter, Facebook, email lists) and reach
many more people who think this is worthwhile and
will donate some money. Many small contributions
soon added up. So again a very big “thank you” to all
who contributed and helped to spread the word. If you
haven’t already had a look at what this has been all
about, just go to the project funding webpage at
Where have all the grasswrens gone?
After a reasonably dry winter spell throughout much of
our region, the rains have started -the wetlands are
reviving, browned grass has tinges of green, tired
trees seem to be rejuvenating and blossoming.
Migrants are passing through to go further south.
Wader numbers are slowly building up, with increasing
diversity of species as well. And there seem to be
unusual occurrences - such as numerous reports of
Satin Flycatchers being seen, White-streaked
Honeyeaters further afield, and breeding Spotted
Whistling-ducks. Increasing reports of Chestnut-
breasted Cuckoos on Tablelands and Golden
Bowerbirds abandoning bowers. Are we watching the
impacts of climate change happening? Or simply the
results of more and more birders getting out and
about? These all remind us how important it is to keep
systematic records of the birds we see so that these
changes over time can be tracked. Our BirdLife’s
Birdata is now easier than ever to use and enter data -
remember those old days of the Bird Atlas pencilled-in
forms? So if you do not already use Birdata to enter
your own records, please take the time now to have a
look at it and consider if it will work for you at
birdata.birdlife.org.au. That way we can all contribute
to these important ways of tracking what is happening
to our birds.
As the end of the year draws closer, please join us for
one of our regular events - participating or supporting
a team in the annual Twitchathon, doing backyard bird
surveys in the Great Aussie Bird Count, getting a
group of friends together to count Torresian Imperial
Pigeons on the coast, or attend our Christmas break-
up. But whatever you do - enjoy, stay safe, and
cherish our unique birds!
Happy twitching, Kath Shurcliff
BirdLife Northern Queensland Committee
Committee Name Contact details
Convenor and Cape
York Area
Coordinator
Kath Shurcliff Email
and phone: 07 4069 6595
Deputy Convenor Martin Willis Email: [email protected]
and phone: 07 40966581
Secretary Renee
Cassels
Email:
Treasurer Wendy
Cooper
and phone: 07 40968272
Cairns Area
Coordinator
Tom Collis Email: [email protected]
and phone: 0401783795
Conservation
Coordinator and
Tablelands Area
Coordinator
Peter
Valentine
Email:
and phone: 07 40966171
Stickybeak
Coordinator
Golo Maurer Email:
KBA Coordinator Graham
Harrington
Email: [email protected]
and phone: 07 40965051
Members Coordinator Sam Willis Email: [email protected]
and phone: 07 40966581
Website Manager Mikey Kudo Email: [email protected] and
phone: 0402343610
Committee member Ray Pierce Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor and
Cassowary Coast Area
Coordinator
Ceri Pearce Email:
m and phone: 0488131581
PIPWATCH
Monitoring Torresian Imperial Pigeons
PIP watch is seeking volunteers, to register the
first time PIPs are seen in local areas, as well as
nesting PIPs and to help with coastal PIP
counts.
To participate in a coastal count, pick your own
date(s) in November, December and January.
The count only needs 2 hours. If you counted
your site previously, it’s ideal to count again
near the same day of the month. Optionally
you might like to synchronise with BirdLife
Northern Queensland on 18 November 2017, or
near that date. For more information go to the
website (https://www.pipwatch.net/) or contact
Dr Julia Hazel at [email protected]
Contact Call
November 2017 3
First Golden Bowerbird
Survey BirdLife Northern Queensland has an ongoing project
to monitor the positions of Golden Bowerbird bowers
and Tooth-billed Bowerbird courts across the Wet
Tropics. These bowerbirds remain faithful to their
display sites for years or even decades. We are trying
to find out if there are any systematic changes to the
positions of these sites.
Tooth-billed Bowerbirds outnumber Golden Bowerbirds
by at least 10 to 1. Their courts, consisting of a
selection of upturned leaves, are generally easy to find
by the noisy displays of their owners. Golden
Bowerbird stick bowers are rather difficult to find.
Their owners can remain silent for long periods of time
making them very hard to detect.
We would like to find more Golden Bowerbird bowers
to obtain a better picture of their distribution and
history. Graham Harrington had the idea of placing a
number of volunteers along an altitudinal transect to
see if Golden Bowerbirds could be detected. Mt Edith
Road, near Lake Tinaroo was selected as a useful site.
Historically we were aware of 3 bowers along this road.
One has been active since 2008, another, first found in
2008 was abandoned by 2011 and we have anecdotal
information of a third along the Mt Edith summit spur
trail, also abandoned many years ago.
Around 30 people turned out for the first Golden
Bowerbird survey along Mt Edith Rd in September.
Volunteers were positioned along 9km of road starting
at about 750m altitude rising up to 1130m. Volunteers
spent 1 hour at each of 3 positions 200m apart.
Overall Golden Bowerbirds were detected at 13 of the
41 positions. This translated to 3 new possible bower
locations in addition to the location we already knew
about. Follow up work is underway to try and locate
bowers at these 3 new locations. This was not
successful on a first attempt with no birds calling or
bowers found. Perhaps the weather conditions on the
follow up day were not conducive to the birds calling.
They remain hard to detect!
This season, two well-known Golden Bowerbird bowers
at Mt Hypipamee and Longlands Gap have become
abandoned. While we
may never know the
reason for the exact
reason, these bowers
were heavily visited by
birders. The birds
probably just moved to
a quieter location. We
must be aware of the
possible consequences
of our actions and take
care not to disturb these
rare birds. Please try to
limit your time spent at
a bower.
Report by Dominic Chaplin
With special thanks to
Graham Harrington
Team photo of the bowerbird survey volunteers following the briefing by Graham
Harrington (seated).
BirdLife Northern Queensland
4 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Crane Count 2017
The 2017 Crane Count was held on Saturday 3rd
September. 30 eager counters gathered at the Hastie’s
Swamp Bird Hide and were treated to a short play
written, directed and performed by Graham Harrington
and others illustrating the correct way to complete the
survey sheets.
Sites were then allocated.
A check on the traditional sites on Lake Tinaroo the
previous week had indicated that no cranes were
roosting there and so the survey was restricted to
Bromfield Swamp, Ball Road, Hastie’s Swamp,
Mareeba Wetlands and a new location at Willets
Swamp near Wongabel State Forest.
Conditions for counting were less than ideal with low
temperatures, high wind and driving rain making
identification difficult.
Numbers at Bromfield were lower than normal at 435
birds but this was compensated for by high numbers at
Willets Swamp.
Earlier in the day counts had been made of birds
feeding which located 755 birds, mainly at East Barron
and Willets Swamp.
Later in the week counts were made at sites in the
southern Tablelands.
Survey sheets are still being analysed and the
numbers of birds seen at each location will be available
when this is completed.
Special thanks to the 2017 Crane Count volunteers.
Please make a note in your diary for the 2018 Crane
Count on Saturday 1st September 2018.
David Merrall
Can you tell which crane is a Brolga and which is a Sarus
Crane? Image courtesy of David Merrall.
Answer. Brolga left. Small red headband, dark dulap under
the chin and dark grey legs. Sarus Crane right. Red on the
head to upper neck, no dulap under the chin and pink legs.
Join us September 1st 2018 for the next Crane Count.
Situated 1½ hrs north of Cairns in Tropical North
Queensland we offer accommodation in self-contained
units – – single or two bedroom – and bunkhouse
rooms. The property is a rainforest wildlife sanctuary
catering for birdwatchers and naturalists.
We are central to a variety of habitats and provide bird
species lists, area maps and Wi-Fi internet access.
Guiding is available by arrangement.
We offer packages for individuals and small groups.
Carol and Andrew Iles
RN6, Mt. Kooyong Road
Julatten QLD 4871
Ph: (07) 4094 1263
Email: [email protected]
www.birdwatchers.com.au
Contact Call
November 2017 5
Having a stickybeak at
the Golden Bowerbirds
Fairy Castle
It is rare that you have a BirdLife Australia outing
Health and Safety briefing where the hazard personally
attends. And it is even rarer that you can then add
that hazard to your birdlist. However, the families
taking part at BirdLife Northern Queensland's
Stickybeaks outing to visit the Fairy Castle of the
Golden Bowerbird at Mt Hypippamie National Park
experienced just that. A young Cassowary checking
out the safety briefing showed everyone what having a
Stickybeak really means.
With one of the target species for this outing out of the
way we could fully focus on visiting the wonderful
bower. Everyone took great care to make the visit as
unobtrusive as possible an one child was the time
keeper to make sure we would all be in and out in
under ten minutes. His majesty thanked us by
attending graciously from a nearby perch while we
admired the intricacy and perfect positioning of his
castle.
Rather like an ancient temple the light was falling
through the canopy perfectly to light the branch
framed by lichens. A magical experience for everyone
involved.
Golo Maurer
The young cassowary photographed by Maru Zemek.
A male Golden Bowerbird tending his fairy castle (bower). Image courtesy of Martin Willis
BirdLife Northern Queensland
6 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Birdlife weekend at
Paluma A wonderful birding weekend was had by all when 6
members from NQ were joined by 7 from Townsville
for the Birdlife Northern Queensland Queen’s Birthday
Long Weekend at Paluma. With the early birders
coming together for an impromptu shared dinner on
the Friday evening, birding commenced early on
Saturday morning with a walk around the village. With
fine weather and many trees and shrubs in flower we
saw or heard many species of honeyeaters,
bowerbirds, doves and lorikeets. In addition several
parties of Chowchillas were seen. By morning tea-time
another 3 members managed to find us, and we
chanced upon yet another, helping out at the pottery,
who was able to show us a Satin Bowerbird’s bower in
the garden.
By late morning we all arrived at the Forestry Hut near
Birthday Creek. Time was spent down at the creek and
then we were lured down the road to the bridge by
glimpses of Yellow-throated Scrubwren and a skulking
Scrubwren sp. From there we moved on to the car
park at Birthday Creek Falls. Whilst waiting to hear the
call of any Bowerbird species we were entertained and
enlightened by Dawn and Cliff telling us about the calls
and nesting habits of the Golden Bowerbird. We all had
a late lunch under a Welcome Swallow’s nest in a
picnic shelter at Paluma Dam. At this point some
people departed to pursue their special interests and
the rest of us went to the E. grandis forest for the
remainder of the afternoon.
A group dinner was held on Saturday evening at the
Rainforest Inn. We were joined by a group of
residents, which was wonderful, and they invited us to
look around their properties the next day.
Sunday morning started unusually for a group of
birders with us eating sausage sizzles and wandering
around the Community Hall market.
Golden Bowerbird
Thus fortified
we set off for
the day. Our
first stop
was just
outside the
village at
two gardens
we had been
invited to.
Both had
feeders and
baths and
there was no
shortage of
birds. We
next re-
visited ‘The
Grandis’ for
morning tea
and birding.
Highlights
were the
nests.
Ceri found
an Eastern
Yellow Robin on its nest and I was lucky to find Yellow-
faced Honeyeaters building a deep, cup-shaped nest.
The photographers in the group had to be happy.
Next, we drove out to Hidden Valley, but with all the
dust streaming out from behind the cars, I had no idea
where we were.
Drier country and some dry country birds were found.
On our way home we called into Puzzle Creek and
spent a good time there watching two White-naped
Honeyeaters feeding a very fluffy fledgling.
Huge rain fell overnight, but it was nice to hear rain on
the roof and wake to the calls of Catbirds, Riflebirds
and Chowchillas.
Eastern Yellow Robin nesting
White-naped honeyeater feeding young
Contact Call
November 2017 7
Birthday Creek, Paluma
Birdlife members lunching at Paluma Dam
We said our farewells and headed off down the range
in thick fog which cleared by Little Crystal Creek. Four
of us from BLNQ stopped at Tyto Wetlands and spent
almost three hours there. There weren’t huge numbers
of water birds there but the usual species were
represented, and we saw a great variety of passerines.
We found another nest to photograph, this time
Brown-backed Honeyeaters next to the hide. A couple
of White-browed Robins also posed for pictures. We
only walked as far as the “Osprey Nest Tree”, but by
then it was past midday, the sun was shining and we
needed a break from the heat.
Thank you to everyone who attended and made it a
great weekend.
Sandra Christensen
Brown-backed Honeyeater nesting at Tyto Wetlands
BirdLife Northern Queensland
8 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
My first contact with a “Carpie” was in 2006. I was
looking for grasswrens (Kalkadoon & Carpentarian) on
Calton Hills Station playing the taped call of both
species as I walked down the hill from the
communications tower. At the bottom of the hill my
mate Brian Venables was jumping with excitement.
“Watch this,” he said, pointing to a bush as he played
the call. Up popped a male Carpie and sang back
defiantly. I was hooked. You can see why – just look
at the photo. They are energetic, robust little birds
with their tail forever cocked as a cheeky gesture to
the world at large.
A female Carpentarian Grasswren. Photo: Paul Newman
The next year I went back to the site but fire had
burnt through the spinifex and the grasswrens had
gone. What had happened to them? Had they escaped
to pastures new? Had they been burnt alive?
Or had they succumbed to a predator like a cat or a
Spotted Harrier? I took the problem to Cameron
Fletcher and we modelled their chances of survival.
The bigger the fire the lower their chances. But how
far can they move in the face of a fire? If they can
move 10 km then they stand a much better chance of
finding an empty territory than if they can only move a
couple of kms.
This explains why they have almost disappeared from
the Northern Territory. When the Aboriginal people
were forced from their land, the new graziers stopped
the traditional burning. The biomass of spinifex
increased year by year. When it eventually caught
alight there was no stopping it. After such large fires
there was no cover for the grasswrens and they
crashed. Those fires have persisted and the
Carpentarian Grasswren is seriously endangered.
This makes the southern population from Mount Isa
north to Bruzzi Spreadborough’s Property CHIDNA very
important and Calton Hills has the highest density of
these birds. Our surveys in 2016 and 2017
encountered Carpies over most of its currently known
range. This surprised me because I feared that the big
fires in 2011/12 , the driest summer on record 2013-
14 followed by poor wet season the following summer
would have seriously damaged the population. But no
– they came through with flying colours. The saviour
was the fires were large but there were lots of unburnt
refuges.
We might not be so fortunate in the future. The
importance of Southern Gulf NRM’s experimental
prescribed burning program in conjunction with Calton
Hills Station Management and funded by Glencore
Community Program North Queensland cannot be
overstated. Birdlife Northern Queensland were funded
from this program this year and it allowed us to survey
on Calton Hills in preparation for the coming fire
season and to find a
remnant population on
China Wall, a spectacular
rocky outcrop 60km long, in
the NT for the first time
since 1986.
I must acknowledge the
assistance of the volunteers
who have contributed to
this project by travelling
long distances at their own
expense to gather the data
and by the insights they
have provided in discussion.
Graham Harrington
Carpentarian Grasswren - Who cares?
Contact Call
November 2017 9
Action for Grasswrens
The Carpentarian Grasswren joined the list of birds
officially declared as nationally "Endangered" in 2016
in recognition of its proven vulnerability to fire.
The small population of Carpentarian at Wollogorang
was reduced by wildfire and no Carpentarians were
found on Calvert Hills in 2016. However, contact calls
were heard at one site at China Wall and one in
Limmen National Park.
We are sufficiently confident of the ID of these calls to
propose to install sound recording devices in
November for the breeding season. This will be the
first time a comprehensive survey of the China Wall
itself will have been conducted. We will use helicopter
access because of the rugged terrain. There is a
genuine possibility that a significant population may
have survived on China Wall. The importance of
Limmen National Park will be greatly enhanced if we
can demonstrate that Carpentarian Grasswrens are
present.
With these critical funds, we hope to show that Carpies
are present at China Wall and Limmen National Park so
that a burning regime can be designed to protect the
birds from wildfire and stimulate them to spread
across their former territory. Both the Waanyi-Garawa
Rangers, who manage China Wall, and the Northern
Territory Government, which manages Limmen
National Park, have proven capacity to manage these
areas with strategic burning. Finding a small
population of Carpentarian Grasswrens will provide a
strong incentive to prioritise these areas for improved
fire management.
SPECIES RECOVERY SUCCESS
If we can re-establish stable populations at these two
locations through careful fire management, this will
attract attention internationally as a world class
conservation effort in bringing a species back from the
brink of extinction.
China Wall is a 60km long, sandstone escarpment on
Waanyi-Garawa country between Borroloola and Doomadgee.
To learn more about The Carpentarian Grasswren, go
to:
➢ http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/carpentarian-
grasswren and
➢ https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/grass
wrens
Graham Harrington
Email: [email protected] or
phone 07 4096 5051 or 0448 055 077.
Sincere thanks to all our BirdLife members and
their friends and families, and indeed everyone
who contributed to our Grasswren crowd sourced
fund-raising campaign via Chuffed. We exceeded
our target of $14,000, with $14,495 raised. These
funds will be matched by a generous donor.
BirdLife Northern Queensland
10 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Why are Red-necked
Crakes “resident” in
some areas, but
seasonal visitors to
others?
My rainforest property at Speewah is contiguous with
Barron Falls National Park and about 10 km from
Kuranda. After building a small pond in 2008, the Red-
necked Crakes became delightfully more visible from
the deck, sometimes even bringing their chicks to
bathe. Curiously though, they are not resident here –
they vanish from sight and sound in May and return
usually in October (see monthly graph over last 9
years). This is in contrast to the situation at Kuranda
where they can be seen and heard every month and
every week of the year, and usually heard every night
of the year (one of my listening sites of the last 2
years being the well-frequented Fallon Roads tennis
courts!).
Graph - Crake seasonality at Speewah (blue bars) and
Kuranda (red bars) note O-D data 2017 still to come).
Why this difference between Speewah and Kuranda
birds? Do the Speewah birds migrate to New Guinea
for instance?! A possible clue lies in the fact that the
few “dry season” records at Speewah have coincided
with rainy periods. The wet winter of 2016 for instance
was accompanied by more crakes being seen and
heard than in 2017 and in other dry years.
Adult Red-necked Crake
Another clue lies in the topography – my Speewah
property, although diverse rainforest, is located on a
north facing slope with no permanent streams and is
prone to drying out during the year. HANZAB indicates
that Red-necked Crakes feed mainly on aquatic
invertebrates, frogs and tadpoles. However, I
hypothesize (well, speculate!) that the local crakes
feed mainly on litter invertebrates and small
vertebrates during the wetter months, but find these
slopes very lean during a typical dry winter. This
seems to be borne out by silence during this current
dry year, 2017.
Other denizens of the rainforest floor locally, including
Noisy Pitta and especially Chowchilla, show an even
more pronounced seasonal pattern locally, although
both do appear to have refugia in some of the local
creeks within the adjacent park. I have no idea where
“my crakes” go in these dry winters, but some puzzles
one needn’t solve so long as they keep coming back!
Article and image by Ray Pierce
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Contact Call
November 2017 11
Icelandic Birding
I had wanted to visit Iceland since reading many of the
Icelandic Sagas in my teens but an interest in birds
was the added impetus to eventually make the trip this
year.
Glaciers and snow-capped mountains were a common sight.
Mid-June turned out to be a perfect time to visit as it
was the height of the breeding season and so many of
the birds we saw driving around the island were
nesting or feeding young. Setting off round the Golden
Circle, we were delighted to find how very easy it was
to see them. The early Viking settlers had cut down
virtually all the birch trees (though all over the island
we saw lots of revegetation taking place) which meant
the birds were very visible - no neck breaking
searching in the trees. For many birds such as the
Golden Plover and the Redwing we were able to view
them very closely, although when we inadvertently
stepped onto the grass at a car park we were
ferociously attacked by a pair of Arctic Terns
protecting their young. Other birds such as the
Whimbrel, Common Snipe, Red Shank, Dunlin and
Black-tailed Godwit would not let us come as close.
The dramatic scenery of waterfalls, extinct volcanoes,
glaciers and geysers added to the delight we found in
the variety of birds.
European Golden Plover.
Arctic Tern.
As we left the Golden Circle to travel north it was
occasionally frustrating not to be able to stop because
the raised bitumen road through very wet areas was
too narrow to allow stopping places to photograph the
birds. Everywhere there were Whooper Swans, Grey
lag and Pink-footed Geese, oystercatchers as well as a
wide range of other water birds. Away from the wet
areas and barren lava flows I was astonished at the
variety, profusion and sheer loveliness of the
wildflowers many of which I knew from my early life in
the UK but so many were completely new.
Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank
Sea birds were beginning to be more numerous as we
followed the coast. Stopping where a glacier gently
thawed into a pool before the shoreline we watched
the Eider Ducks basking in the sun as they sat on the
mini icebergs while a seal surfaced around them.
These attractive ducks were one of the most common
birds we saw all round the island.
The country is covered in waterfalls large and small.
BirdLife Northern Queensland
12 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Leaving the coast line to visit Lake Myvatn an Arctic
Fox crossed the road ahead of us with a very large bird
in its mouth. It too probably had young to feed. Lake
Myvatn and the Laxa river are Ramsar sites and 115
species of birds have been recorded there. The rich
bird life owes its presence to the abundant supply of
nutrients, huge quantities of insects and other
invertebrates. The size of the lake, its extensive
shallows, many islands and varied landscapes are
other factors contributing to the rich bird life.
In June, Myvatn Lake was teeming with breeding ducks and
grebes
Barrow's Goldeneye is the most characteristic water
bird and there is a population of between 2,000 -
3,000. It is a non-migratory bird and during winter
remains close to the holes in the ice which are found in
the river and lakes.
The app I had downloaded onto my iPad unfortunately
was not up to the task of identifying all the birds we
could see, but some we identified were Gadwalls,
Wigeons, Mallards, Teals, Tufted Ducks, Scaups, Red-
breasted Mergansers, Red-necked Phalaropes, and
Slavonian (Horned) Grebes. It had been overcast the
first day we were there but the next day it was sunny
and there were swarms of small black flies. So many
birds would have been having a feast but as we
struggled to keep them out of our eyes, noses and
mouths we wished we had bought the nets to go over
our hats.
Slavonian (Horned) Grebe.
Leaving the lake we headed back to the coast. There
we were astonished at the incredible numbers of sea
birds - many were nesting in the cliff faces, one beach
was covered with a variety of species and out to sea
there were hundreds more wheeling and diving.
Unable to name them all we identified Fulmars, Great
Skuas, Kittiwakes, Black Headed Gulls, Iceland Gulls
and Herring Gulls. As for so much of our trip all we
could say was 'wow.'
We continued round the coast and back to Reykjavik.
We had left the boat trip to see the puffins to our final
day there. It was grey, overcast and quite cold but
watching those engaging birds taking off, flying and
swimming around the boat was a perfect end to our
trip to incredible Iceland.
Article by Elaine Ridd and images courtesy of Cheryl Ridd.
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Email: [email protected]
www.birdlifenq.org
Contact Call
November 2017 13
A Trip to Bowra A stay at Bowra is a birding experience not to be
missed and well worth the three-day drive from FNQ.
The property, which was bought by Australian Wildlife
Conservancy in 2010, is just a short drive NW of
Cunnamulla in central southern Queensland and is
140km2 set in the Mulga Lands Biosphere.
We had planned a visit there back in 2004 when the
McLaren family, who had owned Bowra Station for five
generations, allowed birders to stay at their property.
However, it rained and we had to change our plans. No
such problem in 2017 as it was extremely dry and the
whole property suffering from drought unlike last year
when the rains had made it lush and green.
Campground at Bowra
The camp ground, besides the bore-fed lagoon near
the homestead, attracted a great variety of birds and it
was easy just to sit and watch what came in to drink
and bathe. In the late afternoon flocks of up to 80
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo along with Galah, Mulga
Parrot, Australian Ringneck, Bluebonnet and Bourke’s
Parrot came in to drink. Although the reeds had been
nibbled to the ground by the hungry kangaroos, two
Clamorous Reed Warbler were still there as well as an
assortment of waterbirds. We were also entertained by
Brown Treecreeper, Grey Butcherbird and Spotted
Bowerbird around our camp and watched the Emus
come in to drink.
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Well signposted tracks throughout the property took us
to a variety of habitats with the waterholes at
Gumholes and Saw Pits, lined with River Red Gums,
attracting many birds. Only Back Dam still had water
in it, with the rest of the dams on the property dry,
and sitting there quietly enabled us to see a succession
of birds coming in to drink including Bourke’s Parrot.
Our main target species was Chestnut-breasted Quail-
thrush, the habitat for this elusive bird was the rocky
and stony ridges where we spent hours walking
through the sparse vegetation hoping to flush one. We
had just about given up hope and were watching some
fairy-wrens when we spotted a quail-thrush sitting
quietly under a shrub. We moved to get a better view
and it vanished, so a 10 second sighting was all we
had, but enough to tick it as a new bird and number
700 for Keith! A flowering bloodwood near Saw Pits
was a mecca for honeyeaters and Red-winged Parrot
as well as many butterflies. Close by was the best
place to watch Hall’s Babbler scamper around – a most
entertaining bird and just one of four species of
babbler found at Bowra. Other interesting sightings
included a lone White-backed Swallow, Spotted
Nightjar, White-browed Treecreeper and hundreds of
woodswallows of various species. After eight days we
had seen a total of 101 species.
The only people on the property were fellow birders, so
whenever we met up with another vehicle it was a
chance for a chat and to swap information. We enjoyed
meeting up with some old friends and to catch up and
BirdLife Northern Queensland
14 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Emus drinking
exchange memories and make new friends too. We
were pleased to meet up with fellow Birdlife NQ
member Jude who was also on her first trip to Bowra.
Each evening there was a bird-call at the shearer’s
quarters where new visitors were introduced and
everyone contributed to the bird sightings for the day.
Records are kept of the highest number of each
species seen in one place each day and this makes
everyone quite competitive!
Birds Queensland provide volunteer caretakers who
reside at the Bowra homestead on a rotational basis
and manage the visitor program. Basic accommodation
in the shearer’s quarters with powered and un-
powered campsites also available with showers and
toilets. Bookings are essential as Bowra is sometimes
closed for maintenance or for group bookings and is
closed to visitors from mid-October to April.
Halls Babbler
Gumholes
Bowra Homestead
LINKS
Information for those considering visiting Bowra - Birds
Queensland
www.birdsqueensland.org.au/bowra.php
Bowra - Australian Wildlife Conservancy
www.australianwildlife.org/sanctuaries/bowra-
sanctuary.aspx
Article and images by Keith and Lindsay Fisher
Do you have a favourite birding place in
North Queensland?
If so, then please write in and tell us about it
The editor would like to run a series of articles next
year called My favourite birding place. It would be
a great way to highlight some of our local birding
sites and provide people with new ideas on where
they could go birding locally. Write about your
favourite place in 200-300 words and add a photo.
Send it in to [email protected] to
submit your article.
Contact Call
November 2017 15
White-bellied Crimson Finches with variable
belly colour: a request The White-bellied Crimson Finch, now recognized by some as a full species (HBW and BirdLife International
Checklist Vol 2), is confined to lowland parts of Cape York Peninsula and southern New Guinea. While
working with the Kowanyama Rangers recently on a White-bellied Crimson Finch management and
monitoring project funded by Norman Wettenhall Foundation, we noticed that belly colour in these birds
wasn’t always what it ought to be! On the Mitchell River delta up to 20 % of adult males had intermediate-
marked bellies, or entirely black bellies like the black-bellied species (see representative pics of White-
bellied Crimson Finches below).
Left is a typical White-bellied Crimson Finch male and right, a dark-bellied example at the same location.
It is not clear whether this plumage variability is a new development or whether it has been prevalent for
some time in a variable marked population. Currently there seems to be no direct linkage with the eastern
black-bellied birds. Perhaps you could help solve this riddle by checking any photographs you may have of
White-bellied Crimsons anywhere on CYP - best to look at pics of the adult males, check for anomalies in
white bellies and assign belly colour as follows: entirely white belly, narrow black edge bordering all or part
of white belly, mixed black and white, entirely black belly. We would appreciate seeing pics too if possible.
Please email details of location, date, observer, and above plumage details and pics to:
[email protected] Many thanks!
Ray Pierce and Pam Schultz
Sand on Cairns esplanade mudflats – an update
• Council has agreed to a series of information panels focused on the shorebirds to be part of the
renovations and upgrade of the esplanade boardwalk; work will begin later this year.
• JCU has begun a second study into the sand deposits and erosion processes along the esplanade
over the next 12 months; in particular, this will focus on the southern section (south of Muddies).
• We have written to Council asking them to remove the sand banked up against the seawall under
the boardwalk while they are doing the renovation work; their response yesterday was No and we
will need to think about our response.
• We are considering asking for a “Shoreline Erosion Management Plan” which is a State agency
supported, local government erosion control plan.
Paul Fisk. 20th September 2017
BirdLife Northern Queensland
16 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
Chasing Carpentarian
Grasswrens in July
We went chasing the CGWs last Monday, were fairly
disappointed, in only seeing two birds, after slogging,
quite a few kms.
However, we finally got on to the CGWs yesterday
(Thursday) about 75km north west of Mount Isa. There
were 12 all up, over different areas. We have been
getting some rain out here. Whether it was the wet
conditions stirred them up, who knows, but it was an
exciting time for the two of us.
We saw, two lots of three, and three lots of two. It
couldn't have got any better than that I reckon.
We got plenty good of shots, here is just a sample of
them.
Report and images by Rex Whitehead
Carpentarian Grasswren. Image courtesy of Rex Whitehead
Need a Challenge? It's time to start thinking about the
Birdlife Australia 2017 Challenge Count.
The 2017 Challenge Bird Count will be held on the
5-6 December and everyone is welcome to take
part.
All you have to do is get a few friends together
and have a fun day, or spend an hour or two
seeing how many species you can record in your
area.
If you would like to take part, read the Rules and,
on the weekend itself, fill in the spreadsheet and
‘face sheet’ with additional detail of the day.
Further information can be obtained from the
Birdlife Australia website:
http://birdlife.org.au/get-involved/whats-
on/challenge-count
Contact Call
November 2017 17
Noticeboard
From the Editor
This newsletter is the last for 2017. Special thanks to
all of our contributors throughout 2017. Special thanks
also to the committee for assistance on articles, image
sourcing and the events calendar, and to Kath Shurcliff
in particular for her editorial prowess!
Please do send in your reports, observations, reviews,
stories and images to [email protected]
for the next edition in 2018.
Please note, there is no need to format a document
(combine images and text) when they are sent in.
Separate text and images are easier for the editor to
place into the newsletter template.
Newsletter deadlines for 2018
➢ January 10th for the February/March Edition
➢ April 10th for the May/June Edition
➢ July 10th for the September Edition
➢ October 10th for the December Edition
Want to advertise in Contact Call?
Advertisements and sponsorship help support the local
BirdLife group in Northern Queensland. Any profit is
used for education and conservation projects in our
region. The advertisements must be relevant to
BirdLife Northern Queensland members and compatible
with BirdLife Australia objectives and fund-raising
guidelines.
Quarter page advertisements for four issues can be
purchased for $80 plus GST, or $25 plus GST for
single-issue advertisements. Contact the Editor of
Contact Call for further information.
Activities
Check out the BirdLife Northern Queensland activities
for 2017 in the event calendar. The list of events is
also available at our website http://birdlifenq.org/
Please do come and join us. You do not have to be a
BirdLife member or an expert birder. Most of us are
still learning and keen to share the fun. Everybody is
welcome.
For more information about an event, contact the
leader listed or check the website or details:
http://birdlifenq.org/, or join us on Facebook
DO YOU WANT MORE?
Birdlife Townsville is not far away
For a list of their activities and campouts go to:
http://www.birdlifetownsville.org.au/Activities.html
Cairns Birders
Cairns Birders is a local informal birding network that
hold regular birdwatching walks at Centenary Lakes on
the first Sunday of every month and a field trip to
various locations on the third Sunday of every month.
Please note that while this group if not affiliated with
Birdlife Australia, many of its members are Birdlife
Australia members too. Contact
PARTY TIME
You are invited to the BirdLife NQ Christmas Party
at Martin and Sam’s place
129 Figtree Close, Malanda
Thursday 14th December, 5pm
BYO plate of food to share, drinks and Chrissie cheer.
RSVP contact Martin and Sam Willis.
Ph: 07 4096 6581 or email: [email protected]
Join us on
BirdLife Northern Queensland
18 Contact Call Volume 6 Number 4
BirdLife Northern Queensland 2017 Activities Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Contact the leader
8 – 11th November
Geelong, Victoria
Australasian Ornithological Conference Will be held at Deakin University, Waterfront Campus, Geelong, Victoria.
For details monitor http://www.BirdLife.org.au/get-involved/whats-on/aoc/
17th – 22nd November
Yourka Station
Yourka Reserve Survey 2017 We are calling for volunteers to do bird surveys of Yourka Reserve, Innot Hot Springs.
Barbara Warren Phone: 0740927350, or mobile: 0415181000, or Email at [email protected].
Saturday 18th November
7.30pm Cominos House, Greenslopes St. Cairns
Presentation by Denis Walls 'Birds and Mammals of Western China - Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang"
Saturday 18th November
4–6pm Any coastal area
2017 Synchronised regional coastal PIP Count For further details go to page 7 in this newsletter.
Julia Hazel Phone: 0407 431 382 or email: [email protected]
Saturday 25th November
10:00 am Brinsmead Sticky Beaks Family Group Goomboora Park Carpark by the playground Explore and enjoy the creek. Please register your attendance by the Friday before
Golo Maurer Phone: 0467 444 114 or email [email protected]
Sunday 26th November
6.30am East Trinity Excursion to East Trinity with Denis Walls and Paul Fisk to view and count shorebirds. This is a special trip as access is restricted to this site. Meet at the Old Govt residence on the right hand side of the East Trinity property- on Pine Creek Yarrabah Road- no later than 6.30am. Latecomers will mis out as the entry gate will be locked.
Tom Collis Phone: 0401783795 or Denis Walls Phone: 0434 279 552
2nd-3rd December
Challenge Count All you have to do is get a few friends together and have a fun day, or spend an hour or two seeing how many species you can record in your area.
http://www.BirdLife.org.au/get-involved/whats-on/challenge-count/
Thursday 14th December
5pm 129 Figtree Close, Malanda
BirdLife NQ Christmas party at Martin and Sam’s place. BYO plate of food to share, drinks and Chrissie cheer
Martin and Sam Willis. Phone: 07 40966581 or email: [email protected]
Saturday 16th December
3:30pm Kewarra Beach, BBQ area
Sticky Beaks Family Group Christmas BBQ and TIP Count Please register your attendance by the Friday before
Golo Maurer Phone: 0467 444 114 or email [email protected]
MAREEBA WETLANDS RESERVE CARETAKER POSITION
The Conservancy is seeking a Caretaker for the Reserve from mid-December 2017 to
Easter 2018.
In return for caretaking duties, the Conservancy will provide furnished, air conditioned
accommodation at Clancy’s Lagoon Visitor Centre in the Mareeba Wetlands reserve.
The role (which may be extended by agreement) would suit someone with an interest in Australian wildlife
and rural pursuits. For further information and how to apply, visit: www.mareebawetlands.org or contact the
Co-ordinator, Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland: [email protected] or phone 0408
932303 (after 5pm or at weekends).