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TRIP REPORT: EASTERN AUSTRALIA, TOP TO BOTTOM

DATES: 15 OCTOBER – 1 NOVEMBER 2012

GUIDE AND PHOTOS: NICK LESEBERG

Australia is a land of contrasts, from lush green tropical rainforests that measure their annual rainfall in meters to arid red deserts that might receive no rain in a year. The birds are just as varied, and with such a range of habitats it is not surprising they have developed a corresponding variety of techniques to survive in these environments. The last few years have been good ones inland with plenty of rain resulting in an explosion of birds. Now as conditions inland dry out, those birds are being pushed to the coast in large numbers.

Given these conditions, it is not surprising this was a record breaking trip, with over 450 species. Bird-‐of-‐the-‐trip went to the gaudy Noisy Pitta for the second year in a row, while the adorable Budgerigar came second. For the past two years I have recorded one solitary budgie on each trip; this year we saw hundreds. Third place was shared between a group of very cute Little Penguins coming ashore and the enigmatic Plains-‐wanderer. The mammals were also fantastic with an amazing 40 species, including Platypus, Koala, Short-‐beaked Echidna, Common Wombat, Lumholtz’s Tree-‐Kangaroo and 12 other species of kangaroo or wallaby. It will be a hard trip to beat!

Regent Bowerbird is one of the highlights of any Eastern Australia tour.


Day 1: Monday, 15th October 2012 – Arrival in Cairns.

The first day of a birding trip is always an exciting time, particularly so in Australia because many of the ‘dirt’ birds are still endemic species and new to everyone’s life list. Cairns is a great spot to kick off the trip because there are several very nice locations that are easy to bird, while still providing that rush of new ‘ticks’. High on many people’s wanted list are some of the Asian waders, and there are few better places to see them in Australia than the famous Cairns Esplanade, so that’s where we decided to get this trip started.

It was a blustery day which made conditions a bit tough but still the Esplanade lived up to its reputation. We gave the list a nice kick start, with Sharp-‐tailed Sandpipers the most common wader and Great Knots close behind. We also picked up several diminutive Red-‐necked Stints, quite a few Terek Sandpipers and an occasional Gray-‐tailed Tattler, while a couple of very obliging Black-‐tailed and Bar-‐tailed Godwits posed beside each other allowing us to discuss the finer points of godwit separation.

After a thorough perusal of the mudflats we moved on to Centenary Lakes and the botanic gardens, always a good spot to find some of the ‘bush’ birds. First cab off the rank was Orange-‐footed Scrubfowl, our first megapode of the trip. Another ground dweller was next, this time a cryptic Bush Thick-‐knee which eyed us warily. Moving over to the saltwater lake we scored an early candidate for surprise of the trip with a Great-‐billed Heron spotted resting quietly at the water’s edge. We also got Royal Spoonbill and as we wandered over to the freshwater lake picked up a few other regulars like Helmeted Friarbird, Black Butcherbird, Rainbow and Scaly-‐breasted Lorikeets and Australian Brush-‐Turkey. The lake itself was fairly quiet except for a trio of Magpie Geese, a couple of Intermediate Egrets and a Little Egret. We did pick up our first Rainbow Bee-‐eater though, sallying on the strong breeze and showing off his bright colors to good effect.

With things quiet otherwise we moved on to Cattana Wetlands for a quick stop, getting Brahminy Kite on the way. At the wetlands we didn’t have to go far before scoring Green Pygmy-‐goose, Comb-‐crested Jacana and Australasian Grebe. A Brown-‐backed Honeyeater kept the list ticking over until we could find one of our two target birds, with a couple of lily-‐trotting White-‐browed Crakes. This was followed soon after by our next target, Crimson Finch, with a couple of these blood-‐red stunners feeding with a flock of drab Nutmeg

Rainbow Bee-‐eater is a common bird and seen on most days in northern Queensland.


Mannikins. On our way out of the wetlands we spotted a gorgeous male Olive-‐backed Sunbird and a dazzling male Red-‐backed Fairywren also. With dusk descending we made one final stop back at the esplanade and picked up a couple of birds for our trouble, Varied Honeyeater and Black-‐fronted Dotterel. On that note we called it a day and headed home to celebrate the start of the trip with a fantastic Balinese feast and some beers to wash it down.

Bird of the Day: Red-‐backed Fairywren

Always a good bird to find on the first day of the tour, Bush Thick-‐knees are quite common in suburban Cairns.

Day 2: Tuesday, 16th October 2012 – Michaelmas Cay and Cassowary House, Kuranda.

Even with a ‘late’ breakfast at 6:30am, we still had time this morning to squeeze in twenty minutes of birding before checking in for our cruise to Michaelmas Cay. We made a quick stop at the mangroves on the northern end of the esplanade and it was a flurry of activity. Within a few minutes of arriving we had found three good birds with a nice pair of Mangrove Robins flitting about in the mangroves, a Little Bronze-‐Cuckoo calling from the canopy and a Collared Kingfisher which eventually showed itself. We also had a very noisy Sulphur-‐crested Cockatoo perched up and calling, a bird we would see most days


throughout the trip. We jumped back in the van and headed for the wharf where we checked in to our boat the Seastar, before leaving for the Great Barrier Reef at about 8:00am. Unfortunately the wind had picked up again this morning making for a rough trip out, but as usual the cay made the long day worthwhile.

As we neared Michaelmas Cay the masses of seabirds overhead were obvious, with Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns the most prevalent. After anchoring, we boarded a small runabout and were taken ashore where we were literally within meters of the raucous throngs of seabirds, all very approachable and seemingly unconcerned at the excited onlookers. We started sifting through the species spotting a few Brown Boobies in the crowd, while the occasional Great Frigatebird took to the breeze and soared overhead. Both Greater and Lesser Crested Terns were resting on the beach and we caught a few glimpses of ghostly Black-‐naped Terns moving back-‐and-‐forth on the far side of the island. After a bit of searching we managed to pick out a couple of Black Noddies among the Brown Noddies, but were having no luck with Bridled Tern.

Black Noddies can be difficult to pick out among the thousands of Brown Noddies on Michaelmas Cay. This one perched nicely in between two Brown Noddies, allowing comparison of the slimmer body, slightly darker plumage (although this bird is moulting) and the brighter white cap.

After an hour or so on shore we jumped back in our runabout for a quick trip around the far side of the island which often produces a few different species. We soon found our first Bridled Tern, and were able to watch a white morph Eastern Reef Egret stalking among the nesting seabirds causing much consternation as it searched for an unguarded egg or chick. We also spotted one Common Tern, got better views of the Black-‐naped Terns, and found a small party of Roseate Terns resting on the sand. It was then back to the Seastar for our delicious lunch before we moved off to Hastings Reef and our afternoon snorkel.


This little side-‐trip has to be one of the non-‐birding highlights of the tour. Below the calm surface of the water is a wonderland of fish and coral, seemingly of every possible color. From huge and brightly colored parrotfish to small angelfish, the hour spent watching these living jewels seems to fly by. We also spotted a couple of friendly Green Turtles before we had to return to the boat for the trip back to Cairns. Arriving in Cairns at about 4:00pm, we were straight into the bus and on our way to Cassowary House. We arrived a little late for there to be much birding, but still took a quick turn through the rainforest without seeing much. We then took well-‐deserved showers before heading off for dinner and another beer.

Bird of the Day: Black-‐naped Tern

The cloud of seabirds hanging over Michaelmas Cay is always a sight to behold.

Day 3: Wednesday, 17th October 2012 – Cassowary House, Kuranda to Red Mill House, Daintree.

Always a big day as we sink our teeth into the Wet Tropics, we met at 6:00am to do some birding around Cassowary House before breakfast. Our first bird was a stunner, with a beautiful Gray Goshawk at the top of the driveway. The birds have nested here for several years and are quite reliable giving fantastic ‘scope views of the soft gray plumage and bright yellow legs and cere. Moving down to a creek crossing things were slow to start as we listened to several fruit-‐doves calling around us before we finally locked on to our first Wompoo Fruit-‐Dove. Eventually we would have three of these beauties feeding right over our heads allowing us to admire the fantastic purple breast. Next we picked up a gorgeous male Rose-‐crowned Fruit-‐Dove that sat still long enough for us to get him in the ‘scope briefly, then we had a female Superb Fruit-‐Dove stop by. Those were the highlights, but we also spotted our first Spectacled Monarchs, a few overflying Double-‐eyed Fig-‐Parrots and a couple of Spotted Catbirds.


Cassowary House is justifiably famous for its cassowaries, but a close second is the breakfast that our host Sue Gregory prepares for her visiting guests. An incredible smorgasbord of tropical fruit, eggs, toast and jams made from native fruits, we guides particularly look forward to it! It is also a good chance to watch the antics of Macleay’s Honeyeaters, Helmeted Friarbirds and the Australian Brush-‐Turkeys which come and try to share in the spoils. We had just tucked in when a distinctive crowing call had us searching from the balcony edge for the perpetrator, a pair of furtive Red-‐necked Crakes in the garden below which eventually showed well. While searching for a better view though, I nearly fell off the balcony when a huge blue head materialized in my bins – Southern Cassowary!! We all rushed to the end of the balcony, and were thoroughly impressed as this amazing bird slowly wandered into view, a male with three tiny stripy chicks in tow. It was quite a treat watching the curious youngsters trying to keep up with dad. It was only a flying visit though, and after five minutes they were off into the forest again, leaving us buzzing.

After quite the morning our good luck continued. We decided to head up Black Mountain Road on Sue’s advice to try and find a Black-‐winged Monarch, a local rarity which had turned up recently. Not a bird we normally see on this tour as it is restricted to Cape York, this bird had wandered a bit far south. While searching we found a dapper little Pied Monarch, another Wet Tropics endemic, while a Yellow-‐breasted Boatbill was calling but wouldn’t show itself. We spotted a couple of Barred Cuckooshrikes in the canopy which we ‘scoped, then found our target, a nice Black-‐winged Monarch. We also spotted a fantastic male Victoria’s Riflebird which was feeding low down in the forest allowing us to admire his turquoise green gorget. Although the birds kept coming we eventually had to call it quits and check out of Cassowary House – thanks very much to Sue for another wonderful stay!

We moved further inland onto the Atherton Tableland where unfortunately the weather had turned quite windy. On our way we had a bit of luck picking up our first of what turned out to be many Australian Bustards for the trip, a large male wandering regally through a paddock. We pushed through Mareeba to Lake Mitchell, a huge wetland that is a great spot for waterbirds and started getting new species as soon as we arrived. While driving out the causeway we flushed a

large group of Red-‐winged Parrots feeding beside the track, which luckily perched up for

Green Pygmy-‐geese are quite common on wetlands in northern Queensland.


nice views. A few White-‐winged Trillers were about and we also picked up Yellow Honeyeater and Great Bowerbird. Out on the lake were plenty more Green Pygmy-‐geese, a few Black Swans and several Comb-‐crested Jacanas. A few Glossy Ibis foraged on the muddy edges, while Australasian Darters sunned themselves and an Australian Hobby sat quietly on a dead snag. In spite of the windy conditions it was a very productive hour or so which took us up to lunchtime.

While enjoying the world’s biggest hamburgers in Mount Molloy we were able to admire the antics of another Great Bowerbird, this time a male which had constructed his elaborate bower in the garden of the local post office. Luckily a female was around, meaning we could watch him performing at the entrance of his bower, complete with purple neck tuft. A close examination of the bower after lunch revealed all sorts of trinkets with a neat pile of white stones, another of bleached snail shells and yet another of pieces of green glass. Leaving him behind we made a couple of stops without finding much as we moved down off the tableland and back to the coast before turning north for Daintree Village. We made one stop along the coast to search for Beach Thick-‐knee at Wonga Beach, but try as we might we couldn’t find one. While cursing a young lady walking her dog along the beach for probably scaring it away on us, she did exactly that as a Beach Thick-‐knee exploded from the thick vegetation at the back of the beach, heading out over the water and giving pretty good views as it flew north.

At about 5:00pm we arrived at Red Mill House in Daintree, where we placed ourselves in the capable hands of our hosts Andrew and Trish Forsyth. On Trish’s advice we took a late afternoon walk up over Stewart Creek Road, spotting our first Australian Koel for the trip just outside the gate. A few minutes later we found a gorgeous male Lovely Fairywren, then capped the evening off with a couple of Shining Flycatchers foraging along the edge of a creek. Back at Red Mill House Andrew and Trish prepared a barbecue feast for us complete with fresh bread, salad and a lovely fruit platter for dessert; all this while watching the cute little Northern Brown Bandicoots foraging on the back lawn. After knocking over our list it was off to bed before another long day tomorrow.

Bird of the Day: Southern Cassowary

Day 4: Thursday, 18th October 2011 – Daintree River to Mareeba.

At 6:15am we left Red Mill House to wander down to the wharf where we would be boarding our morning cruise on the Daintree River. While waiting for our boat to be ready we picked up a couple of new birds with a hulking Channel-‐billed Cuckoo feeding in a fruiting fig tree along with a few small groups of Metallic Starlings. We boarded the boat and made our way straight for a sheltered tributary of the river. Nearly the first bird we saw was a Black Bittern which we flushed up from low vegetation beside the river. It always kept


one step ahead of the boat but we still managed to get quite good looks each time it landed. Also around were several Azure Kingfishers, darting about low over the water like neon blue missiles. Unfortunately we couldn’t turn any of them into a Little Kingfisher.

Moving back out onto the main river we cruised upstream for a while before heading back downstream. We didn’t find many new birds, just a few more Shining Flycatchers and a large and rather bedraggled looking Pheasant Coucal that was sitting in a tangle of vines beside the river. Our driver ‘Sauce’ soon had a treat in store for us though as he pointed out a well camouflaged Papuan Frogmouth sitting on its delicate nest in some vegetation overhanging the river. Moving down into a another quiet tributary of the river we started to pick up a few more birds again, including a fairly drab little Large-‐billed Gerygone. Green (Yellow) Orioles called from the gallery forest either side of the river and we occasionally saw them fly overhead. A Rufous Night-‐Heron was the next new bird followed soon after by a large Estuarine Crocodile basking on the edge. Next up was a beautiful Wompoo Fruit-‐Dove which had nested low over the river – we were able to spot the head of the tiny chick poking out from under mum as she eyed us carefully. We turned around to start heading home, scoring great views of a pair of Pacific Bazas by the river, our last new bird for the morning.

After a delicious breakfast back at Red Mill House we said a reluctant goodbye to Trish and Andrew before taking another quick turn out Stewart Creek Road. We were hoping we could find a couple of early arriving Buff-‐breasted Paradise-‐Kingfishers, but we were out of luck (we would get a message from Andrew saying they had arrived the morning we landed in Brisbane!). We did find a small flock of smart Chestnut-‐breasted Munias for our trouble though. From Daintree we headed back south then up onto the Atherton Tableland again, making a couple of short stops near Julatten. Our first stop produced a very cute little Red-‐legged Pademelon, a type of tiny kangaroo, as well as a smart Yellow-‐breasted Boatbill. Our next stop was a flurry of honeyeaters as we came across some flowering Melaleucas which supported White-‐cheeked and White-‐throated Honeyeaters plus several Dusky Myzomelas.

Nesting Papuan Frogmouths are always a highlight of the Daintree River cruise.


After a break for lunch we decided to head south in preparation for a night of spotlighting. We made a visit to Hastie’s Swamp where we picked up large numbers of Plumed Whistling-‐Ducks, Purple Swamphens and Royal Spoonbills, and also managed to spot a single Yellow-‐billed Spoonbill amongst the Royals which would turn out to be our only one for the trip. Careful scanning of the swamp edge produced a Latham’s Snipe foraging in the open and also a couple of Red-‐kneed Dotterels. We left Hastie’s Swamp and headed for the Curtain Fig near Yungaburra and some rainforest birding. It was getting late in the afternoon and there wasn’t much around but we did find Bower’s Shrike-‐Thrush, the small northern race of White-‐throated Treecreeper and a few Black-‐faced Monarchs. We also had time to admire the magnificent Curtain Fig and its impressive root system.

With dusk upon us we commenced our mammal-‐watching evening with a short visit to a nearby creek. Within minutes we had spotted our quarry, with a small female Platypus foraging along the creek bank. She quickly moved out of sight but after a short wait returned and we had fantastic views as she paddled along below us. We had dinner while waiting for the sun to disappear completely, then it was back to the Curtain Fig for some spotlighting. While preparing our gear we heard the distant but distinctive whistle of a ‘Lesser’ Sooty Owl, a subspecies endemic to the Wet Tropics. Moving off we soon ran into the first of many possums with the rich rusty colored subspecies of Common Brushtail Possum, sometimes called ‘Coppery’ Brushtail. We also picked up several strikingly

patterned Green Ringtail Possums. The owl kept calling in the distance but unfortunately wouldn’t come closer. Leaving the Curtain Fig we headed for higher altitude near Longlands Gap where we found another new possum, Lemuroid Ringtail, a species with a very restricted distribution. Our hoped for tree-‐kangaroo hadn’t appeared but we were about to have a stroke of good luck. Having decided to head for home we spotted something crossing the road ahead of us, and were treated to fantastic views of a Lumholtz’s Tree-‐Kangaroo which let us get out of the car and admire it before scrambling off the road and into the forest. A great note to finish on.

The strikingly patterned Green Ringtail Possum is endemic to the Wet Tropics. We saw several out spotlighting near the Curtain Fig.


Bird of the Day: Platypus (an honorary bird for the day!)

Day 5: Friday, 19th October 2012 – Mount Lewis and southern Atherton Tableland.

We had been doing well, but still had a handful of highland rainforest endemics we needed to knock off so it was a 5:30am departure this morning for Mount Lewis, one of the best birding locations in northern Queensland. As we climbed the mountain conditions were less than ideal with a strong wind and occasional rain. Still, that didn’t seem to stop the birds and we picked up our first new one about halfway up with nice views of a furtive Fernwren. Arriving at the clearing at the top of the road we jumped out and were watching a small party of Red-‐browed Firetails feeding in the long grass when a bright green finch came along to join them – Blue-‐faced Parrotfinch! A difficult species at this time of year due to its mysterious seasonal movements we were very happy to watch a pair of these stunning little finches feeding close by.

Wandering back along the road we had brief glimpses of a Chowchilla darting about on the forest floor, then we had our breakfast in the field before moving deeper into the forest. We slowly picked up most of the birds we were after with a nice Tooth-‐billed Bowerbird singing at his display post, Mountain Thornbill feeding in the canopy and eventually an Atherton Scrubwren working its way quietly through the foliage. Back out at the road we had a pair of Chowchillas involved in a calling duel from either side of the road but they wouldn’t show themselves, and we were forced to keep searching for this sometimes shy species. We eventually got reasonable views of this curious bird as one foraged in the gloom of the forest, but with the weather not improving we decided to move down off the mountain. We returned to Mareeba via a quick stop near Lake Mitchell where after a bit of work we managed to find a smart little White-‐browed Robin. We decided to call it quits there for the morning, grabbing lunch and returning to our hotel for a short break after a long couple of days.

The afternoon saw us heading south again to Mount Hypipamee, after a tip off from local guide Alan Gillanders on a new Golden Bowerbird bower, the last of the Wet Tropics endemics that we needed. After a bit of hunting in the forest we found the bower, an elaborate structure with two poles shrouded in sticks, and a small display perch draped with lichen. We settled in to wait for the male to appear and didn’t have to wait long before a weird mechanical call alerted us to his presence. We spotted him quite close and were then able to watch him on and off for about the next hour as he hung around the area. This glistening yellow bird is one of my favorites, and well worth the effort. Leaving him behind we moved out to

The dazzling Golden Bowerbird is always a trip highlight.


the car park and got nice views of a pair of Bridled Honeyeaters as well as a trio of Topknot Pigeons which to this point we had only seen as flyovers.

We left Mount Hypipamee and headed northwest for Granite Gorge in the drier country on the western edge of the tableland. The highlight at Granite Gorge has to be the close encounters with a very cute marsupial, the Mareeba Rock Wallaby. Here the wallabies are accustomed to people and will hop right up to you looking for a handout. It also happens to be a great stakeout for the plump Squatter Pigeon, and we found several small groups pottering around the campground. In the nearby woodlands we also came across a small party of Double-‐barred Finches and our only Agile Wallabies of the trip. With dusk upon us we made one final stop on our way home, by the roadside south of Mareeba where there is a pre-‐roost staging point for hundreds of majestic Red-‐tailed Black-‐Cockatoos. We were surrounded by raucous swirling flocks of these fantastic birds as they prepared to turn in for the night, much like ourselves as we enjoyed dinner and a beer at the local pub before heading off to bed.

Bird of the Day: Golden Bowerbird

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Squatter Pigeons can be found in the drier areas of the Atherton Tableland. We saw these ones at Granite Gorge west of Mareeba, and more in the drier areas north of Mount Carbine.


Day 6: Saturday, 20th October 2012 – Hurricane Road and Julatten.

We had an early start this morning with an hour’s drive to get into the dry savannas at the northern end of the Atherton Tableland past Mount Carbine. It is an open habitat, so things can warm up very quickly once the sun rises, meaning early morning is the best time to visit. We were there by 6:00am and soon had our first birds of what turned out to be a fantastic morning. The action got started with a small party of Varied Sitellas, a curious family with only two species. Here in north Queensland the ‘striated’ form is present, and we watched a couple of these very smart little nuthatch-‐like birds foraging along the tree trunks. We also called in a nice little White-‐throated Gerygone. Moving on to a small dam we found the distinctive northern race of Brown Treecreeper as well as an obliging pair of Pale-‐headed Rosellas which sat up nicely. A small group of Gray-‐crowned Babblers were difficult to see well, so we decided to move on.

We stopped near a creek crossing that seemed to have a fair bit of activity, and decided it would be a good spot for breakfast. Excellent decision. Within minutes we had a small flock of exquisite Banded Honeyeaters feeding in a flowering tree, a rare vagrant in these parts. Next, the faint buzzing call of finches caught our attention and we soon had a pair of beautiful Black-‐throated Finches sitting up in front of us. As we kept watching them we realized they were making a nest, and we were able to watch them for quite a while as they came and went. Finally, a pair of Blue-‐winged Kookaburras rounded out a nice little stop.

Continuing on we soon ran into one of the sights of the day and perhaps even the trip, a male Australian Bustard in full display mode. As we watched him for about ten minutes he moved out onto the road in front of us, folded his tail up over his back, extended his large throat pouch and proceeded to call for females, oblivious to our presence. It seemed a shame to have to move on, but there were still birds to see. The wind was picking up which made our next species a bit tricky as we strained our ears to hear the distant call of a Red-‐backed Kingfisher. A pair of them eventually came in, and we ‘scoped this scarce dry country kingfisher, often found miles from water. We also found Black-‐faced Woodswallows, our only sighting of the trip. One of the sights of the trip, a male Australian

Bustard in full display.


We moved on and checked a couple of sites by the nearby McLeod River, turning up a pair of White-‐gaped Honeyeaters. The population here is quite disjunct from the other populations across northern Australia and it can be a difficult bird to track down. Moving back into Mount Carbine we stopped at the local caravan park where the friendly owners pointed us in the direction of their resident nesting Tawny Frogmouth. There were a few other birds around including some very nice Blue-‐faced Honeyeaters, a bird we had seen a few times from the car, so it was nice to get good views. We then pressed on to Maryfarms Road, usually a stakeout for Australian Bustard which we had seen already, but which sometimes has a few other good birds. We were in luck as we picked up a small party of Australian Pratincoles, a very graceful dry-‐country wader that can be tough to find. We also found a small party of Diamond Doves, another dry country bird that is more regular further inland. On that note we called it a morning and returned to Mareeba for lunch and a well-‐earned break.

Around mid-‐afternoon we returned to Julatten where we were hoping to start mopping up a couple of birds we still needed. We tracked down a pair of Lemon-‐bellied Flycatchers then made another stop at Lake Mitchell hoping for some new waterbirds. We did spot a pair of Ospreys but nothing new for the trip. After a fruitless search for buttonquails we went into Mount Molloy for dinner and a beer while we waited for night to fall. After dark we headed back to Julatten to search for owls, where deep in the rainforest we made a couple of attempts without getting anything. At our third stop though we heard the unmistakable ‘falling bomb’ scream of a Sooty Owl. Within a few minutes we had one calling from right above our heads, but despite our frantic searching we couldn’t see it. A little squeaking did the trick and we soon had this stunning owl sitting in the open and allowing us brilliant ‘scope views of what for the guide, was one of the birds of the trip. To top the night off a Southern Boobook started calling as well, and through the dense foliage had good views of

Blue-‐faced Honeyeaters are a gorgeous bird, and quite common in northern Queensland.


this small hawk-‐owl. On that note we headed for home, making a couple of stops to try for Barking Owl without success. Still, this would go down as one of the best days of the tour, with an amazing array of fantastic birds added to our list.

Bird of the Day: Australian Bustard

Day 7: Sunday, 21st October 2012 – Mareeba to Cairns.

We had done very well during our six days in northern Queensland meaning that today was a ‘mop-‐up’ day, to be spent searching for those last few species that we still needed. One we were after was White-‐eared Monarch so we headed back to Kuranda to bird Black Mountain Road again in the hope of picking up one of these difficult flycatchers. We had no luck with the monarch, but did get nice perched views of Double-‐eyed Fig-‐Parrot and male Superb Fruit-‐Dove, two birds which had been in the ‘better view desired’ category until now. After breakfast back in Mareeba we returned to Hastie’s Swamp where we were hoping to connect with Black-‐necked Stork and perhaps Radjah Shelduck, but apart from a few Sarus Cranes, there was not much here to interest us.

A quick stop at Lake Tinaroo was unproductive, but after moving down off the Atherton Tableland and into the Goldsborough Valley we had a bit more luck. We heard a distant White-‐eared Monarch calling but couldn’t spot this tiny bird high up in the canopy. We also heard a Noisy Pitta but despite our best efforts it couldn’t be enticed into the open. As we moved out of the forest though some movement just off the trail caught our eye and after a few breathless minutes of waiting we were treated to stunning views of a Noisy Pitta, only meters from the trail and showing off his glorious plumage. Unfortunately our luck wouldn’t repeat, and although we heard another monarch calling, we had to leave it on the list as a heard only.

We left the Goldsborough Valley and headed for Cairns where we grabbed fish and chips for lunch on the esplanade then checked into our hotel before heading out again. We made another visit to Cattana Wetlands where we didn’t get any new birds for the trip, but did get nice views of some we had already seen such as Chestnut-‐breasted Munia, Crimson Finch and White-‐browed Crake. A last ditch visit to Centenary Lakes

White-‐browed Crakes are easy to see at Cattana Wetlands near Cairns, where they come out into the open to feed.


produced our last new bird for this leg of the trip as we lucked on a trio of nice Radjah Shelducks loafing on the shore of the freshwater lake; a nice way to end our time in Northern Queensland, and start preparing for the next section of the tour.

Bird of the Day: Noisy Pitta

Our last bird in north Queensland was the striking Radjah Shelduck at Centenary Lakes in Cairns.

Day 8: Monday, 22nd October 2012 – Cairns to O’Reilly’s, Lamington National Park.

We left Cairns on a very early flight and arrived in Brisbane around 7:30am. By 8:15am we were birding a suburban Brisbane park, searching for the elusive Rufous-‐vented Bush-‐hen. As we stalked along the edge of a creek listening for their raucous crowing calls we picked up a Buff-‐banded Rail and also a nice male Water Dragon, but no bush-‐hen. Arriving at an area of tall dense grasses we heard a bird calling and with a little bit of playback managed to get good views (for a bush-‐hen!) of the bird creeping through the undergrowth. Next we headed west where we were hoping to find another tricky bird, the Spotted Quail-‐thrush, but unfortunately we were out of luck. We did get a couple of good consolation prizes though as a Square-‐tailed Kite swooped low over the forest and a Painted Buttonquail flushed from the dry grass. A short search for Glossy Black-‐Cockatoo was fruitless and our


bad luck continued as we made a mad dash to try for an Australian Painted-‐Snipe which had been around a week or so earlier.

After lunch, things took a decided turn for the positive. We made our way across to Canungra via Beaudesert, where a quick detour produced the fantastic sight of a family group of four Black Falcons, two adults and two fledglings, that were playfully chasing each other and also scaring the wits out of a couple of unlucky Australian Magpies that happened to be in the area. It was a treat watching these powerful falcons in action, and a definite trip highlight. As we climbed up onto the Lamington Plateau and towards O’Reilly’s we spotted a couple of nice mammals with Whiptail and Red-‐necked Wallabies, and soon after arrival at the guesthouse we found our first Crimson Rosellas, Australian King-‐Parrots and Wonga Pigeons.

One of the first birds seen at O’Reilly’s is always the gaudy Australian King-‐Parrot. The bright red males are an absolutely stunning bird.

We dumped our bags, deciding to get an hour’s birding in before dinner, and a productive hour it was. We lucked on a huge fruiting fig tree along one of the trails that was a smorgasbord of rainforest highlights. Two birds which stood out were a pair of gaudy male Regent Bowerbirds and they were joined by both Satin Bowerbirds and Green Catbirds. An unmistakable rasping call drew our attention to one of the more difficult birds at O’Reilly’s, a stunning jet-‐black male Paradise Riflebird that was soon joined by two more cryptically colored females. Our luck hadn’t run out, and on the way back to the lodge we scored a very


cute Australian Owlet-‐Nightjar which peered from its roost hollow before shuffling back down and out of sight.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner in the lodge restaurant before getting our gear together to head out night birding. Unfortunately the wind which had followed us around northern Queensland had also followed us south, making conditions very difficult. Our primary target was Marbled Frogmouth and as we descended off the mountain listening for them we were continually defeated by the strong winds which drowned out all other noises. We finally found a sheltered gully on the lee side of the mountain and soon heard the unmistakable gobble call of a male frogmouth. With a little coaxing he moved closer but wouldn’t come into the open, leaving us frustrated. We kept trying to spot him, and eventually our hard work paid off when we were able to spot a beautiful Marbled Frogmouth through a gap in the foliage. He sat there long enough for us all to get good looks before we called it quits and headed home to bed.

Bird of the Day: Australian Owlet-‐Nightjar

Day 9: Tuesday, 23rd October 2012 – Lamington National Park.

We met at 6:00am to squeeze in an hour of birding before breakfast, taking a turn along the Border Track where we found a couple of pairs of Australian Logrunners and a Russet-‐tailed Thrush. We had breakfast at 7:00am then set out on a hike along the Border Track to try and track down the elusive Rufous Scrub-‐bird. Unfortunately it was still quite windy, but the birds were out and about. We eventually found a cooperative Rose Robin which gave good views up in the canopy, and a Shining Bronze-‐Cuckoo that sat still long enough for everyone to get onto. There are several LBJs or ‘little brown jobs’ that are best seen at O’Reilly’s, and we soon had Brown Gerygone, and Brown Thornbill on the list also.

As we moved further along the trail some activity in the dry leaves suggested another pair of logrunners, but when a large dark shape was spotted through the undergrowth we immediately froze. Moving very slowly and very carefully we got our bins on a fantastic Albert’s Lyrebird foraging in the undergrowth, this extremely shy bird allowing relatively extended and close views. Leaving the lyrebird we continued along Border Track towards the edge of the escarpment and the Antarctic Beech forests which are prominent here at the higher altitudes. Reaching the escarpment we wandered along the trail listening for the piercing call of a scrub-‐bird, but again the wind was doing us no favors. As it looked like we had run out of luck we heard the distinctive call of a Rufous Scrub-‐bird, but unfortunately that would be the best we could manage as the bird refused to show itself and remained well hidden, a typical experience with this very shy species. Our morning wasn’t over though and as we moved back towards O’Reilly’s there were still a couple of birds waiting for us.


The best was undoubtedly the curious Crested Shrike-‐Tit which came in to a whistled imitation of its mournful descending call.

After arriving back at the lodge we decided to have a rest for a while before getting in the bus and heading off down Duck Creek Road for an afternoon’s birding in more open forest. It was a productive couple of hours as we wandered along the track seeing what was about. One of our first birds was a very obliging Red-‐browed Treecreeper, normally a canopy-‐dwelling species, but this time found foraging very low down, allowing us to appreciate the streaked breast and rusty eye patch. We also found a couple of White-‐naped Honeyeaters high in the canopy, while Spotted Pardalotes called around us but wouldn’t show themselves. There were several Black-‐faced Monarchs about and we also spied a couple of Buff-‐rumped Thornbills which eventually showed well. Our final bird for the day was a party of very friendly Variegated Fairywrens which flitted about in the grassy understorey and gave us

all the opportunity to admire the beautiful blue hoods of the males. With dusk approaching we called curtains on a long day and returned to the lodge for a beer and the famous triple chocolate dessert we had well and truly earned.

Bird of the Day: Australian Logrunner

Day 10: Wednesday, 24th October 2012 – O’Reilly’s, Lamington National Park to Sydney.

Having seen all the birds we needed at O’Reilly’s we packed up the bus before breakfast and were on our way straight afterwards. As we descended off the Lamington Plateau we kept an eye on the eucalypt trees and were rewarded for our vigilance when we spotted a huge male Koala sitting quietly in the branches. He sat peacefully for a while and allowed us to get some great photos before shuffling further up into the canopy. We continued down to Canungra where we made a quick stop at a flying-‐fox colony with both Black and Gray-‐headed Flying-‐foxes, then made another stop nearby for Bell Miner, an attractive green honeyeater with a distinctive bell-‐like call that echoes through the forest.

Usually seen high in the canopy, we were lucky to find this Red-‐browed Treecreeper quite low down.


We picked up some famous Yatala pies for lunch then headed to Minnippi Parklands, a wetland in Brisbane that is well known for crakes. It didn’t disappoint and before long we had spotted a couple of tiny Baillon’s Crakes trotting about in the open. Spotless Crake was more difficult though and after the fleetingest of fleeting glimpses the bird returned to the thick vegetation at the edge of the lake and wouldn’t show itself. Luckily we persevered and after quite a wait we were rewarded with fantastic views of a pair of these difficult crakes very close by.

Leaving Minnippi behind we headed for the mangroves at Nudgee where we had a couple of specialties to track down. First up was Mangrove Honeyeater which after giving us the run around eventually relented and provided good views. This was followed soon after by Mangrove Gerygone, a drab little bird that is restricted to mangroves. Wandering out to the river mouth here produced our first Pied Cormorants and some distant waders but nothing else new. We had missed Chestnut Teal, so decided to visit another wetland nearby where the hoped for teal appeared along with many other waterbirds including a large flock of

We had to work very hard for Spotless Crake, but were rewarded with great views of a pair of these difficult birds.


Whiskered Terns. With about an hour to spare before our flight to Sydney we decided to call in at one final wetland in the hope of a Lewin’s Rail. We couldn’t find the rail, but did get a Brown Quail for our efforts. On that note we wrapped up our Queensland leg of the tour and headed for the airport and Sydney.

Bird of the Day: Koala (it was someone’s most wanted ‘tick’ for the trip, so another exception of the ‘bird-‐of-‐the-‐day’ rule had to be made!)

Always a trip highlight, we were very happy with great views of this large male Koala as we descended off the Lamington Plateau.

Day 11: Thursday, 25th October 2012 – Royal National Park to Barren Grounds.

After a late arrival last night the early start was tough, but with plenty of birds waiting we left at 6:00am and made our way to Royal National Park, Australia’s oldest national park and on the doorstep of Australia’s largest city. Our first stop was a short one in the open heaths in the east of the park where we quickly found a party of very cute Southern Emuwrens. A very nice male with powder blue throat and long wispy tail perched up long enough for us to get good views, and while we watched him we spotted one of our other targets, Tawny-‐crowned Honeyeater. Our next stop was on the coast at Wattamolla, where a short trail


took us to some cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful day and in the cool clear morning we enjoyed the scenic views south along the rocky coastline. Our target here was New South Wales’ only endemic species, the Rockwarbler, but unfortunately we dipped. We did get plenty of other nice birds for our effort though with New Holland Honeyeaters everywhere, noisy Little Wattlebirds and fleeting glimpses of a Chestnut-‐rumped Heathwren.

New Holland Honeyeaters are common in the coastal heaths and woodlands south of Sydney.

We dragged ourselves away from Wattamolla and headed down to the start of Lady Carrington Drive where we stopped for breakfast before heading down the road. It was a very birdy morning and we soon found Leaden Flycatchers nest-‐building, Fan-‐tailed Cuckoos calling and Spotted Pardalotes foraging in the canopy. We were also very lucky to get brief glimpses of a Rockwarbler foraging on a large sandstone boulder before dropping out of sight. After a short wait it popped up again, this time close enough and long enough for us to get great views. We continued along the road to Jersey Springs and as we got closer we could hear one of our primary targets singing loudly – Superb Lyrebird. It was calling from across the river which I thought might make seeing it difficult, but luckily we spotted the bird in full view sitting on a rock and calling his heart out. While watching it in the ‘scope another started calling, this time on our side of the river and very close. We crept forward and incredibly there was another lyrebird only 20 yards away in full song, and while we stood quietly and watched it was happy to keep calling. Wow.


We returned along Lady Carrington Drive then decided to get on our way south. Our next stop on this tour is usually Bass Point for some sea watching, but with the warm and windy conditions a complete fire ban was in force meaning Bass Point was closed. Instead we headed a little further south to Kiama where another headland provided a vantage point for some sea watching. The birds were very distant but we still picked up Wedge-‐tailed, Short-‐tailed and Fluttering Shearwaters. A female Humpback Whale and her calf were not far out though and the highlight of the afternoon was watching her lolling around close to the shore, raising her enormous pectoral fin out of the water and slapping it down.

From Kiama we drove to Jamberoo and our accommodation for the night. After a short break we took a ten minute drive up onto the escarpment above, where we visited Barren Grounds Nature Reserve. We started in the heath where things were still a little warm for there to be much activity. We did get Beautiful Firetail though, a sensational little bird that needs to be seen well to appreciate the delicate pattern. Moving down into the tall eucalypt forest near the park entrance we soon came across a pair of Pilotbirds foraging quietly. We decided to head down to Jamberoo for an early dinner, then it was back up to Barren Grounds for dusk and a shot at Ground Parrot.

As the sun slowly set we heard an Eastern Bristlebird calling and were eventually able to track it down for some quick glimpses as it moved through the heath. Finally at last light we heard the first ascending whistle of a Ground Parrot, with one bird calling only meters from us, but unfortunately we couldn’t see it in the dense heath. After darkness had fallen we did some spotlighting, finding a couple of very cute Sugar Gliders feeding in flowering eucalypts. As we left the reserve we spotted a Common Wombat crossing the road, stopping on the verge for us all to get good views; surely the marsupial equivalent of a furry tank. One more stop to try for owls on our way back to Jamberoo was unsuccessful, but we did find a very nice Greater Glider high in the canopy complete with very long tail and immense fluffy ears. On that note we called it quits after a very successful day.

Bird of the Day: Superb Lyrebird

Day 12: Friday, 26th October 2012 – Barren Grounds to Lake Cargelligo.

We were back up to Barren Grounds just before sunrise where we were hoping to catch an early morning glimpse of a Ground Parrot. We moved out onto the heath and stationed ourselves close to where we had heard the bird yesterday evening, hearing one distant bird calling but not a peep out of anything close. Suddenly though, in the pre-‐dawn gloom the distinctive long-‐tailed and slender silhouette of a Ground Parrot streaked in front of us and continued low across the heath. It was not an especially satisfying view, but it was a view nonetheless of one of Australia’s more difficult birds. Next we followed up a couple of calling Eastern Bristlebirds, improving on our views from yesterday before stopping for


breakfast. Finally, we spent some time searching the eucalypt forests around the park entrance for Gang-‐gang Cockatoo, but unfortunately drew a blank. With a long drive in front of us we decided to head off and of course as we were leaving heard the unmistakable ‘creaky door’ call of a Gang-‐gang Cockatoo. It was a frustrating ten minutes though as we tried to get some sort of view of what sounded like a small party of birds which just wouldn’t show themselves. In the end we had to move on, with the Gang-‐gang unfortunately remaining a ‘heard only’ on our list.

We spent the next six hours driving, as we headed west into the heart of New South Wales. Our destination was Lake Cargelligo and although we didn’t make any dedicated stops for birds, we still managed a few opportunistic sightings along the way including our first White-‐winged Choughs and one of my favorite Australian parrots, the graceful Cockatiel. We arrived in Lake Cargelligo around 3:00pm and headed straight out birding. No birding tour is complete without a visit to some sewage ponds, and there are few better than the ones here at Lake Cargelligo. One of the first birds on arrival was Baillon’s Crake, and we saw at least half-‐a-‐dozen. There were several hundred White-‐eyed Ducks on the ponds, and we managed to pick up a lone Black-‐tailed Native-‐hen quietly sitting at the water’s edge along with an Australian Shelduck. While a Wood Sandpiper foraged in a nearby pond, Little Grassbirds flitted about in the dense reeds, and we also picked up a pair of Zebra Finches and a dashing blue male White-‐winged Fairywren. Searching through another raft of ducks we spotted a Freckled Duck, and as we looked more closely counted 50 of this usually scarce waterfowl.

Leaving the sewage ponds behind we made our way out to Nombinnie Nature Reserve, the main reason for any birding visit to this area. The reserve is a large area of mallee, a curious habitat of stunted trees and grasses which grows in the shallow sandy soils of arid southern Australia. It has a specific suite of birds which are difficult to find elsewhere, and is one of my favorite places to bird in Australia. The trip out was eventful as we picked up two more parrots, a pair of the subdued Bluebonnet along with a trio of much brighter Mallee Ringnecks. We also spotted our first Brown Songlarks singing from the fence posts beside the road.

We soon entered the mallee and got into the birding proper. One of the highlights of any trip to the mallee is the honeyeaters, and within minutes we had picked up Yellow-‐plumed, White-‐eared and White-‐fronted Honeyeaters, all new for the trip. Moving along the trails we heard Gilbert’s Whistlers calling, and picked up several Striated Pardalotes. One advantage of the mallee is that you don’t have to crane your neck to see birds in the canopy – they are just above your head! We had a shot at the skulking Southern Scrub-‐Robin with no success, but the consolation prize was nearly as good – a pair of very nice Shy Heathwrens. Moving off the road into the mallee we soon picked up one of the highlights of any trip to the Australian inland, a stunning male Splendid Fairywren who sat up nicely for us to admire. A high-‐pitched whistling call then alerted us to another of the mallee skulkers,


the Chestnut Quail-‐thrush. A very difficult bird to see well, we tried and thought we had failed when suddenly we spotted a bird scurrying away. Luckily it was heading towards a corridor through the undergrowth, so we watched closely as first a male, then a female quail-‐thrush sidled across the gap, giving us views good enough for them to be nominated as bird of the day. We took a break for dinner in the field as dusk settled then tried for Spotted Nightjar. We could hear the strange gobbling call in the distance, but unfortunately the birds refused to show themselves. We did get poor views of one that flushed off the road on the way out, leaving us hoping for the possibility of better views in the morning.

Bird of the Day: Chestnut Quail-‐thrush

Day 13: Saturday, 27th October 2012 – Nombinnie Nature Reserve to Leeton.

We were up before dawn and on our way back out to Nombinnie for what turned out to be one of the best days of the trip. It kicked off with a Spotted Nightjar which flushed off the road, still not giving great views, but there was no doubt as to the ID. We got into the mallee and started searching for the few birds we still needed with first cab off the rank a nice male Gilbert’s Whistler; there were definitely more of these calling this year than on previous visits. We tried to track down the haunting call of a Crested Bellbird to no avail which wasn’t surprising; this bird has been a heard only for the past two years. We did manage to find a nice Southern Scrub-‐Robin though, and of course once we had seen one, we saw several more skittering off the side of the trail.

Moving deeper into the mallee produced even better views than yesterday of a male Chestnut Quail-‐thrush clearly involved in a territorial dispute as he sat up in the low branches of a tree to sing, a pleasant change from the usually fleeting views of this skulker. While watching the quail-‐thrush we heard another bellbird calling, and this time with a bit of care we were able to get the ‘scope onto a cracking male Crested Bellbird sitting in a tree, slowly turning his head while calling, his ethereal song seeming to come from all around us. A party of boisterous White-‐browed Babblers moved through then we spotted a pair of nice Gray-‐fronted Honeyeaters in a nearby tree, a rare nomad in these parts.

Having used a fair bit of our luck we decided to leave Nombinnie and move to the nearby Round Hill Nature Reserve, an area of quite different habitat, primarily mixed Callitris woodland with a few eucalyptus trees. The first bird we saw on arrival was black-‐and-‐white, and after jumping out of the car excitedly I confirmed my suspicions – Pied Honeyeater! The next hour was amazing as we discovered the largest aggregation of these nomadic honeyeaters I have ever seen, with hundreds and perhaps thousands of birds in the area. These honeyeaters are the quintessential Australian nomad, turning up in an area after years of absence. They have never been recorded on a Tropical Birding Eastern Australia trip before, but here they were the most common bird. The main reason was the flowering


Eremophila shrubs, which had also attracted another nomad of the inland, the gorgeous little Black Honeyeater. They weren’t as numerous as the Pieds, but were still quite common. As we wandered around admiring this explosion of birdlife we also found Yellow-‐rumped and Chestnut-‐rumped Thornbills, Southern Whiteface, Western Gerygone and several gorgeous Red-‐capped Robins.

We could have been satisfied with our haul for the morning, but things were far from over. After deciding to leave the mallee we were headed back towards Lake Cargelligo, when a fast-‐flying flock of small birds caught our attention. We jumped out of the car and were confronted with hundreds of White-‐browed and Masked Woodswallows, nice birds but not the ones we were after. As we were sorting through them we spotted our fast-‐flying flock again, the unmistakable form of that iconic Australian parrot, the Budgerigar. I was especially relieved, as someone had nominated them as their most wanted bird of the trip. Considering we had only seen single birds the past two years, this sighting was a relief! Leaving the budgies behind, we had moved into an area of more open paddocks when we noticed a small red bird flush up off the side of the road. We jumped out of the van and after a bit of searching tracked down a small group of Crimson Chats, complete with a couple of resplendent crimson-‐clad males to complete a fantastic haul for the morning.

We spent the early afternoon driving to Leeton where we would be staying the night, and arrived mid-‐afternoon. Usually the afternoon is spent at Fivebough Swamp near Leeton, but we had been doing well for waterbirds and there wasn’t really much we needed, so we decided to get a jump start on tomorrow and head to Binya State Forest. Within minutes of arriving we had picked up our primary target, the beautiful Painted Honeyeater. These birds can be difficult to find but they must have had a spectacular year, as it seemed there was a male singing from the top of every tree. We left the honeyeaters behind and headed to another section of Binya to watch a waterhole we were hoping would bring in some nice birds. It didn’t fail as we soon picked up both White-‐plumed and Spiny-‐cheeked Honeyeaters, before a tinkling call alerted us to our next target,

During our afternoon at Binya State Forest we saw several bright male Turquoise Parrots coming to drink at a small pond.


an absolutely stunning male Turquoise Parrot. He had in tow three juveniles who were constantly begging, so they must have only recently left the nest. As we watched for the next 30 minutes we spotted at least two or three different males plus several female parrots come down to drink. Very happy with our efforts for the day we called curtains and returned to Leeton for dinner.

Bird of the Day: Budgerigar

Day 14: Sunday, 28th October 2012 – Binya State Forest to Hay.

It was always going to be difficult to follow up our amazing day yesterday, but we gave it a red hot go anyway. While packing the car in the morning a flock of eight graceful Superb Parrots flew over, then it was off to Fivebough Swamp, where we picked up another six Freckled Ducks as well as a small party of Red-‐necked Avocets. A Swamp Harrier was spotted lazily quartering the wetlands to complete our raptor list for the trip, while a pair of White-‐bellied Sea-‐Eagles was seen perched on some poles in the water. We checked through the thousands of ducks on the water but couldn’t find anything new, with Gray Teal and White-‐eyed Ducks predominating plus a few Pink-‐eared Ducks here and there.

We returned to Binya and within minutes had spotted our first target, a very obliging Speckled Warbler, but our next bird took some getting. We had a false start with a Horsfield’s Bronze-‐Cuckoo, then after nearly an hour of searching finally found our last target, with nice views of a Black-‐eared Cuckoo. We had another look at the dam we had visited yesterday and found the Turquoise Parrots again, while a short walk produced fleeting glimpses of a Painted Buttonquail but nothing new for the list. We left Binya behind, getting nice views of a small group of Red-‐rumped Parrots on the way out, and set sail for Hay. We made a short stop at Darlington Point on the way to get both Long-‐billed and Little Corellas before arriving in Hay around lunchtime. It took some searching but we eventually found

this Black-‐eared Cuckoo at Binya.


A highlight of any Eastern Australia trip is the search for Plains-‐wanderer with local guide Phil Maher. As well as the ‘PW’, Phil usually has a few other goodies in the local area that he can show you before dark, so we met up around 4:00pm for some birding on his local patch. White-‐fronted Chats were found easily, and we also had our best views for the trip of a perched Little Eagle. A lone Diamond Dove was a nice find, but the highlight of the afternoon was definitely another flock of about thirty gorgeous Budgerigars, this time perched and feeding on the ground. We moved out onto a more open area, spotting several small parties of Emus on the way. We lucked on a large group of Banded Lapwings which can be difficult to find, and also a dispersed group of graceful Australian Pratincoles. Driving across the paddock we flushed up three small birds which perched on top of the low bushes, and after we got our bins on them they were confirmed as our final target for the afternoon, Orange Chats. Unfortunately they were a little flighty and we couldn’t get any closer, but it had been a very successful afternoon. As darkness fell we arrived at a large swamp where we had sandwiches for dinner and watched a bizarre male Musk Duck splashing around and giving his display. It was then into Phil’s four-‐wheel drive and out onto the plains to search for Plains-‐wanderer.

Before we had got too far we picked up several small groups of Red Kangaroos and a couple of Barn Owls perched on fence posts beside the road. We slowed for a couple of small shapes ahead on the road and were very happy to spot a pair of smart Inland Dotterels pottering around in the headlights. This species had been scarce recently according to Phil so we thought we must have been lucky. We left the road and started roving the sparse grasslands looking for our primary target, soon spotting a male Plains-‐wanderer that unfortunately didn’t hang around. Very close by though Phil’s eagle eye spotted a fantastic female who was happy to stay still and gave us great looks at what always ranks as one of the birds of the trip. With the ‘PW’ in the bag we moved on and soon found a flock of about ten more Inland Dotterels, which Phil suggested must have moved in only within the past

At Darlington Point we had a great opportunity to closely compare both Little (left) and Long-‐billed (right) Corellas.


couple of days. We spent some time searching for buttonquail and were rewarded with nice views of a very obliging male Red-‐chested Buttonquail, a good way to end the night. We dodged a few kangaroos on our way back to Hay, and were very happy to flop into bed as it was past midnight and had been a very long day.

Bird of the Day: Plains-‐wanderer

One of the standout birds of any Eastern Australia trip, the enigmatic Plains-‐wanderer.

Day 15: Monday, 29th October 2012 – Hay to Lithgow.

Our last full day in New South Wales saw us leaving Hay at about 7:00am and making our way back east. Before leaving we spent 30 minutes searching a couple of spots near town for White-‐backed Swallow but struck out. Luckily though about an hour north of Hay we stopped at a likely looking area with plenty of steep creek banks and spotted among the Fairy Martins and Welcome Swallows a very nice White-‐backed Swallow, plus our second Red-‐backed Kingfisher for the trip. Moving on we didn’t stop again until nearly lunchtime when we pulled into Gum Swamp near Forbes. We had actually seen all the possible ducks by this point of the trip except one, and we had to sift through many Gray Teal, Pink-‐eared and even more Freckled Ducks to finally track down a single male Australasian Shoveler in a corner of the swamp. It was then time for lunch before we continued on towards Lithgow.


We had made good time so decided to head into the Capertee Valley for a couple of hours before sunset, and a productive couple of hours it was. At our first stop we picked up Yellow-‐tufted Honeyeater and Dusky Woodswallow, plus a lone Turquoise Parrot. The distinctive mellow song of a Black-‐chinned Honeyeater announced the arrival of a small party of these smart little birds, before we moved on to our next stop and kept the honeyeaters coming with a drab Fuscous Honeyeater. A search for Plum-‐headed Finch was fruitless, but we did get a very nice pair of Hooded Robins plus some overflying Little Lorikeets. Moving out into the valley proper we cruised around for a while before finally spotting our final new bird for the day, a gorgeous Diamond Firetail. Not a bad haul for a travel day, we decided to knock off and headed for Lithgow and a welcome rest.

Bird of the Day: White-‐backed Swallow

Day 16: Tuesday, 30th October 2012 – Capertee Valley to Hobart.

We were up early to get back out to the Capertee Valley, where our first ‘ticks’ were actually mammals, with both Swamp Wallaby and Common Wallaroo seen by the roadside. On arrival in the valley we found a stand of flowering box trees, a good chance to search for honeyeaters, but instead of honeyeaters the trees were packed with many noisy Musk Lorikeets, a fantastic little parrot. Moving on we found another area with a few flowering eucalypts that proved to be quite birdy. A pair of nesting Restless Flycatchers was new for the list and we had nice views of some Little Lorikeets, improving on our flight views from yesterday. The highlight of the morning though was undoubtedly a brief but unmistakable view of the Capertee’s most famous bird, the black-‐and-‐yellow Regent Honeyeater. We waited to see if it would show again but unfortunately it didn’t return. Continuing through the valley we did find a few more nice birds but nothing new for the trip. Zebra Finches were quite common, as were Eastern Rosellas and Red-‐rumped Parrots. We picked up Black-‐chinned Honeyeaters at a couple of spots along with Crested Shrike-‐Tit and Rufous Songlark before deciding to get on our way to Sydney.

We made a quick stop at Hassan’s Walls near Lithgow, where we found a very nice male Scarlet Robin within minutes of getting out of the car. Soon after, a very high-‐pitched call drew our attention to a striking male Spotted Quail-‐thrush who trotted about only meters in front of us. We left Hassan’s Walls and continued over the Blue Mountains to the scenic Evan’s Lookout. Hoping perhaps to pick up a Gang-‐gang Cockatoo we were out of luck, but did get to admire the incredible views and found our first Gray Currawong for the trip. Making our way down to Sydney we followed up a recent report of Australian Painted-‐Snipe without luck then it was off to the airport. It was a late flight to Hobart and we didn’t arrive until well after dark, so it was straight to bed before our final assault on the ‘Apple Isle’.

Bird of the Day: Spotted Quail-‐thrush


Day 17: Wednesday, 31st October 2012 – Hobart and Eaglehawk Neck.

At 6:30am we were on our way to Peter Murrell Reserve on the outskirts of Hobart, a great place to start any birding trip to Tasmania, and a reliable spot for the most difficult Tasmanian endemic, the rare Forty-‐spotted Pardalote. Within minutes of our arrival we had found both Striated and Spotted Pardalotes along with our first Tasmanian endemics, Yellow-‐throated Honeyeater and Yellow Wattlebird. Moving onto the trails we found Black-‐headed Honeyeater and Green Rosella, while New Holland Honeyeaters were plentiful. After nearly an hour of searching and plenty of false alarms we picked up a couple of small birds foraging low down in a nearby eucalypt, and after close looks we identified them as our target, the rare Forty-‐spotted Pardalote. Very happy with ourselves we moved on to the Tinderbox Peninsula hoping our luck would hold. We didn’t pick up a lot of new birds but did get a nice Blue-‐winged Parrot for our troubles. From there we headed up to the cool forests of Mount Wellington, and at our first stop found a confiding Scrubtit. Further up the mountain an attempt at Striated Fieldwren failed, but we did find an exquisite male Flame Robin along with Black Currawong, Tasmanian Scrubwren and a nice Crescent Honeyeater.

We left Hobart and headed north, making our way to Eaglehawk Neck where we were hoping the windy conditions would be good for sea watching. As we skirted the edge of Pirate’s Bay on the way to our coastal vantage point at the Blowhole, we stopped on spec to search a stand of flowering eucalypts. It was a good decision, as on stepping out of the van we heard the distinctive call of Swift Parrots. A migratory parrot which

breeds only in Tasmania this can be a difficult bird to find, but we lucked on a group of probably a dozen of these beautiful parrots whizzing about, and after a few attempts were able to get great views of a couple of birds feeding on the eucalypt flowers. We continued to the Blowhole, had fish and chips for lunch then set ourselves up for an hour of sea watching. Unfortunately conditions were less than ideal with offshore winds keeping most of the birds quite distant. With the ‘scope we were still able to watch the amazing spectacle of thousands of Short-‐tailed Shearwaters streaming past along with a few Australasian Gannets, while both Kelp and Pacific Gulls cruised by on the breeze.

Pacific Gulls are quite common around the coasts of Tasmania.


We left the Blowhole and headed a little further south on the Tasman Peninsula to a stakeout for Cape Barren Goose, then we left Eaglehawk Neck and headed north for Orford. On the way we made a short detour along the shore of Blackman Bay where the highlight was a Short-‐beaked Echidna we found shuffling off the road. We also found a cooperative Striated Fieldwren singing from the top of a low bush in an area of marshland. After arriving at Orford we headed for the mouth of the Prosser River, where a sand spit provides a protected nesting area for several waders and seabirds. We set up the ‘scope and scanned the surrounding shoreline, finding a beautiful Hooded Plover along with a pair of Pied Oystercatchers guarding a couple of fluffy chicks. To top things off, a pair of graceful Fairy Terns came flapping by,

twisting and turning in what looked like a choreographed courtship flight. Leaving Orford we made our way back towards Hobart, making a short stop in some woodland near the airport. Here we had our first perched views of majestic Yellow-‐tailed Black-‐Cockatoos along with several more bright Musk Lorikeets.

We had a break for dinner, before heading out after dark to do some spotlighting in a small reserve south of Hobart. On jumping out of the car we heard the thumping of Rufous-‐bellied Pademelons hopping away through the undergrowth, but it wouldn’t be until an hour later as we returned to the car that we would finally get a reasonable if brief view of these small kangaroos. While searching the undergrowth we also spotted a Southern Brown Bandicoot. Our primary target was not mammals though, but the distinctive Tasmanian race of Australian Masked-‐Owl. We searched for nearly an hour without luck, until we finally heard the distinctive harsh screech of an owl calling from far upslope. Unfortunately the bird would not come in, and it remained a heard only on our list. On the way back out to the car we picked up one new mammal as an Eastern Barred Bandicoot was spotted feeding in the car park. It was quite late by this stage, so it was off to bed before our final day of the trip.

Bird of the Day: Flame Robin

Sometimes a difficult species to track down on the mainland, Musk Lorikeets can be quite common in Tasmania.


Day 18: Thursday, 1st November 2012 – Bruny Island and Eaglehawk Neck.

We were off again at 6:30am to try and find the last few birds we needed to complete our list for the trip. We headed for Truganini Reserve near Hobart where the first bird we saw on getting out of the van was a small group of Strong-‐billed Honeyeaters. In light drizzle we wandered through the forest but couldn’t find anything new, although we did get our best views of Satin Flycatcher for the trip.

From Truganini Reserve it was across to Kettering where we boarded the vehicle ferry across to Bruny Island, a large island southeast of Hobart and a great spot for picking up those remaining endemics that we needed. Our first stop was at The Neck where in strong winds we were able to pick up a couple of White-‐capped Albatrosses offshore but not much else. From there we drove all the way to the southern tip of the island, picking up a very wet and bedraggled Brush Bronzewing on the way. At Cape Bruny we found our final Tasmanian endemic right at the park entrance as always, with a pair of Dusky Robins feeding on the lawn. We climbed up to the lighthouse in the hope of picking up a few more seabirds, but were again faced with thousands of Short-‐tailed Shearwaters but nothing else of note.

We left Cape Bruny and returned north, climbing over the middle of the southern part of the island towards Adventure Bay. We had done well with the birds and only had one real standout missing from the list – Pink Robin. Every trip has a nemesis bird, and today this was it. We tried several usually reliable sites but kept drawing a blank, although we found a number of other nice birds including Olive Whistler, Tasmanian Thornbill, and our second Scrubtit for the trip. After a couple of hours we had to break for lunch,

before returning for a second crack. We drew another blank and I was starting to think about chances back on the mainland when finally a lovely male Pink Robin popped up in front of us, showed off his gorgeous pink breast, then returned to the forest and left us to return to the mainland.

We had one bird still not on the list that we could try for, so it was back to Eaglehawk Neck and Pirate’s Bay in the evening where we were hoping to catch the incredibly cute Little Penguin coming ashore at the end of a day’s fishing. We arrived in plenty of time and had a quick stop at the Blowhole again for some sea watching without finding anything new. With dusk approaching we made our way down to the beach where we quietly took a position at

It gave us some grief, but this gorgeous Pink Robin was worth the effort!


the back of the dunes to wait for the penguins to arrive. As dark approached we could hear penguins calling quietly from their burrows deep in the thick brush behind us. Eventually as dark had settled we were able to just make out some shapes emerging from the water so we waited patiently until they had established a quorum, then after making sure the coast was clear, about twenty absolutely adorable Little Penguins came waddling up the beach within meters of us as they made their way to their burrows for the night.

It seemed a good note on which to finish what had been an absolutely incredible trip. We had amassed an enormous total of 454 species on the trip, including some of Australia’s rarest, most sought-‐after and most beautiful birds. We had used more than our fair share of luck on the trip, but the group’s tenacity and willingness to put in the time definitely paid dividends as we found some of those birds in trying conditions. Blue-‐faced Parrotfinches on a cold, windy and wet Mount Lewis and Marbled Frogmouth in gale force winds at Lamington are a couple of examples of birds that we were lucky to find. Our hard work was rewarded in other ways too though, including stunning views of birds like Noisy Pitta, Golden Bowerbird and Turquoise Parrot. Finally, conditions were in our favor as we were able to find several species which are rarely recorded on this trip. Pied Honeyeater hasn’t been seen on any Tropical Birding trip, but this year we saw hundreds. Throw in a few flocks of fantastic Budgerigars, nearly every rail or crake possible on the trip, extended views of Albert’s Lyrebird and Sooty Owl, and you can see why we were all very happy when eventually the trip came to a close.

Bird of the Day: Little Penguin

BIRD LIST

This list includes all the bird species that were recorded by at least one member of the group. Taxonomy and nomenclature closely follow the latest Clements updates. Parentheses denote an alternate name used by some checklists. Total: 454 species, including four heard only (H) and one guide only (G).

CASSOWARIES: Casuariidae 1. Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius Cassowary House delivered on its name, as a male cassowary with three very cute little stripy chicks in tow visited during breakfast.


EMU: Dromaiidae 2. Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae This iconic bird was seen several times on the plains of central New South Wales, usually in small groups.

DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS: Anatidae 3. Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata Common on wetlands in the wet tropics, and also seen near Brisbane. 4. Plumed Whistling-‐Duck Dendrocygna eytoni Seen at several wetlands on the Atherton Tableland including Hastie’s Swamp. 5. Wandering Whistling-‐Duck Dendrocygna arcuata Often this species is more common than Plumed Whistling-‐Duck, but this year we only found three birds at Cattana Wetlands near Cairns. 6. Cape Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae A pair of these unique geese was found in a paddock near Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. 7. Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa Normally a rare species that guides sweat on, we found them at three wetlands this year with more than 50 at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds, a few at Fivebough Swamp, and around 30 birds at Gum Swamp. 8. Black Swan Cygnus atratus This common bird was seen on many wetlands throughout the trip. 9. Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides Seen a couple of times, with a pair at Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds and a couple more at Fivebough Swamp. 10. Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah We searched high and low for this bird before eventually finding a trio on our last day in Cairns at Centenary Lakes. 11. Green Pygmy-‐goose Nettapus pulchellus Common on wetlands around Cairns and the Atherton Tableland. 12. Cotton Pygmy-‐goose Nettapus coromandelianus We missed this bird on the Atherton Tableland, but luckily found several pairs on a wetland west of Brisbane. 13. Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata A common bird, particularly in south-‐eastern Australia.


14. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos A couple of this introduced species were found near Hobart. 15. Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Perhaps the most common waterfowl in Australia, seen on most days of the trip. 16. Australian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis This bird was scarce this year, with only a pair found at Gum Swamp. 17. Gray Teal Anas gracilis Another common bird, seen at many wetlands throughout the trip. 18. Chestnut Teal Anas castanea We came across this bird several times, with some gorgeous drakes at a wetland in Brisbane, and more in Tasmania. 19. Pink-‐eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus An unusual species, we found this duck at several wetlands in central New South Wales including some very cute chicks at Gum Swamp. 20. White-‐eyed Duck Aythya australis A common species, seen at many wetlands throughout Queensland and New South Wales. 21. Blue-‐billed Duck Oxyura australis This scarce species was only seen at Gum Swamp in New South Wales. 22. Musk Duck Biziura lobata Our best views of this species were at a wetland near Hay where we saw a male displaying at dusk. Also seen at Lake Wallace near Lithgow.

MEGAPODES: Megapodiidae 23. Australian Brush-‐Turkey Alectura lathami A common species seen every day of the trip in Queensland. 24. Orange-‐footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt Fairly common around Cairns, we saw this species several times, including a huge mound on our Daintree River cruise. PHEASANTS, GROUSE AND ALLIES: Phasianidae 25. Stubble Quail Coturnix pectoralis As usual, several were spotlighted on our Plains-‐wanderer expedition south of Hay.


26. Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora We eventually flushed one bird from dense grassland in Brisbane, and also heard it in the Capertee Valley. GREBES: Podicipedidae 27. Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae A common bird on wetlands throughout the trip. 28. Hoary-‐headed Grebe Poliocephalus poliocephalus A few birds were seen at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds, with a few more at Gum Swamp. 29. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus A pair of birds were seen on Lake Wallace near Lithgow, and another pair seen on a bay near Sorell in Tasmania. PENGUINS: Spheniscidae 30. Little (Fairy) Penguin Eudyptula minor The final bird of the trip. After waiting patiently on the beach until just after dusk, we were rewarded when a party of about 20 gorgeous penguins emerged from the surf and tottered up the beach to their burrows. ALBATROSSES: Diomedeidae 31. White-‐capped (Shy) Albatross Thalassarche cauta A couple of these immense seabirds were ‘scoped from The Neck on Bruny Island. SHEARWATERS AND PETRELS: Procellariidae 32. Northern Giant-‐Petrel Macronectes halli We spotted one of these immense seabirds during our sea watch from The Blowhole at Eaglehawk Neck. 33. Wedge-‐tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus Several distant Wedge-‐tailed Shearwaters were spotted during a seawatch from Kiama in southern New South Wales. 34. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus A difficult species to separate at distance, we spotted a few likely Sooty Shearwaters among the thousands of Short-‐tailed Shearwaters that could be seen from several coastal vantage points on Tasmania.


35. Short-‐tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris After spotting a couple from Kiama in New South Wales, we saw literally thousands of these birds, sometimes in massive rafts during sea watches from Eaglehawk Neck, and both The Neck and Cape Bruny on Bruny Island. 36. Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavial With their distinctive flight pattern, we spotted a few of these off Kiama. FRIGATEBIRDS: Fregatidae 37. Great Frigatebird Fregata minor A common species on Michaelmas Cay, unfortunately we couldn’t pick out any Lesser Frigatebirds this year. BOOBIES AND GANNETS: Sulidae 38. Brown Booby Sula leucogaster A common species on Michaelmas Cay. 39. Australasian Gannet Morus serrator After spotting a few distant birds from Wattamolla and Kiama in New South Wales, we had good views of several fishing just offshore while waiting for penguins at Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. CORMORANTS AND SHAGS: Phalacrocoracidae 40. Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris A common species found at many wetlands throughout the trip. 41. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Another fairly common cormorant seen on several occasions during the tour. 42. Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius Although widespread, this is the least common cormorant in Australia. We saw this bird on a couple of occasions, with a few at Nudgee near Brisbane and several roosting on a jetty at Bass Point in New South Wales. 43. Black-‐faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens A common coastal species in Tasmania that we saw several times. 44. Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos Very common, with a few birds at most wetlands we stopped at.


ANHINGAS: Anhingidae 45. Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae Particularly common in northern Queensland, we also saw this bird at a few wetlands in New South Wales. PELICANS: Pelecanidae 46. Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Always a popular species, we saw this bird at most large wetlands visited during the trip. HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS: Ardeidae 47. Black Bittern Ixobrychus minutes A migratory species, we were lucky to get good views of a couple of early arrivals on our Daintree River cruise. 48. Pacific Heron Ardea pacifica A common heron in south-‐eastern Australia, seen on many wetlands during the New South Wales section of the trip. 49. Great-‐billed Heron Ardea sumatrana Usually quite a difficult species, a big surprise on our first afternoon in Cairns was to find one of these large herons at Centenary Lakes. 50. Great Egret Ardea alba Very common at wetlands in northern Queensland, and also seen a few times in New South Wales and once in Tasmania. 51. Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Also very common in northern Queensland where it was found at most wetlands. 52. White-‐faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae Widespread, and particularly common in New South Wales and Tasmania where they were seen in large numbers. 53. Little Egret Egretta garzetta We spotted this egret at a couple of wetlands around Cairns including Centenary Lakes, and also once in Brisbane. 54. Pacific Reef-‐Heron Egretta sacra Seen a couple of times during the first leg of the trip, with a white phase bird at Michaelmas Cay and a dark phase bird seen at Wonga Beach near Daintree.


55. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Common in north Queensland and around Brisbane. 56. Striated Heron Butorides striata A couple of these little herons were seen on the Daintree River cruise and another at Centenary Lakes. 57. Rufous Night-‐Heron Nycticorax caledonicus A striking adult was seen roosting quietly beside the Daintree River during our cruise. IBIS AND SPOONBILLS: Threskiornithidae 58. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Seen on a few occasions, including Lake Mitchell and Hastie’s Swamp in north Queensland, Dowse Lagoon in Brisbane and at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 59. Australian Ibis Threskiornis molucca A common bird seen throughout the trip. 60. Straw-‐necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis A common bird, particularly in rural areas throughout the trip. 61. Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia Seen at many wetlands throughout Queensland and New South Wales. 62. Yellow-‐billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes Scarce this year, with one bird seen at Hastie’s Swamp in north Queensland. OSPREY: Pandionidae 63. Osprey Pandion haliaetus Already split by the IOC, this species is a potential split as Eastern Osprey by Clements. It was seen on a few occasions in north Queensland including a pair with a nest and well-‐developed chick near Lake Mitchell. HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES: Accipitridae 64. Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata A pair of this striking raptor were seen well from the boat during our Daintree River cruise, with a couple of other brief sightings on the Atherton Tableland. 65. Square-‐tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura We had brief but very close views of this rare raptor as it flew low overhead in the hills west of Brisbane.


66. Australian Kite Elanus axillaris A common raptor in rural areas throughout the trip. 67. Black Kite Milvus migrans A few seen on the northern Atherton Tableland, and common around Hay in New South Wales. 68. Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus A fairly common raptor throughout the trip, particularly around large wetlands like Lake Mitchell. 69. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus A pair were spotted near Cattana Wetlands north of Cairns, with another seen near Kedron Wetlands in Brisbane. 70. White-‐bellied Sea-‐Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Seen at several sites during the trip, including Lake Mitchell on the Atherton Tableland and from the cliffs at Wattamolla south of Sydney. 71. Swamp Harrier Circus approximans Seen a couple of times at Fivebough Swamp, and also once in Tasmania on Bruny Island. 72. Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis It took a while to find our first, but then the floodgates opened and we saw many around Leeton and Hay in central New South Wales, including quite a few young birds indicating these harriers have had a good season. 73. Gray Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae Surprisingly common on this trip, with a nesting pair seen well at Cassowary House, followed by incidental sightings at the Curtain Fig in north Queensland and also at O’Reilly’s and along Lady Carrington Drive in Royal National Park. 74. Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus After a couple of fleeting glimpses we had nice views of a bird soaring near Jamberoo in New South Wales. 75. Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus Seen twice on the trip with a nice flypast at Minnippi Parklands in Brisbane, and a briefly perched bird at Hassan’s Walls near Lithgow. 76. Wedge-‐tailed Eagle Aquila audax This immense eagle was seen soaring overhead on a few occasions in both Queensland and New South Wales. One of the highlights of our trip to Bruny Island was a sighting of the rare Tasmanian subspecies fleayi, the largest of Australia’s raptors.


77. Little Eagle Aquila morphnoides We saw a couple of birds in flight on the New South Wales section of the trip, and a fantastic perched bird during our afternoon birding around Booroorban with Phil Maher before our Plains-‐wanderer search. RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS: Rallidae 78. Red-‐necked Crake Rallina tricolor Heard during the night at Cassowary House, with a very obliging pair seen well in the garden the next morning. 79. Buff-‐banded Rail Gallirallus phillippensis A couple of birds seen by the roadside in north Queensland and another in Kalinga Park in Brisbane while searching for the next species. 80. Rufous-‐tailed Bush-‐hen Amaurornis moluccana We all got reasonable views of this secretive species in rank grassland in Kalinga Park, Brisbane. 81. Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla We found a couple of these foraging in the open at Minnippi Parklands in Brisbane, and about six birds at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 82. Australian Crake Porzana fluminea We spotted one distant bird at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 83. Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis After thinking they had given us the slip we had point blank views of two of these fantastic crakes at Minnippi Parklands in Brisbane. 84. White-‐browed Crake Porzana cinerea Cattana Wetlands near Cairns is a very reliable spot for this species, and we saw several in the open walking around on the lily pads. 85. Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio A common species on wetlands throughout the trip. 86. Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa Another fairly common species seen at several wetlands throughout the trip. 87. Black-‐tailed Native-‐hen Tribonyx ventralis A single was seen at Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds, followed by several larger groups on Fivebough Swamp and a wetland near Booroorban. 88. Tasmanian Native-‐hen Tribonyx mortierii A common species in Tasmania, often seen in roadside fields and on small wetlands.


89. Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Common on wetlands throughout the trip, particularly in New South Wales. BUSTARDS: Otididae 90. Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis We saw this species a couple of times on the Atherton Tableland, with many birds in the dry country north of Mount Carbine including a fantastic displaying male. CRANES: Gruidae 91. Sarus Crane Grus antigone This species seemed especially common this year, with many birds feeding in ploughed fields on the Atherton Tableland. 92. Brolga Grus rubicund After a bit of searching we had good views of a couple of pairs among flocks of Sarus Cranes on the Atherton Tableland. We also saw one at Fivebough Swamp in New South Wales. THICK-‐KNEES: Burhinidae 93. Bush Thick-‐knee Burhinus grallarius We found a few pairs around Cairns including nice views of a couple of birds at Centenary Lakes. 94. Beach Thick-‐knee Burhinus magnirostris We had searched for a while, but after cursing a woman walking her dog along the beach she did us a favor, flushing one of these uncommon birds that was hiding in brush at the back of the beach. PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS: Charadriidae 95. Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor We eventually found a flock of nearly thirty birds during our afternoon birding on the Hay plains. 96. Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles A common species seen on most days of the trip. 97. Red-‐kneed Dotterel Erythrogonys cinctus A couple of birds were seen at Hastie’s Swamp on the Atherton Tableland, and a few more at a swamp west of Brisbane.


98. Pacific Golden-‐Plover Pluvialis fulva A couple were seen on mudflats at Nudgee in Brisbane. 99. Lesser Sand-‐Plover Charadrius mongolus A couple of birds were seen on the mudflats at Cairns Esplanade. 100. Greater Sand-‐Plover Charadrius leschenaultia A few birds seen on the mudflats at Cairns Esplanade. 101. Red-‐capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus Several birds seen on the mudflats at Cairns Esplanade, with a few more seen near Dunalley in Tasmania. 102. Hooded Plover Thinornis cucullatus We found several pairs of this gorgeous plover on beaches near Eaglehawk Neck and at Orford in Tasmania. 103. Black-‐fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops This petite little plover is fairly common and was seen on several wetlands throughout the trip. 104. Inland Dotterel Peltohyas australis We found a large group of about ten birds while spotlighting on the Hay plains with Phil Maher. OYSTERCATCHERS: Haematopodidae 105. Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris A common bird on the coasts of Tasmania.

106. Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus On the mainland this species is restricted to rocky coastline, but in Tasmania it can be found more regularly on beaches. We saw a few around Eaglehawk Neck. STILTS AND AVOCETS: Recurvirostridae 107. Pied Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus A common bird found on many wetlands throughout the trip. 108. Red-‐necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae A little scarce this year, we only saw a party of about six birds at Fivebough Swamp.


JACANAS: Jacanidae 109. Comb-‐crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacean Seen on many lily-‐covered wetlands in north Queensland, and also at Minnippi Parklands in Brisbane. SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES: Scolopacidae 110. Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus There were a few of these dinky little waders on the mudflats in Cairns. 111. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Seen from our boat on the Daintree River cruise, and also a single bird at Rocky Point south of Daintree. 112. Gray-‐tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes A few present on the mudflats at Cairns. 113. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia A couple of birds seen on the mudflats in Cairns. 114. Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Seen on a couple of occasions on small wetlands in north Queensland and also at Fivebough Swamp. 115. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola One bird seen at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 116. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus A few on the mudflats in Cairns, and also on the beach at Nudgee. 117. Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis A few on the mudflats in Cairns, and also on the beach at Nudgee. 118. Black-‐tailed Godwit Limosa limosa A few were picked out among the Bar-‐tailed Godwits on the Cairns Esplanade. 119. Bar-‐tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Common on the mudflats at Cairns, with a few also seen at Nudgee and near Sorell in Tasmania. 120. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres As usual there were a few birds on Michaelmas Cay. 121. Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris A common wader on the mudflats in Cairns.


122. Red-‐necked Stint Calidris ruficollis A few on the mudflats in Cairns, and also seen in Tasmania. 123. Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos One bird was found on a small roadside wetland near Mareeba. 124. Sharp-‐tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminate The most common wader on the mudflats in Cairns, and also seen at a few other small wetlands. 125. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea A handful of birds seen on the Cairns Esplanade. 126. Latham’s Snipe Gallinago hardwickii Seen on a few wetlands in north Queensland including Hastie’s Swamp. Also seen on a wetland west of Brisbane. BUTTONQUAIL: Turnicidae 127. Painted Buttonquail Turnix varius Good views of a bird we flushed while looking for Spotted Quail-‐thrush west of Brisbane, and fleeting glimpses of a bird flushed at Binya. 128. Red-‐chested Buttonquail Turnix pyrrhothorax Fantastic views of a male that was found during our search for Plains-‐wanderer. PRATINCOLES AND COURSERS: Glareolidae 129. Australian Pratincole Stiltia Isabella We came across a small party in fields south of Mount Carbine in north Queensland. Larger numbers were found on the Hay plains with Phil Maher, most birds in breeding plumage. PLAINS-‐WANDERER: Pedionomidae 130. Plains-‐wanderer Pedionomus torquatus Always a trip highlight, we found a pair of these enigmatic little birds while spotlighting on the Hay plains with Phil Maher. The beautiful female allowed extended and very close views.


GULLS, TERNS AND SKIMMERS: Laridae 131. Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae A common bird on the coast, large wetlands and urban areas throughout Australia. 132. Pacific Gull Larus pacificus This endemic gull was fairly common around Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. 133. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus A common species around the coasts of Tasmania. 134. Brown Noddy Anous stolidus We enjoyed the amazing sight of probably thousands of nesting Brown Noddies on Michaelmas Cay. 135. Black Noddy Anous minutes Amid the thousands of Brown Noddies we were able to pick out a couple of these smaller and more slender noddies. 136. Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus Along with Brown Noddy, the most common bird on Michaelmas Cay. 137. Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus Much like Black Noddy, we were able to pick out a couple of Bridled Terns after sifting through all the Sooty Terns on Michaelmas Cay. 138. Little Tern Sternula albifrons A few birds were seen on the Cairns Esplanade and also on Michaelmas Cay. 139. Fairy Tern Sternula nereis Four birds were seen at a breeding site at Orford in Tasmania, including a pair in their courtship flight. 140. Gull-‐billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica Seen on a few occasions including Cairns Esplanade, Nudgee in Brisbane and also at a wetland on the Hay plains. 141. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Seen a couple of times, including Cairns Esplanade and at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 142. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrid Large numbers were seen at Dowse Lagoon in Brisbane, with a few birds seen at inland swamps in New South Wales. 143. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii A small group were seen on Michaelmas Cay.


144. Black-‐naped Tern Sterna sumatrana We found small numbers of this beautiful tern on Michaelmas Cay. 145. Common Tern Sterna hirundo A couple of birds were seen on Michaelmas Cay. 146. Great Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii Common around the coast and seen several times during the trip. 147. Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis Fairly common at Michaelmas Cay where we found a few birds as usual. PIGEONS AND DOVES: Columbidae 148. Rock Pigeon Columba livia An introduced species seen in most urban areas. 149. White-‐headed Pigeon Columba leucomela Great views of a bird on Mount Lewis, with another seen near Barren Grounds. 150. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis An introduced species seen a few times in urban areas. 151. Brown Cuckoo-‐Dove Macropygia phasianella Common in rainforests in north Queensland and at O’Reilly’s. 152. Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica After fleeting glimpses near Cassowary House we found a small party feeding by the road on the way up Mount Lewis. 153. Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera Common throughout inland New South Wales with our best views of a bird on the road as we headed out to Nombinnie Nature Reserve. 154. Brush Bronzewing Phaps elegans After a brief glimpse of a bird flushed from the roadside, we got good views of a rather wet and bedraggled bird on Bruny Island. 155. Crested Pigeon Geophaps lophotes A common bird throughout Australia that was seen most days. 156. Squatter Pigeon Geophaps scripta We had good views of this bird on several occasions, with small parties at Granite Gorge and also in the grassy woodlands north of Mount Carbine.


157. Wonga Pigeon Leucosarcia melanoleuca A common bird around the lodge at O’Reilly’s, and also seen on Lady Carrington Drive. 158. Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata Not an easy bird on this tour, we saw them twice, with several found near Mount Carbine and a single bird near Booroorban prior to our Plains-‐wanderer search. 159. Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida Common in north Queensland and also seen a few times in New South Wales. 160. Bar-‐shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis Another fairly common species that we saw regularly in north Queensland and also New South Wales. 161. Wompoo Fruit-‐Dove Ptilinopus magnificus This spectacular pigeon was seen well around Cassowary House, with several birds feeding in a fruiting tree. We also had great views of a bird on a nest by the Daintree River. 162. Superb Fruit-‐Dove Ptilinopus superbus Sometimes a frustrating species to get good views of, after several whizzed past near Cassowary House we finally had extended views of a female. On our last day in north Queensland we got brief views of a stunning male. 163. Rose-‐crowned Fruit-‐Dove Ptilinopus regina Much like the previous species, it took a few attempts before we finally got good views of one of these gorgeous birds. 164. Torresian Imperial-‐Pigeon Ducula spilorrhoa Common around Cairns, where we saw them most days. 165. Topknot Pigeon Lopholaimus antarcticus After seeing many flying high overhead we finally picked up a trio of perched birds at Mount Hypipamee. CUCKOOS: Cuculidae 166. Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus We finally caught up with this species on Tasmania, with birds at Peter Murrell Reserve and on the Tinderbox Peninsula. 167. Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus Common by voice in north Queensland, we finally caught up with one outside our hotel in Mareeba.


168. Fan-‐tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis After hearing its distinctive trill a few times around O’Reilly’s, we caught up with several along Lady Carrington Drive in Royal National Park. Also seen on Mount Wellington in Tasmania. 169. Black-‐eared Cuckoo Chrysococcyx osculans With a bit of persistence we had fantastic views of one of these uncommon birds in Binya State Forest. 170. Horsfield's Bronze-‐Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis Seen on a few occasions in New South Wales, including Nombinnie and Binya. We also picked up a pair on the Tinderbox Peninsula in Tasmania. 171. Shining Bronze-‐Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus Seen poorly in the rainforest at O’Reilly’s, before we got good views along Lady Carrington Drive. 172. Little Bronze-‐Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus Common by voice, this attractive little cuckoo was seen well in mangroves on the Cairns Esplanade. 173. Australian Koel Eudynamys cyanocephalus Good views of this bird on a few occasions around Daintree village during our stay at Red Mill House. 174. Channel-‐billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae Good views of one of these immense cuckoos in a fruiting tree as we were stepping onto our boat for the Daintree River cruise. We also saw a few birds north of Mount Carbine. 175. Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus Always a scruffy looking bird, we saw several in north Queensland. BARN-‐OWLS: Tytonidae 176. Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa One of the trip highlights was getting ‘scope views of a ‘Lesser’ Sooty Owl we found while spotlighting on Mount Lewis. Split by some authors, this subspecies is endemic to the Wet Tropics. 177. Australian Masked-‐Owl (H) Tyto novaehollandiae While spotlighting near Hobart we heard a bird respond to playback, but it wouldn’t come any closer. 178. Barn Owl Tyto alba Seen several times, with our best views while out spotlighting on the Hay plains.


OWLS: Strigidae 179. Southern Boobook Ninox boobook We found one of these small owls only minutes after we had spotted our Sooty Owl on Mount Lewis. OWLET-‐NIGHTJARS: Aegothelidae 180. Australian Owlet-‐Nightjar Aegotheles cristatus One of these very cute little birds was spotted in its roosting hollow at O’Reilly’s. FROGMOUTHS: Podargidae 181. Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides We found one of these birds sitting quietly on a nest near Mount Carbine in north Queensland. 182. Marbled Frogmouth Podargus ocellatus With very strong winds at O’Reilly’s we had to try hard for this bird, but we were rewarded for our efforts with good views of a vocal male bird. It is always a thrill to hear its very unusual call. 183. Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis Two birds were spotted on nests in the riverside vegetation along the Daintree River during our cruise. NIGHTJARS AND ALLIES: Caprimulgidae 184. Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argus The curious gobble call was heard soon after dusk at Nombinnie Nature Reserve, but the bird wouldn’t come in. We did get brief views of a bird flying over the road early the next morning. SWIFTS: Apodidae 185. White-‐throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus We spotted several small flocks of this migratory swift over the Atherton Tableland. 186. Australian Swiftlet Aerodramus terraereginae A common bird around Cairns that was seen most days.


KINGFISHERS: Alcedinidae 187. Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea We saw several of these gorgeous little kingfishers along the Daintree River during our cruise. 188. Little Kingfisher (G) Alcedo pusilla Unfortunately only I got a brief view of one of these tiny and elusive kingfishers as it streaked past during our Daintree River cruise. 189. Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae A common bird throughout Australia that we saw most days. 190. Blue-‐winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii A very attractive kingfisher we saw a couple of pairs in grassy woodland north of Mount Carbine. 191. Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii This very pretty ultramarine kingfisher is common in north Queensland and was seen each day on that section of the trip. 192. Red-‐backed Kingfisher Todiramphus pyrrhopygius A pair were spotted north of Mount Carbine, with another bird seen during a roadside stop north of Hay in New South Wales. 193. Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris We saw one bird in mangroves on the Cairns Esplanade, with another seen at Nudgee in Brisbane. 194. Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus A common bird in woodland in New South Wales that was seen most days, with a couple also seen in north Queensland. BEE-‐EATERS: Meropidae 195. Rainbow Bee-‐eater Merops ornatus Common in north Queensland and also in New South Wales, this beautiful bird is easily seen. ROLLERS: Coraciidae 196. Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis A common migrant that was seen most days in north Queensland.


FALCONS AND CARACARAS: Falconidae 197. Australian Kestrel Falco cenchroides This small falcon is very common in inland New South Wales, and it was rare to drive for more than ten minutes through farmland without seeing one. 198. Australian Hobby Falco longipennis Sometimes a difficult species we saw this bird on several days during the trip, with a perched bird at Lake Mitchell our best sighting. 199. Brown Falcon Falco berigora Like the kestrel, this bird is very common in farmland throughout Australia, and we saw several on most days of the New South Wales section of the trip. 200. Black Falcon Falco subniger We were able to watch a family group of four of these powerful falcons in farmland west of Brisbane. Presumably a pair with two fledglings they terrorised the local birds, play-‐chasing a few magpies and then each other. 201. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus An uncommon bird in Australia it was only seen once during the trip, soaring overhead in the hills west of Brisbane. COCKATOOS: Cacatuidae 202. Red-‐tailed Black-‐Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii After a few distant flocks flying by we had fantastic views of several hundred of these raucous birds south of Mareeba as they gathered in the late afternoon sun before moving off to roost. 203. Yellow-‐tailed Black-‐Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus We had good views of overflying birds a few times in Royal National Park and also in Tasmania, before getting perched views of a flock near Hobart. 204. Gang-‐gang Cockatoo (H) Callocephalon fimbriatum We could hear a small flock of these birds make their ‘creaky door’ call just off the road near Barren Grounds, but frustratingly couldn’t get a view of them. 205. Pink Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri After a distant flyover near Lake Cargelligo we had good views of this beautiful pink bird as one flew along beside our bus for a few hundred metres. 206. Galah Eolophus roseicapilla This cockatoo is very common throughout New South Wales and was seen most days.


207. Long-‐billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris We had fantastic views of a mixed flock of this species and Little Corellas at Darlington Point south of Griffith. Here it is at the northern edge of its natural range. 208. Little Corella Cacatua sanguine Best views were in a mixed flock with Long-‐billed Corellas at Darlington Point, but also seen on a couple of other occasions in central New South Wales. 209. Sulphur-‐crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita A common and noisy bird throughout Australia that was seen nearly every day. 210. Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus This very graceful small cockatoo was seen most days during the inland New South Wales leg of the trip. PARROTS: Psittacidae 211. Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus A common and beautiful parrot that was seen every day in Queensland and a few times near the coast in New South Wales. 212. Scaly-‐breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus Not as common as the previous species, but still seen regularly in north Queensland. 213. Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna This year there were plenty of these gorgeous lorikeets attracted to flowering eucalypts in the Capertee Valley in New South Wales. We also saw them in Tasmania. 214. Little Lorikeet Glossopsitta pusilla After getting brief views of plenty of overflying birds in the Capertee Valley, we got good views of a pair feeding quietly in a flowering eucalypt. 215. Double-‐eyed Fig-‐Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma A frustrating bird that was seen most days in north Queensland, but usually as a little speck rocketing through the forest. Finally on our last day on the Atherton Tableland we got ‘scope views of a couple of perched birds sitting quietly in the canopy. 216. Mallee Ringneck Barnardius barnardi This large and bright parrot was seen on most days in inland New South Wales. 217. Green Rosella Platycercus caledonicus A Tasmanian endemic that is seen quite easily. 218. Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans Best views of this bird as always were at O’Reilly’s, where they will come and sit on your shoulder expecting a handout.


219. Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius This multicolored rosella is beautiful, and quite common in rural areas of New South Wales. 220. Pale-‐headed Rosella Platycercus adscitus We saw the blue breasted northern subspecies a few times on the Atherton Tableland, particularly in the drier areas. The paler southern subspecies was seen once near Brisbane. 221. Red-‐rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotus Probably the most common parrot in inland New South Wales this bird was seen most days, often in urban parks and gardens. 222. Mulga Parrot Psephotus varius This dazzling parrot was seen a few times in Binya State Forest. 223. Bluebonnet Northiella haematogaster An understated but beautiful parrot, we spotted several pairs during our time in inland New South Wales. 224. Blue-‐winged Parrot Neophema chrysostoma We saw one of these gorgeous little parrots on the Tinderbox Peninsula in Tasmania. 225. Turquoise Parrot Neophema pulchella One of Australia’s most beautiful parrots, we had great views of a small family party with three dependent fledglings hanging around a water hole in Binya State Forest. 226. Swift Parrot Lathamus discolour Sometimes a difficult species to find, this year we found quite a few birds in a stand of flowering eucalypts near Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania. 227. Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulates This nomadic species can be difficult to find, but this year we were in luck. After picking up a couple of flocks in flight in Nombinnie Nature Reserve, we got ‘scope views of a flock of about thirty birds that were quietly feeding during our afternoon with Phil Maher on the Hay plains. 228. Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus After hearing a bird calling very close at Barren Grounds in the evening, we returned early the next morning and were rewarded with brief views of a bird flying past in the pre-‐dawn gloom. 229. Australian King-‐Parrot Alisterus scapularis The dazzling red males are hard to miss at O’Reilly’s, where they will come and sit on your shoulder in the hope of a hand out. 230. Red-‐winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus A quintessential image of arid Australia, we saw several flocks of these blue, red and green parrots in the drier areas of the Atherton Tableland.


231. Superb Parrot Polytelis swainsonii We had good views of a small flock of these slender and graceful parrots flying overhead in Leeton, with a few more seen near Darlington Point. PITTAS: Pittidae 232. Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolour Voted bird of the trip, after a near miss at Cassowary House we had point blank views of one of these beautiful pittas in Wooroonooran National Park south of Cairns. It sat in the open and allowed us time to admire the emerald green wings, sky blue wing patch and red vent. LYREBIRDS: Menuridae 233. Albert's Lyrebird Menura alberti We had fleeting glimpses of this large but very shy bird along the Border Track in O’Reilly’s, but eventually had extended views of a male foraging in the leaf litter a short distance of the trail. 234. Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae On Lady Carrington Drive in Royal National Park we found two of these birds involved in a singing duel across the river. They were oblivious to our presence and allowed fantastic views while in full song. SCRUB-‐BIRDS: Atrichornithidae 235. Rufous Scrub-‐bird (H) Atrichornis rufescens A morning hiking on the Border Track at O’Reilly’s gave us a shot at this very shy bird. The windy conditions did us no favours, and the best we could do was hear one calling from the dense undergrowth. BOWERBIRDS: Ptilonorhynchidae 236. Spotted Catbird Ailuroedus melanotis Fairly common in the Wet Tropics we had good views of this bird at Cassowary House and on Mount Lewis. 237. Green Catbird Ailuroedus crassirostris Sometimes tricky to get good views of, we had no problems with this year with several birds seen around O’Reilly’s. 238. Tooth-‐billed Catbird Ailuroedus dentirostris Our best views of this bird were of a male at his display stage on Mount Lewis, where watched him in full song.


239. Golden Bowerbird Prionodura newtoniana Always a trip highlight, watching the glowing male near his huge maypole bower at Mount Hypipamee was excellent. 240. Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus Dazzling males are common at O’Reilly’s where they are sometimes hand fed. It was good to see some more ‘naturally’ at a fruiting Ficus tree in the rainforest there. 241. Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus Also common at O’Reilly’s, we also found a bower, replete with all things blue including pen lids and milk bottle tops. 242. Great Bowerbird Chlamydera nuchalis Seen a few times in the drier areas of the Atherton Tableland, our best views were of a male displaying at his impressive bower in the grounds of the local post office in Mount Molloy. AUSTRALASIAN TREECREEPERS: Climacteridae 243. White-‐throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea We saw the small northern subspecies at the Curtain Fig near Yungaburra, with the nominate subspecies common in woodland in New South Wales. 244. Red-‐browed Treecreeper Climacteris erythrops We had great views of this normally canopy dwelling treecreeper low down along Duck Creek Road near O’Reilly’s. 245. Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus We saw the dark northern subspecies in grassy woodlands north of Mount Carbine, with the southern subspecies seen in the Capertee Valley. FAIRYWRENS: Maluridae 246. Red-‐backed Fairywren Malurus melanocephalus A nice male on the first day of the trip was a good introduction to this unique family. Also seen a few other times in Queensland. 247. White-‐winged Fairywren Malurus leucopterus Quite common in inland New South Wales this year, we had great views of several dazzling males at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds and also near Hay. 248. Superb Fairywren Malurus cyaneus A common garden bird in south-‐eastern Australia we saw this species several times at O’Reilly’s and throughout New South Wales and Tasmania.


249. Splendid Fairywren Malurus splendens We had great views of an exquisite male in Nombinnie Nature Reserve, with a few more seen in Binya. 250. Variegated Fairywren Malurus lamberti Yet another gorgeous fairywren, our best views were of a family party including several bright males along Duck Creek Road at O’Reilly’s. 251. Lovely Fairywren Malurus amabilis Often a difficult bird to find, we saw a nice male near Red Mill House in Daintree Village and an obliging pair in gallery vegetation at Cattana Wetlands near Cairns. 252. Southern Emuwren Stipiturus malachurus These fantastic little birds with their long wispy tails were seen along the Mount Bass Trail in Royal National Park and also in the heath near Barren Grounds. HONEYEATERS: Meliphagidae 253. Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris This little honeyeater was quite common at several locations in Royal National Park and the Capertee Valley. 254. Pied Honeyeater Certhionyx variegates The quintessential Australian bird which lives the typical boom and bust cycle of the inland. For the past two years we have not recorded this bird on our Eastern Australia itinerary, but with good conditions inland supporting a good breeding season, and with flowering Eremophila trees at Round Hill we found literally hundreds of them this year. Next year there will probably be none. 255. Graceful Honeyeater Meliphaga gracilis Fairly common around Cairns and on the Atherton Tableland where we saw it most days. 256. Yellow-‐spotted Honeyeater Meliphaga notate Also fairly common in the Wet Tropics, particularly around Cassowary House where they are always calling. 257. Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii On the Atherton Tableland this bird is restricted to higher elevations, and we saw a few birds on Mount Lewis. Further south it is more widespread and we saw it a few times around O’Reilly’s and in coastal New South Wales. 258. Bridled Honeyeater Lichenostomus frenatus A Wet Tropics endemic, we finally caught up with this species at Mount Hypipamee. 259. Yellow-‐faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysops Seen at a few sites including Hastie’s Swamp, Barren Grounds and the Capertee Valley.


260. Varied Honeyeater Lichenostomus versicolour As usual, the best place to see this bird was the Cairns Esplanade where it is quite common. 261. Mangrove Honeyeater Lichenostomus fasciogularis The mangroves around Nudgee eventually produced a nice pair of these honeyeaters. 262. Singing Honeyeater Lichenostomus virescens First seen at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds, and also in Binya SF. 263. Yellow Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavus Our best views of this distinctive honeyeater were along the causeway at Lake Mitchell where they were easily seen. 264. White-‐gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus unicolour More common in the Northern Territory, there is an isolated population of these honeyeaters north of Mount Carbine where we found a pair. 265. White-‐eared Honeyeater Lichenostomus leucotis One of the most common honeyeaters at Nombinnie Nature Reserve where we saw several. One bird also seen at Hassan’s Walls near Lithgow. 266. Yellow-‐throated Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavicollis A Tasmanian endemic which was seen several times, with our best views at Peter Murrell Reserve. 267. Yellow-‐tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops We had great views of a couple of these striking honeyeaters in the Capertee Valley. 268. Fuscous Honeyeater Lichenostomus fuscus A fairly drab bird that we saw a couple of times in the Capertee Valley. 269. Gray-‐fronted Honeyeater Lichenostomus plumulus Another nomadic inland species that is not seen every year, we were lucky to find a few in the mallee at Nombinnie Nature Reserve. 270. Yellow-‐plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus ornatus Quite common in the mallee at Nombinnie NR this year. 271. White-‐plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatus Common in the Capertee Valley and also at Binya SF. 272. White-‐fronted Honeyeater Purnella albifrons Fairly common in the mallee at Nombinnie NR, with another seen over at Round Hill NR among all the Pied Honeyeaters.


273. Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys Quite an attractive species, we found a large colony giving their persistent ‘tink’ call near Canungra south of Brisbane. 274. Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala A common honeyeater, we saw on several days in New South Wales, often in urban areas. 275. Yellow-‐throated Miner Manorina flavigula This species replaces Noisy Miner in the inland, and it was seen most days during the inland New South Wales leg of the trip. 276. Spiny-‐cheeked Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis Quite common in inland New South Wales we had great views of birds coming to drink at a waterhole in Binya SF. 277. Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata One was seen in the grounds of our Sydney motel, with others seen throughout New South Wales were it is quite common. 278. Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera We saw this bird well in the heaths south of Sydney and also on Tasmania where they are common. 279. Yellow Wattlebird Anthochaera paradoxa A Tasmanian endemic, this huge honeyeater is quite common and we saw it often around Hobart and on Bruny Island. Unlike Red Wattlebird, the long yellow wattles on this bird are quite easy to see. 280. Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera Phrygia One of Australia’s rarest birds, we saw only one as it flew out of a flowering eucalypt in the Capertee Valley. 281. Brown-‐backed Honeyeater Ramsayornis modestus Quite common in northern Queensland where we saw it most days. 282. Crimson Chat Epthianura tricolor Another irruptive species that we don’t see every year, we found a couple of flocks in inland New South Wales, with our best views near Binya SF. 283. Orange Chat Epthianura aurifrons We had distant views of a trio of these little orange gems while birding with Phil Maher on the Hay plains. A migratory species, Phil was able to find them for us after they had only arrived a few days earlier. 284. White-‐fronted Chat Epthianura albifrons First seen at Fivebough Swamp, we also found several while looking for Orange Chats on the Hay plains. A few were also seen near Dunalley in Tasmania.


285. Dusky Myzomela Myzomela obscura Quite common in northern Queensland, this bird is usually present where there are flowering trees. 286. Scarlet Myzomela Myzomela sanguinolenta This bird was quite common on the Atherton Tableland this year, with its lilting call often heard as we birded. We saw the bright scarlet males on several occasions -‐ a very pretty bird. 287. Tawny-‐crowned Honeyeater Phylidonyris melanops Several of these mellow songsters were seen on the heaths of Royal National Park, including the Mount Bass Trail and the cliffs of Wattamolla. 288. Banded Honeyeater Cissomela pectoralis A surprise sighting this year was a party of about six dashing males in a flowering eucalypt north of Mount Carbine. 289. Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta A very common bird in northern Queensland that was seen each day at many sites. 290. Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus Fairly common in Tasmania, this very attractive honeyeater was seen on Mount Wellington, Bruny Island and also at Eaglehawk Neck. 291. New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae Very common in Tasmania where it was seen at many sites, and also common in Royal National Park, particularly at Wattamolla. 292. White-‐cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris niger Some flowering Melaleucas at Abbatoir Swamp near Julatten on the Atherton Tableland had plenty of this species in attendance. We also had a surprise sighting in the Capertee Valley. 293. White-‐naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus Only seen on Duck Creek Road near O’Reilly’s where we eventually had reasonable views of this bird which spends most of its time in the canopy. 294. Black-‐headed Honeyeater Melithreptus affinis A Tasmanian endemic that we saw on our first morning at Peter Murrell Reserve, and subsequently at many other sites. 295. White-‐throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis Fairly common in north Queensland, where our best views were at Abbatoir Swamp. 296. Black-‐chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis Very common in the Capertee Valley this year, we had good views of several parties of this vocal honeyeater including a few young birds.


297. Strong-‐billed Honeyeater Melithreptus validirostris A Tasmanian endemic that can take some searching, we saw this bird at Truganini Reserve near Hobart and also at Mavista on Bruny Island. 298. Brown-‐headed Honeyeater Melithreptus brevirostris Fairly common in inland New South Wales, we eventually caught up with this species at Yelkin SF near Lake Cargelligo. 299. Blue-‐faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis A very attractive honeyeater, this species is common in Queensland and we saw it several times during the northern Queensland leg of the trip. Also seen a couple of times in inland New South Wales. 300. Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis Not as common this year as other years but still easily seen, with a few birds along the causeway at Lake Mitchell, and also some birds during the inland New South Wales leg of the trip. 301. Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides Seen often in northern Queensland, with the best views as always during breakfast at Cassowary House. 302. Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus Like Little Friarbird, this species didn’t seem as common this year. We still saw it often though, with several birds in the Capertee Valley. 303. Macleay's Honeyeater Xanthotis macleayanus Breakfast at Cassowary House is the best time to see these honeyeaters and this year there were several hanging around. 304. Striped Honeyeater Plectorhyncha lanceolata First seen near Brisbane, we also saw several coming to drink at a waterhole in Binya SF. 305. Painted Honeyeater Grantiella picta This normally uncommon species has had a great year, and they were one of the most common birds at Binya with a male seemingly calling from the top of every tree. BRISTLEBIRDS: Dasyornithidae 306. Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus This very shy species was seen on several occasions at Barren Grounds, where we eventually we had quite good looks.


PARDALOTES: Pardalotidae 307. Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus A fairly common bird that is heard more often than seen. As a canopy dweller it can be difficult to get good looks at, but along Lady Carrington Drive we saw a bird that showed off its intricately patterned plumage very well. 308. Forty-‐spotted Pardalote Pardalotus quadragintus One of Australia’s rarest and most range-‐restricted birds, we had fantastic views of a pair foraging low down in a eucalypt at Peter Murrell Reserve outside Hobart. 309. Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus Quite a common bird that can be found just about anywhere there are trees, our best views were in grassy woodland north of Mount Carbine and at Nombinnie NR. THORNBILLS AND ALLIES: Acanthizidae 310. Pilotbird Pycnoptilus floccosus We had great views of a pair of Pilotbirds at Barren Grounds that were foraging and quite unconcerned at our presence. 311. Rockwarbler Origma solitaria The only bird endemic to New South Wales, and one that can be difficult bird to see well, we eventually had nice views of a bird along Lady Carrington Drive that was foraging among large sandstone boulders. 312. Fernwren Oreoscopus gutturalis We had great views of a couple of these shy little scrubwrens at Mount Lewis. 313. Yellow-‐throated Scrubwren Sericornis citreogularis Common at Mount Lewis, and very common along the trails at O’Reilly’s where this species will forage in the leaf litter at your feet. 314. White-‐browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis Very common at O’Reilly’s like the previous species, this species was also found at several sites in New South Wales. 315. Tasmanian Scrubwren Sericornis humilis A Tasmanian endemic, this species was found at several sites during that leg of the trip, including Mount Wellington and Bruny Island. 316. Atherton Scrubwren Sericornis keri In poor conditions we eventually found a couple of these scrubwrens on Mount Lewis, with another seen near the Golden Bowerbird bower on Mount Hypipamee.


317. Large-‐billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostra Several small parties of this scrubwren were seen near Cassowary House, with others seen at O’Reilly’s. 318. Scrubtit Acanthornis magna One of the more difficult Tasmanian endemics, we had good views of this bird on Mount Wellington and again at Mavista on Bruny Island. 319. Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus Perhaps more correctly called ‘Streaked’ Warbler, we had good views of several while wandering around Binya SF. 320. Striated Fieldwren Calamanthus fuliginosus Our usual site on Mount Wellington didn’t deliver, but in a swamp near Dunalley in Tasmania we had nice views of a fieldwren singing from the top of a bush. 321. Chestnut-‐rumped Heathwren Hylacola pyrrhopygia We had fleeting glimpses of this shy bird while searching the heath along the top of the cliffs at Wattamolla in the Royal NP. 322. Shy Heathwren Hylacola cauta We spotted a fantastic pair of these shy little birds working their way through the mallee at Nombinnie NR. 323. Buff-‐rumped Thornbill Acanthiza reguloides Seen a couple of times, but our best views were along Duck Creek Road near O’Reilly’s, where the ‘pitta-‐pitta-‐pit’ call often alerts your attention to small parties of this little bird. 324. Mountain Thornbill Acanthiza katherina The wet and windy conditions on Mount Lewis made it difficult to get good views of this Wet Tropics endemic, but with persistence we managed to find a fairly obliging pair. 325. Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla Quite a common species around O’Reilly’s and also in New South Wales and Tasmania. 326. Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii A Tasmanian endemic, care must be taken when separating this species from Brown Thornbill which also occurs there. After a couple of probables, we had good views of the diagnostic features on a bird we came across on Bruny Island. 327. Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis This species was quite common this year in the heath at Nombinnie NR. 328. Yellow-‐rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoa Quite common at Binya SF where this bird is rarely far from sight. It is also quite common in suburban areas in inland New South Wales.


329. Chestnut-‐rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis Our best views of this species were had at Round Hill where there were a few in mixed flocks with the previous species. 330. Yellow Thornbill Acanthiza nana We found a couple of this unobtrusive little birds at Binya SF, and also saw a couple in the Capertee Valley. 331. Striated Thornbill Acanthiza lineata In coastal forests of New South Wales this species is quite common, and we had our best views along Lady Carrington Drive. 332. Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris Australia’s smallest bird, we first saw it in grassy woodlands north of Mount Carbine, and again at Nombinnie NR. 333. Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa After fleeting glimpses at Centenary Lakes, we had good views in gallery forest near Cassowary House. 334. White-‐throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea The beautiful ‘falling leaf’ melody of these birds alerted us to a couple in grassy woodland north of Mount Carbine, where we had good views of this snappy little guy. 335. Large-‐billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris As usual we picked up a few of these fairly drab little birds along the edges of the Daintree River during our cruise. 336. Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki Very common in the rainforests around O’Reilly’s, where its call seems omnipresent. 337. Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca We heard a bird calling at Nombinnie NR which gave us the slip, but we subsequently had great views at Round Hill NR. 338. Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster The mangroves at Nudgee near Brisbane are a good place to find this species and we had good luck, coming across several. 339. Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis Sometimes a difficult bird, there were plenty around this year. We first saw them at Round Hill NR, then again at Binya SF, and finally we saw several small parties while out with Phil Maher on the Hay plains.


PSEUDO-‐BABBLERS: Pomatostomidae 340. Gray-‐crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis We came across our first party in grassy woodland near Mount Carbine, and saw it a couple more times in inland New South Wales. 341. White-‐browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus A charismatic bird that lives in small groups and always seems to be in a state of hyperactivity. We saw a couple of flocks at Nombinnie NR and also in Binya SF. LOGRUNNERS: Orthonychidae 342. Australian Logrunner Orthonyx temminckii Very common this year at O’Reilly’s, where it seemed as though we came across pairs every hundred metres or so along the trails. Always amusing to watch as they dig down into the leaf litter until only their head is still visible. 343. Chowchilla Orthonyx spaldingii Although encountering two birds engaged in a calling duel across the road, we could only manage fleeting glimpses of a few birds scurrying around in the gloom of the forest on Mount Lewis. WHIPBIRDS AND WEDGEBILLS: Psophodidae 344. Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus Most people seem to know the explosive call of this species before they arrive in Australia, and again this year we were lucky to watch a male in full song at O’Reilly’s. Giving that ‘whiiiiip crack’ seems to be a full body effort! QUAIL-‐THRUSHES AND JEWEL-‐BABBLERS: Cinclosomatidae 345. Spotted Quail-‐thrush Cinclosoma punctatum We had great views of this very shy species when a male popped up to investigate at Hassan’s Walls near Lithgow. We were even able to see the delicate spots on the flanks. 346. Chestnut Quail-‐thrush Cinclosoma castanotum Like many of the mallee birds it seems these quail-‐thrushes have had a very good season, and it seemed that wherever we stopped there were a couple calling close by. We eventually had quite good views of several birds over our two visits to Nombinnie NR.


BOATBILLS: Machaerirhynchidae 347. Yellow-‐breasted Boatbill Machaerirhynchus flaviventer This very cute little flycatcher with its enormous bill was seen a couple of times on the Atherton Tableland, with the best views in gallery forest near Julatten. WOODSWALLOWS: Artamidae 348. White-‐breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus A very common bird in northern Queensland where we saw it every day as we travelled around. 349. Masked Woodswallow Artamus personatus This year was incredible for woodswallows. Two years ago we didn’t see any of this or the next species, and last year we saw them in small numbers. This year we saw them every day of the trip in New South Wales, and particularly in the inland we came across thousands of them. 350. White-‐browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus Usually this species outnumbers Masked Woodswallow in eastern Australia by about 2 to 1, but this year the numbers were about even. This indicates that conditions are very dry inland, pushing more Masked Woodswallows towards the east. 351. Black-‐faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus We only saw one pair of these woodswallows for the trip, in grassy woodland north of Mount Carbine. 352. Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus Another species in larger numbers than normal, we saw several in Binya SF and many in the Capertee Valley. As usual they were quite common in Tasmania. BELLMAGPIES AND ALLIES: Cracticidae 353. Gray Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus Quite a common species in south-‐eastern Australia, we first saw them in Brisbane, and again many times throughout New South Wales and Tasmania. 354. Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis Most common in northern Australia particularly in drier areas, we also saw it several times throughout inland New South Wales. 355. Black Butcherbird Cracticus quoyi We found a bird on a nest at Centenary Lakes on our first afternoon of the trip, but best views as always were during breakfast at Cassowary House where a bird comes and steals cheese from the balcony.


356. Australasian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen A common bird in rural areas throughout Australia we saw this species most days. 357. Pied Currawong Strepera graculina Common at O’Reilly’s and also around Sydney on the New South Wales leg of the trip. 358. Black Currawong Strepera fuliginosa A Tasmanian endemic with a curious melodic yet raucous call, we had our best views on Mount Welington. 359. Gray Currawong Strepera versicolour Quite common in Tasmania where we saw them on Mount Wellington and at Peter Murrell Reserve. We also saw one in the Blue Mountains at Evan’s Lookout as we crossed from the Capertee Valley to Sydney. CUCKOO-‐SHRIKES: Campephagidae 360. Black-‐faced Cuckooshrike Coracina novaehollandiae A common bird throughout Australia that we saw most days. 361. Barred Cuckooshrike Coracina lineata This delicately patterned species was seen a few times in northern Queensland, with the best views in the rainforest around Cassowary House. 362. White-‐bellied Cuckooshrike Coracina papuensis This small cuckooshrike is quite common in northern Queensland where its ‘ki-‐ssek’ call is often heard in the background. We also saw it in the Capertee Valley. 363. White-‐winged Triller Lalage tricolor Our first birds were seen on the causeway at Lake Mitchell, but it is also common throughout inland New South Wales in the spring, and we saw several dazzling black-‐and-‐white males. 364. Varied Triller Lalage leucomela A fairly common species in northern Queensland we saw them a few times around Cassowary House and also along the Daintree River. 365. Common Cicadabird Edolisoma tenuirostre The garden at Red Mill House is a good place to see these birds and delivered again this year. We also heard the distinctive southern subspecies along Lady Carrington Drive.


SITELLAS: Neosittidae 366. Varied Sittella Neositta chrysoptera We saw this curious species on three occasions, with the black-‐capped race in the grassy woodlands north of Mount Carbine, the white-‐headed race near Canungra, and the nominate brown-‐headed race along Lady Carrington Drive. WHISTLERS AND ALLIES: Pachycephalidae 367. Crested Shrike-‐tit Falcunculus frontatus This striking bird was seen well along the Border Track at O’Reilly’s, when we were alerted by its mournful whistle which is easily imitated. We also saw one in the Capertee Valley. 368. Rufous Shrike-‐Thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha This fairly nondescript species was seen a few times in northern Queensland. 369. Gray Shrike-‐Thrush Colluricincla harmonica A beautiful songster that isn’t much to look at, this bird is quite common throughout Australia, particularly in the southeast. We saw it frequently on the New South Wales leg of the trip. 370. Bower's Shrike-‐Thrush Colluricincla boweri A wet tropics endemic, our best views were at the Curtain Fig. Also seen on Mount Lewis. 371. Olive Whistler Pachycephala olivacea The best place to see this bird is Tasmania, and on Bruny Island we found a nice pair in wet forest. 372. Gilbert's Whistler Pachycephala inornata This species was very common at Nombinnie NR this year, with its strident song frequently heard. We had good views of several including a couple of nice males. 373. Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis A very pretty bird that is quite common, particularly in the rainforest at O’Reilly’s where we saw several. We also had good views along Lady Carrington Drive. 374. Gray Whistler Pachycephala simplex A fairly nondescript bird, we saw it a couple of times in the rainforest around Cassowary House. 375. Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris In the dry woodlands of Australia this species is very common, with its beautiful song a constant part of the soundtrack. We saw it well on many occasions.


376. Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis Every year at Nombinnie NR we hear the haunting, ventriloquial song of this bird, but it is very shy and can be difficult to see. We were lucky this year to spot a distant bird singing that we could get the ‘scope on before it flew off, so we all managed great views of a nice male. OLD WORLD ORIOLES: Oriolidae 377. Olive-‐backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus Fairly common in dry woodland throughout Australia, our best views were from the causeway at Lake Mitchell. 378. Green (Yellow) Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus In the gallery forests of northern Queensland, the bubbling call of this bird is commonly heard. Although common they can be difficult to spot in the canopy, but we managed good views on several occasions. 379. Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti The yellow-‐breasted northern race is quite common in northern Queensland and we saw it every day. We also spotted the green-‐breasted southern race near Canungra. DRONGOS: Dicruridae 380. Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus Quite common in northern Queensland where we saw it most days. FANTAILS: Rhipiduridae 381. Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris This bird looks like the other fantails but behaves very differently, always seeming like it just got out of bed. We saw one at Abbatoir Swamp near Julatten. 382. Willie-‐wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys We tried to spot this charismatic little bird on every day of the trip and only failed once, missing it up at O’Reilly’s. 383. Gray Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa Quite a common bird, we first saw the northern race on Mount Lewis. It is common throughout the New South Wales leg of the trip and we saw it most days. 384. Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons Often seen in rainforest, we had good views of this bird near Cassowary House and also at O’Reilly’s.


MONARCH-‐FLYCATCHERS: Monarchidae 385. White-‐eared Monarch Carterornis leucotis A difficult species to see, and one that eluded us this year. We heard one calling from high up in the canopy in Wooroonooran NP but unfortunately couldn’t find it. 386. Black-‐faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis Quite a pretty bird, they are fairly common around O’Reilly’s where we saw it each day. We also spotted them along Lady Carrington Drive and at Barren Grounds. 387. Black-‐winged Monarch Monarcha frater Thanks to a tip-‐off from Sue Gregory at Cassowary House we were able to find this unexpected species. Although widespread in New Guinea, there is a race that is restricted to Cape York in Australia. It appears that this bird wandered a little far south, and unexpectedly made it onto our list. 388. Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus A gorgeous little bird, we saw it a few times around Cassowary House and also on Mount Lewis. 389. Pied Monarch Arses kaupi We had great views of this Wet Tropics endemic near Cassowary House, even being able to make out the blue eye-‐ring. 390. Magpie-‐lark Grallina cyanoleuca A very common species throughout Australia that we saw on most days of the trip. 391. Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula We saw this active little flycatcher on a few occasions in northern Queensland, and also along Lady Carrington Drive in Royal NP, where a pair were building their tiny nest out of cobwebs. 392. Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca We spotted what was probably a late-‐returning migrant female Satin Flycatcher at Mount Hypipamee. We subsequently had good views of a pair including the blue-‐black male at Truganini Reserve south of Hobart. 393. Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta Our best views of this species were in the Capertee Valley where we found a pair with young in a nest. 394. Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto As usual the only place we saw this species was on our Daintree River cruise where they are quite common in the riverside vegetation.


CROWS, JAYS AND MAGPIES: Corvidae 395. Torresian Crow Corvus orru The common corvid in northern Australia, this species was most common around Brisbane. 396. Australian Raven Corvus coronoides We first came across this species at Wattamolla in Royal NP, then several times on the New South Wales leg of the trip. 397. Little Raven Corvus mellori This smaller corvid is fairly common in inland New South Wales where we saw it most days. 398. Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus The only corvid species in Tasmania which makes identification easy, and luckily it is also quite common. WHITE-‐WINGED CHOUGH AND APOSTLEBIRD: Corcoracidae 399. White-‐winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphos This species is quite common in inland New South Wales, where small parties are regularly seen foraging on the roadside. We had good views of a few parties in the Capertee Valley. 400. Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea First seen near Mount Carbine we had our best views in inland New South Wales, where like the previous species it is often in noisy groups foraging along the roadside. BIRDS-‐OF-‐PARADISE: Paradisaeidae 401. Paradise Riflebird Ptiloris paradiseus We had a bit of luck with this bird which can sometimes take the full two days at O’Reilly’s to find. Within an hour of our arrival we had found a huge fruiting fig tree that did all the work for us with a sensational male and two female riflebirds, as well as Regent and Satin Bowerbirds and Green Catbird. 402. Victoria's Riflebird Ptiloris victoriae Fairly common in the rainforests of the Wet Tropics, we had our best views of this bird in the rainforest along Black Mountain Road near Cassowary House. AUSTRALASIAN ROBINS: Petroicidae 403. Jacky-‐winter Microeca fascinans Fairly common in the Capertee Valley where we saw several, with birds also seen at Binya SF and Round Hill NR.


404. Lemon-‐bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster This bird gave us the run around for a few days before we finally caught up with a pair near Julatten. 405. Scarlet Robin Petroica multicolour We found a beautiful and confiding male at Hassan’s Walls near Lithgow, and several more in Tasmania, particularly on Bruny Island where they are quite common. 406. Red-‐capped Robin Petroica goodenovii This gorgeous jewel of the inland is quite common and we saw it at most sites on the inland New South Wales leg of the trip. 407. Flame Robin Petroica phoenicea We had nice views of a brilliant male perched up on a dead snag on Mount Wellington near Hobart. 408. Rose Robin Petroica rosea A canopy dwelling species that can be difficult to see well, we finally caught up with a couple along the Border Track at O’Reilly’s. 409. Pink Robin Petroica rodinogaster Every trip there is a bird that gives you grief, and this time it was the Pink Robin. It was one of the last birds we needed in Tasmania and it took a couple of hours of searching before a brilliant male popped up in front of us to make all the effort worthwhile. 410. Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata We had very nice views of a pair of these striking robins in the Capertee Valley. 411. Dusky Robin Melanodryas vittata Cape Bruny is a fantastic place to see this bird, our final Tasmanian endemic of the trip. 412. Pale-‐yellow Robin Tregellasia capito Common in the rainforests of northern Queensland this unobtrusive species was seen several times. 413. Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis Quite common around O’Reilly’s and also seen at a few locations in inland New South Wales, the bright yellow breast of this bird lights up the gloom of the forest. 414. Mangrove Robin Eopsaltria pulverulenta A quick trip to the mangroves on the Cairns Esplanade before our boat trip to Michaelmas Cay proved very fortuitous, with great views of a pair of these sometimes difficult robins. 415. White-‐browed Robin Poecilodryas superciliosa We had to work hard for this bird this year, but eventually got nice views near Lake Mitchell in northern Queensland.


416. Gray-‐headed Robin Heteromyias albispecularis A common species in the highland rainforests of the Wet Tropics, we found this bird at the Curtain Fig near Yungaburra, Mount Hypipamee and also Mount Lewis. 417. Southern Scrub-‐Robin Drymodes brunneopygia After a bit of work we eventually had good views of this skulker in the mallee at Nombinnie NR. LARKS: Alaudidae 418. Australasian Bushlark Mirafra javanica After several attempts we finally got nice views of a bushlark sitting on the ground during our search for Plains-‐wanderers with Phil Maher. 419. Sky Lark Alauda arvensis An introduced species that is quite common in rural areas of Tasmania. SWALLOWS: Hirundinidae 420. Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena A common bird in Australia that was seen every day of the trip bar one. 421. Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel Also a common species that was seen most days of the trip, particularly in New South Wales. 422. Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans Generally not as common as the previous species, but still seen regularly during the trip. 423. White-‐backed Swallow Cheramoeca leucosterna There is often a pair of these beautiful swallows to be found somewhere around Hay, but this year we had no luck. We eventually found a pair in a mixed flock with Fairy Martins about 100km north of Hay on our drive to Lithgow. BULBULS: Pycnonotidae 424. Red-‐whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus An introduced species which we saw near Bass Point south of Sydney.


REED-‐WARBLERS AND ALLIES: Acrocephalidae 425. Australian Reed-‐Warbler Acrocephalus australis Quite a common species that we came across at many wetlands including the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds and in the Capertee Valley. GRASSBIRDS AND ALLIES: Megaluridae 426. Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis Fairly common in most areas of rank grassland throughout Queensland, our best views were at Abbatoir Swamp. 427. Little Grassbird Megalurus gramineus We had good views of this little skulker at the Lake Cargelligo sewage ponds. 428. Brown Songlark Cincloramphus cruralis Seen on several occasions in the farmland around Lake Cargelligo, and also during our spotlighting search for Plains-‐wanderer, when they were flushed up from their roosts on the ground. 429. Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi Although fairly nondescript, this bird has a fantastic call that is a common sound of the south-‐eastern Australian spring. We saw them in Binya SF and also through the Capertee Valley. CISTICOLAS AND ALLIES: Cisticolidae 430. Golden-‐headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis A fairly common little bird with our best views on the causeway at Lake Mitchell. YUHINAS, WHITE-‐EYES AND ALLIES: Zosteropidae 431. Silver-‐eye Zosterops lateralis Another fairly common little bird that we saw several times throughout the tour. THRUSHES: Turdidae 432. Olive-‐tailed (Bassian) Thrush Zoothera lunulata The common thrush at O’Reilly’s this species is often seen foraging at the trail edge. 433. Russet-‐tailed Thrush Zoothera heinei Very similar to the previous species but not as common, the best way to separate them is by call. We heard several and saw one very close by the trail at O’Reilly’s.


434. Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula An introduced species that is quite common in south-‐eastern Australia, particularly Tasmania. STARLINGS: Sturnidae 435. Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica A gregarious species that is quite common in the lowlands of northern Queensland. We had our best views in Daintree village while waiting for our boat cruise. 436. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis An introduced species that is common in urban areas throughout Australia. 437. European Starling Sturnus vulgaris An introduced species that is common in urban and rural areas throughout south-‐eastern Australia. FLOWERPECKERS: Dicaeidae 438. Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum A common little bird that is always a treat to see, especially the brightly colored males. SUNBIRDS AND SPIDERHUNTERS: Nectariniidae 439. Olive-‐backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis A boring name for what is a very pretty little bird. They are fairly common in northern Queensland and we had nice views of a gorgeous male complete with shining blue throat at Cattana Wetlands. WAGTAILS AND PIPITS: Motacillidae 440. Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Quite a common species in rural areas throughout Australia. SISKINS, CROSSBILLS AND ALLIES: Fringillidae 441. European Greenfinch Chloris chloris An introduced species which we found at Adventure Bay on Bruny Island. 442. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis An introduced species that is fairly common in urban areas of south-‐eastern Australia.


OLD WORLD SPARROWS: Passeridae 443. House Sparrow Passer domesticus An introduced species that is common in urban areas. WAXBILLS AND ALLIES: Estrildidae 444. Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella A beautiful bird that has to be seen well to appreciate all the fine barring. We had good views of a bird at Barren Grounds, and a few fleeting glimpses in Tasmania. 445. Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata After a bit of searching we eventually found one of these very pretty little birds in the Capertee Valley. 446. Red-‐browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis A fairly common species which is very easy to see at O’Reilly’s where we had our best views. 447. Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton This brilliant red finch was seen well at Cattana Wetlands near Cairns. 448. Plum-‐headed Finch Neochmia modesta Probably the most disappointing views of a bird for the trip, we saw a small flock flying high overhead in the Capertee Valley. 449. Zebra Finch Taenopygia guttata This year these finches were quite common in the Capertee Valley, and we also came across a few pairs in inland New South Wales. 450. Double-‐barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii Only seen a few times this year, in the drier areas of the Atherton Tableland. 451. Black-‐throated Finch Poephila cincta A difficult bird to find we had nice views of a pair building a nest in grassy woodland north of Mount Carbine. 452. Blue-‐faced Parrotfinch Erythrura trichroa Due to its seasonal movements this gorgeous bird is rarely recorded on this tour, but this year we lucked on a pair of early arrivals on Mount Lewis. 453. Nutmeg Mannikin Lonchura punctulata An introduced species that is quite common at Cattana Wetlands north of Cairns. 454. Chestnut-‐breasted Munia Lonchura castaneothorax We had good views of this striking little bird in farmland near Daintree village and also at Cattana Wetlands near Cairns.


MAMMAL LIST ECHIDNA: Tachyglossidae 1. Short-‐beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus We eventually had nice views of two of these curious creatures by the roadside in Tasmania. PLATYPUS: Ornithorhyncidae 2. Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus At a known stakeout for these unique animals we had good views of a small female as it foraged along the creek below us. DASYURIDS: Dasyuridae 3. Eastern Quoll Dasyurus viverrinus We found two of these very cute little spotted ‘native cats’ beside the road in Tasmania as we returned from watching the Little Penguins come ashore near Eaglehawk Neck. BANDICOOTS: Peramelidae 4. Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus Red Mill House is a great place to see these little guys as they come out to feed on the lawn after dark and are very approachable. 5. Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus We had great views of one of these bandicoots while spotlighting for owls near Hobart. 6. Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii We spotted one of these distinctive bandicoots with its strikingly patterned tail as it bolted for cover while we were spotlighting south of Hobart. 7. Long-‐nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta We had brief views of one of these little critters while spotlighting on Mount Lewis. WOMBATS: Vombatidae 8. Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus Like a small furry tank, we had good views of one of these unique marsupials as it crossed the road in front of us at Barren Grounds.


KOALA: Phascolarctidae 9. Koala Phasocolarctos cinereus We had great views of a large male sitting in the open as we descended off the Lamington Plateau after leaving O’Reilly’s. BRUSHTAIL POSSUMS: Phalangeridae 10. Mountain Brushtail Possum Trichosurus caninus We saw a couple of these possums up at O’Reilly’s, including the regular visitor that comes to eat fruit left for it out the front of the restaurant window. 11. Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula We saw this species several times. Near the Curtain Fig on the Atherton Tableland we saw several of the subspecies johnstoni or ‘Coppery’ Brushtails which have a very distinctive rusty pelage. They are also quite common in Tasmania. GLIDERS AND STRIPED POSSUM: Petauridae 12. Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps We spotted a couple of these small gliders feeding in flowering eucalypts while spotlighting at Barren Grounds. RINGTAIL POSSUMS: Pseudocheiridae 13. Greater Glider Petauroides volans Although a glider, this species is more closely related to the ringtail possums than the other gliders. We spotted one individual high up in a tall eucalypt while spotlighting near Barren Grounds. 14. Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus A fairly common possum, we saw Common Ringtails on a few occasions around O’Reilly’s and also at Barren Grounds. 15. Green Ringtail Possum Pseudochirops archeri While spotlighting near the Curtain Fig we found about half-‐a-‐dozen of these strikingly patterned possums. 16. Lemuroid Ringtail Possum Hemibelideus lemuroids This species has a very restricted distribution, only being found at high altitude in the Wet Tropics. We found a couple while spotlighting near Mount Hypipamee.


MUSKY RAT-‐KANGAROO: Hypsiprymnodontidae 17. Musky Rat-‐kangaroo Hypsiprymnodon moschatus The most ancient of the macropods (kangaroos and wallabies), this unique little creature is easy to see at Cassowary House were they come to the garden to feed. KANGAROOS, WALLABIES AND TREE-‐KANGAROOS: Macropodidae 18. Lumholtz’s Tree-‐Kangaroo Dendrolagus lumholtzi After spending a couple of hours spotlighting for them, a trip highlight was finally spotting one of these bizarre macropods crossing the road near Mount Hypipamee, allowing us great views of one of the world’s most unique mammals. 19. Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis We spotted a few of these small wallabies in the drier areas of the Atherton Tableland. 20. Whiptail Wallaby Macropus parryi Also called ‘Pretty-‐faced’ Wallaby because of the distinctive white stripe on the side of the face, a few were seen on the western edge of the Atherton Tableland. Our best views though were of a couple of animals foraging by the roadside on the climb to O’Reilly’s. 21. Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus This species was commonly seen throughout rural New South Wales. 22. Western Grey Kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus We saw this species a couple of times on the inland New South Wales section of the trip, where it is at the eastern edge of its range. 23. Red Kangaroo Macropus rufus A quintessential symbol of the outback, we saw a few ‘Big Reds’ on the trip, with several animals on the Hay plains while we searched for Plains-‐wanderer with Phil Maher. 24. Euro (Common Wallaroo) Macropus robustus Looking like a kangaroo that has been hitting the gym with their beefy forearms and solid body and legs, this species is usually found around rocky slopes. We saw a couple feeding early in the morning in the Capertee Valley. 25. Red-‐necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus Our best views of this species were on the climb to O’Reilly’s. 26. Black (Swamp) Wallaby Wallabia bicolour After fleeing glimpses of an animal bouncing away through the heath at Wattamolla, we had nice views of a couple of animals by the roadside in the Capertee Valley.


27. Mareeba Rock-‐Wallaby Petrogale Mareeba This species is common at Granite Gorge near Mareeba, where they are accustomed to humans and will approach closely for a handout. 28. Rufous-‐bellied Pademelon Thylogale billardierii A Tasmanian endemic, we had fleeting glimpses of a couple of animals while spotlighting near Hobart. 29. Red-‐legged Pademelon Thylogale stigmatica We had good views of this rainforest dwelling species near Julatten on the Atherton Tableland. 30. Red-‐necked Pademelon Thylogale thetis This species is quite common at O’Reilly’s where it has become used to people and will forage on the lawn. FRUIT BATS: Pteropodidae 31. Black Flying-‐fox Pteropus alecto Near Canungra we saw a large mixed roost of Black and Gray-‐headed Flying-‐foxes. 32. Spectacled Flying-‐fox Pteropus conspicillatus There is a large roost of this species in downtown Cairns, which is a good place to watch the antics of these comical animals. Just don’t park your car underneath them! 33. Gray-‐headed Flying-‐fox Pteropus poliocephalus This quite attractive animal was seen as part of a large mixed roost of Black and Gray-‐headed Flying-‐foxes near Canungra. HORSESHOE BATS: Rhinolophidae 34. Eastern Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus megaphyllus Many of the microbats are very difficult to identify in the field except the male of this species which is bright orange. We saw several while spotlighting near the Curtain Fig. RATS AND MICE: Muridae 35. Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes Just a brief view of one of these native rats as it scurried into a hollow log near Mount Carbine.


DOGS AND FOXES: Canidae 36. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes This introduction of this predator has almost single-‐handedly been responsible for the extinction of much of the mainland’s native small mammal fauna. Unfortunately they are all too common and we saw several during the trip. EARED SEALS: Otaridae 37. Australian Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus We spotted one of these seals basking in the surf off Kiama in New South Wales. RABBITS AND HARES: Leporidae 38. European Hare Lepus europaeus An introduced species that is fairly common in rural areas of the southeast. 39. European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus Another introduced species that we wish we could send home. This species is very common in rural areas of southern Australia. RORQUALS: Balaenopteridae 40. Humpback Whale Megaptera navaeangliae We had fantastic views of a mother and calf just off the coast at Kiama in New South Wales. The mother was lolling about, fin-‐slapping the water, while the calf surfaced nearby. REPTILE LIST 1. Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus 2. Green Turtle Chelonia mydas 3. Macquarie Turtle Emydura macquarii 4. Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus 5. Northern Leaf-‐tailed Gecko Saltuarius cornutus 6. Eastern Water Skink Eulamprus quoyii 7. Garden Skink Lampropholis delicata 8. Shingleback Tiliqua rugosa 9. Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii 10. Eastern Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata 11. Sand Goanna Varanus gouldii 12. Green Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata


FROG LIST 1. Peron’s Tree Frog Litoria peronii 2. Jungguy Frog Litoria jungguy 3. White-‐lipped Tree Frog Litoria infrafrenata 4. Long-‐thumbed Frog Limnodynastes fletcheri 5. Spotted Grass Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis 6. Cane Toad Rhinella marina BUTTERFLY LIST 1. Blue Triangle Graphium sarpedon 2. Pale Triangle Graphium eurypylus 3. Green Triangle Graphium macfarlanei 4. Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegeus 5. Ulysses Swallowtail Papilio ulysses 6. Chequered Swallowtail Papilio demoleus 7. Clearwing Swallowtail Cressida cressida 8. Cairns Birdwing Ornithoptera euphorion 9. Lemon Migrant Catopsilia pomona 10. Black Jezebel Delias nigrina 11. Scarlet Jezebel Delias argenthona 12. Caper White Belenois java 13. Varied Sword-‐Grass Brown Tisiphone abeona 14. Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina 15. Meadow Argus Junonia villida 16. Yellow Admiral Vanessa itea 17. Common Crow Euploea core 18. Lesser Wanderer Danaus chrysippus 19. Swamp Tiger Danaus affinis 20. Monarch Danaus plexippus

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