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Contact Call

Newsletter of BirdLife Northern Queensland Volume 5 Number 3 August–September 2016

Contents Convenor’s report

IBA Healthcheck of Michaelmas Cay

An Aussie has broken North Americas ‘Big Year’

record

Digi-Volunteering – For the birds

Nice weather for ducks

A bird list for Mulgrave Landcare

Owl Box project BY Barron Catchment Care

Observations from a billabong

Recent literature about north Queensland birds

Tablelands Crane Week

The Far-west of Queensland, May 2016

Crocodile Concerns

Cairns Meeting Report, Saturday 23 July

Tyto Wetlands – White-browed Crake

Counting PIPs in 2016

Birding and botanising KK and Mount Kinabalu

Noticeboard and activities

Crane Count, 3rd September 2016

Call for counters

Please contact Virginia Simmonds on 40958302 to

register or for further information. You do not have

to be an expert birder to participate and enjoy this

event.

Crane Count Activities

Day Count:

This activity is a great excuse to explore the back

roads of the Tablelands. You may find yourself in

places you have never been. You will be assigned

an area to explore to count the cranes present.

Keep your eyes open, there are platypus in the

creeks as well as lots of other birds during the day!

Afternoon Roost Count:

Meet at Hastie’s Swamp bird hide at 3pm for the

usual pre-count briefing and to meet your team.

You will be assigned a roost area. Then it is off to

the roost area to count incoming cranes until

nightfall. Take a hot drink and chair.

Dinner:

Meet at the Malanda Hotel, 7pm for dinner (at own

cost) and be entertained, sharing your crane count

experiences and count numbers with the crowd.

After dinner, there will be a special guest speaker,

Graham Harrington, who will present on Kasanga

Conservation Park in Zambia. It will be interesting

to hear how or if things have changed in the years

that Alan has been a tour operator in far north

Queensland.

NICE WEATHER FOR DUCKS

Read the story

about the Innisfail

outing on page 4

BirdLife Northern Queensland

2 Contact Call. Volume 5 Number 3

From the Convenor

I have recently returned from this year's grasswren

survey in western Queensland, designed to assess how

well the two species of grasswren – Carpentarian and

Kalkadoon – have fared after a few years of extensive

wildfires and drought. The excellent news is that they

seem to have done very well, as there was a record

number of grasswren groups encountered, nearly 60 in

all! There was also a record number of 24

participants, who together spent over 260 days doing

systematic surveys, and donating thousands of dollars’

worth of fuel and vehicle expenses! We were also

treated to a chopper lift to get us into some more

inaccessible spots at Boodjamulla National Park. There

are now renewed efforts to support a regional fire

management plan, which will include the two

important bird areas of Boodjamulla and Buckley River.

We should all congratulate the efforts of the

volunteers, property owners, Southern Gulf NRM, and

of course our leader, Graham Harrington. From a

personal perspective, it was a chance to see amazing

country and to meet some of the local landholders

whose hospitality and generosity are truly legendary.

We could never achieve these results without them!

This seems to be the year for records, because at our

last presentation evening which featured Martin Willis

with some of his images of the local birds of Northern

Queensland, we had the largest turn-out of over 100

people to an evening meeting – an outstanding

achievement! Many of those attending were non-

members, so it was a great opportunity to spread the

word about the importance of protecting our native

birds. We received excellent advertising in local

Tablelands newspapers, and the evening's success is

due to the enthusiasm of Tablelands members and

residents.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the first BirdLife

National Twitchathon which will be held the last

weekend in October. This will be a fun and fund-

raising event, to support important conservation

projects. The six Queensland branches will pull

together to share raised funds among our priority

species. We'll have more details on this event closer

to the date.

Other important events coming up include the

September annual Crane Count, Torresian Imperial

Pigeon counts on our coastal beaches, “Welcome the

Waders Back”, BirdLife Aussie Bird Week, and several

interesting outings to new locations, such as Tully

Gorge and Palmer River just south of Cooktown.

Hopefully, we will see you in the field soon!

Kath Shurcliff, Convenor

Grasswren surveying in style!

Your BirdLife Northern Queensland Committee

Convenor – Kath Shurcliff

Deputy Convenor – Martin Willis

Secretary – Renee Cassels

Treasurer – Wendy Cooper

Cairns Area Coordinator – Tom Collis

Tablelands Area Coordinator – Peter Valentine

Cooktown Area Coordinator – Kath Shurcliff

Cassowary Coast Area Coordinator – Ceri Pearce

Stickybeak Coordinator – Golo Maurer

IBA Coordinator – Graham Harrington

Members Coordinator – Sam Willis

Conservation Coordinator – Peter Valentine

Crane Count Coordinator – Virginia Simmonds

Website Manager – Mikey Kudo

Newsletter Editor – Ceri Pearce us:

email:

[email protected]


August–September 2016 3

IBA Healthcheck of Michaelmas Cay

One of the ambitions of BirdLife Australia’s Indigenous

Grant program is to build capacity among recipients for

longer-term involvement in bird conservation. So it is

great to see the 2014 winners of the grant—the

Yirrganydji rangers—taking on the IBA Easter Health-

check for Michaelmas Cay. Their ongoing involvement

with site monitoring (supported by the Queensland

Parks and Wildlife Service) and their traditional ties to

the Cay and the sea country surrounding it makes

them ideal guardians for this beautiful IBA.

Yirrganydji rangers take on the IBA health check (from L to

R, Rangers Gavin Singleton, Tarquin Singleton and Shane

Singleton with Gemma Haley QPWS).

AND IN TWITCHING NEWS:

An Aussie has broken

North Americas ‘Big

Year’ record

Australian Reptile Park’s John Weigel has set a new

record for a “Big Year” in North America, spotting over

750 bird species. An it’s only July! Who knows how

many he will see by 31 December. The previous ‘Big

Year’ record holder, Neil Hayward from Massachusetts,

sighted 749 different birds in 2013. To read about

Johns exploits go to:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-

coast/aussie-swoops-in-and-pinches-coveted-big-year-

prize/news-

story/c3d7f8566ebd039a4612b616234cc952

Digi-Volunteering – For the birds

Digital technology enables automated monitoring of

almost anything from birds to distant galaxies, plus the

scanning of valuable historic paper records. But, on the

next step, technology does not do so well. To extract

key details from digital images, human eyes (and

brains) are essential.

Several bird-related projects, and others, are seeking

help from internet-connected volunteers to process

digital images in their leisure time, from the comfort of

home.

Currently, volunteers are needed for transcribing

Vermont bird surveys and historic ornithological

journals, and for extracting details from nest camera

images in far north Queensland. I’m involved with the

latter, where the birds are Pied/Torresian Imperial

Pigeons (as some members might have guessed).

The DigiVol system covers a diverse range. As some of

the virtual ‘expeditions’ get completed, and new ones

get started, the selection of projects will change over

time. If you’d like a change from birds, you could help

with transcribing labels of museum specimens, historic

field diaries or camera traps in the bush.

There is no pre-commitment. You can process just one

image, or as many as you like. But a warning, this can

be somewhat addictive. You will be the first person to

study the image, and sometimes you will come across

unexpected and intriguing things.

Have a look here: http://volunteer.ala.org.au/

Julia Hazel

A NestCam example from the DigiVol online system.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/aussie-swoops-in-and-pinches-coveted-big-year-prize/news-story/c3d7f8566ebd039a4612b616234cc952






Nice weather for ducks

INNISFAIL OUTING 14 MAY 2016

When I was woken by very heavy rain at five-thirty

am, I thought, “Good, that’s the rain over with for the

day”. When dawn broke and all I could see were black

clouds I was a little concerned. Arriving at the Driver

Reviver meeting place I thought I was the first to

arrive, but no, there they all were, the Early Birders,

taking refuge from the rain under a picnic shelter. As

more birders arrived from the Tablelands, Tully and

Cairns, plus Bill from Sydney to join the Innisfail group

there was generous sharing of umbrellas, raincoats

and ponchos. Thus decked out in inclement weather

gear we set off in Indian file towards Shaw Road. This

road is part of the old Bruce Highway and goes down

to the old Johnstone River Bridge. There has been

some recent, lawful clearing of vegetation but despite

the lack of cover and the rain, we saw most of the

usual avian inhabitants including finches, fairy-wrens

and kestrel.

As the rain became heavier we trudged our way back

to the vehicles and made our way to Warrina Lakes, at

the end of Charles Street, in the centre of Innisfail.

Once assembled we set off for closer views of the

Double-eyed Fig-parrots which seem to frequent one of

the small Fig trees near the main picnic area. The feral

geese complained loudly at our presence but as the

rain increased the birders took cover and crowded into

a nearby gazebo and the geese headed off in the

opposite direction under a tree.

The move to the gazebo was a lucky decision since

from there we all saw Plumed Whistling-duck on the

edge of the lake and had very good views of a

Nankeen Night-heron in a nearby tree. The rain eased

and we continued our perambulations only to turn

around to partake of a very early morning tea break as

the heavens opened again.

Fortified with food and drink we set

off once again with a positive

attitude and now nothing was going

to stop us. We explored Warrina

Lakes and the adjacent Botanical

Garden, then the area alongside the

drain and saw Mistletoebird, Varied

Triller, Leaden Flycatcher and Little

Bronze-cuckoo.

The next stop was Etty Bay. At least

two members of the group and Bill

from Sydney were keen to see a

Cassowary. Unfortunately, none of

them were passengers in the vehicle

which passed one on the approach

road to the beach. So while people

were busy with lunch others were

scanning the beach, parking area and Caravan Park for

signs of a Cassowary. A beautiful White-bellied Sea-

Eagle flew overhead and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

could be heard but there was no sign of the big bird.

Thinking that we should head to the Fish Farm before

people became disheartened we all piled back into the

cars and set off in a convoy away from the beach and

there they were! One adult Cassowary with FOUR

chicks, standing in the middle of the road for everyone

to see. Behind us, birders were hanging out of every

window, cameras snapping, with big smiles on their

faces. It was a happy group who arrived at the Fish

Farm.

We walked to a pond where we often see White-

browed Crake but instead saw a flock of Wandering

Whistling-ducks standing in front of a pile of grey mud.

Everyone got a good look and then the “mud” opened

its mouth! It was a large crocodile. A Kodak moment

with more happy snapping. The presence of the now

submerged crocodile was duly noted, but with Ceri

wearing the official BirdLife First Aid kit, we proceeded

with confidence. This was short-lived when we saw the

next crocodile, bigger than the first, sliding into the

water. This prompted a U-turn and we decided to walk

on the much higher banks between the ponds in the

centre of the farm. A constant stream of bird species

was seen by all. We have certainly seen more ducks

and waders in the summer months, but I don’t think

anybody was disappointed. A sudden splash of water

alerted us to a small croc startled in the pond below,

and that one obligingly floated in the water for a photo

shoot. We walked on and saw Glossy Ibis, Black-

necked Stork, Radjah Shelduck and Black-winged Stilt

to name a few. There was even a lone Pied Heron. I

think the birders were surprised by the variety of

species to be seen at a fish farm, and we are, as

always, very grateful to Linda and Marty Phillips for

allowing us to enter their property. We also thank the

fifteen birders who came to Innisfail for the day, and

stayed until the end despite the rain. Sandra Christensen



A bird list for Mulgrave Landcare

As the rain poured down John and Llordes Frois,

Darren Phillips and I headed to Gordonvale to meet

Lisa O Mara, the Mulgrave Landcare Coordinator on

Sunday April 10th 2016.

Lisa and Del Richards had hatched a plan for a Bird List

a few months earlier.

On arrival, we met Lisa, and other Landcare members,

Linda and Mark, and Tom, a neighbourhood resident.

After the development of a new residential area on the

western side of the Highway, drainage became a

problem and the course of the drain was reformed.

The Landcare Group were aware that planting riparian

corridors is one way we can help wildlife adapt to the

changing climate. There is a wonderful article in the

January TREAT (Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton

Tablelands) Newsletter about this

http://www.treat.net.au/publications/WnsJan2016.htm

l See Amanda Freeman and Carla Cattrall’s article.

Mulgrave Landcare contacted the council and with their

agreement and funding from the Australian

Government and Terrain NRM, decided to plant a

corridor of trees and have done this in two stages. The

entire drain (to become a creek) will be planted out

within the next two years.

Lisa sought extensive information from the Traditional

Owners, Malanbarra Yidinji.

Lisa sourced knowledge from the relevant scientists

and worked with students from Gordonvale State

School re this ecological niche. Frogs, mammals, birds,

worms, insects as well as the trees and shrubs.

The Landcare Group had the foresight to include and

encourage the local residents in their planning and

where possible planting and intend to do some letter

drops about the Bird List to try to maintain interest

from the local community.

Starting on the Eastern end of Upper Hemmings Creek

under Del’s guidance, they decided to leave a large

patch of tall finch habitat before beginning the tree

planting.

In the first tree planting undertaken in mid-June 2015,

the plants were a mix of tree and shrub species. These

were now all taller than me and doing very well. All

species planted are tried and tested and have to grow

quickly to shade out the grass and hold creek banks.

Examples include Syzygium tierneyanum, Ficus

racemosa, Macaranga tanarius, Cordia dichotoma,

Melaleuca viminalis and others.

The second planting, started in November 2015, are

already shooting up. This included more bush tucker

species as well as ceremonial species like the Slippery

Blue Fig Tree, the Gimuy tree (Ficus albipila).

Rain stopped for a while and we began our list.

Rain started again and we put the brollies up, after the

dry wet season, the rain stopped and started all

morning.

The Bird List was done in two sections, the oldest and

then the newest tree planting. Twenty-nine different

bird species were seen in the older planting and

eighteen in the newer one. Some overlap was

definitely possible due to the wing thing.

I combined the two lists for Eremeae eBird under

checklist S29788634 and sent Lisa two Excel

spreadsheets for their Landcare purposes.

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were going berserk as

the sun came out to steam us. Great excitement as the

Brown Goshawk was spied diving into a nearby tree

and then excellent views following.

It was a great morning with progressive people and we

were fortunate to bring along two pairs of young,

efficient eyes in Llordes and Darren.

Of particular interest to Del Richards and Kath Shurcliff

was the appearance of the five Double-barred Finches.

It turns out they are not regulars up here and become

more common the further south you go, starting with

the Townsville Common. We saw four different species

of Finch here so Del’s advice from the word go “to

preserve the finch habitat” was very sage.

It will be great to return in a few years’ time and check

out the progress of the Upper Hemmings Creek

plantings as well as compiling new Bird Lists.

Site details: Leonis Access Rd Drain, or Upper

Hemmings Creek, Gordonvale. Latitude 17.05475,

Longitude 145.773081

Pippy Cannon

http://www.treat.net.au/publications/WnsJan2016.html

http://www.treat.net.au/publications/WnsJan2016.html



Owl Box project

Barron Catchment Care (BCC) has

over the last ten years worked with

landholders on an innovative

approach to address rat damage in crops. Part of this

project involved installing owl boxes on farms on the

Atherton Tablelands, with the intention to increase the

number of owls, and consequently the number of rats

taken by owls.

Barron Catchment Care is seeking information from

members of Birdlife North Queensland who have an

owl box on their property; specifically, the level of use

of the box; by what species, the location of the

property and what condition the box is in.

There are also some owl boxes left and a home is

needed for them.

Contact Ian Sinclair on 4095 7109 or 0437 635 043 or

email him at [email protected]

if you have information on your owl box, or would like

an owl box for your property.

Ian Sinclair

Coordinator

Barron Catchment Care

PO Box 922, Atherton QLD 4883

Owl boxes available from Barron Catchment Care. Image

courtesy of Ian Sinclair.

A breast stroking Little Button-quail sighted swimming on a

billabong in Lakefield National Park. Image courtesy of David

Mead.

Observations from a

billabong

Whilst traveling through the Lakefield National Park

about two weeks ago with a group of birders, we came

across a strange occurrence. At a rather large

billabong, a small creature came into view, as it

seemed to bob up and down on the surface of the

water, quite a long way out.

At first we all offered our ideas of what we thought it

was; lizard?, baby injured fish?, frog?, etc. As it came

closer, we began to increasingly believe it was a small

bird trying to make its way to the edge. We all hoped

it was going to keep bobbing towards us, but alas as

soon as it laid eyes on the group of strange beings

gathered on the bank, it stopped dead and didn’t move

again. With this halting of its progress, the bevy of

bino bearing birders behind me, began offering

suggestions, like, “go on Dave, wade out and rescue

the bird, so we can tick it off the list”. I started to scan

the water surface, for any other movements, including

the other resident of Lakefield waterways, 'Crocs' and

crocs big enough to take your big toe off at the neck.

Getting wet feet was not going to happen! What

seemed like hours (three or four minutes) later, we

decided to take a couple of photos and move on, and

hopefully give the bird a chance to find the shoreline

without us distracting it.

On checking later with fellow birders, it looks like our

breaststroking friend was a Little Button-quail (not

noted that far north very often).

David Mead

Great Northern Tours.

Cooktown

mailto:[email protected]



Recent literature about north Queensland birds

Compiled by Don Franklin

BUFF-BREASTED BUTTON-QUAIL

John Young is reported as finding 17 Buff-breasted

Button-quail and six of their nests at Brooklyn Wildlife

Sanctuary west of Mt Molloy. His observations indicate

that the species is polyandrous, with males alone

attending nests.

Anon. 2016. Brooklyn: A stronghold for the Buff-

breasted Button-quail, one of Australia’s rarest birds.

Wildlife Matters, Winter 2016: 11.

CARPENTARIAN GRASSWREN

“ ... Here, we present the results of over 3000 surveys

conducted between 2008 and 2013. We show that

Carpentarian grasswrens are divided into four

populations, although the northernmost one

(Borroloola) now appears to be extinct. The Area of

Occupancy for the southernmost population appears to

have declined by 28%, while only small numbers of

isolated birds now occur at the two intervening

populations. Our data suggest that the four

populations appear to be at different stages on an

extinction pathway, from population decline, to

fragmentation and isolation, to extinction, and this

seems to be related to worsening fire patterns as one

moves northwards. We suggest that the Carpentarian

grasswren be listed as Vulnerable at the State and

Federal level, and that urgent investment in long-term

regional fire management using prescribed burning is

required to reverse the declines in the extant

populations.” (Excerpt from the Abstract).

Harrington GN, Murphy SA. 2015. The distribution and

conservation status of Carpentarian grasswrens

(Amytornis dorotheae), with reference to prevailing

fire patterns. Pacific Conservation Biology 21: 291–

297.

RED-BACKED FAIRY-WREN

A team from the Cornell Lab for Ornithology in New

York and various universities in the USA and Australia

have been and are conducting behavioural studies of

the Red-backed Fairy-wren at various locations

including two sites near Herberton at the back of the

Atherton Tablelands. I believe they may have

concluded work at the Herberton sites, but papers

continue to flow from it including the five papers

summarised and listed below.

Male Red-backed Fairy-wrens may breed in red/black

colour, breed in brown plumage, or be brown non-

breeding helpers in the territory of their birth.

Testosterone levels differ between these groups in the

order red/black breeder more than brown breeder

more than non-breeding helper (Barron et al. 2015),

but differences between groups in singing rates were

not in this order (Schwabl et al. 2015). Evidence

presented by Barron et al. (2015) strongly suggests

that hormone levels are a consequence rather than a

cause of breeding status, and that age is a major

factor influencing breeding status.

Female Red-backed Fairy-wrens sing to their eggs, and

it seems that the developing embryos can sense

(hear?) the calls (Colombelli-Negrel et al. 2016)!

Embryos that were sung to more often were better at

mimicking their mother’s calls when they hatched, and

better mimics were fed more often. Females tended to

call more in years when cuckoo parasitism was higher,

but the full significance of the behaviour remains to be

determined.

Breeding pairs of Red-backed Fairy-wrens sing duets

that overlap rather than following one another. Field

observations suggesting that duets serve to enhance

defense of territories was corroborated with playback

experiments by Dowling & Webster (2016).

Perhaps surprisingly, the benefits of cooperative

breeding don’t necessarily extend to the breeding

male; for example, it doesn’t necessarily improve his

breeding success. However, Potticary et al. (2016)

found that breeding males with helpers didn’t have to

work as hard (guarding, feeding young), and there was

some evidence suggesting that this improved their

subsequent survival.

Barron DG, Webster MS, Schwabl H. 2015. Do

androgens link morphology and behaviour to produce

phenotype-specific behavioural strategies? Animal

Behaviour 100: 116–124.

Photo of pair of Red-backed Fairywrens with male just

coming into breeding plumage. Image courtesy of Ian

Montgomery www.birdway.com



Colombelli-Negrel D, Webster MS, Dowling JL, Hauber

ME, Kleindorfer S. 2016. Vocal imitation of mother's

calls by begging Red-backed Fairywren nestlings

increases parental provisioning. Auk 133: 273-285.

Dowling J, Webster MS. 2016. An experimental test of

duet function in a fairy-wren (Malurus) with moderate

cuckoldry rates. Behavioral Ecology 27: 228-236.

Potticary AL, Dowling JL, Barron DG, Baldassarre DT,

Webster MS. 2016. Subtle benefits of cooperation to

breeding males of the Red-backed Fairywren. Auk 133:

286-297.

Schwabl H, Dowling J, Baldassarre DT, Gahr M,

Lindsay WR, Webster MS. 2015. Variation in song

system anatomy and androgen levels does not

correspond to song characteristics in a tropical

songbird. Animal Behaviour 104: 39-50.

PIED IMPERIAL-PIGEONS

“To obtain evidence of any population changes, 1–10

counts were made each breeding season of the

evening flight from the mainland to a nesting colony

on North Brook Island. The counts began in 1965 and

have continued for 50 years. The count represents one

individual of a pair that visits the mainland to feed and

returns in the evening. In the 1965–66 breeding

season, the December count (the count used to

compare years) was 4,692 birds. Over the following

three seasons, numbers declined to a low of 1,451

birds in 1968–69; this decline was attributed to

shooting of up to 1,100 birds at a time. Large-scale

shooting stopped in 1,968 and was followed by a

steady exponential increase in numbers over 23 years

to 29,818 birds in the 1992–93 season. Numbers have

fluctuated between ~25,000 and 35,000 individuals

over the following 18 years. A tropical cyclone of

extreme intensity affected the pigeons’ breeding site

on North Brook Island and their mainland feeding

areas in February 2011. In the following breeding

season of 2011–12, numbers fell to 5,311, but

recovered to 21,088 in the 2012–13 season. The

dramatic drop in numbers was attributed to the

pigeons moving elsewhere for the 2011–12 season. It

is predicted that the post-cyclonic number of 21,088

will take 4 years to recover to 30,000.” (Excerpts from

Abstract).

NB: North Brook Island is offshore from Cardwell.

Winter J, Green D, Thorsborne M, Parsons M. 2016.

Population trends over 50 years of a Pied Imperial-

Pigeon breeding colony on North Brook Island, a

tropical Great Barrier Reef island, Australia. Emu 116:

14-21.

RAINFOREST BIRDS

In the latest of a series of contributions assessing the

value of restored or recovering rainforest to birds by

Amanda Freeman from the School for Field Studies

near Yungaburra, Amanda and others (2015) assessed

the contribution of 10–24 year-old restoration

plantings. Their use by rainforest birds didn’t change

markedly during that age period, and use was “least

among rainforest-dependent species that were also

either endemic or sedentary edge-avoiders”. These

dependant species were more likely to use the

restoration planting if there was more mature

rainforest nearby. “Species predicted to be climate-

sensitive occupied restored habitat at similar rates to

other species.”

Amanda, along with a collaborator, have also recently

provided an accessible overview of their program

findings including results from previous papers

(Freeman & Catterall 2016).

Freeman A, Catterall C. 2016. How useful is

revegetation for Wet Tropics rainforest birds? TREAT

News Wet Season 2016: 4-7.

Freeman and, Catterall CP, Freebody K. 2015. Use of

restored habitat by rainforest birds is limited by spatial

context and species’ functional traits but not by their

predicted climate sensitivity. Biological Conservation

186: 107-114.

ISLAND AVIFAUNAS

“Warul Kawa (Deliverance Island), a small, densely

forested sand cay, is the most north-westerly island in

Torres Strait, far north Queensland. Awaiyal Kawa

(Kerr Islet), a smaller cay, is located 9.5 km to the

south of Warul Kawa and supports low dune

wood/shrub land and patchy grassland. Two bird

surveys in December 2011 and November 2012

recorded 55 and 49 species, respectively. To date, a

total of 70 species are collectively known from these

islands. All 34 species recorded on Awaiyal Kawa are

also reported for Warul Kawa. This paper presents a

comprehensive species list and discusses unusual bird

records. Potential threats to island fauna and

management issues are identified.” (Excerpts from

Abstract).

Watson JJ, Hitchcock G. 2015. Avifauna of Deliverance

Island (Warul Kawa) and Kerr Islet (Awaiyal Kawa),

North-Western Torres Strait. Sunbird 45: 65-77.



OTHER RECENT LITERATURE

Anon. 2016. Meet the researcher: Ana Leitão.

Australian Birdlife 5(1): 75. [Lovely Fairy-wrens]

Harrington G. 2015. Mimicry is the best form of

flattery. Australian Birdlife 4(4): 59. [Bowers Shrike-

thrush mimicking female Eastern Whipbird in response

to male whipbird call]

Keir AF, Pearson RG, Congdon RA. 2015. Determinants

of bird assemblage composition in riparian vegetation

on sugarcane farms in the Queensland Wet Tropics.

Pacific Conservation Biology 21: 60-73.

Nguyen JMT. 2016. Australo-Papuan treecreepers

(Passeriformes: Climacteridae) and a new species of

sittella (Neosittidae: Daphoenositta) from the Miocene

of Australia. Palaeontologia Electronica 19: Art. No. 1A.

Nielsen L. 2015. Birds of the Wet Tropics of

Queensland and Great Barrier Reef and Where to Find

Them. Lloyd Nielsen, Mt Molloy. [reviewed in Contact

Call 5(1): 5 (2016)]

Peter J. 2016. Anything but wary. Australian Birdlife

5(20): 14. [Cassowary roadkills]

Reside AE, Vanderwal J, Garnett ST, Kutt AS. 2016.

Vulnerability of Australian tropical savanna birds to

climate change. Austral Ecology 41: 106-116.

Roberts E. 2016. Grey-headed Robin. Australian

Birdlife 5(1): 10.

Sumpton J. 2016. Far North Queensland November

2015. Birds of FNQ. Jennifer Sumpton Photography.

[40 pages, apparently mostly photographs;

http://au.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/6224346/6ca11

bd4fbbf7c0bd0268f3f120c3d3d5b1932d1]

Vanderduys EP, Reside AE, Grice A, Rechetelo J. 2016.

Addressing potential cumulative impacts of

development on threatened species: the case of the

endangered black-throated finch. PLoS ONE 11:

e0148485.

Watson C. 2015. Please allow me to introduce myself.

Australian Birdlife 4(4): 42-45. [Spotted Whistling-

Duck]

Tablelands Crane Week

September 19 to 25 2016

Everyone in the region are warmly invited to join us

for this celebration of cranes. Daily activities at the

Malanda Falls Visitor Centre from 10:00am daily:

Children's art and craft including crane puppets

and other activities

Learn the art of origami crane making

Children's crane colouring competition all week

Information displays

If you would like to help or support Crane Week in

2016, please contact us on [email protected]

Friday, 23 September 2016

Sunset and Sarus! Crane watching with wine and

cheese at Bromfield Swamp. Drinks from 5:30pm,

cranes when they arrive! This is a free event,

sponsored by local businesses, but donations from the

event will be made to the International Crane

Foundation to support their valuable work. Due to

restricted car parking, prior confirmation of attendance

is essential and numbers are limited. To reserve a spot

phone 07 4096 6957 or email [email protected]

For more information or to register contact Gwyneth

Nevard on (07) 4089 2307 or email

[email protected] or Caroline O'Reilly on (07) 4096

6957 or email [email protected]

Contact us: BirdLife Northern

Queensland Committee

Email: [email protected]

www.birdlifenq.org


http://www.birdlifenq.org/



The Far West of Queensland, May 2016

In late April and early May, Val and I set out with

fellow Birdlife NQ members Martin and Sam Willis to

explore the far western Queensland habitats for

interesting birds. We planned to begin on the SW with

a focus on the Diamantina and then work our way

north having heard that good rains had fallen. Martin

and I had some photographic targets (especially

grasswrens) and I had at least a couple of lifers

available. We set off from Malanda very early on the

first day and went south via the Lynd and Hughenden

to camp at Bladensberg National Park that night. There

had been rain recently and that had produced a zillion

flies making life a little less comfortable than hoped –

fly nets were de rigeur. We were disappointed not to

find Painted Finches at the usually reliable Scammy

Gorge but did have some great encounters with many

other species including a White-fronted Honeyeater.

Budgerigars were abundant and the next day on the

road to Opalton we saw many exploring nesting holes.

Our primary target at Opalton was the Rusty

Grasswren as this remains a very reliable site. At our

usual campsite, it was distressing to see the effects of

a fire on the billabong trees including the destruction

of the resident Spotted Bowerbird's bower. A male was

seen exploring the old bower site so perhaps he will

build again nearby. In the next couple of days, we

found several grasswren parties as well as Hall's

Babblers and some excellent views of a pair of Red-

capped Robins. Conditions were hot and the flies

persistent!

From Opalton we drove to Lark's Quarry before

heading southwest to Diamantina National Park. The

scenery was spectacular with spinifex and mesas

creating a colourful landscape that kept our cameras

clicking. We realised we were very close to the habitat

of the Night Parrot discovered by John Young. Not long

after entering the National Park we had a good view of

a Grey Falcon – near a microwave tower next to the

road. That was a very exciting start!

We went to the Park HQ and met with the ranger in

charge (Chris Mitchell) and friend and colleague Fiona

Leverington – a very pleasant encounter. We camped

at Gumhole where there was lots of water in the

channels. On the circuit we drove the next day we had

good views of Inland Dotterel – a lifer for me. These

are wonderful birds, so well camouflaged in their short

grass habitat and we saw many more over the next

two weeks. There were also many Australian

Pratincoles, Banded Lapwing, Zebra Finches, Spinifex

Pigeons and Budgerigars amongst others.

From Diamantina we headed west with many birds all

the way including an interesting encounter with a pair

of White-winged Fairywren feeding a juvenile Black-

eared Cuckoo. Our sympathy was with the overworked

wrens!

Our camps were isolated and allowed us to enjoy the

brilliant night skies of this semi-arid environment. We

went in to Bedourie to refuel before camping on Eyre

Creek north of the Cuttaburra Crossing. This was an

astonishing place with the channels filled with

hundreds of waterbirds including huge flocks of feeding

pelicans, cormorants and dozens of ducks with

hundreds of recently hatched chicks as well as herons,

egrets and spoonbills. One day we drove the circuit of

Lake Machattie – disappointed that this feature is on

private land with no public access to the lake.

However, the drive was fantastic with many birds seen

from the road including Gibberbirds, Inland Dotterel

and White-rumped Swallows along one sand dune.

We had searched unsuccessfully for the Grey

Grasswren in the lignam near Glengyle Station (on

Eyre Creek) but decided to try for Eyrean Grasswrens

near Birdsville. We camped on the Diamantina River

near Birdsville and after a successful reconnaissance of

the dunes west of Birdsville went very early in the

morning to try and get some photos. With considerable

patience and persistence, we eventually had great

views of a pair of Eyrean Grasswrens not only hiding in

the canegrass, but hopping in the open and feeding.

Eyrean Grasswren west of Birdsville Red-capped Robin at Opalton Inland Dotterel west of Diamantina



With big rains forecast (and road closures certain), we

packed up and headed north enjoying some great birds

including a flock of about 1000 Australian Pratincoles

occupying the road over a stretch of a kilometre or so.

There were more Lapwings and several Inland

Dotterels including a pair with chicks. We were

delighted to see a pair of Flock Bronzewings feeding

along the side of the road that allowed close approach

in the vehicular hide.

Just ahead of the rain we camped north of Boulia but

the next day we were stopped at Djarra by the flooded

Carbine Creek – a day of rest while the water rose and

then gradually retreated. As we went north we enjoyed

several encounters with Kalkadoon Grasswrens in

spinifex covered rocky ridges between Djarra and Mt

Isa. We also saw many Painted Finches (including

young) and near Djarra itself saw Pictorella finches.

After re-supply at Mt Isa we headed further north to

McNamara Road in search of Carpentarian Grasswrens.

From our camp we spent three days in the area

enjoying many birds but did struggle to find the

grasswrens. We did have a great day at a creek

crossing along Gunpowder Rd where birds were

coming in to a small waterhole. These included Long-

tailed Finch, Painted Finch, Spinifex Pigeon, Silver-

crowned Friarbird, Grey-headed and Grey-fronted

Honeyeaters, Budgerigars, Cockatiels and many

others. Eventually, near our camp at McNamara Rd,

we saw one pair of Carpentarian Grasswren in a patch

of suitable spinifex but were unable to photograph

them. But we did enjoy good views of the Black-tailed

Treecreepers (many), Varied Lorikeets, Cloncurry

Parrots and Grey-headed Honeyeaters amongst others.

We were pleased that BNQ member Dominic Chaplin

had rebuilt the rock cairn on McNamara Road and

provided a notebook to allow birders to record

sightings of the grasswrens and we duly filled in our

record. The bitumen road certainly makes this site

much safer now but there has been a lot of clearing

around the roadside. The effects of the fire were very

evident with most of the spinifex too young to support

grasswrens. However, it was good to know the birds

persist.

We finished our trip with a little time at Riversleigh and

Boodjamulla National Park where we enjoyed some

fantastic birds including Buff-sided Robins, Purple-

crowned Fairywren and several honeyeaters. The road

past Riversleigh was diabolical and caused a broken

axle on our caravan (well it is 18 years old) so the trip

was slightly truncated as we arranged for transport to

Camooweal and eventual repair. It was a terrific

birding trip and the good news is that since then there

have been many storms and rain events throughout

the western Queensland areas and all are now likely to

be abundant with birdlife. It's not too late to enjoy this

remarkable season in the inland.

Images and story by Peter Valentine

Rusty Grasswren at Opalton

Flock Bronzewing north of Birdsville

Gibberbird east of Bedourie

White-backed Swallow near Bedourie



More images from Western Queensland:

Painted Finch near Djarra

Pictorella Finch near Djarra

Kalkadoon Grasswren south of Mt Isa

Purple-crowned Fairywren at Boodjamulla NP



Crocodile Concerns

What can be done about a crocodile turning up in your

favourite fishing hole? Not much really. He’s bigger,

tougher and meaner than you are.

Recently we were living in Peppimenarti Aboriginal

Community where my wife Llane was working as a

Remote Area Nurse and I was photographing the local

birds. A small pond near an extensive floodplain was

full of fish and a favourite of various herons, egrets,

cormorants, darters and nankeen night herons. That is

until a crocodile appeared. Suddenly, wading in the

water was a risk. I noticed those species capable of

doing so changed their feeding procedures. Pied

Herons, Intermediate and Little Egrets, took to

watching from the bank and on spotting a fish, flying

out ‘hovering’ briefly (if a heron can be said to hover)

and stabbing at the fish and flying back to the shore.

They were quite successful using this method but also

stood on the bank and caught what they could from

around the edges.

However, the Great Egret didn’t appear able to fly out

over the water and stab at fish it saw, so simply waded

in as usual. It did, however, seem to be aware of

where the crocodile was situated and searched for fish

at the other end. The Little Black Cormorants had no

choice but to swim and dive. For a long time, they

would watch from the shore, until one would make a

move followed by the rest of the flock. There would be

some frantic fishing and then all would fly back to

shore. Then when hunger overtook their fear back in

they would go again. Once or twice a heron was very

close to the crocodile and I wondered if it would meet

its end but they all survived during the hours I

watched.

Don Hadden

The pool with the crocodile at Peppimenarti Aboriginal

Community.



Cairns Meeting Report

SATURDAY, 23 JULY

Nineteen people attended the Cairns meeting to hear

Hidetoshi (Mickey) Kudo talk about his recent

mangrove discoveries in the Cairns area, as well as

participate in Toms bird quiz.

Mangrove Puzzling is how Mickey described his latest

passion for identifying the mangroves present in the

Cairns area. Mickey said, “it’s akin to Pokémon Go

only more rewarding. All you need to do is to identify

as many species of mangrove in your neighbourhood

as you can, without trespassing”.

Mickey has discovered two new mangrove species in

the area, Bruguiera cyclindrica and B. hainesii.

Bruguiera cylindrical was previously only known to

occur in Australia from the Jardine River (Cape York)

to Cooktown, so this is a 170km range extension. “The

trees, in the Trinity Inlet area, would have to be over

100 years old” Mickey said.

The discovery of Bruguiera hainesii nearby was even

more surprising. This species has previously not been

recorded in Australia, and is listed as Critically

Endangered by the International Union for

Conservation and Nature. Mickey has discovered 49

mature individuals in the Trinity Inlet area. Go Mickey!

Plants are afoot to have the plants in the Cairns area

protected under the federal Environment Protection

and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A proposal

has also been made to propagate the species and

include them in a ‘Cairns mangrove exhibit’ at the

botanical gardens.

Mickey finished his presentation by talking about the

overall diversity of Cairns’ mangrove species and the

importance of the extraordinary mangrove system that

links the wet tropic rainforests with the reef.

The talk was inspiring. Little is known about these

plants in our own backyard, their ecology, pollinators,

and distribution. Let’s hope Mangrove Puzzling takes

off as there may still be many other species, waiting to

be found in this undervalued ecosystem.

Following a cuppa and catching up with friends, the

next item of entertainment soon had everyone

laughing. Tom Collis, our Cairns area co-ordinator,

excelled in putting together the quiz, which delivered a

humorous variety of questions from birds calls and

visual challenges (and they were mostly local birds

too) to identify bird species, to more general birding

trivia. The winning team were Dominic, Brian, Darren,

Graeme and Andrew with a total of 30 points out of

30. Close behind with 29 points was Andy Anderson's

group, the Back Seat Boys.

Join us on Facebook



I’ve just gotten back from a couple of days in

Townsville, so I decided to take the opportunity to

spend a little bit of time at Tyto Wetlands in Ingham.

I’ve stopped there about a dozen times before and was

lucky one day to see the White-browed and Spotless

Crakes at the same time. But alas that was the only

time I ever saw either species. That was until last

Sunday.

After creeping out there before the sun came up and

positioning myself in the bird hide, I waited patiently

for an hour or so. Thankfully, the temperature that

morning was a few degrees warmer than the 12

degrees that I experienced in Innisfail the morning

before, and I was dressed for the occasion, so waiting

was no real hardship.

The patience paid off because to my great pleasure, a

White-browed Crake appeared on the mat of dead

vegetation in front of me. I always get such a rush of

adrenalin when I get the chance to see a new species

in detail for the first time and needless to say, I took

dozens of photos from the hide, hoping to get THE

SHOT. Each time the bird appeared, I willed it to come

closer, but after a while the photographer in me took

over so I decided to try to get closer.

Using a great deal of stealth, I crept under the hide as

I carefully as I could as I kept behind a large

paperbark and other ground vegetation in an attempt

to get as close as I could.

I was successful to

a point, I did get

closer without

alarming the bird,

but it remained just

across the channel

of water between

the hide and the

closest island.

I managed to take

a lot of photos that

morning, but as the

sun still hadn’t

crept above the

clouds on the

horizon, so the

light wasn’t the

best, and because

I’m not the

photographer that I

would like to be, I

was not happy with

my many attempts.

I had an

appointment in Townsville at 8am the next morning so

I had to move on that afternoon, but I knew that I’d

get another chance on the return trip, so I was

determined to have another go on the way home.

I got back to Tyto a few days later, leaving Townsville

a couple of days early as BOM had predicted rain and

bad weather was on its way. Once again, I went out to

the hide at an early hour, not quite as early as my last

foray, and waited patiently for some activity. The

weather was kinder to me this time, there were no

clouds on the horizon and some beautiful golden light

shone down on the wetlands. To my delight, the crake

appeared on the vegetation mat again, and then flew

across the channel to the reeds directly in front of the

hide. Once again I crept down under the hide and

using the cover of the tree trunk, I managed to get

just a few metres from him. I even managed to get

some half-decent shots.

Although I didn’t hear or see a Spotless Crake, over

those couple of mornings I had a truly delightful time

with the White-browed Crake and I hope you all get to

experience a similar experience for yourselves. In the

meantime, I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I

do. By the way, if you look carefully you’ll see he has

something in his beak.

Lynette Ensor

Tyto Wetlands – White-browed Crake



WHEN: Saturday, 19 November 2016 starting at 4pm

WHERE: Choose your own site anywhere on the coast from Gladstone to Cape York, keeping safety and

comfort in mind. You can take a picnic or to make it even more fun, you can also organise your friends to count

at nearby sites, then get together afterwards to compare results. Counts are needed everywhere along the

coast. Zero counts also provide important information.

For the best sites, ensure you have a clear view of the shoreline, so you can see any PIPs that fly out to sea

from the land, or heading towards islands where they roost and nest.

Counting starts at 4pm and concludes around 6pm. If you have enough light to continue for another 15–30

mins or so, then please do. If you can’t participate on 19 November, don’t despair, you can do a PIP count on

any afternoon November to January, and the more you can do, the better. Counts repeated at the same place

each year are also valuable.

WHAT TO DO:

Print the data sheets in advance, and fill in location details for your site. If possible, get a GPS position too

and bring a compass (some mobile phone apps can help you do this). Record wind strength, wind direction,

sun, cloud, rain. etc. Identify your compass points (we usually mark them on the sand) north, south, east

and west and points in between.

From 4:00pm keep a continuous watch for PIPs until you have insufficient daylight.

Count PIP numbers as they leave the coast and note the approximate direction they are heading.

For each 15-minute time period, use a new column on the count sheet.

If no PIPs are seen in any time period, write zero (don’t leave it blank).

If your watch gets interrupted, mark X in the time period you were unable to watch.

Record any extra details and comments on the last page.

Submit your results to Julia Hazel: [email protected]

Please write your email address clearly on the count sheet so Julia can send you a report after the count

data has been collated. You can also read PIP reports on pipwatch.net

You can download your PIP count sheet and the instructions at http://www.pipwatch.net or you can request

them by email.

For further information, please contact Julia: [email protected] or text/phone: 0407 431 382.

Counting PIPs in

2016

Pied Imperial Pigeon (PIP, aka Torresian

Imperial Pigeon) are special birds for

BirdLife Northern Queensland. They are

even on our logo! This year we are

trialling a new initiative. Instead of the

annual Mission Beach PIP count event in

November, Birdlife Northern Queensland

is seeking volunteers to undertake

synchronised PIP counts anywhere along

the coast, on Saturday November 19th

2016 starting at 4pm. The intention is to

capture PIP count data from multiple

sites on the same day and provide this

valuable information to Julia Hazel and

PIPwatch.



Common Iora

Chestnut-hooded Laughing-thrush

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Rafflesia

Birding and botanising KK

and Mount Kinabalu

Sabah in eastern Malaysia has a lot of attractions and

demands repeated visits. In April, I spent 10 days in Kota

Kinabalu (KK), the capital, and at Mount Kinabalu NP and

World Heritage Area, botanizing and birding.

Kota Kinabalu is a city of some 450,000 and remarkably

similar to Cairns, both in aspect and climate. It is the second

busiest international airport in Malaysia and entréport for a

large nature-based tourism industry. I always plan to be in

town on Sundays to attend the street markets in Gaya

Street that runs parallel to the main drag. This is followed by

a visit to Borneo Books across the road in Wisma Merdeka to

catch up on the latest offerings by Natural History

Publications (Borneo), who are located upstairs, and to

purchase field guides. Then it is off to The Likas Wetlands

just east of town for a stroll around the boardwalks and

marvel at the amount of rubbish in the waterways and the

birds wandering amongst it. Then it is back to town for the

obligatory beer on the boardwalk while checking the herons

returning to their roost as the sun sinks into the South China

Sea – all demanding stuff. For those intending to visit, CK

Leong’s http://borneobirds.com/around-kota-kinabalu/ is a

useful starting point.

Mount Kinabalu looms large above KK. At 4,095m it is the

highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea

and, despite losing some height in a recent earthquake, is

still rising. It is a centre of biodiversity and has high rates of

endemism. Eighteen of the 62 endemic Bornean birds are

found around Mt Kinabalu. As a botanist, a particular feature

of interest is the ultramafic capping, which results in a

distinct, high-percentage endemic flora, particularly in

orchids and Nepenthes pitcher plants. The compilation of a

large geo-located collection and database of plants from the

mountain has enabled exploration of the Mid-Domain Theory

of Distribution. NHP and Kew (2011) co-published a 5.5 kg

two volume boxed set of the Orchids of Mount Kinabalu that

supports this exploration – it is an impressive piece of work

and the ecology notes are worth reading by those intending

to visit the mountain.

I stayed at Ayana resort, a kilometre short of the park

entrance, and sallied forth each day to explore further;

climbing the mountain was not on the schedule this visit.

The resort faces a patch of rain forest and the birding there

was outstanding. I first saw the endemic Chestnut-crested

Yuhina everetti and recently split Chestnut-Hooded Laughing

Thrush Rhinocichla treacheri from my second storey room.

Kinabalu Park HQ is at 1,560 m is in Montane Forest and I

walked from it as high as the Timpohon Gate at 1866 m and

along the Kiau Trail, which parallels the access road.



Situated 1½ hrs north of Cairns in Tropical North

Queensland we offer accommodation in self-

contained units – – single or two bedroom – and

bunkhouse rooms. The property is a rainforest

wildlife sanctuary catering for birdwatchers and

naturalists.

We are central to a variety of habitats and provide

bird species lists, area maps and Wi-Fi internet

access.

Guiding is available by arrangement.

We offer packages for individuals and small groups.

Carol and Andrew Iles

RN6, Mt. Kooyong Road

Julatten QLD 4871

Ph: (07) 4094 1263

Email: [email protected]

www.birdwatchers.com.au

I frequently encountered University of Montana

students there for a semester studying birds. They are

banding birds and tracking the dispersal of fledglings

using small transmitters – advances in technology

have made possible things that were not a few years

ago.

As I was not working across a range of altitudes and

habitats I missed a number of species but found plenty

to concentrate on. I did, however, miss the third-ever

Siberian Rubythroat Lascinia calliope for Sabah, which

was showing well near the Power Station. The arrival

of a ‘mega-tick’ species like this results in an

extraordinary response amongst photographers, with

more long barrels on display than in the adjacent US

Fleet.

I spent quite some time in the Botanical Garden in the

Park – it is not quite what it used to be – the signage

could be improved – but the range of plants on show,

including the Critically Endangered ultramafic-obligate

orchid Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, is terrific.

Rafflesia (Bunga Pakma) is the State Flower of Sabah

but not found on the mountain. However, blooms were

showing at nearby lower-altitude Kundasan and are a

major tourist draw card, and at Poring in lowland

rainforest at 570 m in the southeast margin of the

Park. Sabah Park Service has a web-based reporting

service on where Rafflesia is blooming but it was not

operating on the several occasions I checked it.

On the way back down to KK the effect of the current

El Niño was everywhere apparent; I have never seen it

so dry and fires so frequent. This is a recurring theme

in much of Malaysia at the moment; \coupled with

unprecedented high temperatures, lack of rain, and

smoke and smog, conditions are quite uncomfortable.

Back in KK I visited Tanjung Aru Beach and the

adjacent Taman Prince Phillip near the airport, a

reliable site for the Near Threatened Blue-naped Parrot

Tanygnathus lucionensis, now nearly extirpated from

its former Philippines stronghold. I managed an

acceptable image of the Common Iora Aegithina tiphia

and views of the established exotic Chinese Crested

Myna Acridotheres cristatellus before the politics of

wandering along a beach covered with bikinis girls

while carrying a 500 mm lens got the better of me and

I retreated to a coffee shop to cool off.

Was a 10-day visit enough? No. Will I be going back?

Probably…

Article and images courtesy of Gary Wilson


http://www.birdwatchers.com.au/



Inaugural National Twitchathon

for Fun and Conservation Funds

Birdlife Australia will conduct an annual Twitchathon as a National Event for the first time on October

29 and 30 this year. There will be three events:

a 24 hour race

an 8 hour race

and a new event called the Birdathon – in this participants can use three separate hours over a 24

hour period

Each state/region will run local events, however there will be:

National results

Dedicated Birdlife Australia national webpage

National promotion campaign

It's time for North Queensland Branch members to get their teams together and start planning their

strategies to see the greatest number of birds and to raise the greatest amount of money for the birds.

With our outstanding habitat and great diversity of birds our teams should go very well in the races. If

you have never tried before this could be a great chance.

Last year NSW members raised $25,000. In Victoria their funds were targeting mallee bird

conservation, especially the Mallee Emu-wren. In Queensland last year funds raised went to assist the

Carpentarian Grasswren.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

1. Teams competing in the 24hr race must start between 2pm and 6pm on Saturday and finish their

race 24hrs after start time. Minimum of three members and majority of members must see/hear each

bird.

2. Teams competing in the 12hr race must start between 6am Saturday and 6am on Sunday and finish

their race 12hrs after start time. Minimum of two members with majority recording each species.

3. Team start times must be pre-determined and included on the registration form, but can be

changed by contacting the race coordinator up until 6pm on Sunday, 23 October 2016.

4. The Birdathon involves each participant selecting three separate hours (within a 24-hour period) in

which to identify the maximum number of species.

5. Results must be completed by 6 pm on the Sunday at the latest.

FUN FINISH

The Branch Committee will be arranging a social event on the Cairns Esplanade to mark the end of the

Twitchathon – most likely at about 4pm on the Sunday with a chance for teams to finish their race with

a BBQ social. Final scores will be tallied and sent to the National Coordinator so provisional winners can

be identified. Complete lists will need to be emailed to the State/National Coordinators as soon as

possible after the event.

Members should form their teams and let the local Coordinator know as soon as possible to be kept

informed about final rules, prizes and activities. There will be a website established soon. Volunteers to

assist organise and coordinate the NQ Branch event are being sought. Please contact Peter Valentine if

you can help ([email protected]). Updates will come out through BLNQ eNews courtesy of

Doug Herrington (will there be a team called Doug's Drongos?). Peter Valentine



Byerstown (Palmer River) 1 – 3 OCTOBER 2016

I would like to invite you to my place at Byerstown

(Palmer River), just 16kms off the Mulligan Hwy, for

the October long Weekend.

I am fortunate enough to live at Byerstown on a very

large dam that was left by a gold-mining company 30

odd years ago. The dam is about 6 kms in

circumference and we have very few full-time

neighbours, three adults and a dog, so the bird life can

be amazing. Over the last 13 years I have personally

seen 131 bird species, either in my yard, around the

dam or between my place and the highway.

We have the usual permanent residents like Jacanas,

Australasian Grebes, Bustards, Lapwings, Great

Bowerbirds, Squatter Pigeons, Common Bronzewings,

Double-barred Finches, Pale-headed Rosellas, Red-

winged Parrots, Grey-crowned Babblers, Laughing &

Blue-winged Kookaburras, Azure, Forest and Sacred

Kingfishers, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants,

and Darters. We also have annual visitors such as Red-

tailed Black-Cockatoos, Banded and Scarlet

Honeyeaters, Black-throated Finches, with White-

bellied Sea-Eagles and Wedge-tailed Eagles also

visiting from time to time. In recent years a Red-

backed Kingfisher has visited, as have Red-kneed and

Black-fronted Dotterels, Horsfield’s Busklarks, Black-

faced, Masked and White-browed Woodswallows and

Budgies. October is the time of year when other water

sources are starting to dry up, so birds move to our

place and our permanent water supply.

There is a lot of country to explore around my dam

and its surrounds. We can also check out the Palmer

River crossing that’s just over the dam from my place,

the Little Palmer River crossing, and other locations on

Old Maitland Station.

The Palmer River Roadhouse has a great BBQ on

Saturday nights for just $10 per head. I thought this

would be a great chance to catch up with friends and

to have a few quiet drinks. They also have a range of

accommodation options, including cabins, donger

accommodation and powered or unpowered sites.

Everyone’s welcome to join me for what I hope will be

an enjoyable weekend. If you have any questions,

please ask.

By the way, the Palmer River crossing in the photos is

near my place. The river is still flowing at the moment,

but it may not be in October, I’ll keep you posted.

Cheers Lynette Ensor

Contact Details: [email protected]

Accommodation Bookings:

Palmer River Roadhouse or phone (07) 4060 2020

Double-barred Finch

My dam

Palmer River Crossing

Striated Pardalote nesting



Cairns Birding Festival Birding Festival, daily bird walks, competitions, big-day bird race,

bird watching, bird-fun – Cairns, Australia.

27 August to 4 September, 2016

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Saturday, 27 August

0730–1700 Michaelmas Cay on Ocean Spirit. Enquiries to Andy, [email protected] / 04 7616 7713;

1600–1800 Esplanade bird-watching with the 4 o'clock club;

1800–2000 A bird quiz and talk with Tom Collis, at Cominos House; for all ages.

Sunday, 28 August

0730–1030 Black Mountain Road bird walk, with Birding Cairns & Birdlife North Queensland;

1400–1800 Welcome the Waders return, with Birdlife North Queensland & Paul Fiske;

1600–1800 Esplanade bird watching with the 4 o'clock club.

Monday, 29 August

0630–0730 Esplanade bird walk with Andy or Doug, meet opposite the RSL;

0800–1030 Yorkey's Knob bird walk;

1200–1600 Meet Colin on the Esplanade, sitting opposite the RSL;


Tuesday, 30 August

0630–0730 Esplanade bird walk with Andy or Doug, meet opposite the RSL;

0830–1030 Botanic Gardens-Lakes bird walk with John & Brian;



Wednesday, 31 August

0630–0730 Esplanade bird walk with Andy, meet opposite the RSL;

0800–1000 Redden Is. bird walk;



Thursday, 1st Sept – Torresian Pigeon Day

0630–0730 Esplanade bird walk with Doug, meet opposite the RSL;

0830–1230 Birds from the Bus – for the old and infirm – get picked up to watch and photograph birds

around the town from the vehicle. Ring Andy on 04 7616 7713, or email [email protected], for a seat;


1600–1800 Cattanna Wetlands bird and nature walk with David Anderson.



Cairns Birding Festival continued

Friday, 2 September

0630–0730 Esplanade bird walk with Andy, meet opposite the RSL;

0800–1030 Crystal Cascades bird walk;



Saturday, 3 September

Big Day bird race, midnight to midnight or less if you prefer; see below for rules.

Sunday, 4 September

0630–0930 The monthly Cairns Birds Centenary Lakes Walk.

Meet on Greenslopes St, opposite the phone box.

1600–1800 Esplanade bird-watching with prizes to:

the first to have seen a Beach Thicknee during the festival;

the first to have seen a newly arrived Torresian Pigeon this season;

Bird Photo Competition;

Junior Bird Photo Competition; and

Big Day winners.

BIG DAY BIRD RACE RULES

Teams of two or more must be registered with Birding Cairns (txt to 04 7616 7713 or email

[email protected]) before the competition starts at 2400 hrs on 2 September = 0000hrs on 3

September

All species identified by sight or sound by a majority of team members and found on Cairns Area List

Bird Race teams may start and finish at any time during the calendar day

All teams must keep in normal voice contact at all times

Driving teams may have a non-participating driver

There shall be no advice whatsoever ON THE DAY to team members from the public, including a non-

participating driver, by sign, voice, mobile phone, etc.

No artificial objects may be used to attract birds

Teams must use surface travel only (walking, biking, driving) during the 24 hrs and count only the

species within a day's surface travel of Cairns (e.g. Georgetown with a mostly new suite of species is

less than 5 hrs drive to the west of Cairns and the Golden-shouldered Parrot at Artemis Station is about

the same distance to the north)

The competition is on the calendar day of 6 September, i.e. it finishes at midnight 6 September

Final numbers could be sent by text to 04 7616 7713 or emailed to [email protected] or completed

entries to be presented to the judges before 1600 hrs at the Esplanade on 4 September

Any violation of these conditions will result in disqualification

The judge’s decision will be final

Results will be announced at the Esplanade 4 September, at 1600

Please note, the program may change due to unforeseen circumstances. For more information

about any of the above events and to register: contact Andy, [email protected] / 0476 167 713.



Noticeboard

From the Editor

Once again a big thank you to all our contributors to

this issue of Contact Call.

Please keep the images, articles, observations, activity

and trip reports and reviews coming in. Please email

them to [email protected]

FINAL Newsletter deadline for 2016

Monday, October 10 for the December edition

Please note, if you have requested to receive printed

newsletters from BirdLife Australia, these are usually

posted out with the Australian BirdLife Magazine. The

electronic version of Contact Call is available earlier,

via email or on our web site, usually in February, May,

August and November/December each year.

Want to advertise in Contact Call?

Advertisements and sponsorship help support BirdLife

Northern Queensland. Any profit is used for education

and conservation projects. The advertisements must

be relevant to BirdLife Northern Queensland members

and compatible with BirdLife Australia objectives and

fund raising guidelines.

Quarter page advertisements for four issues can be

purchased for $80 plus GST, or $25 plus GST for

single-issue advertisements. Contact the Editor of

Contact Call for further information.

Activities

Check out the BirdLife Northern Queensland activities

lined up for the rest of 2016 in the event calendar.

Please do come and join us. You do not have to be a

BirdLife member or an expert birder. Most of us are

still learning and keen to share the fun. Everybody is

welcome.

For more information about an event, contact the

leader listed or check the website.

Do you want more?

The Cairns Birding Group holds regular birdwatching

walks on the first Sunday of each month at Centenary

Lakes and a field trip to various locations on the third

Sunday of each month. Contact John Seale on 4052

1195 or check their website at

www.cairnsbirding.blogspot.com. Please note this

group is not BirdLife Australia affiliated but many

members of the group are BirdLife members too.

National Bird Week

National Bird Week 2016 will take place

between Monday, 17 October and Sunday,

23 October

You can celebrate National Bird Week by taking part in

the biggest citizen science project to hit Aussie shores!

From 17-23 October 2016, thousands of people from

across the country are heading out into their

backyards, local parks or favourite open spaces to take

part in the third annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count!

The Nation counted 1,009,894 birds (563 species) in

2015. That is the record to smash in 2016. Go to:

www.aussiebirdcount.org.au for more information


http://www.cairnsbirding.blogspot.com/

http://www.aussiebirdcount.org.au/



What’s on in FNQ 2016? Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Contact the leader

Thursday 18 Aug

7:30pm

Malanda

Hotel Dining Room

Guest speaker Dr Clifford Frith

will talk on – Darwin's contributions to ornithology

Peter Valentine [email protected]

26–29 Aug All areas Queensland Twitchathon (please note this is not a BirdLife event)

http://www.birdsqueensland.org.au/twitches.php

27 Aug – 4 Sept

Cairns Cairns Birding Festival (see pages 21-22) Andy, [email protected] 04 7616 7713

Saturday 3 Sept

Malanda area

Crane Counts Day, late afternoon roost count and/or dinner (See front page of this newsletter)

Virginia Simmonds 07 4095 8302

Saturday 10 Sept

7:30pm

Cominos House, 27 Greenslopes St, Edge Hill

Talk on Tooth-billed Bowerbirds by Graham Harrington and Amanda Freeman

Graham Harrington 0448 055 077 or [email protected]

19–25 Sept Tableland Crane Week (please note this is not a BirdLife event)

Gwyneth Nevard: 4089 2307 or email [email protected] or Caroline O'Reilly, 4096 6957 or email [email protected]

1–3 Oct Palmer River Byerstown (Palmer River) long weekend (see details page 20)

Lynette Ensor [email protected]

14–17 Oct Yourka Bush Heritage Bird Survey of Yourka Station Graham Harrington 0448 055 077 or [email protected]

17–23 Oct Aussie Bird Count and National Bird Week (See page 23). Additional local events may also be arranged in each area

http://BirdLife.org.au/get-involved/whats-on/bird-week/

Thursday 20 Oct

7:30pm Malanda Hotel Dining room

Talk – on “Night Birds” and spotlighting session

Peter Valentine [email protected] or Martin Willis 0412 642 141

29–30 Oct All areas INAUGURAL NATIONAL TWITCHATHON (See page 19 for details)

Peter Valentine [email protected]

19 Nov 4–6pm Any coastal area

2016 PIP Count (see page 16 for details)

Julia Hazel [email protected] or 0407 431 382

November or early December

4pm Ayton Weary Bay PIP Count Kath Shurcliff 07 4096 5051

Nov Cairns Brian Venables and Return of the White Birds (to be confirmed)

Tom Collis 0401 783 795 or [email protected]

3–4 Dec All areas Challenge Count http://BirdLife.org.au/get-involved/whats-on/challenge-count/

Thursday 15 Dec

Malanda Christmas Party Sam and Martin Willis 0412 642 141 [email protected]

Thursday 29 Dec

Cooktown New Year’s Party – Endeavour River boat cruise

Kath Shurcliff 07 4096 5051

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