I made a quick trip to FNQ last week. Drove north on Monday, birded for 3 days and drove south on Friday.
I made arrangements for Del Richards of Fine Feather Tours (http://www.finefeathertours.com.au/) to be my bird guide for the 3 days and stayed at Kingfisher Park, Julaten (http://www.birdwatchers.com.au/).
It is always an interesting deciison to utilise a bird guide but with Del I got 29 new ticks. Not certain how many I would have got by myself but it would have been nowhere near that number. I have made tentative arrangements for a return visit next season.
Day 1- (forward travel day)
4 ticks - Rufous Owl at Cairns; Graceful Honyeater at Dell's and Yellow-breasted Boatbill and Red-necked Crake at Kingfisher Park (KP)
also Spectacled Monarch and Pale-yellow Robin at KP
Day 1 - Julaten and Mossman
10 ticks - Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Spotted Catbird, Macleay's HE, Spotted HE, Victoria's Riflebird, Lovely Fairywren (isn't that female just lovely), Metallic Starling, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Superb Fruit-Dove (I will add this pic later)
also - Pale-vented Bush Hen, Graceful HE, Yellow Figbird, Torresian Imperial Pigeon and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
Peter
What a magnificent trip! It would be esay to dismiss the Graceful HE for a Lewins if you weren't careful.
Samford Valley Qld.
Day 2 - Mt Lewis, Abbatoir Swamp, Mt Molloy and Julaten
10 ticks - Pied Monarch, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Mountian Thornbill, Bridled HE, Grey-headed Robin, Atherton Scrubwren, Chowchilla, Fernwren, Bower's Shrikethrush and Golden Bowerbird
part 2 of Day to come
Peter
Well i know where part of my next road trip will be.
How the hell am i going to catch you if you keep doing so well
Well done and congrats, Peter.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
the Lewin's, Graceful and Spotted can all be present in close proximity; the Lewin's half-crescent at the back of the eye is unmistakeable; the Graceful has an almost constant call and the Spotted seemed to be the shy one of the three.
yes, consider the trip and if you need a guide tell Del that I sent you
Peter
yes, it was a great 5 days - year end summary of life ticks is 552 Australian (and 126 sub-species and counting), 92 North American and 26 Samoan; 5 new ticks in 2015
Peter
Bragging rights are with you this week, Peter.
That's a busy trip!! Great set of birds & photos Peter.
How good was that Peter, always good to get a little local help . Each Time I have travell over seas I will always pay for help it's just easier to find some of those birds
See it! Hear it!
Mid-North Coast NSW
Excuse me Peter. Where's part two of day 2?
Samford Valley Qld.
work seems to get in the way of my birding, including sorting pics
Peter
Feeble excuse.
Samford Valley Qld.
Sensational! Can't wait!
Samford Valley Qld.
I omitted a Superb Fruit-Dove pic from day 1 and 2 other pics that those who know me will question
Peter
day 2 (cont)
on the way up Mt Lewis and stopped and helped this little fella off the road
after we had finished for the day there was still some daylight so I went to Abbatoir Swamp and saw a Brown-backed HE (another lifer)
and then onto Mount Molloy where there was a photgenic Great Bowerbird
Peter
Day 3 - 1 January - head west to the Mitchell River area
we stopped at a rest area at Julaten/Mount Molloy; did not get the new tick but we did see Yellow-breasted Boatbill and Pale Yellow Robin again
further along we got Australian Bustard on the roadside
getting close to Mitchell River we stopped at a lagoon and I saw the Squatter Pigeon ssp Geophaps peninsulae with the red eye flesh - pic of the ssp Geophaps scripta with blue eye flesh also attached
my first lifer for 2015 was the Banded Honeyeater
and then a Rufous-throated Honeyeater
an unproductive walk to another lagoon but a nice setting nonetheless
we had a stop on the way to the lunch stop and Del heard and then I confirmed a Noisy Pitta call; we couldn't call it in for a pic; shame as it was out of range
lunch and another stop and then back to the 1st lagoon
another first with Black-throated Finch - a poor pic as the birds went to the wrong part of the lagoon for their drink
Great Bowerbird came to drink - about 4-5 visits so maybe 2-3 birds
Pale-headed Rosella ssp Platycercus adscitus came to visit but not to drink
Brown Treecreeper was in the trees close-by
then on the way back we had roadside stops for Australian Bustard, Helmeted Guineafowl and Brolga
Peter
Great trip!
Samford Valley Qld.
You have convinced me to do this trip, Peter.
With free accommodation at Port, Gold Coast and Rocky should be a cheap trip for me
And besides, i am getting sick off taking shots of P Owl, Owlet Nightjar and Pilot bird here
( had to jib you )
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Must have been a slow period when the Flower and Wallabies were deemed worthy
I sometimes comment when having a bad day in the field " will be taking photos of flowers next "
That's my fault, i got him started when we went to Chiltern
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/