We camped near Lee Point and as we were preparing dinner I noticed several Bush Stone Curlews on the lawn around our campsite. There were also about a hundred Sulfur-Crested Cockatoos that were making such a racket that it was hard to hold a conversation. It's funny that there are birds that give a real interesting and compared to the cockatoo, a quite pleasant call or song and yet they are the ones that get labeled with the name Noisy, such as Noisy Pitta and Noisy Friarbird.
In the morning we walked along the beach at Lee Point. In the little park we found a couple of Blue-winged Kookaburras! Also several Spangled Drongos, a couple of Green Orioles, many Red-collared Lorikeets, some Australian Figbirds, a Varied Triller, and a dozen Chestnut-breasted Munias.
BLUE-WINGED KOOKABURRA
SPANGLED DRONGO
On the beach we watched two Sooty Oystercatchers wandering along a rocky shelf. Other birds on the beach were Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers, Pacific Golden-Plovers, Great and Red Knots, Far-eastern Curlew, Silver Gull, Pied Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, and for the icing on the cake, one Terek Sandpiper.
SOOTY OYSTERCATCHER
PIED OYSTERCATCHER
LESSER SAND-PLOVER
SILVER GULL
The beach at Lee Point has a sign that says "critical shorebird habitat, no dogs past this point". But there were several people who were ignoring the sign and had their dogs off leash in that area. With miles and miles of beach in the other direction, it was important that their dogs run wild on this beach. While we were sorting through a group of shorebirds and terns, we heard a dog barking and sounding like it was coming our way. Sure enough the dog was running directly at the group of birds we were watching and in no time he was on them and they of course, flushed. The owner of the dog made no effort to restrain him. I was flabbergasted and I yelled out that dogs are not allowed in this area. A lot of good that did! As the words left my lips I heard my strong non-Australian accent and knew that it was hopeless. I could just imagine him thinking "freaking Americans think they can come here and tell us what to do". No matter that it wasn't me, but his own local government that was telling him what not to do. Doesn't matter though, cause he and many others weren't listening.
Brain told me of a similar situation that occurred in San Francisco. There was a beach where Snowy Plovers nested and there were several signs alerting the public that during a certain time of year dogs were not allowed in that area. But the sign didn't have much effect and people ran their dogs there anyhow. When they were advised to obey the regulation, hordes of dog owners gathered at the city council meeting and complained that their dogs needed that area, I guess more than the plovers. In the end the city council agreed and the plovers are no longer there.
From there we walked over to Buffalo Creek. On the trial we got some great looks at a Rainbow Bee-eater. He put on quite a show. He had a bee in his beak and he was beating it against a branch super fast. I was looking through my binoculars and I could see that the bee, in spite of being whacked up against the branch, was continually beating his wings really really fast! In fact I could hear the buzzing of the wings when the bee-eater would periodically pause and then go back at it. As I watched, the bee-eater paused and tossed the bee up into the air and then he grabbed it before it could get any purchase in the air. He did this time and time again before going back to beating it against the branch. It totally reminded me of a Japanese chef with his finest knife-work.
RAINBOW BEE-EATER
We also saw Palid Cuckoo, White-gaped Honeyeaters, Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, and the ever present Brown Honeyeaters. When we reached the little park near the boat ramp we found a large group of finches that turned out to be Double-barred Finches. There was mixed flock of honeyeaters in a small tree near the bathroom that included both Dusky and Red-headed Myzomelas. In a tree near the boat ramp we spotted a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo and a Forest Kingfisher. We walked out on the beach where the creek meanders into the ocean. There were hundreds of Rajah Shelducks, some Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, a Far-eastern Curlew, and several Black Kites.
HUGE GRASSHOPPER
The sky was growing darker as we walked back toward Lee Point and soon it began to rain. About five minutes later it was raining buckets of cool fresh rain. It was very refreshing and I was soaking wet when we finally made it back to the car. After drying off my scope, binoculars, and camera I got out of the van and stood facing the sky letting the fresh rain on my face.
The next stop was a place called Fogg Dam. Fogg Dam is a man-made wetlands area that was built in the 1950s to provide irrigation for growing rice. It was named after the Managing Director. The system was not well planned and it didn't provide sufficient irrigation for growing rice, but by then birds had already began to use the area for feeding, nesting, and shelter. The rice project was abandoned but the area was proclaimed a Conservation Area in 1982.
When we arrived the rain had stopped and it was hot. We took a walk out to a boardwalk along the eastern flank of the conservation area. The birds were active but many were in high in the canopy. With some perseverance we managed to find a Arafura Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher, Green Oriole, Forest Kingfisher, and Black-chinned Honeyeater.
PAPERBARK FLYCATCHER
On the way back Brian found a really cool looking lizard that turned out to be a mature male Swamplands Lashtail. We haven't really seen as many reptiles as I had expected. In fact we've been in the habitat of and looking for the Saltwater Crocodile but have yet to see one. Birds on the other hand have been better than expected.
From here we drove out to the blinds on the dam itself. This was an amazing area with hundreds of egrets, herons, ibis, and spoonbills. In plain view twenty yards in front of the platform were many Comb-crested Jacanas, Glossy Ibis, Red-kneed Dotterel, Pied Heron, and Pacific Black-Duck. A little farther out on the lily-filled marsh were a hundred or more Magpie Geese, Rajah Shelduck, Pacific Heron, Australian Ibis, Masked Lapwings, and Royal Spoonbill.
GLOSSY IBIS
MASKED LAPWING
COMB-CRESTED JACANA
There were also six or seven Black-necked Storks in between the flooded areas. As we watched all the birds in the marsh we saw two very large figures flying toward us and as they got closer I realized they were Brolgas.
BROLGA
The Brolga is a member of the crane family and the name comes from the native language of Gamilaraay of southeastern Australia. It is featured in the Queensland coat of arms and was formally declared as the state emblem in 1986.
Behind the dam is a area that looks like in better days was a vast pasture. However today it was blacked by a recent fire. Regardless there were hundreds of waders like Great, Intermediate, and Cattle Egrets. There were also at least a dozen Water Buffaloes.
Water Buffalo are native to southeast Asia and were introduced to Northern Australia to supply meat to remote settlements. Over time cattle replaced the buffalo as the main meat source for the area and the buffalo became feral animals. They cause significant environmental damage and there have been a number of programs designed to reduce their numbers. However these programs have largely failed to reduce their numbers in a meaningful way. The buffalo are still raised commercially. They are used for hide, meat, hunting, and even milk, believe it or not.
There were also many Little Corellas, which are in essence is a small cockatoo. They were really loud and were perched in several trees around the dam and also flying around going from tree to tree.
LITTLE CORELLA
On the way out we saw our first wild Kangaroo!
At this point in the trip I began to list my bird of the day and my top ten birds of the trip. And the bird of the day was the Rainbow Bee-eater. It was a difficult decision because the Blue-winged Kookaburra was a lifer and we did get great looks at it. I had seen the bee-eater several times, but the show the bee-eater put on was so impressive it just has to take the prize, which is of course, a bee. And of course the bee-eater is a beautiful bird too!
Already this is really hard list to make out and it's just going to get worse. But here goes.
The So Far Top Ten are:
Right there on the outside are: Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Australian Ringneck, Crimson Rosella, Little Kingfisher, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Pitta ( OMG it hurts to leave this bird out of the top ten)
10. Olive-backed Sunbird - Didn't see many but the few I did see were so beautiful. Especially when you get them in good light.
9. Azure Kingfisher - This bird was in the morning light and lit up like a fairywren.
8. Blue-winged Kookaburra - I'm tempted to move this one up. It's so beautiful with that shinny blue wing and vibrant eye. It also has such a great call and personality. It just might grow on me and by tomorrow will be in the top five.
7. Rainbow Bee-eater - A beautiful bird and to watch him toss around that bee was amazing.
6. White-throated Needletail - Only the largest swift in the world and did I mention there were hundreds of them flying around in crazy formations. Going to be hard to get this one out of the top ten.
5. Beach Stone Curlew - We only saw two and they came incredibly close. So close that Brian forgot about using his binoculars! And such a prehistoric looking bird.
4. Papuan Frogmouth - What an amazing looking bird. I was surprised by its size. Much bigger than I had imagined. And sitting on a nest that was balanced on a branch was pretty impressive. Pretty solid at number three.
3. Golden Bowerbird - Seen at the bower in the depths of the rainforest on Mt. Lewis. Unforgettable
2. Southern Cassowary - It was seemingly tame, but not really. It was just use to humans being around. It had not been seen for weeks before we got there so we were really lucky to see it. But this is just such an amazing bird. It's a surreal experience to have one walk by you just inches away.
1. Victoria's Riflebird - Seeing it display was incredible. It's going to be very difficult to top this bird.
