July through November Bird Report 2018

11- plenty of feeding evidence from glossy black cockatoos along mt Cainbable bends on main road. Glen reported spectacled monarch and Koel calling around the Gold Coast near Burleigh heads.

12- boobook owl around guesthouse, campground area and owlet nightjar called as well.lyrebird near wanungra lookout

13-peregrine falcon and tawnies at Luke’s farm again. Thrushes getting around the gardens. Riflebird male outside reception area

14- collared sparrow hawk a good 500’ above guesthouse about 9am very small but found with calling.

Grand views of paradise riflebird feeding again in flame tree at front door. Photos videos etc, it was scared off by a currawong a few times but came back to it. Even saw it throwing down yellow fruits and even chasing down a dropped one, they must taste good. Night birding had us hear owlet nightjars, boobook owl and marbled frogmouths down the main road on a very cold night. Lyrebird at lyrebird lookout!

15-activity at balancing rock right in the carpark now, lerp action being fed out. Great views of rose robin at power poles here, generally welll busy. Sittellas and riflebird near Moran’s falls in eucalyptus side. Brown goshawk went over Moran’s valley in a fast glide maybe spotted something, great perching of the topknots perched up in the leafless red cedar treee at flying fox . Good still long views. Generally perched in most trees around area.riflebird male again at front door. Russet tailed thrush 600m up past mountain garden and helping a lot along trail. Log runners building nest down villa track. Raided first week. Lyrebird at Moran’s creek near flying fox

19-a good 15 strong kettle of black kites at Burleigh reedy creek area on the M1.

20-grey goss good view on birdwalk. Boobook owl about early evening

21-lyrebird on villa track

22-7 robin snatching bees outside hive at Moran’s falls lookout. Much of the activity at balancing rock has subsided in last week. Managed to notice a log runner nest under the treetop walk between 2 & 3rd poles. Probably succeeded with young bird here in October

23- logrunners making nest still along villa track. guiding along Segway track we managed a crested shrike tit down really low like at eye level was amazing, it was there for about 20 seconds for some reason then took off about 100m away not long after.

Topknot pigeons all over the Moran’s valley again in all trees around the flying fox. Balancing rock was peak hour with the complete suite of local birds starting with striated thornbills ending up having a rumble right in front of us with a couple onlookers.

Further down one thing after another rolled past and we were spoilt again for spotted pardalotes, variegated wrens and tremendous views of a male rose robin practicing his moves in thinner trees like last week. We also got onto sittellas which was brilliant here. About 16 species here coming and going. Luxury

24-Matt had a noisy pitta at elabana falls surprisingly.barry had adult female and young male lyrebird at campground.

25- a lucky day with Faye from Washington state whom had lyrebird dash across road driving up yesterday as well as both male and female riflebird from the deck of villa 34. Another one again the next day. We managed to get the rose robin male in the rainforest advertising calls mid winter at the 300m mark, getting pretty good views in a timely fashion and then a noisy pitta adult 100m on which was my first non car sighting this year just as we had been wondering for ages where on earth had they all gone. Topknot pigeons at slaughter house was right on cue for the winter morning warm up roost down there. Up at balancing rock another epic, thornbill pardalote, treecreeper, honeyeater, Scrub wren, sittella party of the non stop variety. So much activity here and afield every pardalote is nesting about now , down low, wow.a magpie was also around today near the church area (not jacky)

26-cockatoos feeding on grasses at Luke’s farm. Busy duck creek road with parrots, thornbill, honey eaters and treecreepers. Notable at shepherds ‘look through’ was rose robin and striated pardalotes. Charlie’s waterhole had masses of honeyeaters coming to drink. Variegated wren also was over the hill here.lyrebird 2km out along border track

27-mark c had a feral pigeon visiting the bird show area. Living very dangerously one must say. Magpies around today again. Lyrebird on villa track. Riflebird at front door flame tree late afternoon. Great views.

29-lyrebird seen on Matt’s birdwalk 20m up the booyong walk where they haven’t been much lately. Shrike tit calling at corroboree ground. Boobook owl driving down at night. Logrunner nest on villa track was raided only a week after finishing in last couple days it was fine. Small egg shell found nearby. Eagle along Canungra creek side. Varied triller at flying fox

28-a guest reported 3 black breasted button quail at hidden gully near Moran’s falls which is stunning if the case. Possibly log runners maybe more likely

30-lyrebird on villa track

1-double peregrine falcon show at Luke’s, both aloft on windy side of hill. Glen had guests capture riflebird at front door again and double lyrebird feature along roadside at campground area with great shots from all angles. Seems she had a young male bird in tow with maybe a year of filamentary tail feathers showing. 3 birds mentioned by other guests

2-emerald dove on bird walk at goblin wood area. Catbird at bird aviaries was game enough to have taken food right out of wally the cockatoos mouth. Lyrebird 300m along border track

3-varied triller calling at helipad.

4-lyrebird along villa track at dam.noisy pitta near start of Moran’s track top. Brown goshawk at flying fox

5-lyrebird camp grounds

6-Matt heard a scrub bird a few kilometres from point lookout on Stinson walk. Lyrebird at python rock track entry

14-Ian, one of our bird week leaders had some unusual appearances with varied triller the along border track several kilometres out as well as little shrike thrush closer to O’reillys.

15-Ian g was also entertained by a scrub bird calling in the upper, upper reaches of the Moran’s valley.

16-Matt had mentioned a straw necked ibis wandering about the Moran’s valley for a few days . Pitta at start of python rock track.

18-Willy wagtail appeared again this arvo near church, still about, topknot pigeons at campground.

While looking at a koala on the road in the rainforest about 500m before straight six a boobook owl flew towards the light over the road at the same time. That’s coming toward the light, not away.

24-tawny frogmouth on roadside near lap pool on the red road driving down to gloworms. Mick O’reillys may have seen a painted button quail in the road works construction. Sooty owl on the booyong walk by spotlight searchers

25-lyrebird around campgrounds

28-musk lorikeets seen at sanctuary cove on the Gold Coast.

29-lyrebird today and tomorrow at start of villa track

1-our friend gg the grey goshawk was captured one day and relocated a bit further afield so as not to disrupt the bird shows, there will still be activity regularly from other gossies. Riflebird male near turnoff to box forest track

5-lyrebird and catbirds at mountain gardens gate. Riflebird python rock track

14-male riflebird at mountain gardens

19-glen and Matt had recorded and heard thousands of dusky woodswallows between O’reillys and kamarun lookout as they moved through catching insects . Big flocks reported around region.

20th- Chloe, Leo, Matt and glen all had lyrebird parading around bus shed on different days with good video capture.

25-lyrebird near micks tower track

26-owlet nightjar, boobook owl and sooty owl all heard calling during night from behind the cafe. Lyrebird start of border track

27-female lyrebird start of tree top walk

October

1- no sign of willy wagtail around guesthouse lately, may have been a four month visit this year. No pittas calling yet so far this year which is a worry. dollarbirds arrived on Coast.Eggs in the nesting cave on pats bluff from peregrine falcons. This is big news up here for the falcons. No fledglings believed for maybe last  5 years and possibly second time in ten 10years or so but stay tuned.

2-glen reported lyrebird was displaying around the corroboree ground. Rob had a display of a male riflebird near Moran’s falls and it lasted for about 15 minutes. Female riflebird on booyong walk. Lyrebird near campground. Bassian thrush 400m along border track. Another thrush nest along here in an often raided small tree above the tracks again.

3- mistletoe bird coming down to drink at Charlie’s waterhole. buff rump thornbills busy half way down main road in roadworks while waiting to go through lights. Grey Goshawk everywhere today.

Riflebird, pale yellow robin and Russet tail thrushes along lower Moran’s track.

Boobook owl visits guesthouse area but wasn’t calling. boobook also 10k down road along with owlet nightjar, tawny and marbled frogmouth in area.

4- riflebird calling behind cafe and more in general with a nice low down sighting tracked to only about 10m off the track corner in a shady, leafy green horizontal bough. A good view was had.

Lyrebird male at campground was nice and close and relaxed. Bird was unfazed by close observation and continued mulch digging barely off the main road. A good 15min spent here with a rose robin also busy overhead.

Glossy black cockatoos seen by Rhonda from araucaria driving up today and chewed nuts across main road in vicinity of mt cainbable.

A brown falcon popped in whilst driving down here too and some pardalotes are still nesting nearby.maybe my first black faced monarch view up here this season.

Riflebird, pitta, wedge tail eagle along python rock track.

Riflebird near conference centre

5-Chloe had a riflebird after the birdwalk talking about where one would likely be to a birder asking and talked about the flametree at the turning circle and there the bird was! Magic Satin bowerbird, sparky has renovated the bower over the road in the parks side lomandras after a 2-3 year hiatus attempting bowers 20m down slope. Hopefully he will be there a while, we shall see. One can readily hear him practicing over the road.

6- boobook owl calling and noisy pittas really switched on today maybe with the rain. There was also pitta calling at 1030pm. Yellow robin nest not far down wishing tree. young fledged logrunner under the tree top walk.

A noticeable Mobbing (of birders) from birds of all sorts on the bird walk, most the way. Seldom getting a quiet moment. A noticeable busy morning not repeated the next day.

Busy callistemon bushes flowering near koot house.probably a good dozen honey eaters around most of the day. possible old catbird nest down wishing tree track 100m.

7-lyrebird, riflebird, pitta, crested shrike tit all heard around flying fox area. Topknot pigeons common flyover. Triller calling near booyong walk.

Spot count of king and crimson rosella parrots around bird feeding area has on average 20-40 this week. This follows up comments by guests asking where all their parrots had gone.

White browed scrub wren nest near gas tanks side of mtn cafe.

8-mark culleton reported a powerful owl roadkilled near the advancetown pub on the numinbah road amazingly but so unfortunate

9-rob had sooty owl calling in Moran’s valley but no sightings.

10-glossy black cockatoos right above the plum pudding section just past the stop go traffic operators. Counted two in passing.

11-pittas calling. Hard to get sightings, two russet tail thrushes at start of border track. Regularly hearing rose robins advertising. Crested shrike tit around border track and wishing tree. Guests from Oregon reported a tussle between two paradise riflebird females right in front of them which looked quite heated.

12- mark w reported straw necked Ibis at Luke’s farm and a brown goshawk at Moran’s valley. Regent bowerbirds all over the place around the front of reception, spot counts on parrots has numbers over 40 at a time. Boobook owl calling at flying fox 830pm

13. Rose robin at slaughter house

14-lyrebird just over the road near the concrete pathway was a pretty good start to birdwalk. Especially where it was on the grassed areas and not in a dense rainforest for once. We saw it near rangers hut, then later egressing away from the keen birders and going under it. heard others on border track and staff village area.

Wedge tail eagle low level main road driving down in rain . Hard hunting in this wet weather in the last week with over 300mm of rain.

16- Matt got video of a lyrebird in the gardens woofing down worms in a birds nest fern from metres away.

18-an amazing day of discoveries bringing the VENT group up from Brisbane the long way today. Driving down the main road at the 3rd cattle grid was a stunning surprise of spotted quail thrushes which may have just been moved off the road by the previous cars. They were so close to the road not needing binoculars and there was a frantic tearing through my pack to get the camera. The birds were very casually walking around close range and I left them there. They may have not been spotted in the area since 2016.

Yore road at Tamborine had swamp harrier for a while which is unusual here as well as a female jabiru with a young bird nearby for another year running (2 last year). Well done jabiru parents.

Walnut road lake at bucholz Park covered with salivinnia weed 100% but wandering whistling ducks in first pool, yellow rump thornbill, fairy Martin, whistling kite of course.

Other birders scored scrub bird, olive whistler and lyrebird way out along the border track.

Glossy ibis not far out of Beaudesert. Yellow and royal spoonbills hanging out at racecourse and feeding together. Racecourse also with striped honey and sacred kingfisher

Sanders lagoon in Kerry valley was gold with jacanas with the most gorgeous little chicks, 3x trotting across the pads with the light nice on them, like the pictures in glen threlfos book. speck warblers put on various shows and white wing triller, rufous singlark and constant busyness from birds coming in and out such as little lorikeets. 106 species for me today.

sacred kingfisher calling at 10pm, boobook owl at cafe 630pm

19- vent group with triple lyrebird feature on booyong walk. Looked like an adult and a recent young and last year bird young in tow.

20-another great day for the vent group with riflebird spotted in morning, just before breakfast. Driving down was high scoring starting with a good spotting ahead by Dion of a double painted button quail feature at mt cainbable. One was nearly skittled by a car driving by (under speed). A faster car would have us trying to spot a single bird. Great stuff, Matt had spotted one in the area recently and filmed it.

Around the bend a sound of glossies had us soon winning the casuarina cockatoo lottery with a young bird and both parents. This was a pretty lucky streak. They let us get close, great stuff. Further down at quick and lively a tawny frogmouth on the nest looking level across to it was luxury.

Around Tamborine area on return to Brisbane from Canungra we had a grey crowned babbler cross the road before getting to the Beaudesert-Beenleigh road, so on the Canungra side more near the end of the turf farms.

Guests had lyrebird near micks tower and border track 2.5km out where it was displaying.

21-Matt again found the russet tail? Thrush nest on the first few bends of the main road in the same place it was last year in birdweek. He also located one near the Romeo Lahey memorial at the park entrance. Matt reported a spectacled monarch at Kerry lookout.

22-guests had glossy black cockatoos duck creek road above shepherds lookout. With a marbled frogmouth, owlet nightjar and southern boobook heard in rainforest along dcr.

23-white throated nightjar seen near between Luke’s and Moran’s turnoff on main road at 5am. Lyrebird, riflebird and noisy pitta seen along the python rock track at dawn.

Cicada bird arrives on coast.

24-riflebird and figbird calling opposite guesthouse midday. Pacific baza at pats gate, patrolling across forest canopy. Australian pipits at Luke’s farm for first time in ages, probably nesting again here. Peregrine falcon chicks yesterday in cave at pats bluff but not seen today may have fledged we hope. Single birds were flying around.

Marbled frogmouth seen near guesthouse, Koel calling at 10pm at night over road from O’reillys. logrunner in nest down on glowies track 200m from flying fox

25-male figbird calling at campground in morning.

26-glossy black cockatoos at mt cainbable driving down at 6am and back at 3pm. Great views with group allowed to approach closely. Several common bronzewings in bottom section of the mountain road. Brown quail metres away on roadside awaiting lights to change at traffic control at O’reillys vineyard. Possibly flushed over by ride on mower on other side trimming edges.

Noisy pitta and riflebird reports from wishing tree track and lyrebird was along border track.

Eagleby lakes with much water on at present but there was still a young jabiru flying overhead which was great as a sea eagle and brown goshawk were also in the area.

Sacred kingfishers nesting at boardwalk termite mound. tawny frogmouth spotted half way up a forest red gum whilst at the car park waiting for toilet goers. Reed warblers at both lake sites and the one in pond reeds closest to the boardwalk close to the houses. Not many waterbirds at present. tawny on red road. Matt reports spectacled monarchs along python rock track.

27-robin nest located up booyong walk on typical border track side just before the signed booyong tree. A little way off the track this year, maybe escaping photographers. Pittas calling most places.

Near opposite the first strangler fig up past labelled booyong tree our group was astonished to find the carcass of a white throated needle tail swift. Some readers may remember a low bush where scrubwrens have had hanging nest right next to track and on it was a winged but only skeletal and stinky remains. lt had beautiful blue green visible in dark feathers and sharp streamlined feathered curve angled wings with obvious white parts. Brownish rump and back feathers not usually obvious from typical ground observation. Needles out of tail section everything else removed. May have been perched high in a tree and predated in day or more likely night. Wow.

Speaking of boobook owl we had one on the Stinson Plane during a night spotlight with David bishop group. Reports of lyrebird on Albert river circuit.

Grey goshawk deep in Moran’s valley end of day possibly nesting. Yellow robin nest down wishing tree track lowside about 50m down from top.

28-4am channel billed cuckoo calling near top of villa track, maybe overnighting or passing through.

3rd time lucky having glossy black cockatoos at the bell miner colony down the main road from Mt cainbable.

4 x channel billed cuckoos at Tamborine village.

Brisbane airport fuel station had an array of interesting birds with chestnut breasted mannikins, double barred finch, red back fairy wren, reed warbler and more. Tamborine had a solo long billed corella as well. Black shouldered kites at the mundoolin connection road near Tamborine, lately.

Crested shrike tit around the Moran’s turnoff on red road. Grey Goshawk below moonlight crag in Albert valley. It seemed to do a vertical drop with its wings still mainly flat out. It did a standing type of elevator drop well over 100m vertical. Fascinating. A bit. Reminiscent of brolga landings. Then landed beyond view assuming more of a nesting possibility in the valley side about half a mile under the balancing rock.

Yellow robin nest on the track to ding bing falls, closer to the creek.

3 x tawny frogmouth roadside driving down the main road starting at pine mtn

31-walking past parrot feeding area noticed a couple rainbow lorikeets ground feeding among the crimsons and kingys, a couple crimsons flew over to me and soon moved on and were quickly replaced by both rainbow lorikeets-on my arm! They must have done that before Seeming they were pretty comfy with the idea.

Night birding had boobook owl around the guesthouse. Another one at Romeo lahey monument. Noisy pittas night calling here too and at duck ck turnoff. Koel calling at straight six. Owlet nightjars heard night calling in most places. Marbled frogmouths seen along main road with much difficulty but other groups saw them driving.

November

1-boobook owl around again after about 1030pm. Grey goss across Moran’s valley.

2-white browed scrub wren nest raided track side 1400m along border track.

Scrub bird calling mid Canungra creek valley near some beech trees with a Ferny understorey and stringy bark pines. That’s on the way to a beautiful waterfall in the valley.

Chloe got to also added another page to the dramatic story of the SQT’s managing to snap a picture of one in the stretch near the house on the western side of the range previously called bundaleer, yay. A first for Chloe and second sighting in 2 weeks since about 3 years? Decent photos from car with phone. Very encouraging and there is still hope. Possibly a couple kilometres from last sighting. Also a 6am result. Another fantastic event. Great timing. Much of the country around here is quite ideal habitat considering the openness of grass given recent fire regime. Open rockier slopes are also ideal. As said in the past I fear for any special bird whom hangs around on a road. Maybe slow up a bit in these zones everyone please.

Wedge tail eagle cleared away from pats bluff by the peregrine falcon. No sign of chicks. Tawny was on nest on the usual spot for last 5 years or so after glen spotted them putting only a few sticks on it only two days ago.

Guests reported two wedge tail eagle across valley, western outlook.

Matt heard rufous scrub bird near west Canungra end of box forest circuit

3-figbird female calling at cafe. Matt hears white throated nightjar at mt Nathan, where masked owls also reside.

Satin bower located nicely within the moonlight crag turning circle, blending in well with the brown bracken fern, quite exposed. Two riflebird in female colours seen brilliantly lowdown by a guest in upper car parks beyond second gas tank. There is a tall fig here then across to near gas bottle trees above.

4-Spotted pardalote around bus turning circle on birdwalk. Red browed finches taking grass seed stems into trees at flying fox and guesthouse grounds.

Brown gerygones building nest at top of flying fox in raspberry vine. Black faced and spectacled monarch calling regularly in many places

Crested Shrike tit and later boobook owl down Duck Creek rd.

5-lyrebird and riflebird calling opposite guesthouse just down border track and later lyrebird at top of the wishing tree track around midday. 20m from staff village.

We observed strange behaviour from a brush turkey up at booyong walk on morning birdwalk. The bird kept falling over to the right hand side and in circles. This may be typical for humans on Sunday but not turkeys. It was suddenly stumbling around like a drunk or tripping out. The bird was then reacting to its own stumbles and confusion making it worse and more uncontrollable as if chased by a ghost or possessed! Hard to watch whilst mildly entertaining. Suggestions of a head injury seemed plausible. It seemed to recover a minute later. Maybe its mainframe was hacked or “experiencing technical difficulties“.

White necked heron back on Pine Mtn lakes. Tawny still on nest on main road near quick and lively. Pretty sure it’s got chicks, hope they don’t fall onto road. Guests reported young lyrebird chick with mother toward booyong walk.

7-needle tail swifts overhead the range about 1,000’. Spectacled monarch, lewins honeyeater night perching along glowie track and logrunner still on nest here at night, too long trying to incubate eggs maybe not hatching/infertile.