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Contact Call
Newsletter of Birdlife Northern Queensland Volume 4 Number 1. February-March 2015
birds are in our nature
Newsletter Contents
1. From the Convenor – time to be strategic
2. Information about the upcoming AGM
3. Lloyd Nielsen wins the prestigious John
Hobbs Medal, with celebrations at Ringers
Rest Mareeba
4. On the lookout for Australian Panted Snipe
5. White-bellied Crimson Finch observations
6. Grasswrens may bounce back
7. Australia day weekend at Kingfisher Park
Birdwatchers Lodge
8. Hornswaggling in Malaysia
9. Identifying the yellow spot honeyeaters
10. Keep an eye out for the destructive weed
Limnocharis
11. Birding for Beginners (BfB) a big success
12. Notice board and Activities for 2015
Birding for
Beginners with
Graham Harrington
If you are interested in learning
how to look for and identify
birds, then this FREE beginners
workshop is for you.
Meet at Cairns (Flecker) Botanic
Gardens information centre at
7am on Saturday 11th April.
Contact Graham Harrington at
Phone 4096 5051 or 0423 794
836 to book. Bring binoculars,
or let us know if you need to
borrow binoculars.
Please register with Graham
Harrington
Ph: 4096 5051 or 0423 794 836
Red-winged Parrot Seen close up, the colours on an adult male Red-winged Parrot have to be seen to be believed. No photoshop
saturation adjustments! Dominic Chaplin (AIPP Accredited Photographer) & Lisa Tanner
Creating beautiful images for the people of Far North Queensland since 1995 www.pinecreekpictures.com.au
Easter Campout at Cooktown For more information about this activity as well
as other upcoming meetings, outings and
surveys, visit the activities section of this
newsletter, or our website for the latest details
http://birdlifenq.org/
Spotted Whistling-duck. Image courtesy of Dr Eric Sohn Joo
Tan www.moutainsbeyond.org
2 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
From the Convenor -
Time to be Strategic Hope you have all had a good start to 2015. The
rains have finally come at last! At the moment, I
have young birds begging from all round my garden
and a few ambitious parents are even starting to
nest again! Numerous birds are making full use of
the bird baths throughout the garden, during the
hot afternoons before the storms set in. And the
rains have triggered flowering in many plants – a
great time of the year to be a bird and a
birdwatcher!
During the holiday break, your committee has been
active, preparing a program of activities for the year
– check it out on page 19-20 of this newsletter.
The first thing you should notice is that except for
the AGM in March, we have shifted the regular
meeting day to the third Saturday of each month.
This was to avoid conflict with several long
weekends at the beginning of the month, and give
our members the opportunity to go birding further
afield, as well as ensuring that we had use of
Cominos House for our Cairns meetings.
We have also decided that the time is right for us to
be a bit more strategic, as there are so many
possibilities for us to spend our limited time and
energy and resources on. We are going to develop
a 5-year strategic plan, so that we just don't get
lost in the day-to-day needs and reacting to all the
requests we receive. We will use the national
BirdLife strategic plan as the starting point, and
develop some specific goals and actions we will
work on over the coming years. The national
strategic plan has the overall goals of:
1. Improve conservation outcomes, by mitigating
threats to birds and their habitat; identify solutions
to bird and habitat threats; and monitor bird
populations and habitat trends.
2. Promote appreciation and understanding of
birds, by having a large network of people who give
their money, time and expertise to BirdLife, and the
community values BirdLife Australia.
3. Build one strong organisation through the
BirdLife network.
What are the local achievements you would like us
to reach over the next 5 years? And what are the
actions we could take to get us on our way to
making those achievements a reality? We would
welcome your ideas, so please contact any member
of the committee with your thoughts, or email me
directly at [email protected].
Good birding
Kath Shurcliff
The Birdlife Northern Queensland committee, from left: Kath
Shurcliff, Sam and Martin Willis, Ceri Pearce, Graham
Harrington, Murray Hunt, Ian Northcott, Dominic Chaplin,
Doug Herrington, Peter Valentine and Mikey Kudo
Your Birdlife Northern Queensland Committee
Convenor - Kath Shurcliff
Deputy Convenor – Martin Willis
Secretary - Murray Hunt
Treasurer - Ian Northcott
Activities Coordinator - Doug Herrington
IBA Coordinator - Graham Harrington
Birdlists and Brochures - Dominic Chaplin
Conservation Coordinator – Peter Valentine
Crane Count Coordinator - Virginia Simmonds
Outreach/Media Officer – Sam Willis
Website Management - Mikey Kudo
Newsletter Editor - Ceri Pearce
Contact us:
email: [email protected]
www.birdlifenq.org
3 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Birdlife Northern Queensland Annual General Meeting 2015
The BirdLife Northern Queensland AGM, will be held on Saturday, 7th March 2015, at Cominos House in
Cairns, starting at 5.00pm
Please mark the date in your calendar, and consider nominating for a position.
Nominations are called for the following
positions:
Convenor
Deputy Convenor
Secretary
Treasurer
Committee Members
Birdlife Northern Queensland Committee
Nomination Form
Position:
_______________________________________
Nominee:
______________________________________
Nominated by:
__________________________________
Seconded by:
___________________________________
I hereby accept this nomination: (signature of nominee)
_________________________________
Date:
_________________________________________
Please return this form before the meeting to
Don't miss the AGM
Saturday 7th March, Cominos House, Cairns
5pm: AGM, then pizza, followed by our
special guest speaker:
Dr. Steve Murphy will be presenting
Fire and birds in north
Queensland and central
Australia.
Image courtesy of Mundi Allen
DONT FORGET
TO RENEW
YOUR
MEMBERSHIP
Contact us: Birdlife Northern
Queensland committee
Email: [email protected]
www.birdlifenq.org
4 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Lloyd Nielsen, Del Richards, Alan Gillanders and Murray Hunt
with painting donated by Bill Cooper
Prestigious award for
Lloyd Nielsen
Over 70 people thoroughly enjoyed the BirdLife Northern Queensland social event of the century, the John Hobbs Medal presentation at the Ringers Rest, Mareeba.
The John Hobbs Medal was awarded to Lloyd Nielsen for a lifetime of devotion to bird studies. He was proposed by Alan Gillanders and Del Richards. A stunning piece of art work was specially commissioned by Australia’s best wildlife artist, William T. Cooper. Bill very kindly produced the painting of the elusive Buff-breasted Button-quail free of charge in appreciation of Lloyd’s work. In addition it was beautifully framed free of charge by Australian Art Framers in Cairns.
The John Hobbs Medal is awarded annually previously by the RAOU and now by BirdLife Australia for “outstanding contributions to ornithology as an amateur scientist”. It commemorates John Hobbs (1920-1990) and was first awarded in 1990.
In addition we were treated to two other top speakers.
Sean Dooley, ‘BirdLife Australia’ magazine editor, birding celebrity and author, gave a hilarious account of ‘The Big Twitch’, his yearlong campaign to see a record number of bird species in Australia.
International writer and broadcaster Steven Moss, BAFTA Award winning producer with the BBC Natural History Unit, was our last speaker. Steven kept us all amused with clips from his nature film making career and gave us insights into his work with Bill Oddie. His presentation finished with a stunning montage of video segments showcasing the best of BBC wildlife filming over the last 50 years.
Dominic Chaplin
5 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
The crowd arrives
Ian Montgomery, Margaret & David Merrall
Alan Gillanders and Del Richards
Paul and Jean Newman, Dawn Magarry
Doug Herrington, Pippy Cannon, John Seale, Andy Anderson, Ann Anderson
Ian Northcott, our trusty treasurer
Rupert Russell and Graham Harrington enjoy a chat and a beer
One of our photographers of the evening, Dominic Chaplin. Thanks also to Doug Herrington.
Lloyd Nielsen, accepting the award
The crowd listens attentively
Sean Dooley with map of his travels during the Big Twitch
Kath Shurcliff presents Sean & Stephen with a collector’s edition BirdLife Northern Queensland mug
The John Hobbs Medal Award Night at Ringers Rest, Mareeba.
6 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
My Sincere Thanks I would like to thank everyone who attended my
presentation of the J.N. Hobbs medal on Saturday
night, 1st November. It was a great night and
greatly appreciated. The presentation of the Bill
Cooper painting of the Buff-breasted Button-quail
was a huge surprise – thanks immensely to
everyone. Thanks too, to Janet Goodall who kindly
made the very beautiful and professional plaque. I
will appreciate all of that for the rest of my life!
Being awarded the medal was such a surprise. I
thought there would have been a long line up of
people more eligible than me to receive it.
I did not get to see all people I wanted to see on
the night, some of whom I have not seen for quite a
while. I apologise too for forgetting some people’s
names!
Many thanks to Sean Dooley for coming from
Melbourne to do the presentation, also to those
great blokes and great mates Del Richards, Alan
Gillanders and Murray Hunt for the nomination and
organising everything. The organisation could not
be faulted. Special thanks to Dorothy Window who
has helped me in the background for many years
and without whom I could not have achieved all
that has been done.
Someone said to me a couple of days after the
presentation that the North Queensland birding
community is a great community. I thoroughly
agree.
Lloyd Nielsen, Mt Molloy
To learn more about Lloyd
on Twitter, go to
https://twitter.com/faroutqld/status/556002269468
971009
or in the Cairns Post, go to:
http://www.cairnspost.com.au/endangered-cape-
york-quail-near-cairns-keeps-experienced-
birdwatcher-on-the-hunt/story-fnnjfpar-
1227143115207
or check out the webpage:
http://www.birdingaustralia.com.au/lloyd.html
On the lookout for Australian Painted
Snipe
Australian Painted Snipe have been extremely
scarce this year. There were only nine records on e-
bird of this species in the whole country for 2013.
But in addition the Northern Gulf Resource
Management Group saw one on their survey at
Tallaroo Station, 50 km East of Georgetown and
another at Flat Creek Station, about 50km SW of
Georgetown.
Hopefully a small pocket of these mysterious birds
is persisting in our region. If you happen to come
across an Australian Painted Snipe make sure you
fill in an Atlas report and also alert Chris Purnell at
BirdLife Head Office.
Article and image by Dominic Chaplin
Birds are in our nature
For Coming Events and activities in the
North Queensland area
Visit these websites for the latest details:
www.birdlifenq.org
www.birdlifetownsville.org.au
7 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
White-bellied Crimson
Finch Observations During November 2014 I was observing a small
flock of White-bellied Crimson Finches along the
Normanby River in Lakefield NP. Weather conditions
had been hot and dry for some weeks and the
closest available billabong had been reduced to
churned up mud around the edges.
The finches were spending a lot of time on the
ground foraging for seed and a couple were noted
to fly into a stand of yellowing Cane Grass. Under
closer scrutiny one bird was noted to be "chewing"
a frayed section of growing stem. Upon further
inspection this stem had been visited regularly and
it appeared that the birds were sucking some form
of sugar from the stem itself. This happened early
in the morning when sap flow in the grass would
have been more likely.
In view of the above circumstances nutrient value
of the surrounding food resources was at this time
in the "Dry" very much lacking.
Del. Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman
White-bellied Crimson Finch image by Paul Newman, Brisbane.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
Grasswrens may
bounce back I spent a productive morning on McNamara Rd near
Mt Isa in early December looking for Carpentarian
Grasswrens. It was raining out in Mt Isa and the
district was looking quite green with water
everywhere and grass growing. The gullies around
the stone cairn at km 8 were all full. The spinifex
was looking green, healthy and getting quite dense.
McNamara Road was still incredibly busy with road
trains, mining vehicles, road graders etc. passing all
the time. I was prepared for a long hot day trudging
about and seeing nothing. So no one was more
startled than me to see a Carpentaria Grasswren
singing his heart out on top of a small mound of
stones, right next to the road, from the car window
before I had even got there!
This was about 200m from the new stone cairn. I
explored about 1.5km down the side road from
09.30-12.30 seeing 2 more pairs of CGWs and one
single bird including this very perky one in the
photos. He was moderately easy to approach, even
going up a couple of meters into small trees to sing.
It is hard to know if I saw the same birds twice as
they are incredibly fast and mobile but there were
definitely 4 separate animals and probably up to 6.
I put a new notebook inside the stone cairn so
future visitors can report their findings. I am
thinking of putting this report on birding-aus with a
request for people to make use of the notebook.
Cross your fingers but perhaps these Grasswrens
are bouncing back.
Dominic Chaplin
Carpentarian Grasswren photographed in early December
near Mt Isa. Image by Dominic Chaplin
8 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
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
9 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Australia Day
Weekend 2015: Kingfisher Park
Birdwatchers Lodge Thirty birders undertook their annual migration to
Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge for the Australia
Day weekend. Hosted by Keith & Lindsay Fisher, the
weekend kicked off with a very social gathering for
dinner at the Highlander Tavern.
The lure of Mt Lewis was the next temptation, so
Saturday morning saw us venturing up the
mountain. Many of the group were rewarded on
arrival at the grassy clearing, about 10km from the
Bushy Creek crossing at the base of the mountain.
This site is well known as Blue-faced Parrot-finch
habitat. Flocks of Red-browed Finch were found
feeding in the seeded grasses, accompanied by the
occasional but elusive Blue-faced Parrot-finch. Only
one or two of the latter were seen. The Red-brows
were nesting, so were very active, carrying nesting
material to and fro across the clearing.
The group then explored along the road and down
the track to the old tin miners dam. Other good
sightings during the morning were Eastern Spinebill,
Chowchilla, Mountain Thornbill, Atherton Scrubwren
and Bowers Shrike-thrush.
As we headed down the mountain for lunch at
Kingfisher Park, the clouds gathered and our trip
back was accompanied by a wet season deluge.
By mid-afternoon, the skies had cleared again.
Carol led a birding excursion down McDougall Rd to
explore the creeks and lagoons there. Then, the
evening was spent sharing a communal dinner
followed by a presentation about Christmas Island
natural history and birds, by well-known local bird
guide and ‘birding’ radio celebrity, Del Richards.
Sunday was a big day birding. At 6.15 am sharp,
Keith and Carol Iles led a morning walk around the
lodge grounds and local vicinity. Three species of
monarchs were seen: Spectacled, Black–faced and
Pied. Other great sightings were Pale-vented
Bushen, Fairy Gerygone, Fork-Tailed Swift , White-
throated Needle-tail, Yellow-breasted Boatbill and
three Papuan Frogmouth. It was also hard to ignore
the beautiful Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
flitting everywhere, possessed with the task of
preparing their nests for breeding season. There
were around 7 nests under construction in the park
grounds alone, with one right behind the communal
camp kitchen. However, the best bird of the
morning had to be the prompt arrival of a Red-
necked Crake at 7.30am at the Crake Pool. He
seemed quite unperturbed by the observers as he
paddled and plopped in the shallows with his feet,
stirring up breakfast.
After a quick breakfast ourselves, we set out with
Del Richards for Clackerty Rd and surrounds. On
arrival to our first stop, Alan Gillanders quickly
spotted a nesting Macleay’s Honeyeater, with Del
locating a Black-faced Monarch nesting not 50 m
away. We explored the area including Jeannette and
Fred Birkbeck’s extensive gardens at
Feathers’n’friends.
After lunch, Carol and Keith lead a walk around
local cane headlands by a rainforest lined stream.
This was followed by a visit to Abattoir Swamp,
which has recently undergone some much needed
repairs to the boardwalk. A Varied Triller being
harassed by a Rufous Whistler caught our attention,
as did the good views of Northern Fantail,
Cicadabird, and a nesting Brown-backed
Honeyeater. A detour to Wessel Rd to find drier
woodland birds completed the afternoon.
The evening was spent watching a DVD, filmed at
the Lodge, about the breeding cycle of the Buff-
breasted Paradise-Kingfisher.
A leisurely Monday morning was spent in and
around the Lodge and for those who stayed long
enough, Australia Day was celebrated with a cuppa
and Lamingtons.
Complete bird lists compiled over the weekend can
be found on Eremea e-Bird. Special thanks to Keith
and Lindsay Fisher, Carol Iles and Del Richards for
organising the weekend and making it such a
success.
Ceri Pearce
Red-necked Crake. Image courtesy of Keith Fisher
10 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Oriental Pied Hornbill
One of the climbers ascending to the canopy
Positioning the camera trap
Hornswoggling in
Malaysia Few avian taxa elicit such strong responses as
hornbills. The ca. 50 species are Palaeotropical, with
ten occurring in Malaysia; Buceros rhinoceros, the
Rhinoceros Hornbill, is the national and Sabah
emblem. Having said that, some hornbills are not
doing well, six of these ten has a global
conservation status of Near Threatened (NT) and
one of Vulnerable. These large, generally
frugivorous, birds are being affected by of loss of
habitat and breeding sites due to clearing of forest
and corridors between remnant areas of forest, and
hunting pressure and poaching. The solid ivory
casque of the largest (to 127 cm) and NT Helmeted
Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, is taken for carving.
Studies and efforts to conserve hornbills are being
conducted across Asia. The best known of these are
being co-ordinated by Prof. Pilai Poonswad in
Thailand, the Malaysian Nature Society (MSN) in
both Peninsular and Bornean Malaysia, and
researchers at Danum Valley, and Danau Girung
Field Station on the Kinabatangan River, in Sabah.
In Malaysia in 2014 some of my activities focussed
on the conservation of hornbills in that country. In
August, Monash University Malaysia ecologist Dr
Robyn Wilson (who is also my wife) and I visited
Palau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) to repeat surveys of
hornbills and the introduced House Crow, Corvus
splendens. Pangkor is atypical of most coastal
locations in western Peninsular Malaysia as the
forest cover is mainly intact, coastal development
restrained, the beaches clean and the water clear -
you can take the family, they can enjoy themselves,
and you can watch the birds in comfort.
An attraction on Pangkor is the numerous Oriental
Pied Hornbills, Anthracoceros albirostris, and
several pairs of the NT Giant Hornbill, Buceros
bicornis. A good location to stay and see them is
Telok Nipah (Nipah Village - which has a terrific
beach), where for 14 years retired electronics
engineer Noordin bin Bakar has been monitoring the
activities of both species. Each evening Noordin
feeds bananas to the Orientals and provides an
interpretative spiel to visitors. During the day he
runs Sunset View Chalets but needs little persuasion
to go off in search of hornbills. Suffice to say we did
our surveys, enjoyed the good company and
ambience, and obtained the photos we needed.
11 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
In September, I accompanied Robyn and her PhD
student Ravinda Singh to Sukau on the
Kinabatangan River in Sabah to set up a program to
monitor the activities of hornbills there and
determine what are the preferred parameters for
nesting by the different species. The Kinabatangan
is a green corridor through an increasingly
disturbed habitat, and is the focus of a thriving
tourism industry with hornbills, Orang utan and
Probocis Monkeys, and Bornean Pygmy Elephants
being amongst the attractions. Loss of surrounding
forest, mainly to oil palm plantations, means less
area of habitat is available to these species and
more human-animal conflicts are occurring. For the
hornbills, fewer trees with hollows suitable for
nesting are available and the provision of nest
boxes is being trialled as an ameliorative response.
We were working with the Sukau-based Hutan
Foundation, who also have long-term survey and
management programs of primates and elephants
in progress. Prior to our arrival some of their staff
had erected nest boxes at various heights in
selected trees and identified previously used natural
nest sites. I was impressed by the skills of the
climbers in hoisting nest boxes weighing as much as
70 kg as high as 40 m. I was equally as impressed
as the team then re-climbed those trees to position
data loggers inside and adjacent the nest boxes and
in natural nest sites, and camera traps adjacent
them to record activities about them.
Conditions were extreme as the Wet Season was
late and daytime temperatures were in the mid-30s.
Only by working 10-hour days, with climbers up
trees an average six hours a day, were we able to
position the recording equipment. Conditions were
all the more demanding as Asian hornets had
invaded several nest boxes and nest locations and
several climbers were severely stung by them. The
response to this problem was to return at night
when the hornets were less active, re-climb the
trees and neutralize the hornets!
This is a long-term project and only a small part of
wider activities to conserve Malaysia’s rich
biodiversity. However, it is pleasing to report that
within a week of our placing the recording
equipment, images downloaded from cards in the
cameras showed hornbills of several species
inspecting the nest boxes and nesting hollows being
monitored. They also showed inquisitive Long-tailed
Macaques testing the mounting of the cameras and
re-orientating several – one never can
underestimate the capabilities of a primate.
Climbers installing a nest box
Robyn Wilson and Noordin bin Bakar feeding one of the
hornbill at Telok Nipah
Images and article by Gary Wilson
12 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Identifying Lewin’s, Yellow-spotted and Graceful
honeyeaters is one of the ongoing challenges for
birders especially those visiting the Wet Tropics.
Lewin’s is the easiest of the three to identify but
separating Graceful from Yellow-spotted can be
frustrating to say the least. There are a few helpful
pointers but even so, there are times when one just
shakes one’s head.
Much has been written about identification in this
group. The older field guides often stated that each
could be separated by the shape of the ear-patch
i.e. Lewin’s had a half-moon shaped, Yellow-spotted
had a diamond shaped and Graceful had round.
However, that was a fallacy. To add to the
confusion, the description of Lewin’s was made on
the southern race which ranges north only to about
Rockhampton. It does have a half-moon shaped
ear-patch. However, the Wet Tropics race has a
different ear-patch which does not resemble a half-
moon!
A number of other “differences” have been put
forward but when one examines enough
photographs and live birds, it becomes obvious that
there is variation and overlap, especially in
Graceful, such that it makes all of these fairly
useless.
Bill shape has more recently been given as useful
for separation of Yellow-spotted and Graceful, the
bottom line of the lower mandible in Yellow-spotted
being straight while that in Graceful is curved.
However, I have many photographs of each species
which indicate that there is too much variation,
especially in Graceful, for this feature to be useful. I
have photographs of Graceful Honeyeaters with a
bill almost as long and curved as that of an Eastern
Spinebill and others with a straight lower mandible
line and the bill as short as that of a Yellow-spotted.
Where a honeyeater has an obviously curved bill
however, it can only be a Graceful.
Calls, as described below are the best guide. It has
sometimes been stated that the single note of the
Graceful is occasionally uttered by the Yellow-
spotted. In twenty-three years in the Wet Tropics, I
have never heard a Yellow-spotted give a call other
than its own. I suspect there has been an unseen
Graceful in the background when this has been
noted.
Forehead colour is sometimes given as a discerning
feature – that of Lewin’s being darker than the
crown, but the same colour as the crown in Yellow-
spotted and Graceful. Lewin’s certainly has a darker
forehead but there are better features to identify
that species.
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Normally confined to the higher rainforests but with
a considerable altitudinal migration through the dry
season – usually from about April to late August. At
this time, it can reach the coast.
Fairly easily identified by its bluish eye and grey
lores. It has a “larger honeyeater” appearance with
slower movements.
1. Call: A long loud exploding series of quick down-
scale staccato rattling notes often described as
“machine-gun like”.
2. Eye: Diagnostic greyish-blue. Juvenile Lewin’s is
sometimes said to have brown eyes. I have had
Identifying the yellow spot honeyeaters by Lloyd Nielsen
Lewin’s Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater
These three images courtesy of Ian Montgomery: Birdway.com
13 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Lewin’s coming to my feeder for many years and
obviously some are juveniles but I have never seen
a Lewin’s with a brown eye.
3. Face: Distinct and diagnostic grey area between
ear-spot, eye and gape.
4. Underparts: Subtly striated from lower throat to
under-tail coverts giving a shaggy look.
5. Bill: Shortish with a straight line to the lower
edge of the lower mandible.
6. Ear-spot: Subtly distinct from Yellow-spotted and
Graceful and diagnostic. Not “moon-shaped” in the
Wet Tropics as the field guides describe. The inner
edge is slightly convex or almost straight with a
small point (outward) in the middle.
Lewin's: head shot. Note ear spot shape, grey in front of ear
spot, eye colour (greyish-blue, except juveniles which may
have brown eyes), dark forehead and shaggy underparts.
Lewin's: - full body (Forty Mile Scrub). Note ear spot shape
grey in front of ear spot and shaggy underparts.
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
A bird of the lower coastal area, getting up to about
600 metres. Intermediate in size between Lewin’s
and Graceful.
1. Call: A series of loud, slow, deliberate notes,
slightly accelerating but descending in pitch.
Resembles a slower Lewin’s call.
2. Eye: Dark brown in all ages.
3. Face: Plain. Lacks grey in front of the ear spot of
Lewin’s.
4. Underparts: lightly striated from lower-breast to
under-tail coverts with similar shaggy look as in
Lewin’s. Throat and upper-breast are usually plain
which in head photographs can cause confusion
with Graceful.
5. Bill: Shorter than that of Lewin’s and Graceful
and always with a straight line to the lower edge of
the lower mandible. Does not vary as much as
Graceful.
6. Ear-spot: Roundish with a vague point at the top.
Not useful for identification.
Yellow-spotted: Note ear spot shape, slightly shaggy breast,
lack of grey in front of ear spot, brown eye and straight lower
edge to bill.
14 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Graceful Honeyeater
Also a bird of the lower altitudes. An obviously small
honeyeater with quick movements similar to Dusky
and Brown honeyeaters. Rare above about 500
metres.
1. Call: The common call in the Wet Tropics is a
single ‘tick’ resembling a hiccup.
2. Eye: Dark greyish-blue (diagnostic) which is
difficult to pick up in the field even at close quarters
when eye always looks dark-brown or blackish.
Useful when a photograph can be blown up and
eye-coloured determined. Brown in juveniles.
3. Face: Plain. Lacks grey between eye and ear-spot
of Lewin’s.
4. Underparts: Diagnostically plain and unstriated.
A diagnostic pale vertical streak on the centre of the
belly.
5. Bill: Variable but nearly always curved. Lower
edge of lower mandible is usually curved which is
diagnostic but can be straight.
6. Ear-spot: Small, roundish. Not useful for
identification.
The race of Graceful from Cape York Peninsula
(north of about Musgrave) differs considerably from
the Graceful of the Wet Tropics – so much in fact
that it would not be surprising if it were given full
species ranking at some time in the future. Not only
is it paler and slightly more yellowish, but it has a
series of about six rather complicated calls,
including the “tick”. The Wet Tropics bird utters only
the single “tick” call, although it does use another
call similar to one of the calls of the northern race
on very rare occasions, probably only at the start of
the breeding season.
(The above is a shortened version of an entry in a
section on birds difficult to identify from my
forthcoming, updated book – Birds of Queensland’s
Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef. All diagnostic
and other features have been illustrated separately
in the book).
Graceful Honeyeater: head shot - Adult. Note curved line to
lower edge of bill, ear spot shape, lack of grey in front of ear
spot, bluish eye and plain (not shaggy) underparts.
Graceful Honeyeater: (in hand) - Juvenile. Note straight line
of lower edge of bill, bluish-brown eye (juvenile) and plain
(not shaggy) underparts. The latter along with small size is
diagnostic for Graceful. This photograph and the other
(above) demonstrates the variation in the bill of the Graceful.
Article and images by Lloyd Nielsen,
Mount Molloy, NE Qld
www.birdingaustralia.com.au
15 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Keep an eye out for
the destructive weed Limnocharis It’s green, succulent, healthy and thriving, but we
don’t want it here! Next time you are out bird
watching in our beautiful natural environment here
in North Queensland, cast an eye over the plants
growing along the waterways you come across. You
might find Limnocharis.
Limnocharis is an exotic aquatic weed that has been
found on properties between Mossman and
Townsville. From the tropical regions of America,
Limnocharis is naturalised in parts of South East
Asia, Papua New Guinea and China.
Although it may look pretty, Limnocharis poses a
serious threat to agriculture and biodiversity in
northern Australia. It displaces native plants by
outcompeting them for space and resources,
drastically reducing the biodiversity in the area. It
grows in the shallows of riverbanks, dams, wetlands
and drains, creating silt traps and restricting water
flow which can lead to flooding. It can also restrict
human and livestock access to water and provide
favourable breeding sites for disease vectors like
mosquitoes.
Limnocharis was first identified in 2001 in North
Queensland, and has since been detected between
Mossman in the north, Atherton in the west and
Townsville in the south. Currently it is only found in
North Queensland, however potential distribution in
Australia includes northern regions of Western
Australia, the Northern Territory and coastal regions
of Queensland and New South Wales.
Limnocharis is a target species of the National Four
Tropical Weeds Eradication Program, managed by
Biosecurity Queensland and jointly funded by the
Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory, New
South Wales and Western Australian Governments.
As a declared Class 1 pest plant under the Land
Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act
2002, all landholders are required by law to keep
their land free of Limnocharis.
Limnocharis is an erect, anchored perennial aquatic
plant that forms clumps reaching up to one metre
above the waterline. It is generally found growing in
saturated, fertile and muddy conditions in drains,
dams, wetlands and waterways.
It has pale green, oval-shaped velvety leaves with
up to 15 parallel veins. Its leaves can grow up to 28
centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide. A
distinguishing feature of Limnocharis is its
triangular-shaped leaf stem, in contrast to most
aquatic plant stems which are round. The leaf stems
can be up to 85 centimetres long and produce a
milky sap when broken. The narrow blade shape on
young leaves can be mistaken for Water Hyacinth.
Limnocharis flowers and produces fruit throughout
the year. Yellow cup-shaped flowers each with three
petals are arranged in groups of up to 15 blooms on
triangular stalks. Fertilised flowers develop into
spherical capsules which are up to two centimetres
round. When the flower stem ages, it droops
towards the water and the capsule is released to
float away. The tip of the old flower stem may
develop a plantlet or mini-plant that can establish
as a new plant in its own right.
During times of flooding, Limnocharis seeds can
spread quickly and over a long distance.
Limnocharis seeds can also be spread in mud stuck
to vehicles, machinery, footwear, water-birds and
animals. Limnocharis plants have also been shared
between gardeners for use in water features or as a
vegetable.
Mick Jeffery, Biosecurity Queensland Project
Coordinator (Tropical Weed Eradication)
If you think you have seen Limnocharis,
contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
For further information visit www.daff.qld.gov.au
and search for Limnocharis.
16 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
BfB a Big Success On November 15th 2014, Graham Harrington led a
Birding for Beginners (BfB) workshop at Mission
Beach. Seventeen people rocked up at 7.30am at
Lacey Creek, ready to take on the challenge of
learning how to identify birds. It was Graham’s
biggest ever Birding for Beginners workshop!
First up Graham presented an introduction on how
to identify birds, in the pagoda at Lacey Creek. Graham provided excellent tuition based on
identifying the birds behaviour, size and shape and
showed the group the type of resources they could
use to help them. A basic bird identification
handout, specific to our area, helped learners too.
It was then time to put the new knowledge into
action and go bird watching. Fortunately a few birds
cooperated by hanging around so they could be
easily seen. This helps when you are a beginner!
The essence of the course is that the people leading
the small groups after the introductory talk DO NOT
tell the students what the bird is nor do they find
the birds for them. The students point to any bird
they see or hear and are prompted to describe their
behaviour and size. They then turn to the field
guide with a limited list of possible birds and they
are assisted to identify the bird themselves. Three
or four new species in a day is quite enough. Our
first birds were Dusky Honeyeaters and Metallic
Starlings. A Spangled Drongo also put in an
appearance, which was a nice contrast to the
similarly ‘black’ starlings (see comparison below).
Graham in action, checking out the birds with the
students.
These birds can look similar, especially in poor light. Recognising their different size, shape and behaviour can help you tell them apart.
Metallic Starling 21-24 cm Pointed tail Highly sociable, often in groups, loves eating fruit,
flight in a rush like lorikeets darting through the air
Spangled Drongo 29-32 cm Fishtail Usually single bird or pairs, flicks its tail when stationary, dashes into the air after insects
Images courtesy of Ian Montgomery at Birdway.com
17 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
The group searching for new birds to identify and
describe. The best bird of the morning had to be the
Azure Kingfisher perched over the stream, though
some people also got a quick view of a Superb Fruit
Dove before it too flew off.
The response from participants was exceptionally
positive. Not only did the event make it onto
Facebook, but there were also emails of thanks
about the interesting and informative morning and
re-ignition of a passion for bird watching.
Special thanks to Graham Harrington for organising
the workshop and sharing his fantastic birding
knowledge as well as inspiring new people to take a
closer look at birds. Thanks also to our team of
helpers, Jeff Larsen, Julia Hazel and Sandra
Christensen.
Images courtesy of Liz Gallie and Ian Montgomery
Report by Ceri Pearce
Notice board From the Editor
Thanks once again to our fabulous contributors of
both articles and images. We wouldn’t have a
newsletter without your valuable involvement.
Please keep the articles, observations, activity and
trip reports and reviews rolling in.
Please send in your photos
Do you have a great bird photo that you would like
to share? If so, then the newsletter editor is keen to
hear from you. Just email your photo (size 3MB or
less), with 100 words or less, identifying what the
bird is, where you took the photo, what the bird
was doing, why you love it, and any other details
about the image or your camera/lens and the
settings you used at the time. You can email your
photo and supporting information to:
Next newsletter deadline
Please submit stories/news/reports by April 10th
2015 to [email protected] for the
May/June Edition.
Newsletter deadlines for 2015
April 10th for the May/June Edition*
July 10th for the September Edition*
October 10th 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.
BirdLife Northern Queensland
Newsletter
'Contact Call'
www.birdlifenq.org
18 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
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Call?
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advertisements must be relevant to Birdlife
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Quarter page advertisements for 4 issues can be
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Activities
Come and join us. Everybody's welcome.
For day trips, do bring a hat, sunscreen, lunch,
refreshments/water and a folding chair.
For more information about an outing or an event,
contact the leader listed or check the website.
Doug Herrington, Activities Coordinator
http://www.birdway.com.au/publications.htm
The CAIRNS BIG DAY OUT
APRIL 11th
You are welcome to join us for all orf part of the day,
it’s up to you
Birding for Beginners with Graham Harrington
at 7am, Cairns Botanic Gardens
Optional and at own cost - consider meeting
birding friends for lunch at the RSL at 12, and
then…………
Come and join us to…….
Wave the Waders Goodbye
Join others to learn more about waders and their
remarkable journey from the Northern
Hemisphere as well as how to identify these
difficult birds better.
Saturday 11th April at 1 pm
Catalina Room, Cairns RSL, 115/117 Esplanade
Cairns.
Wader spotting on the Esplanade
foreshore from 3pm
Image courtesy of Ian Montgomery. Birdway.com
Finally, meet up with us for the
evening at the…..
Birdlife Northern Queensland
group meeting
at Cominos House, 6-8pm
Everyone is WELCOME
Bring a friend!
For Coming Events and activities in the
North Queensland area
Visit these websites for the latest details:
www.birdlifenq.org
www.birdlifetownsville.org.au
19 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Calendar of events for 2015 Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Leader
Phone/email
Saturday 7th March
5-8pm Cairns, Cominos House – corner of Greenslopes and Little Street
AGM (5-5.45pm) followed by Pizza ($2 slice) Then March meeting Special speaker: Dr Steve Murphy will talk about fire and birds in North Queensland & Central Australia
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
Sunday 8th March
Vessel boards at
7.30 am, returns around 4.30 pm
Pier E1, Marlin Marina, Cairns
Pelagic to Michaelmas Cay and snorkelling at Hastings Reef on Sea Star
Full day departing from Cairns. Cost $190p/p including all gear, tea’s and lunch. If we have enough takers we may be able to negotiate a discount!) Sea Star website http://www.seastarcruises.com.au/ It is important to make bookings as early in Feb. to be sure of a seat (only 35 available) as this is a general trip not dedicated to birders...
Please contact Dom if you intend to come.
(Dominic Chaplin) [email protected]
Easter weekend 3-6th April
Friday -Monday
Cooktown Cooktown Campout with Kath Shurcliff Camping, powers sights, bunkhouse, cabins and units available at Peninsula Van Park: - go to http://www.peninsulacaravanpark.com/ for details and phone 4069 5107 for bookings. Please feel free to book any accommodation in town as we will be using Kath’s house as a meeting point for each day’s activities. Welcome BBQ at Kath’s place on Friday evening. Activities to be announced (TBA) closer to the date.
Contact Kath to let her know you are coming. [email protected]
Saturday 11th April
7am Cairns Botanic Gardens
Birding for Beginners with Graham Harrington Meet at Cairns (Flecker) Botanic Gardens information centre
Graham Harrington Ph: 4096 5051 or 0423 794 836
Saturday 11th April
1pm for workshop
3pm for Wader spotting on the foreshore
Catalina Room, Cairns RSL,
115/117 Esplanade
Wave the Waders Goodbye Saturday 11th April
Join others to learn more about waders and their remarkable journey from the Northern Hemisphere as well as how to identify these difficult birds better. Come to the RSL earlier and enjoy lunch before the workshop
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
11th April 6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting Speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
25th – 27 or 29th April
Meet 17.00 on 25th April at Goldfields
Georgetown area and ?beyond
Georgetown campout – with extension to Karumba! Venue: Goldfields Caravan Park, Georgetown http://turu.com.au/parks/qld/tropical-north-queensland/goldfields-van-park.aspx 26th & 27th - Explore Georgetown area 28th Drive to Karumba. Explore area 29th Morning boat cruise with Ferryman $60
Contact: Dom Chaplin [email protected] Ph: 0419 028 077
Saturday 16th May
Arrival from 5.30pm for 6pm
Port Douglas at the Wildlife Habitat
Group Meeting Speaker: John Rumney from Eye to Eye Marine Activities Encounters.
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
Sunday 17th May
7am Daintree River 2 hour Daintree Cruise. $40 per person. Departing Daintree Village public boat ramp 7am. Spaces limited.
Reserve a seat directly with Murray Ph: 0417651929.
5th – 8th June
Queen’s Birthday Weekend
Artemis Station
Queen’s Birthday Long W/E Camp-out at Artemis Station: Golden Shoulder Parrots and Red Goshawk Details TBA
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929 and Peter Valentine
20 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015
Birdlife Northern Queensland
Calendar of events for 2015 continued Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Leader
Phone/email
Saturday 20th June
6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting Speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
Saturday 18th July
6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting Speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
Saturday 15th Aug.
Proposed Atherton
Group Meeting proposed for Atherton. Venue and speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929 and Doug Herrington [email protected]
Saturday 5th Sept.
Malanda Annual Crane Count Details TBA
Virginia Simmonds Ph: 40958302
Saturday 19th Sept.
6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting Speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
3-5th Oct. Labour Day weekend
Georgetown area
Labour Day Long W/E camp-out Flat Creek Finch Count
Contact Peter and Adam at Flat Creek Station
Saturday 17th Oct.
6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting Speakers to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929
19-25th Oct.
Great Aussie Bird Count Details to be announced
Doug Herrington Ph: 0418757288 or
Saturday 21st Nov.
Mission Beach Pip Count at Mission Beach Details to be announced
Trish Pontynen Ph: 04 1773 5410
Sunday 22nd Nov.
6.30am Mission Beach Ninney Rise bird survey, Mission Beach Details to be announced
Helen Larsen
Saturday 5th Dec.
6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.
Group Meeting and Christmas Party Details to be announced
Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929