Thinking About Birds

May 2025

29 May

I did three more of my regular sites today, with honeyeaters again being well to the fore. There were lots of Yellow-faced Honeyeaters in particular. Unusually, there also were quite a few Red Wattlebirds.

28 May

I'm in catch-up mode for my monthly surveys on account of having been away for most of May. Today I did three surveys in Brisbane Water National Park followed by a visit to the Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland, where I did four surveys. Once again there were plenty of honeyeaters in the national park, including this time some White-naped Honeyeaters. I also saw a pair of Crimson Rosellas - which is definitely an uncommon species on the Woy Woy peninsula. The Sandplain Woodland had more birds than usual (normally there aren't many), including some Red-browed Finches, Brown Thornbills and White-browed Scrubwrens, and I saw an adult male Satin Bowerbird.

27 May

In the morning I did my monthly surveys of the Warrah Trig section of Brisbane Water National Park. There were plenty of honeyeaters but mainly they were of just a few species - the most active birds were the Yellow-faced Honeyeaters which presumably were on migration passage (as were the Silvereyes). I heard a Superb Lyrebird and then later saw one (a female, near to where one nested last winter). I also heard then saw a Rockwarbler and I'm fairly sure there was a second bird calling from nearby. Variegated Fairy-wren was another highlight for me. Afterwards I went around to Patonga where, as usual, there were lots of Great Pied Cormorants roosting on the offshore moored boats.In the evening I gave a talk to the Central Coast group of Birding NSW - I talked about the Port Stephens surveys that I help organise.

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Top End trip

I flew to Cairns where I spent five nights, and from there doing day trips to various birding locations within the region (including to places in the Atherton Tableland). I found 88 species in the area. Then I flew to Nhulunbuy, where I joined a tour group travelling around Arnhem Land. That was about a 2-week trip, after which I flew to Darwin. I stayed in Darwin for three nights, doing day trips to nearby birding locations. I found 115 species in the NT part of my trip (making it 155 species for the overall trip).

5 May

I arrived into Cairns mid-afternoon, on what I soon discovered was a public holiday (it beingLabour Day in Queensland). That meant there were large crowds around the esplanade when finally I got there. Also it was high tide; consequently I didn’t find any shorebirds, but I did find on the shoreline an Eastern Reef Egret that was reasonably tolerant of all the nearby people. There were some Varied Honeyeaters in the trees, also several White-breasted Woodswallows, and scores of Common Mynas. I had a brief view of a Yellow Honeyeater on my way to the esplanade. Later, on dusk, large numbers of Rainbow Lorikeets were coming in to roost, along with many Common Mynas. And, just as it was becoming rather dark, lots of Metallic Starlings also flew in.

I discovered a major problem with my camera today - I can’t get the lens to attach correctly to the camera body. It looks like a couple of important screws have gone missing.

6 May

I collected my rental car and sorted out a patch-up for my camera at the Canon dealership, and then headed to the Cattana Wetland, a bit to the north of Cairns. It was unusually quiet there - there were no waterbirds and the bush birds not very forthcoming either. But I did see several Spangled Drongos and a couple of Orange-footed Scrub-fowls, and there was a Varied Triller right at the end of my walk. I had lunch at Yorkeys Knob, where the only bird I saw was a Laughing Kookaburra. My final stop was at the northern end of the Cairns esplanade, where shorebirds are more likely to be. I found three Bar-tailed Godwits, two Pied Stilts and a Great Knot out on the mudflats, while in the park I found several Metallic Starlings, an Australasian Figbird and several Peaceful Doves, as well as more of the Varied Honeyeaters.

7 May

I started my morning at Centenary Lakes, on the northern side of central Cairns. It was quiet there, but with highlights being Black Butcherbirds and Radjah Shelducks and a whizz-by from a Little Kingfisher. I also saw more Metallic Starlings. I reviewed my plans for another day of near-Cairns birding, and decided to try for cassowaries instead. I drove to Etty Bay - that was slow going because of several bouts of roadworks on the Bruce Highway. But - I had instant success! On the final approach road to the beach, there was an adult Southern Cassowary with a youngster, right beside the road (and occasionally crossing it). I, and several other vehicles, stopped for photos. To add to the excitement, on the power lines above them was a Forest Kingfisher.

I had lunch at Etty Bay Beach and then a brief walk. Alas, my camera lens fell off during that walk - yesterday’s patch-up didn’t last long. The lens was now in three pieces. I bundled it all up and drove back to Cairns, where I went back to the Canon dealership. They had no telescopic lenses in stock but I took a punt and ordered one - hoping it will arrive by Friday. On my way to the mall, I passed a park full of schoolkids doing sport - and there was a pair of Bush Stone-curlews standing right by an entrance gate (one that seemed not to be in use). I’d heard them the previous evening (and I heard them again tonight and indeed, every night that I was in Cairns).

8 May

I drove via the coastal route to the Atherton Tableland, initially to Julatten. This is one of the premier birdwatching spots in the Atherton Tableland, although usually I’ve stayed on a private property and had better access to all the good habitat. Today I was limited to roadside birding plus a sports oval that had lots of vegetation around it. It was pretty good though - I saw about 40 species including Double-eyed Fig-parrots (a pair, which were allopreening), Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Bridled, Scarlet, Cryptic and Yellow-spotted Honeyeaters, Rufous Shrike-thrush and Spectacled Monarch.

I called in at Abattoir Swamp which is as degraded (weed-infested) as every other visit. I did get a brief look at some Lovely Fairy-wrens though. Next stop was Mt Molloy, for lunch and to look for Squatter Pigeons - it’s always been a reliable spot for me to find them. This visit I cruised the back streets a few times, without seeing any, and I was thinking I was going to dip out on them. However, I decided to stop where I saw a sign called Babblers Hill, where woodland replantings have been taking place since 2004 (according to the sign). This turned out to be a great place! Not only did I find Squatter Pigeons (a group of three birds) but also Grey-crowned Babblers, Bush Stone-curlews, Red-winged Parrots and much more. I found 20 species in half an hour.

I headed south, towards Mareeba. On the way I passed Lake Mitchell, which has bits of it close to the road. I screeched to a halt because there was a pair of Black-necked Storks and a pair of Brolgas close to the road, also (when I was stopped and able to look properly) there were Magpie Geese, Great and Plumed Egrets, and a White-necked Heron. Two other birders also stopped (a tour guide and her client) and so I got to have a look using their telescope.

At Mareeba I found their Bicentenary Lakes and had a wander around. It was quite pretty but showing signs of neglect. My highlight here was a group of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. Also there were Radjah Shelducks (four of them along with 30-40 Pacific Black Ducks). Then, I had a slow drive through Kuranda and back to Cairns.

9 May

Once again I drove the winding road with all the road works and queues, but I was in Kuranda by about 8:30. I went to Barron Falls initially. There is a lovely longish boardwalk through the rainforest, which for much of it is actually a canopy walk, from the carpark to the Barron Falls railway station where there is a lookout over the falls. When I got back to the carpark I decided on a bit my walking so I did a section of the paved walk (through rainforest) towards Kuranda Village. I had a nice encounter with a Spectacled Monarch on the first walk and with a Pale-yellow Robin on the second one. I also had a not-so-nice encounter with some Wait-a-while Vine on the second walk, when I took a detour off the main track. The saw-teeth on those vines are so sharp! On my way back I stopped breifly at the Cairns esplanade - the only thing on the mudflats was a Striated Heron.

10 May

I spent much of the morning wandering around Cairns (the esplanade again, and the city centre). The weather was mixed - sunshine occasionally, drizzle most of the time, heavy rain several times. I added a couple of species to my list for this visit - Australian Pied Oystercatcher and Australian Swiftlet - and I saw another Eastern Reef Egret. Incredibly, there were at least a dozen Bush Stone-curlews on the grass near the marina, despite there being lots of pedestrians around. Then, I took a taxi to the airport and a flight (with Air North) to Nhulunbuy to be met by the Outback Spirit guide and join the rest of the passengers for the tour. There are 15 of us, including two other birdwatchers. We had a quick tour of the area - I saw Little Corellas, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Helmeted Friarbird. Later I walked around town and down to a mangrove-fringed lagoon. I saw a few birds, most notably Green Oriole, Great Bowerbird, Forest Kingfisher and Silver-backed Butcherbird.

11 May

Early morning I walked around Nhulunbuy and then to the town lagoon. I crossed the small creek and then found myself on a lovely walking track alongside the lagoon. There were a couple of viewing platforms and a bird hide. Eventually it became a dry season only track, which currently is underwater and will be for quite some time. In the morning I didn’t get all the way to that but I went back again in the afternoon after we’d done our cultural activities. From the two visits I got a pretty decent bird list including Shining Flycatcher, Bar-breasted, White-throated and White-gaped Honeyeater, Varied Triller, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Sacred and Forest Kingfisher, and Spangled Drongo. Only two waterbirds - a Little Black Cormorant and an Australasian Darter.

12 May

I did another walk around Nhulunbuy township early morning, but not finding anything out of the ordinary. Then, I packed up and flew to Maningrida with the tour group and then on to Barramundi Lodge. White-throated Honeyeaters were very common around the lodge and I also found Red-winged Parrots, Blue-winged Kookaburras, and Peaceful and Bar-shouldered Doves. But not much else (NB late afternoon birding).

13 May

In the morning I was in a boat touring the Liverpool River near Maningrida. Allegedly we were fishing, but I was mainly watching out for birds. There weren’t many and most of the time the views were brief, but I did manage to see a Mangrove Grey Fantail and a Mangrove Gerygone plus several Whimbrels, also a couple of Brahminy Kites and a Whistling Kite. I also spent a few hours around Maningrida - there were not many birds there and the highlight was Rainbow Bee-eaters. At Barramundi Lodge (early morning and late afternoon birding only) I found Green Oriole, Rufous Whistler, Australian Hobby and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo as additions to yesterday’s list, and I saw Grey-crowned Babblers and Zebra Finches while we were in transit to and from Maningrida.

14 May

I had another walk around Barra Lodge in the morning, finding more Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos and the usual honeyeaters etc. Then we drove to Maningrida for a flight to Mt Borradaile. There were Red-winged Parrots at the lodge, and both a Whistling Kite and a Black Kite were flying around. I also saw Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and a Brown Goshawk. Later in the afternoon we visited some of the local rock art - birds in the area were Helmeted Friarbirds, White-lined Honeyeaters and a Spangled Drongo, and the guide saw a Black-banded Fruit-Dove.

15 May

Today’s morning activities started with a boat trip along a section of Cooper Creek. I saw Comb-crested Jacanas with four really young chicks, Plumed Whistling-ducks, Pied Herons, Glossy Ibis, Paperbark Flycatchers, Nankeen Night-herons, Whiskered Terns and a Caspian Tern. There were large numbers of Plumed Egrets and many Great Egrets.

We got back for a late lunch, after which I wandered the lodge area, finding Forest Kingfisher, Silver-crowned and Little Friarbirds, Diamond Doves and also there was a White-bellied Sea-Eagle flying over. Late afternoon we returned to the lagoon. There was great birding on the evening journey - new ones for me for this trip were Great-billed Heron and Green Pygmy-goose, and I also saw a pair of Black-necked Storks. A flock of about 100 Little Black Cormorants was flying around and the Nankeen Night-herons were starting to become active.

16 May

We spent the morning at Mt Borradaile, with the main activity being to visit a nearby swimming hole. There was a family of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and some Rainbow Bee-eaters hanging around, and also a nest of the Brown-backed Honeyeater. I didn’t see any of the latter, but one of the swimmers claimed to have seen a bird entering the nest. Back at the lodge to await the flight, I saw four Whistling Kites together in a tree, and nearby there was a Pheasant Coucal. We flew to the Cobourg Peninsula, arriving mid-afternoon at Seven Spirits Bay. In my later wanderings I saw an Orange-footed Scrubfowl and heard many birds in the forest. The only calls I could identify were Rose-crowned Fruit-dove (at least a couple of them present) and Bar-shouldered Dove.

17 May

The Rose-crowned Fruit-doves were calling in the morning as were many species that I didn’t recognise. I didn’t have time to chase them down though, as we were heading off across the waters to Port Essington. Our group did a tour of the ruins of Victoria Settlement. I could hear more Rose-crowned Fruit-doves, and saw White-throated Honeyeaters, Varied Trillers, White-breasted Woodswallows and a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher. Later we went to Record Point, where I saw a Brahminy Kite , a Far Eastern Curlew, a white morph Eastern Reef Egret and a pair of Australian Pied Oystercatchers. Late afternoon I wandered the lodge grounds, finding a Grey Whistler and a few each of Spangled Drongo and Northern Fantail. Later there was an Orange-footed Scrubfowl on the lawn in front of the lodge.

18 May

In the morning I went with a small group to look at some rare palms (Nypa Palms). While waiting for the excursion vehicle to arrive, a Torresian Imperial-pigeon landed in a treee in the front of the lodge. We saw a few birds on our way there eg Peaceful Doves, Red-winged Parrots. At the palms site I saw a Pheasant Coucal and a Dusky Honeyeater. Lunch was a BBQ at the beach, with hardly any birds, until a young Collared Sparrowhawk whizzed through. After lunch I was on a boat fishing offshore at various spots partway to Port Essington. I saw a couple each of Lesser Crested Terns and Greater Crested Terns, also two Eastern Reef Egrets (one white one, one grey one) and two Sooty Oystercatchers.

19 May

A Torresian Imperial-pigeon landed in a tree in front of the lodge - a great start for the day. In the morning, a group of us went on an expedition to Vashon Head, about 20km away. We saw several Water Buffalo including two young ones, also several Banteng which is a type of cow originally from Indonesia. On the way there we saw Red-winged Parrots and Northern Fantails, and I heard Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos. Just before we got to the Head, an Oriental Cuckoo whizzed by, and we found three Brolgas too. Amazingly there was a large assemblage of Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes - I estimated about 50 birds. The habitat didn’t seem likely to offer permanent support for such numbers - do some of them migrate? Other bird highlights were a pair of Beach Stone-curlews and a threesome of Red-capped Plovers. I spent the afternoon wandering the lodge grounds - I found some Dusky Honeyeaters plus had more good looks at Varied Trillers.

20 May

There were few birding opportunities today. The main activity was to transfer (by plane) from the Cobourg Peninsula to Darwin. In the morning, pre-departure, I think I found some Buff-sided Robins but my app said they were out of range. I had a wonderful, but brief, view of a Rose-crowned Fruit-dove - I heard several but I was lucky enough to have one in view for a short while. Just before our departure, an Osprey flew over, and I found some Mistletoebirds. We arrived quite late at the hotel in Darwin and I found almost no birds in my late afternoon walk. Brown Honeyeaters were the highlight!

21 May

In the morning, several of us from the tour group set out for activities in the Humpty Doo area. On the way, I saw a Forest Kingfisher and a group of Plumed Whistling-ducks, also Cattle Egrets for the first time in more than a week. After a cultural visit we did a short boat cruise on the Adelaide River. The purpose was to see crocodiles (which we did) but there were some birding highlights including Black-necked Storks and Crimson Finches, and two Black Kites catching pieces of meat mid-air. Next, we went to Fogg Dam. It wasn’t a long visit and it included lunch. However, I was amazed by the numbers of Plumed Egrets. I also saw Comb-crested Jacanas and Pied Herons, and I scored some OK photos of White-throated Honeyeaters and a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher. I did another wharf-side walk in the afternoon and we were back there later for a sunset cruise. A pair of Eastern Reef Egrets were present all the time and regularly flying across the section of open water.

22 May

I saw the Eastern Reef Egrets again during my morning walk around the wharf area. Later, at my new hotel on the Esplanade, there were Brown Honeyeaters and Helmeted Friarbirds in the grounds, while across the road in the esplanade park there were Orange-footed Scrubfowls, Varied Trillers, and yet more White-gaped Honeyeaters.

23 May

I picked up a rental car and went to Buffalo Creek. Although the tide was out I saw a Far Eastern Curlew and a group of Black-tailed Godwits, also a Black-necked Stork. A couple of Lesser Crested Terns flew over, and there was a Spangled Drongo too. At nearby Lee Point I found a pair of Australian Hobbys and there were a couple of Australian Gull-billed Terns on the beach. In the afternoon I went to East Point and did the mangrove walk. A Black Butcherbird was calling and I had great views of a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher and a pair of Shining Flycatchers. Back at the carpark, two Rose-crowned Fruit-doves landed right in front of me and posed for my camera. Earlier on at that same spot there had been a noisy squabbling group of Australasian Figbirds.

24 May

I went to the Darwin Botanic Gardens in the morning. I couldn’t find the owls but there was a Brush Cuckoo calling, and another Rose-crowned Fruit-dove. The usual honeyeaters (Brown, White-gaped, White-throated) were present in good numbers. Birds I hadn’t encountered often this Top End trip were White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and White-quilled Honeyeater. I also tried for the owls (Rufous) at Fannie Bay where I’d seen them three years ago.

25 May

I went to East Point early as it was my last morning in Darwin. There were two Torresian Kingfishers at the end of the walk but otherwise the birds were the same as the other day. However, on my way back, a Rainbow Pitta flew across the track in front of me and a bit later I found a second bird hopping through the undergrowth. It was a wonderful way to finish my trip!