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Warbler
Volume 5 Number 2 June 2016
EDITOR’S NOTE – Peter Crane
Welcome to the June 2016 issue of Warbler, the
quarterly
e-newsletter
of
BirdLife
Southern
Queensland, your region of BirdLife Australia.
We are again pleased to present in this edition of Warbler a
variety of interesting and informative articles. There should
be something for all readers.
‘Birds of Australia’s Top End’ is the book to buy to prepare for
your Northern Territory birding trip, well at least the northern
section of that large territory. ‘Birdscaping Australian
Gardens’ provides all the essential tips to growing gardens
that attract birds. You should get plenty of ways to enhance
the morning birdsong emanating from your backyard. ‘Birds
of Australia’ is a photographic guide. As a birding
photographer I enjoyed reading this book and will use it
regularly. ‘Finding Australian Birds’ aims to assist readers in
locating Australia’s birdlife. This comprehensive book is
almost all that you would need to plan your Australian lap.
‘Birds of the Wet Tropics of Queensland’ is the essential guide
for those visiting Far North Queensland.
Our Convenor, Judith Hoyle, brings the shorebird and
shorebird habitat crisis to our attention and invites all readers
to the Queensland Ornithological Conference in July and to
the National Campout immediately following. Judith then
The Back Page includes the Notice of the BSQ 2016 AGM and
provides the background to a BirdLife Distinguished Service
further details on the 2016 Queensland Ornithological
Award to be presented at the BA AGM in late May.
Conference and Campout. I hope to see you there.
Oddments again provides a number of interesting bird or
I hope that you enjoy reading the various articles as much as
other animal behaviours and general interest items submitted
I have. Until next quarter best wishes with your birding
by our readers.
activities and please consider submitting a Warbler article.
Lionel Hartley has submitted an article about his recent visit
Peter Crane
to Cairns and Julatten. Our second travel article is about a
recent trip to Taiwan by Bill Moorhead.
INDEX
In The Green Corner Rochelle Steven has provided a
summary of a number of forthcoming events that
should/might interest you. Tracy Finegan writes on the
development of the Scenic Rim property ‘Jingeri’ into a
Nature Reserve. Liz Gould’s article is on the survey activities
of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird. Conservation activities
for the Glossy Black-Cockatoo are reported by Eric Anderson.
Sue Sargent has reported on the co-operative project to
provide a shorebird wetland within the Port of Bundaberg.
The project stakeholders were Gladstone Ports Corporation,
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Bundaberg Regional
Council and Birdlife Bundaberg members.
Sheena Gillman has provided a report on the Easter or March
2016 BSQ–BQ combined campout at Chelmer, Thallon.
Editor’s Note and Index ------------------------------------------------------ 1
From the Convenor ----------------------------------------------------------- 2
Oddments --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
On Tour
A Stroll along the Cairns Foreshore – Lionel Hartley --------------------- 7
Birding at Julatten – Lionel Hartley --------------------------------------- 7
Birding and Surfing in Taiwan – Bill Moorhead ------------------------- 10
The Green Corner
Conservation Calendar – Rochelle Steven ------------------------------- 11
Managing for Chaos – Tracy Finnegan ----------------------------------- 11
Eastern Bristlebird Survey – Liz Gould ---------------------------------- 13
BirdLife Australia Distinguished Service Award Citation ---------------- 14
Glossy Black-Cockatoo Conservancy – Eric Anderson ------------------ 15
Building a Community Partnership – Sue Sargent ---------------------- 16
Decline of Australian Bush Birds – Tim Thornton ----------------------- 17
BSQ & BQ Combined Easter Camp 2016 – Sheena Gillman -------------- 20
Holly Parsons the BirdLife Australia Birds in Backyards Birds in Backyards – Holly Parsons ---------------------------------------- 21
Program Manager describes a number of activites that would The Places That Matter The Most – IBAs ----------------------------------- 22
interest the youngest members of the birding community.
Traprock IBA – Rochelle Steven -------------------------------------------- 23
Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are sites of global bird
conservation importance. Rochelle Steven has drafted
another informative article on the Traprock IBA.
Over the Border
From the Nation’s Capital – Shorty -------------------------------------- 24
From the Driest State – Rick Nash --------------------------------------- 25
Over the Water
A Thai Dish – Barry Heinrich --------------------------------------------- 26
We live in a wide, diverse continent and an interesting world.
The Book Corner
There are birding opportunities in each State and overseas.
Birds of Australia’s Top End – Nick Leseberg & Iain Campbell --------- 27
Our regular contributors Shorty in Canberra, Rick Nash from
Birdscaping Australian Gardens – George Adams ----------------------- 28
South Australia and Barry Heinrich from Thailand have again
Birds of Australia – Iain Campbell, Sam Woods, Nick Leseberg -------- 29
submitted articles on the birds that they are seeing in their
Finding Australian Birds – Tim Dolby & Rohan Clarke ------------------ 30
respective areas.
Birds of the Wet Tropics of Queensland – Lloyd Nielsen ---------------- 32
The Book Corner has five book reviews this quarter.
The Back Page -------------------------------------------------------------- 33
FROM THE CONVENOR – 2016
BirdLife Australia’s AGM in May in front of an appreciative
audience which included several members of BSQ’s
Many of you would have seen the ABC News shorebird story committee. You will see the citation for the award in this
aired in April. The story provided a balanced view of the dire edition of Warbler.
situation facing our shorebirds. On 5 May updates to the
threatened species list of the Australian Government However, I hope you will bear with me as I wax a bit more
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act enthusiastically about Sheena’s contribution to BirdLife
Southern Queensland:
saw addition of six more of Australia's migratory shorebird
Sheena is the driving force behind the Eastern Bristlebird
species to that list.
(EBB) Project, BSQ’s flagship conservation program to secure
the future of this critically endangered northern subspecies.
The Great Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit (Ssp. Limosa lapponica
mensbieri) are now listed as critically endangered. The Red
Knot and Lesser Sand Plover are listed as endangered. The For the last 17 years Sheena has provided leadership across
Bar-tailed Godwit (Ssp. L. l. bauera), and Greater Sand all aspects of this project, coordinating and conducting
surveys in difficult and dangerous terrain throughout the
Plover have been listed as Vulnerable.
duration of this vital conservation initiative.
She is adept at fostering community partnerships, and has
been instrumental in securing funding contributions from
many organisations. As a direct result of her drive and
vision, Eastern Bristlebird populations have been found in
areas where the species was thought to be extinct.
Her ability to move organisations from talking about doing
something to actively engaging in activities that make a
fundamental difference to conservation outcomes is
outstanding.
She achieves this by writing authoritative
submission; active lobbying and just never giving up!
She is BSQ’s representative at the quarterly Queensland
Conservation Council’s Ministerial Round Table meetings. This
gives her direct access to the Minister for Environment and
Heritage Protection, and his senior staffers. This relationship
has forged a functional and progressive relationship between
BSQ and DEHP.
Her capacity to liaise with farmers and private land holders,
BirdLife Australia volunteers, and local communities is
recognised by all who know her as truly exceptional. Sheena
participates in every survey for our Land for Wild Life
Brisbane City Council surveys. More importantly she
undertakes quarterly surveys on farming properties. And, as
BSQs Protect the Bush Alliance Project Coordinator, Sheena
coordinates and participates in multidisciplinary biodiversity
Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit (Peter Crane)
surveys on key properties across Queensland that live in the
This is sobering, to say the least! We remain committed to shadows of coal seam gas and open cut mining. All this is
actively campaigning to save shorebird habitat in done at her own expense.
Queensland. Look out for an update on our campaigns for
Yandina Creek Wetlands, Broadwater and Toondah in the Recognition of Sheena’s
contribution to BirdLife
next edition of Warbler.
Australia,
birds and
habitat
conservation
is
By the time you read this, it will be less than one month prior
to the Queensland Ornithological Conference and the National well deserved. BirdLife
Campout at Murphy’s Creek Escape. We are in the final Southern Queensland is
stages of finalising the conference program for 9 July. We in her debt!
have attracted speakers of the highest standing and look
forward to a great event. Our AGM will follow on immediately
after the conference closes.
One of our next tasks is to put together a bumper
birdwatching program for the campout. Given that we are
camping in a birding hot spot, that should not be too difficult.
Look out for more information on this via our eNews.
BirdLife Australia relies heavily on volunteer support,
especially at a regional level. The BirdLife Distinguished Judith Hoyle, 9 May 2016
Service Award (BDSA) recognises those volunteers that make 0437549301
an outstanding contribution to BirdLife Australia. I am proud Convenor BirdLife Southern Queensland
to announce that Sheena Gillman was awarded a BDSA at
2
Warbler
BIRDLIFE SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
ODDMENTS
Convenor & Acting Treasurer –
Judith Hoyle
Deputy Convenor –
Angelina Rowell
Secretary, Warbler Editor –
Peter Crane
Co-chair of Conservation –
Rochelle Steven
Co-chair of Conservation & PTBA Co-ordinator
Sheena Gillman
Chair Education Neil Humphris
Membership Officer, Co-chair Research & Conference –
Robert Clemens
Co-chair Research & Conference
David Exton
MailChimp/eNews Editor Monica Awasthy
Social Media Advisor Jessie Cappadonna
Research Sub-Committee Gary Fitt
Education Sub-Committee Val Catchpoole
A new section of Warbler for those interesting bird or other
animal behaviours that you observe whilst participating in our
primary pursuit of bird-watching. Your contributions are
welcome, please email Peter Crane.
SPANGLED DRONGO NESTS
This past breeding season I had the privilege of watching a
pair of Spangled Drongos rear their brood of three chicks in a
nest in the same fork on the same branch of the same tree
as they had used successfully the year before.
However this year they first built a nest on the opposite side
of the tree which received close attention from Magpies,
Butcherbirds and ‘Mickies’. They then constructed the second
Committee members may sit on several sub-committees
nest which was strenuously defended until the nestlings were
and/or hold special roles managing important BSQ activities.
flying. Some days later the parent came back and over a
couple of days demolished both nests.
LOCAL BRANCH CONVENORS –
Brisbane North –
Nick Leseberg
Brisbane South –
Sandra Gallienne
Gold Coast –
Beth Hall
South Burnett –
Julian Bielewicz
Sunshine Coast –
Ken Cross
BSQ Photography (interim) –
Di Oliver
Postal Address - PO Box 375 Annerley QLD 4103
WARBLER DISTRIBUTION POLICY
Warbler is a quarterly e-newsletter available on the BirdLife
Southern Queensland website. A four-page monochrome
print copy is distributed with Australian Birdlife magazine.
This copy covers brief news items, announcements and short
summaries of the articles in the full issue.
Please send articles for Warbler to Peter Crane, editor.
I have not seen the use of a ‘dummy’ nest and have only
Photographs that include people require the subject’s consent seen destruction of deserted nests by other birds. Have you
before the photograph can be published. Opinions expressed seen this?
by authors are not necessarily those of BirdLife Australia or
BirdLife Southern Queensland.
Lionel Hartley
No part of Warbler may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted by any means without the prior
written
consent
of
BirdLife
Southern
Queensland. A MESSAGE FROM MACKAY
COPYRIGHT © 2016.
I was introduced to birding as recently as 2008 when
experienced birder, Tess Brickhill, took me and sat me in a
hide on private property at Kungurri 50 kms west of Mackay.
The bird I was keen to see for the first time, the Buffbreasted Paradise-Kingfisher, and its story, got me hooked
on birds.
Now I am promoting birds in local schools by conducting a 45
minute power point presentation, writing poetry about birds
and publishing children’s picture books (second book under
way), preparing the newsletter for the local Birdlife Mackay
club, collecting data through official survey work on the
‘vulnerable’ Eungella Honeyeater and co-producing a calendar
with photographer Steve Dew featuring birds of the Mackay
district. My latest venture into promoting birds is using
postcards to feature five local bird species. All of the above I
have taken on since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Disease in 2010.
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (Peter Crane)
June 2016
3
If you are coming to Mackay to see the endemic Eungella
Honeyeater or for any reason at all, feel free to make contact
with me before you come and I/we will endeavour to make
your stay a good birding one.
Daryl Barnes
OBSERVATIONS OF A SQUARE-TAILED KITE
While recently visiting a property south of Gympie with Mike
West I was wandering around outside (while he was inside
with the house owner) when a largish bird of prey flew out of
a tree and glided away giving a nice rear profile. At this point
I had no idea what the bird was. About five minutes later the
same bird reappeared this time coming towards me and
giving a nice underside view as it banked and settled in the
top of a tallish young Eucalyptus tree.
From this view I determined it was most likely a Squaretailed Kite - a new tick for me. Through the binoculars I could
see that it was happily pulling apart and eating something
firmly attached to its claws. I then grabbed my camera and
tried to obtain some photos to assist with identifying what it
was eating as I could tell it was definitely not a bird or a
reptile. Of course where the bird was sitting any photo was
going to be partially obscured by small branches and leaves
blowing in the breeze or I had to shoot into the sun, which is
what I did, hence the washed out photos attached.
Birdlife Mackay is probably fairly typical of many small
voluntary clubs in that it consists of a small core-group of
people that run and organize everything with others
participating in activities and events when they are available.
Photography is a major introduction into birding these days
for many, but it is one field that I have not become involved
in, I prefer to paint a picture with my words.
To purchase $15.00 copies of my book, Crazy Bird Stories,
email Daryl Barnes or call 07 4959 3382.
Square-tailed Kite (Greg Neill)
Mike reappeared and confirmed that it was Square-tailed Kite
and when asked for his thoughts on what the bird might be
eating he suggested that the species liked to remove a whole
bird nest and eat the nestlings. That was certainly a
possibility.
At home once I downloaded the photos to the computer and
zoomed in I determined it was not a bird's nest but a wasp
nest. I then consulted my old copy of "Birds of Prey of
Australia: A Field Guide" by Stephen Debus (second edition
reviewed in the previous Warbler) and under the description
in the Food and Hunting section of the Square-tailed Kite,
Stephen writes "It also reaches into, tears apart or removes
birds' nests from trees or shrubs, and removes nests of
paper-wasps in order to extract the larvae".
I am in the process of making my stories in rhyme available Stephen's description supported Mike's hypothesis of what
to the public via a website that is a work in progress.
the bird was consuming and that’s what my photo revealed,
while very interesting, was already known.
I have also set up a Facebook page called ‘Crazy Birds’ and
am involved with the Birdlife Mackay Facebook Group page.
Greg Neill
4
Warbler
GLOSSY BLACK-COCKATOOS
BOGEY BIRD
You may remember that in my article about these birds
(Warbler September 2015) I described a no holds barred
fight between two males with a female watching in what I
thought was a contest for her favours. Last Saturday evening
I witnessed another episode which I had never seen before.
In birding circles a "bogey bird" is a bird that has given you a
lot of trouble finding it, with many failed attempts. It often
leads to the belief that the bird doesn't actually exist, and is
part of an elaborate practical joke or conspiracy.
After drinking at our waterhole ten Glossies came to perch in
a dead leafless Ironbark beside the house where we were
entertaining some guests who had come to see the Glossies.
Three birds [male, female and juvenile] sat quietly at the top
of the tree. Two groups of apparently bonded pairs
‘socialised’ with the others by flying from branch to branch,
landing alongside other birds, calling all the time. I have seen
this on a number of occasions and reported it. The oddity
was the behaviour of the other three birds — a mature
female and two mature males. Without landing in the tree
the males pursued the female around and around the tree
occasionally moving a little along the ridge but rarely out of
our sight. This went on for 15 minutes with the two males,
while in flight, jostling and bumping each other like two
opposing soccer players. When the perched birds flew away
they all disappeared together down the valley. The
performance was not repeated by any of the birds we saw
over the next 36 hours.
I found one of my bogey birds last week up at the Watagans
- the Australian Owlet-Nightjar (AON). This is a small
nocturnal bird. They roost in small tree hollows by day, and if
you come across a hollow in the bush you can scratch or
knock on it to see if an AON is home. Fearing a Goanna
attack he might poke his head out and have a look.
If you have ever been camping in the aussie bush or been to
an aussie Zoo's nocturnal house you probably have heard
one. Along with the Boobook, they are common across the
country (and in stock recordings of the night-time outback!)
and vocal at night.
I first came across AONs in the Royal NP. Two led us on a
merry dance through the canopy, always evading the torch
and the camera. I was not-so-calmly urging Sarah to get
them into the spotlight, while I fired shot after shot to only
get bare branches and leaves.
I was camping along Cooper Creek near Innamincka and the
Sadly I could not get a picture in the fading light and could Burke and Wills Dig Tree. During the night several AONs were
not see enough of the female’s yellow colouring to be able to calling above me, seemingly within arms reach. However I
identify her in future.
had seen a Dingo while setting up camp and so had secured
my camera in the vehicle to protect it's leather parts. As soon
as I shifted in the sleeping bag the birds scattered.
Lionel Hartley
AONs sometimes call during the day from their hollow. This is
especially frustrating in large stands of trees where the bird
could be potentially anywhere. This has caused me bouts of
A SUPERB RED
fruitless searching through bush in the Barossa Valley, and
mangoves around the Gold Coast. I've lost count of the many
This young fella looks like he can't handle the alcohol too
other fruitless spotlighting trips at night. Nothing exaggerates
well. The photo was taken at Milla Milla, Atherton Tablelands.
Sarah's fear of zombie attacks like me getting miffed when
we can't find any animals.
Australian Owlet-Nightjar (Jon Spicer-Bell)
Immature Superb Fruit-Dove (reproduced with approval)
Ross Smith
However along one of the trails in the Watagans last
Thursday night, I came across one sitting still on a branch
high up in the gums. He even turned his head to face me for
a (ID only) photo. I may have even lost my voice shouting in
excitement and sweet success.
Perhaps I should wait until we travel to Darwin and Kakadu
later in the year. Apparently it's tricky to drive at night
around Kakadu as so many AONs just sit along the road.
We'll see.
Jon Spicer-Bell
Bird #592
June 2016
5
CAPE YORK TOUR NOTICE
BIRD FEEDING AND WATERING STUDY
Cape York, including Iron
Range, is one of the most
famous birding sites in
Australia.
The Australian Bird Feeding and Watering Study is a citizen
science initiative being conducted by researchers at Deakin
and Griffith Universities. Our interests are the interactions
people have with birds in their own backyards, as this can
have a huge impact on bird diversity and abundance. One of
It’s also one of Australia's the most common ways people interact with birds is through
last great wildernesses, providing food and water.
extending
1,000
kilometres north of Cairns.
Illawarra Birders invite
you to join them on their
tailor-made 12-day birding
tour, led by one of Cape
York's best bird guides
and photographer, Jun
Matsui.
In the company of fellow enthusiasts, you’ll meet the
endemic birds and animals around crystal clear spring-fed
creeks and waterfalls and huge termite mounds ... you’ll see
ancient rock art, visit the more secluded parts of the Cape
and get to stand at the very Top of Australia!
This trip will target the seasonal Cape York specials including
the rare Golden-shouldered Parrot and the stately Palm
Cockatoo.
White-throated Hoeyeater (Peter Crane)
Why do we find this interesting? For the simple reason that
we do not know how providing food and water impacts on
bird ecology and diversity in Australia. While providing food
and water to birds is a popular activity, little is known about
what species are attracted to these resources and why people
like to provide them. Most importantly we need to
understand the ecological and behavioural effects of bird
feeding as almost all information from other countries
regarding bird feeding simply does not apply here. We
acknowledge that feeding of wild birds is an important
activity for large numbers of people and that the practice
may be a significant way for many to connect with nature.
Helmeted Friarbird (Peter Crane)
The Australian Bird Feeding and Watering Study aims to
gather quantitative data on the effects of supplementary
feeding and providing water for birds and the reasons why
people provided food and/or water. In doing so we aim to
develop purpose guidelines for people who feed birds to do
so with minimum risk to birds.
If you provide food or water for birds and would like to take
part in this exciting study, Register your interest today! We
Find out more by searching online for “illawarra cape york would love to have you involved
birding tour” or visit http://bit.do/illawarra
Palm Cockatoo, Cuscus (Jun Matsui)
6
Warbler
A STROLL ALONG THE CAIRNS FORESHORE BIRDING AT JULATTEN
In Cairns en-route to Julatten for some birding I stayed
overnight in a hotel on the foreshore. Having noticed
numerous Pied Imperial Pigeons (PIP) carrying nesting
material to nearby trees, the next morning I went for a walk.
The PIPs were still very active and posed nicely as did a
Peaceful Dove. The doves are very common in town and at
open air eateries may be under your table chasing crumbs.
On the mudflats exposed by the falling tide were several
Black-fronted Dotterel and a Welcome Swallow suspicious of
my activities. We are all familiar with the swallow in flight
but, when they settle close by, you can appreciate just what
an attractive little fellow he is. Recently in Tasmania I looked
down at two of them from a bridge and their backs were not
blue-black but, by some trick of the light, were sky blue. The
Striated Heron was in a typical hunting pose which they will
sometimes hold for minutes at a time while on a jetty or a
mudbank. A colleague has seen one holding the pose while
riding a log down the Brisbane River on an out-going tide.
Julatten is a birding hotspot on the Atherton Tablelands with
a wide variety of ecological niches in a small area. My trip
was based at Kingfisher Park where we were able to join a
night walk and a guided morning walk as well as wander
alone through the extensive grounds.
The spilled seed near a feeder provided a view of a flock of
Red-browed Finches, a Macleay's Honeyeater and an Emerald
Dove. On a stroll through the orchard on the way to the
creek a Spotted Catbird was interrupted in demolishing his
fruit lunch. Nearby a male Pied Monarch interrupted his
spirited pursuit of a female to investigate humans instead,
his neck ruff and blue eye-ring very obvious.
Striated Heron, Grey-tailed Tattler (Lionel Hartley)
Other birds on the mud flats included Marsh Sandpiper, Bartailed Godwit, Whimbrel, a White-faced Heron and a Greytailed Tattler. There were also Pied Oystercatchers and a
small group of Pelicans posing attractively.
North Queensland has so much to offer but I was pleasantly
surprised at the riches so easily available in this busy area of
the city.
Lionel Hartley
Macleay's Honeyeater, Spotted Catbird, Pied Monarch (Lionel Hartley)
June 2016
7
Further into the orchard a Brown Fruit-dove was perched, a
bird often seen in flocks in south-east Queensland when the
weed, Wild Tobacco, is in fruit. Foraging near some bushes
was a Grey-headed Robin with a Bar-shouldered Dove
nearby. My experience with this dove is that it is timorous
and will fly to safety on my approach. However, on one
occasion, while carefully hidden, I watched one feeding on
the opposite edge of a feeding tray to a Magpie. Without
warning the dove launched itself across the tray and butted
the Magpie in the chest sending it backwards off the edge. So
much for the soft and gentle dove!
enough, on this occasion, the male did the same after we had
waited a few minutes during which we noted several females
flitting about. Both he and his bower reflected the great
beauty of this fully mature bird and I took a ridiculous
number of pictures.
Approaching the creek I saw a Spectacled Monarch
attempting to swallow a very large grub. It took several
minutes to complete the task and he sat very still for a while
before flying off. The debris on the side of the creek provided
a perch for two Black-faced Monarch.
The night walk was less fruitful as various birds could be
heard but disappeared on our approach. However the Papuan
Frogmouth, caught in the spotlight, was unfazed and glared
at us with those red eyes.
Papuan Frogmouth (Lionel Hartley)
The next day Andrew Isles took us walkabout and a short
distance down a side road near the park brought us to a
fruiting fig tree and a Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. When head
down, feeding, this bird was difficult to spot but with his head
up there was no problem. Later we walked along a road and
checked a heavily treed creek hearing more birds than we
saw. We then took a mountain road and followed a track into
the rainforest. What looked from a distance like a resting
Willie Wagtail proved to be a Northern Fantail. Further up the
track we heard the call of a Toothed Bowerbird and soon
found its bower of large leaves, some upturned, on the
ground. The bird returned to the horizontal branch above the
leaves and, as it sang, revealed the tooth edged beak used to
sever the stalks of the leaves.
Further up the track the sounds of scratching among the
litter led us to a family of Chowchilla searching for food and
sweeping the ground with powerful sidekicks. The male was
indifferent to our presence but the female, with her beautiful
orange upper breast plumage, kept her distance. We went
some distance further up the track to where a Golden
Bowerbird had been seen. Exploring off the track in an area
of relatively open rainforest revealed the bower, an
extraordinary pile of vines and debris collected against trunks
of two adjacent trees with a horizontal display branch
between. I had seen such a bower before on Mt. Bartle Frere
and then the male had flown in to look at the intruders. Sure
8
Warbler
Toothed Bowerbird, Chowchilla, Golden Bowerbird (Lionel Hartley)
In the afternoon we came down the mountain to a group of
houses in more open country. In one houseyard, protected
by the owner's dogs, were some Squatter Pigeons with the
periorbital bare red skin of the northern group. There had
been more birds around until new neighbours with cats
arrived. On the return trip to Julatten we checked out a large
grass filled paddock and found a number of female Australian
Bustards. When they spotted us they simply lowered their
bodies into the long grass and vanished. Shortly after we saw
a male in display - not to impress a female but to drive off
another male who subsequently flew off in a hurry. The
display is extraordinary as the male retracts his tail feathers
over his back, inflates a breast sac with air to the point
where it hangs on the ground while the feathers of the upper
breast are spread in a fan shape. The release of air makes a
sound between a belch and a hoarse roar. As we could not
top this experience we retired for the day.
Australian Bustard (Lionel Hartley)
As my pictures were taken from a distance beyond the
capabilities of my zoom lens I have substituted a picture of a
male near Alice Springs.
On the final morning we saw both the Yellow-spotted and the
Graceful Honeyeaters and then a noisy, active group of
Metallic Starlings in their community nest. The flowering
shrubs revealed Dusky and Brown Honeyeaters and under a
hedge was the bower of the Great Bowerbird. The resident
male had three others wandering through the bower at the
time.
Squatter Pigeon, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Yellow-bellied Sunbird (Lionel
Hartley)
As I was returning to my parked car a Yellow-bellied Sunbird
posed decorously for my final picture. We had seen or heard
more than 130 species in the short stay but know that we HAVE YOU BEEN ON A BIRDING TOUR?
had missed as many more. There is always a good reason to Share your bird tour story and photos in Warbler.
Articles to Peter Crane, editor
return.
Lionel Hartley
June 2016
9
BIRDING AND SURFING IN TAIWAN
lots of birds and some native animals including Formosan
Rock Monkeys and various squirrels.
In March 2016 I joined a group of five wave-deprived
Bargara surfers on an 11 day trip chasing those elusive
breaks in southern and eastern Taiwan. Although the other
four in our group were not keen birders, they happily joined
me on the birding side of our trip. Unfortunately time and
logistics meant that visiting the extraordinary highlands
above 3000m in the north was not possible therefore
meaning that the star attraction birds including Swinhoe’s
and Mikado Pheasants as well as the Chinese Bamboo
Partridges etc. could not be seen or even looked for.
There are forest parks that are well sign-posted. Many people
can speak a bit of English. As always, I like to know those
dozen or so phrases everyone in the world says every day. It
is worth writing them down and using them IMHO.
Grey-chinned Minivet (Bill Moorhead)
I saw about 50 new birds with the endemics being my main
targets. These included Taiwan Barbet, Taiwan Blue Magpie,
After flying in from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung we based our Taiwan Scimitar Babbler, Taiwan Green Pigeon, Taiwan
trip around Taitung and Kenting, all in the south of Taiwan Bulbul and the almost endemic, Grey-chinned Minivet. Other
avoiding the populous west and northern end of Taiwan terrific birds included Brown-eared Bulbul, Himalayan Black
including the sprawling city of Taipei.
Bulbuls and Crested Goshawks and Crested Serpent Eagles
were commonly seen.
The south is fantastic. The people are friendly and the whole
country is apparently rated the second safest country in the
world. I would believe it. At no time did anyone try and sell
us anything. You can’t even give tips. They see it as an
insult. Service everywhere is excellent. And the food is
splendid and cheap by Australian standards. Most
accommodation and restaurant establishments have places to
fill up fresh drinking water therefore providing the
opportunity to NOT buy those horrible bloody plastic water
bottles that are making Coca-Cola and Pepsi rich! No-one in
our group suffered any health issues eating and drinking local
food and water. The local 7–11 stores happily open corked
bottles of red wine for me! How good is that?
Bill surfing in Kenting on SUP
Crested Goshawk (Bill Moorhead)
I strongly recommend anyone interested in a safe, small and
comparatively easy place to bird and get around in to visit
Taiwan.
I’ll finish with one experience that highlights the trip. At a
small harbor, I was photographing a Black-tailed Gull and a
fisherman asked me about it in broken English. I told him
that we loved Taiwan and her people. Three hours later, and
nine bottles of local Taiwan Classic beer shouted to us, we
went to our afternoon surf! That wouldn’t happen in many
places in the world.
Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (Bill Moorhead)
In the town areas, the bush around the Taoist temples Bill Moorhead
provides cultural experiences as well as opportunities to see
10
Warbler
THE GREEN CORNER
Conservation Through Sustainable Use of Wildlife
Conference
30 August - 1 September 2016
Pullman Brisbane King George Square, Brisbane, Queensland
The original “Conservation through Sustainable Use of
Wildlife” conference was held at The University of
Queensland’s St Lucia in February 1994. This landmark
event brought together landholders, scientists, industry and
NGO representatives to discuss this important topic. More
than two decades have passed since the original conference
and the sustainable use of wildlife continues to be an
important conservation tool throughout Australia and New
Zealand – and further afield. Now is a great time to review
this important field of conservation and provide some input
and guidance for the future.
It can be very hard to select a topical conservation issue to
write about for this newsletter, because quite frankly there
are too many to choose which is most deserving of focus.
Coal mining approvals, climate change associated reef
bleaching, continued large-scale land clearing – the picture is
not a pretty one I am afraid. The reality is, many if not all of
you reading this are well aware of these issues so I am
hesitant to re-hash things in this instalment. What I think
you do need to know, and may not be aware of, are the
upcoming events and opportunities for you to get involved in
learning more about possible ways you can help and
advocate on behalf of the multitude of species needing our
help. But before I get into that, I must draw your attention to
the fabulous story that aired in ABC news last month about
our treasured shorebirds in Moreton Bay. Judith Hoyle, Rob
Clemens and Richard Fuller did a stellar job talking about the Rochelle Steven
plight of these birds and raising awareness of the risks a
potential development in Redland Bay at Toondah Harbour MANAGING FOR CHAOS
represents to ‘our’ birds. Thanks and well done to all involved
in the story. It was fantastic to see such an important issue I often contemplate what exactly is meant by ecologically
getting some substantial media coverage for a change.
sustainable development. It is a commonly and sometimes
misused catch phrase that should describe human land use
So what is coming up on the conservation calendar? Read on that not only protects ecological systems and processes, but
for some fun events you might like to get involved in. As also acts to promote them, both now and into the future. This
usual, our local bird walks and events are listed on our management model is based on the premise that all we do
website so please check this out for some bird specific (especially within the agricultural sector) is dependent on
events. Listed below are some more general conservation ecological processes – ecosystem services to be precise. At
based events you might like to diarise.
Jingeri this is something that we wholeheartedly believe, and
champion, through our ecologically sensitive production
Gold Coast Green Week
model.
28th May - 5th June 2016
Green week is a festival celebrating World Environment Day
with nine days of amazing events and activities aimed at
uniting like-minded organisations and raising community
environmental awareness throughout the Gold Coast. Green
Week is a joint venture between local organisations,
community groups, schools and the Gold Coast City Council.
Green Heart Fair
Sunday 29 May 2016 9:00am – 2:00pm
7th Brigade Park, Murphy Road Chermside, Chermside,
Brisbane
Come and celebrate sustainable living and a free day out at
Brisbane City Council’s Green Heart Fair. Hands on
workshops, over 100 exhibitors, plant giveaways, celebrity
chefs, cubbyhouse building, urban animals, all-day kids’
activities and more. The fair promotes innovative sustainable
living in a free, fun, family-friendly environment with
activities for home renovators, fashionistas, foodies, green
thumbs and recyclers through to budding energy savers and
young eco-warriors looking to make a difference.
World Environment Day
5th June 2016
Cotton Tree Park, Maroochydore
This is a free not-for-profit family friendly event to inspire our
community to become ecologically responsible and to actively
care for our Earth. Great live acts, children's forest, speakers
program, bush crafts, workshops, Tesla cars, Indigenous
dance, raffle, organised bike ride and a Stone & Wood
Brewing fundraiser jetty bar! And best of all - a chance to
connect with the locals who have been working behind the
scenes to keep your home the way you like it! We only have
one Earth - so come share stories and start a conversation on
the things that matter!
Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Tracy Finnegan)
So exactly what do I mean by that? Well simply put if you are
managing to promote ecosystem services, then you are
managing for chaos!
Managing for chaos is really just a way of saying we are
always, in everything we do, managing to promote diversity.
Our management model is one that is adaptive and in a
constant state of flux, just as the ecosystems we depend on
are. In reality this means that we recognise that weeds can
be a short term friend, providing much needed soil
protection, food sources for our birds and other biology and
may even have a role in soil fertility and carbon cycling. It
means that in our vegetation management we avoid
monocultures and promote multiple tree species regrowth in
certain areas. It also means that within our pasture
management we aim for a minimum of 15 species of
June 2016 11
perennial grasses and legumes that have varied growth
cycles. We define high value native biodiversity areas of the
farm and limit grazing in those areas through strategic use of
fencing, we use cattle to crash graze areas prior to
implementing fire regimes to reduce the wildfire risk, we
carefully position fire trails to make mustering as well as fire
control simpler, safer and more manageable.
of birds, including Black-breasted Button-quail and one of the
largest recorded colonies of Glossy Black-Cockatoo in SEQ.
Recently we believe we got positive call backs for the Eastern
Bristlebird in a more remote section of the farm.
Our partnership with DEHP has resulted in the creation of a
400 acre Nature Refuge (Jingeri A & B), gazetted in
November 2014. This project is part of the State Govt Koala
Most importantly we rotationally graze using holistic grazing Offsetting program and we have contracts with the Dept to
principles to ensure that we are constantly promoting native manage 15.5Ha of replanting and managed regrowth for the
grass and pasture growth.
promotion of koala habitat and associated ecosystems.
Specialist ecological surveys have revealed to date the
presence of multiple listed species of frog, butterfly and
birds. Most recently we have ground-truthed our regional
ecosystems and discovered several areas of critically
endangered vegetation communities that were not mapped
previously in the State-wide mapping system.
So where to from here? Our team at Jingeri are working
towards improving the carrying capacity of already cleared
land so we do not need to resort to further clearing. We will
apply
more
structured
and
appropriate
vegetation
management regimes to promote the existing reserves at the
farm, this will include modified fire management. We will also
continue to seek partnerships with other organisations with a
common philosophy, so that we may instigate research and
data surveys more widely across the farm.
Let Chaos reign as the saying goes!
Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Tracy Finnegan)
The benefits for us in all of this is that we win in production
terms as our input costs are minimised. Lower costs are
achieved because in managing holistically we reduce parasite
loads in our cattle, promote the nutrient, carbon and trace
mineral levels in the soil (leads to healthier grasses and
hence healthier cattle), have higher fertility rates in our
cows, have higher carrying capacity so we can afford to
maintain larger conservation focused areas on the farm and
produce some very high quality animals.
But whilst we win in production terms we also win
significantly in biodiversity conservation terms as well. This
for us is what makes our management system the gold
standard of holistic grazing. The trick though is being able to
demonstrate we are achieving, in a practical sense, what we
say we are.
Tracy Finnegan
Tracy Finnegan is the farm manager of ‘Jingeri’ located at
1214 Duck Creek Rd Kerry 4285 in the Scenic Rim. She holds
a B.AppSci Integrated Resource Management (2013) UQ and
was Queensland runner up in the Australian Landcarer of the
Year Awards 2015. She is on the Board of the SEQ
Catchments Members Association and is an active member of
the Vegetation Management Policy Advisory Committee for
AgForce QLD and newly appointed AgForce Rep on the
National Farmers Federation NRM Committee 2016-2018.
Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Tracy Finnegan)
This is where our working partnerships with the Queensland
Government DEHP and BSQ are paramount. BSQ have been
monitoring bird diversity and abundance at the farm for the
past three years and the latest count was around 94 species
12
Warbler
Koala (Tracy Finnegan)
EASTERN BRISTLEBIRD SURVEY
Background: Eastern Bristlebird is an endangered bird
species found in three disjunct areas of south-eastern
Australia. The most northern of these areas is South East
Queensland (SEQ) and north-eastern NSW and the birds in
this area (the northern population) have undergone a
dramatic population decline and range contraction over the
past 50 years. Over the past 20 years, surveys for Eastern
Bristlebird in SEQ have been primarily undertaken by
volunteers. Sheena Gillman (BirdLife Southern Queensland,
BSQ, and Birds Queensland representative) has undertaken
the majority of these surveys and also coordinates other
volunteers to assist; an amazing personal endeavour. Eastern
Bristlebird surveys involve extensive hours in arduous
conditions, traversing the very steep mountain slopes that
provide habitat for Eastern Bristlebird.
Survey Activities: Penny has four trained handlers for her
work in Queensland and NSW; two of these, David Charley
(Wildsearch Environmental Services and Eastern Bristlebird
expert) and Shannon Maguire were involved in the SEQ
surveys. All surveys were conducted under an approved
animal ethics permit and authorisation was granted from
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) to use the
EBCD in National Parks. On several occasions interested
landholders, funding representatives (e.g. Sandra Dunglison,
Birds Queensland) or members of the recovery team also
attended the surveys. The combined funding enabled 12 days
of surveys by the EBCD in seven sites in the eastern and
western Lamington and Main Range areas, on public and
private land. Each survey comprised two days, usually at one
site though occasionally non-adjacent or geographically
distant sites were surveyed. Liz Gould negotiated the timing
of surveys with David Charley and access to site with the
relevant private property owners; David Stewart undertook
negotiations with QPWS. David Charley prepared a detailed
report following each survey, including mapping data, and
provided this to the Recovery Team.
Results: 110 hectares of potential Eastern Bristlebird habitat
were surveyed by the EBCD through this project, most
deemed to be ‘high quality habitat’. The EBCD gave indication
of the presence of Eastern Bristlebird at four sites; two of
these were ‘strong’ indications and two were ‘weak’
indications. During follow-up survey work with the EBCD to
one of the western Lamington sites on 16-17 November
2015, David Charley saw and heard four Eastern Bristlebirds,
one pair and two single males. These were the only Eastern
Bristlebird seen or heard by human observers during the
2015 EBCD surveys in Queensland.
Penny, Eastern Bristlebird Detector Dog (Liz Gould)
In 2014, an English springer spaniel named Penny, owned by
the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), was
trained to detect Eastern Bristlebird; the Eastern Bristlebird
Conservation Dog. Penny is thought to be able to detect the
presence of Eastern Bristlebird up to three weeks after a bird
may have been in an area through scenting the presence of
droppings, feathers or nest material. Numerous successful
surveys have been undertaken in NSW with birds and nests
found.
In late 2014, SEQ Catchments was successful in gaining
funding to support EBCD surveys in Queensland through two
grants; an Environment Grant from Scenic Rim Regional
Council
and
a
Queensland
Government
Everyone’s
Environment Grant (through the Border Ranges Alliance).
Combined funding for EBCD surveys through these grants
(each of which support numerous other activities) was
$11,000. Queensland members of the Eastern Bristlebird
Recovery Team (Northern Working Group) – David Stewart
(Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection, EHP), Sheena Gillman (BSQ) and Liz Gould (SEQ
Catchments, SEQC) – met in February 2015 to determine
SEQ sites for the deployment of Penny and the number of
survey days and funding required, then, in consultation with
OEH, a survey plan was developed. The plan identified that
the number of survey days required exceeded the grant
funding available and BirdLife Southern Queensland and Birds
Queensland were each approached with a request to
contribute funding to enable additional surveys. Each
organisation contributed $2,000. This report presents a
summary of the results the consequent EBCD surveys able to
be undertaken in SEQ during 2015.
Conclusion and recommendations: Aggregated funding and a
coordinated effort in 2015 enabled the first surveys by the
EBCD in Queensland, with fantastic results. Through twelve
survey days across seven sites, over 100ha of potential
Eastern Bristlebird habitat was able to be traversed.
Significantly the EBCD detected the likely presence of Eastern
Bristlebird at four sites where human observers did not and
also found four birds at one site.
Shannon Maguire throws the ball for Penny as a reward for finding Eastern
Bristlebird scent
The extensive investigation of survey areas has provided upto-date and consistent information on the condition of habitat
areas. This will assist with the targeting of habitat
management actions and also the identification of suitable
future release sites for captive-bred birds.
June 2016 13
The positive indications by the EBCD at four sites, together
with expert confirmation of extensive areas of suitable ‘high
quality’ habitats, provide a strong case for follow-up survey
work by the EBCD and human observers at these sites and
others. Further study of the area where birds were seen and
heard is required to determine the size of the local
population, map territories and determine evidence of
breeding activity. There are currently no Queensland birds in
the recently re-established captive breeding program being
managed by Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) and to be
able to include Queensland stock into the program could
significantly increase genetic diversity.
The 2015 survey results were also used by the Recovery
Team to develop a new suite of priorities for the EBCD in
Queensland. Funding sources to support this are currently
being investigated, however, the generousity of immediate
ongoing funding from BirdLife Southern Queensland ($11,400
for more intensive investigation of the area in western
Lamington where four birds were sighted and follow-up
surveys at the second ‘strong’ EBCD indication site) is a
significant contribution.
Supplementary to the EBCD surveys were sound recordings
at three potential Eastern Bristlebird sites. This was
undertaken to assist Queensland University of Technology
PhD student, Jessie Cappadonna, with her research. The
results will be known later in 2016. Two of these sites were
ones at which the EBCD indicated, the third was unable to be
traversed by the EBCD due to the remote location, difficult
terrain and vegetation structure.
SEQ Catchments had a key role in coordinating the recent
survey work and looks forward to further opportunities to
partner with BirdLife Southern Queensland and Birds
Queensland in threatened species recovery and other
conservation projects.
Acknowledgements: The support provided by members of the
Recovery Team, particularly Sheena Gillman, David Stewart
and David Charley, was invaluable and critical to guiding
survey efforts. NSW OEH representative Lynn Baker is to be
congratulated for her initiative in obtaining and training a
detector dog for Eastern Bristlebird, and for making Penny
available for work in Queensland. CWS require recognition for
their role in undertaking the captive breeding program and
for freeing up Shannon Maguire to assist with EBCD surveys.
Thanks also to the funders of the 2015 surveys: Scenic Rim
Regional Council, Queensland Government, BirdLife Southern
Queensland and Birds Queensland.
Liz Gould
Science & Innovation Coordinator, SEQ Catchments
14
Warbler
BirdLife Australia
Distinguished Service Award 2016
Citation
Sheena Gillman
Sheena Gillman
BirdLife Southern Queensland
Sheena, in her roles as Conservation
Coordinator and Committee member for
BirdLife Southern Queensland, is an
outstanding organizer, leader and oneperson
information
hub
for
the
conservation community in the Brisbane
area.
She has since 1998 coordinated the effort
of volunteers for the Northern Recovery
Project of the Eastern Bristlebird in
Queensland, resulting in greater outreach
to bird watchers and land holders for this
species now recognised as a priority in the
Australian
Government’s
Threatened
Species Strategy.
Sheena established the "Protect the Bush
Alliance" to protect areas of high
conservation value and she coordinates the
"Birds on farms" surveys across South East
Queensland educating landholders to value
birds on their properties.
She is a regular contributor to public
hearings, stakeholder consultations and
Ministerial roundtables providing a voice
for birds as well as for people who care
about birds.
Sheena exemplifies how local people
working through local groups can help
drive
conservation
achievements
by
building
effective
alliances
and
partnerships
which
extend
BirdLife's
influence in the wider community.
GLOSSY BLACK-COCKATOO CONSERVANCY
Biodiversity Assessment and Management Pty Ltd (BAAM),
with input from other Partners, produced fact sheets on
Fifteen Glossy Black Conservancy Partner organisations and ageing and sexing of Glossy Black-Cockatoo.
nine Conservancy Friends worked with south-eastern
Queensland and north-eastern NSW communities towards Partners Griffith University and SEQ Catchments developed a
Glossy Black-Cockatoo conservation and management in poster – Mapping essential habitat for the threatened Glossy
2015. On-ground Conservation Action Partner Redland City Black-Cockatoo using citizen science data – for display at the
inaugural Australian Citizen Science Association Conference
Council supported residents on Macleay and Russell Islands in
in July 2015. This poster has also been accepted for
southern Moreton Bay to monitor nesting pairs and install
presentation at the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania
nest boxes and predator protection. Their efforts were
meeting in July 2016. Online Sightings Database Partners,
rewarded with the successful fledging of one chick in August.
Friends and community members submitted over 500 Glossy
Black-Cockatoo sighting and feed tree records to the online
database during 2015, adding to an increasingly valuable
data set.
Glossy Black-Cockatoo, pair (Eric Anderson)
Partners Griffith University and SEQ Catchments worked with
Friends of Dwyers Scrub on their Upper Lockyer Connectivity
project, helping design initial surveys to investigate use of
that landscape by Glossy Black-Cockatoo and providing
strategic support. Feed tree planting and habitat restoration
was carried out by Logan and Redland City Councils and
Noosa and Tweed Shire Councils. Hundreds of feed trees
were given to visitors to the Conservancy’s stall at the Logan
Eco Action Festival in June. Community Education Partners
and Friends took every opportunity to spread the Glossy
Black-Cockatoo awareness and conservation message
through displays, guided walks, talks, newsletter articles,
social and conventional media. Partner Logan City Council
had a particularly busy year, promoting Glossy BlackCockatoo conservation during at least 13 local events.
Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Eric Anderson)
Glossy Black-Cockatoo Birding Day 2015
Conservancy Partners assisted 184 volunteer observers in
carrying out the seventh annual Birding Day census on 5 May
2015. 60 birds were sighted during the survey and 81 feed
trees were recorded.
The Birding Day dataset is now large enough that the
Conservancy is able to commence preliminary data analysis
on seasonal and regional trends.
Research
Preliminary results of stable isotope analysis in Glossy BlackCockatoo feathers and their feed trees suggest that while
some populations confine their feeding to restricted regions
(e.g. coastal zone, inland) others move further afield in
search of food. This work is being done by Partner Griffith
University in conjunction with A.Prof. Craig Symes, an
ornithologist from the University of the Witwatersrand in
South Africa and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Partner SEQ Catchments, working closely with the
Conservancy’s Research Committee, completed Essential
Habitat Mapping for Glossy Black-Cockatoo in the south-east
Queensland bioregion. The mapping will be provided to the
Queensland
Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection early in 2016 for consideration for inclusion in
products such as Biodiversity Planning Assessments and
Vegetation Management Act 1999 Essential Habitat. The
mapping will also be made available to Conservancy Partners
and other stakeholders, e.g. local governments, for use in
planning and land-use decisions.
Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Eric Anderson)
Eric Anderson
June 2016 15
BUILDING A COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
WITH PORT OF BUNDABERG
communicate frequently and take it slowly – a
relationship takes time to develop.
good
The Burnett River is a massive Queensland catchment flowing Sue Sargent
over 400Km and marked with over thirty impoundments Conservation Partnerships Manager - Burnett Mary Regional
(dams and weirs) between the headwaters and the coast. In Group for NRM
2007, the Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource
Management (BMRG) was approached by bulk water supplier
SunWater and the Australian Government to assist them with
a shorebird offset project for the river estuary and adjacent
areas.
Looking at the area as a whole, there were a number of
issues facing shorebirds including threat abatement and
education/awareness. Addressing these were the project
team, led by BMRG staff, and comprising local stakeholders
such as the Port of Bundaberg (managed and operated by
Gladstone Ports Corporation), Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service, Bundaberg Regional Council and Birdlife Bundaberg
members.
The most significant site in the area was the Port of
Bundaberg spoil pond, a modified wetland within strategic
port land. The site was exposed to a number of issues with
the most significant threats being ongoing dredge spoil infill,
recreational pressures including trail bikes and uncontrolled
dogs, weeds causing habitat degradation, predators like
foxes and a lack of community awareness.
The site had already been identified as a high priority for
management (in Shorebirds of the Burnett Coast: surveys of
critical high tide roosts by David Milton and Sandra Harding,
2007) with counts of over 2500 shorebirds recorded.
All activities on-site have been undertaken in partnership
with the Port of Bundaberg, with the birdwatchers sponsored
to conduct a monthly shorebird count since 2008. Several
rarities have been recorded since the program’s inception
including the Buff-breasted Sandpiper (2009) – also
Queensland’s first record, Lewin's Rail (2011) and Pectoral
Sandpiper and Australian Painted Snipe (2013). The site’s
regular species include: Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged Stilt,
Curlew Sandpiper, Eastern Curlew, Greenshank, Marsh
Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Stint, Sharptailed Sandpiper and Whimbrel.
Other activities have included the erection of gates – to limit
illegal traffic into the wetlands, ‘out-foxing Freddy’ – an
initiative to build capacity to identify dens and undertake red
fox control, buffering of the adjacent tidal wetlands through
revegetation and improved weed management, and the
erection of a shorebird observation platform (named after
local shorebird advocate Trevor Quested) with interpretative
signage to mark the significance of the site for shorebirds
and provide a long-term community resource.
The platform has been a welcome addition to the Port’s
infrastructure, providing an excellent viewing point for
community shorebird identification events – such as the one
held in February. The platform was also a landmark in the
relationship between the birders and the Port of Bundaberg,
with the location carefully selected to benefit both
stakeholder groups to secure future environmental and
economic outcomes.
After nine years, it’s been an amazing journey. If there was
one lesson to pass on to others embarking on a similar
challenge, it would be to dream big, identify your goals,
16
Warbler
Port of Bundaberg Wetland (Sue Sargent), Trevor Quested Observation Platform
(John Gatley), Marsh Sandpiper (Peter Crane)
DECLINE OF AUSTRALIAN BUSH BIRDS
Next comes building a house, but to get planning approval
there cannot be a tree within 30 metres of the proposed
The report from BirdLife Australia titled ‘The State of house; so in comes the tree lopper to remove the offending
Australian Birds 2015’ makes for very sad reading to anyone trees, but ‘It’s OK, as we are going to plant fruit trees and
with a long history of interest in Australian Birds (70+ years lots of bamboos’.
in my case, I can’t remember when I was not interested in
our birds). The report merely confirms what many of us have This scenario has been repeated, to varying degrees, ~ 300
times in the 30+ years of settlement at Pacific Haven….
witnessed over our lifetimes, the tragic decline in our bird
populations, but at least it is ‘authoritarian’, as opposed to
”Why are there no birds?” the residents ask!!! The time scale
anecdotal. Anecdotal evidence counts for nought when it
is important; clearing of an area doesn’t happen overnight, it
comes to action by Governments, and this report seems to
is a gradual process that largely goes unnoticed, leading to
have galvanised the Federal Government into a $2M program
to ‘control’ feral cats. Similar BA reports about 10 years ago fragmentation of the ecosystem, and finally death by a
contained only scant reference to predation as a problem for thousand cuts.
our birds, so ‘good on ya BirdLife Australia’!!
Tree planting is a great PR exercise for conservation groups
The real point is that we know what is causing this tragic but is unrealistic when compared to the destruction by
decline in our bird (mammal, reptile…) populations, and more clearing. The poor wallum spew soils and low rainfall of
surveys / indices etc are not going to stop it, we know the Pacific Haven supports about 5000 trees and/or bushes per
hectare in its natural state. Government sponsored tree
‘base lines’. The answer to ‘what is…’ is complex, there are
planting is a smoke screen for the damage they do in
lots of factors, and they all interact, but there are solutions…
allowing rampant clearing/development of bushland and
native forest.
Habitat Destruction / Habitat Fragmentation / Land Clearing /
Ecosystem Decimation / Development … Call it what you
want; we all know that if you destroy the habitat of birds (or Solution: Sadly education, or the carrot and stick approach
other native animals) they disappear; we are all familiar with doesn’t work; it has to be more stick, in the form of firmer
protection
laws,
greater
the political rows over the 1999 Vegetation Management Act environmental/ecosystem
enforcement
of
laws
and
harsher
penalties
for
transgressors,
in Queensland … but what is not generally recognised is the
at the Federal, State and Local government levels. Laws and
extent of this land clearing.
rules that force land owners to excessively clear native
vegetation have to be withdrawn.
Take a flight from Brisbane to Darwin; out the window you
will see hundreds of miles of windrows of “pushed scrub” and
tens of thousands of acres of cleared land in between the
windrows. This is/was savannah and CSIRO studies indicate
that clearing of such savannah does not increase livestock
(cattle and sheep) production. Clearing Mulga, as opposed to
lopping or pushing it, takes away the drought reserve, surely
a stupidity in an arid land that is getting drier and hotter (see
‘Climate Change’ below).
On the coast it is a different scenario to over the range;
where I live is a good example. People buy Rural Residential
blocks at Pacific Haven to ‘live in the bush’ (most blocks are
partially cleared and in a mess when they buy as the local
real estate agents told the previous owner it is easier to sell a
block if there is some of it cleared!). The first thing they do is
‘get rid of all the rubbish bush’; this means clearing all the
understory of Wattles, Allocasuarinas (the main food source
of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo), Hakeas etc and any dead or
crooked trees. But the dozer operator knows how to get more
money, so he ‘bumps’ a large bloodwood that he can see is
full of hollows, and then says ‘all these bloodwoods are all
hollow (that is true), and these Snappy Gums (Angophoras)
are widow makers, they will kill you one day’ (that is most
unlikely). So all the 100 + year old hollow trees, which the
birds, possums, gliders and bats use as ‘Homes’, are
destroyed with the understory. A few ‘Nice Trees’ are left.
As soon as the heaps of ‘rubbish’ are burnt they move into,
with their two dogs and two cats, an old caravan on site (or
build a shed); then they buy a ride on mower (‘got to keep
the snakes away and protect the van from a fire’) and
proceed to mow the whole block, in a cloud of dust, into
submission. This is repeated, over and over, whenever it is
dry enough, in order to obey the first commandment of living
in the bush ‘No native grass or herbaceous plant must flower
or set seed’.
Common Bronzewing (Peter Crane)
Predation … Bird numbers in our National Parks, World
Heritage Areas and Nature Refuges etc have declined, despite
the fact that habitats/ecosystems appear relatively
unchanged. But, these ‘protected areas’ have become food
bowls/killing fields for introduced foxes and cats. Because
foxes and cats are cryptic night hunters they are not readily
seen, but the truth is, most localities, even urban areas, are
literally swarming with foxes and cats. Feral dogs are much
easier to trap and/or poison than feral cats or foxes; that last
cat or fox can be hard to get to in a predator-fenced area,
and impossible in open areas. Sadly some people advocate
that introduced cats and foxes have to be ‘accepted’ as part
of the Australian environment/ecosystem, despite the fact
that they kill tens of millions of our native birds, animals and
other creatures each year!! Cat owners provide a never
ending supply of feral cats.
June 2016 17
The mere presence of foxes and feral cats is enough to drive
their prey out of the ecosystem, a fact not fully appreciated
by dog and cat owners. Dogs on leashes don’t chase and kill,
but they still disturb birds and other animals.
Solution: people are entitled to their opinions, but when their
opinions are patently wrong they should not be entitled to
make decisions/govern the wellbeing of us and our native
birds and animals. Our democracy does have failings.
Since the days of John Wamsley we have known that
predator proof fencing is highly effective in preserving and
increasing populations of native animals and birds. However,
the cost of maintaining predator proof fences exceeds that of
construction (in $s and/or man hours). Conservation groups
eg AWC, can raise money for constructing some predatorproof fences, but maintenance is a harder sell.
There is no single/magic bullet for controlling/eradicating
feral cats and foxes; all methods of destroying them have to
be employed in combinations most suited to a particular
locality, including reducing rabbit populations, poisoning,
baiting, trapping, hunting, shooting, bounties, spreading
dingos, introducing Tasmanian Devils and disease/parasite
vectors/preventative reproduction techniques …
Solution: If we can have “WARS on drugs and Terrorism”,
surely the Federal Government can declare war on feral cats
Restless Flycatcher (Peter Crane)
and foxes to conserve and preserve our native birds and
animals and fund it accordingly at the level of other wars.
Pollution … is the elephant in the room. We know that since
the time of the Industrial Revolution mankind has been
Numbers of licenced pets have to restricted and all pets pouring ‘chemicals’ into the environment (atmosphere, seas,
should be de-sexed, with strict enforced controls on licenced waterways and soils) at an exponential rate, but since the
breeders of cats and dogs by State and Local Governments
1950’s this rate has gone beyond exponential. Today millions
of tons of fertilisers, herbicides and insecticides are applied to
our food crops each year; plastics are produced in billions of
tons; fossil fuels are burnt in trillions of tons releasing not
only CO², but thousands of chemical compounds … all of
which end up in our seas, water ways and soils. Bacterial and
fungal degradation does its best to get rid of them but
chemical residues in our seas, waterways and soils, from all
of the above and more, are increasing.
We know that Honey Bee numbers have been drastically
reduced on a global scale, and that herbicides and
insecticides are largely to blame, but what about other
insects, worms, grubs, larvae of all descriptions, minute
creatures and plants, single celled organisms, etc on which
our birds depend for food ?? I contend that these ‘chemicals’
are killing the food chain of our birds.
Brown Treecreeper (Peter Crane)
Climate Change … Observant people of my age and
background have seen the sea level rise in our lifetimes, are
aware that it is warmer now than when we were kids, have
seen the disturbance to what were our ‘normal seasons’ of
native plants flowering and winter migrations of birds. (The
last few years the Grey Fantails have left Pacific Haven in late
August as opposed to mid-September 20 years ago; the
River Mangroves don’t seem to know when to flower and so
the numbers of White-cheeked Honeyeaters at my bird bath
has dropped by 50%; Scrub Turkey chicks appear at any
time except winter…) We also accept that atmospheric CO2
levels have risen from 300 to 400 ppm largely due to the
activities of mankind. I can’t say that Climate Change has
directly contributed to a decline in bush bird numbers but I
do wonder if these subtle changes to our climate are
contributing to alterations/reductions in the whole food chain,
on which our birds depend for survival. Naomi Klein says
‘Climate Change affects everything’ and I think she is right.
18
Warbler
In parallel with a decline in our birds I have seen a similar
decline in large, what were common, insects. There are
hardly any Christmas Beetles, Stink Bugs, Cicadas, Stick
insects, Praying Mantis, Butterflies and Moths etc these days;
the declines in these “indicator species” (birds and large
insects) is symptomatic of a collapse in the whole food
chain/entire ecosystem; what we see is the tip of the iceberg.
Solution: The excessive use of fertilisers, weedicides and
insecticides in food production has to be reduced; this would
mean going back to old farming practices, such as growing
leguminous crops in rotation with grain and sugar cane,
cultivating and fallowing to kill weeds. It would not surprise
me if these old methods were not more profitable. For
plastics it has to be, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; it is not just
plastic in the guts of sea birds, it is also the residues they
leave when they finally degrade.
Mindset of Mankind
Where have/are we gone/going, wrong?? ……Greater minds
than mine have tried to untangle this, the most recent being
Pope Francis in his encyclical “Laudato Si’ “ or “Care for our
common home”. All of the above (ecosystem destruction,
introduced predators, climate change and pollution) can be Solution: Michael Leunig said ‘I saw the enemy and it were
sheeted home to ‘us’, Homo sapiens; consider the following:
us’ … most of us, but not all of us in this case. We, the few
‘true believers’, must continue to fight for our native birds
1 In my life time the human population of Australia has risen and animals, our natural environment … they have no voice
from seven million to almost 24 million…the opposite of what of their own, and individuals can make a difference, as
has happened to our birds and animals. Not only are there Margaret Mead told us so long ago …
more of us, we consume more per capita, energy in ’Never believe that a few caring people can't change the
particular, which means we pollute more per capita … world.
For,
indeed,
that's
all
who
ever
have.’
compete and waste more.
2 A much greater proportion of our population now live in Dr Tim Thornton
cities, which means that more people than ever are Foundation Conservation Officer of the QOS, now BQ.
separated/divorced from ‘nature’ … urban sprawl continues to
destroy good farmland and native bush … where were/are the
town planners??
3 Being separated from nature means children grow up
without ever having climbed a tree (they play in plastic
McDonalds play areas, or the like), and only see our native
birds and animals in ‘zoos’, while in the close care of their
over-protective parents … they never see the natural world.
Children see hours of animated nature and animals, as
cartoon-like characters, on screens.
4 Our media ‘demonises’ our native animals, apart from
Koalas and Bilbies, ensuring that people in general ‘fear’ our
birds and animals … dangerous attacking magpies and
kangaroos, poisonous spur on male platypus, poisonous
snakes and spiders etc.
5 Homes and people must be clean to the point of sterile … Brown Quail (Peter Crane)
insecticides, cleaning agents, air fresheners, plastics Birds that have gone locally extinct (not seen or heard for
everywhere…
five+ years) in Pacific Haven in the last ~20 years include:
1 Red-browed finch
6 We ‘demonise’ trees and native bush … when Peter Brock 2 Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
ran into a tree and died someone went out the day after and 3 Common Bronzewing Pigeon
cut down the tree!! Road verges everywhere are cleared, 4 Painted Button-quail
properties are cleared bare, residual natural areas are 5 Brown Quail
described as ‘breeding grounds for vermin and bush fires’, 6 White-throated Treecreeper
old growth forests are logged….
7 Brown Treecreeper
8 Varied Sittella
7 I know a corner property that has two name plates, one 9 Little Lorikeet
says KILLAROO, and the other says CHOPATREE…makes you 10 White-backed Swallow
wonder about the owner’s mindset??
11-15 Woodswallows … Little, Dusky, Black-faced, Whitebrowed and Masked
16 Australasian Pipit
17 Brown Falcon
18 Nankeen Kestrel
19 Restless Flycatcher
20 Barn Owl
Birds on the way out….Brown Thornbill, White-throated
Gerygone, Bush Stone-curlew, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet,
Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Nightjars (Long-tailed and Whitethroated)….
Birds that have multiplied in Pacific Haven in the last ~20
years include: Noisy Miner, Crested Pigeon and Galah
Brown Falcon (Peter Crane)
How has our society been manipulated to this point where
‘Greed is good, and Green is bad’?? Where ‘the Natural is the
Unnatural’? We blame the media and our politicians, but in
truth they both reflect our society’s values; we elect our
politicians, they are not imposed on us.
(Animals that have gone extinct … Red-necked Wallabies,
Greater Gliders and Frilled Lizards …
Animals on the way out … Swamp Wallabies, Dragon Lizards,
Insects, turtles and frogs of all descriptions …
Animals that have multiplied in Pacific Haven in the last ~20
years include … Humans (us, Homo sapiens, by a factor of
five), their dogs x 10, and cats X five….and their cars (which
kill wallabies etc … Road kills) x five.)
June 2016 19
BSQ & BQ EASTER CAMP AT CHELMER
There is a house list comprising 156 species counted on
Chelmer. Obviously summer migrants had moved on apart
from one Dollarbird. Drought conditions will have affected
many species – despite this 117 species were confirmed. A
Banded Lapwing was heard over the river bank by Paul
Grimshaw. The presence of a Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo was
discussed but not confirmed as was Square-tailed Kite. With
the arrival of nightfall, Barn Owl and Australian Owletnightjar were camp companions. Many people saw the Barn
Owls bringing mice to the entrance of a hollow in a huge
River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis. A koala found
resting in a Casuarina tree generated considerable interest.
Third time lucky was indeed the case for our third attempt to
convene a camp at Chelmer, a large sheep grazing property
owned by Jeff and Wendy Betts near Thallon south of St
George. Initially a small camp for a dozen or more BSQ
members, the camp evolved to a joint event for BQ & BSQ
and the attendance by 46 people was a wonderful turn out.
Last time a huge dust storm wreaked havoc so we were
fortunate to have no significant weather event this time. The
days were hot to start with but after a rain squall on
Saturday mid-day, the temperature dropped significantly,
people donned jackets and jumpers and felt relieved from the
On Sunday afternoon a walk around the Bingle Reserve at
heat.
Nindigully, raised a count of 56 species with most enjoyment
focused on the behaviour of White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrikes. At
a nearby road junction, a very grey raptor was observed
perched on a dead limb. Carping of young was heard and led
to the identification of a single young and confirmation of a
Black Kite, photographed in flight by Leanne Grimshaw. The
group enjoyed a convivial end to the day with a smorgasbord
dinner provided in the barn at Nindigully Pub.
Campsite (Sheena
The local regional Shire of Balonne, prides itself on its
liveability built on a commitment to progress and innovation.
It is certainly in this environment that farming practices at
‘Chelmer’ have shaped the management of the Goondoola
Flood Plain. It was a delight for all of us to have Jeff Betts
speak in detail about the issue of rising salt followed by the
work and changes in agricultural practices that brought a
problem witnessed in many areas to a halt in this region.
Dorper sheep, bred for the table, are fattened in an on-farm
feed lot prior to market. Jeff explained the dietary
improvements when, during drought and times of poor grass
conditions, cotton seed is fed to the sheep. The delivery
system for the cotton seed was designed on-farm, by Jeff
himself. Campers were taken on a tour of the feed lot where
we were able to see how the sheep are handled and their
weight gains monitored. In all, immensely interesting for
everyone and we feel fortunate to have enjoyed the sharing
of this knowledge by Jeff and Wendy.
Black Kite, Budgerigar (Sheena Gillman)
A great time was had by a lovely group of campers, all
hoping we can visit Chelmer again in the future. We thank
Jeff and Wendy for their generous hospitality - especially
grading a track in to habitat which provided shaded areas for
us all to camp between the farm lagoon and the Moonee
River.
Travelling home through Pittsworth, Viola Temple-Watts and
I were invited to have tea with John and Ruth Walter who will
be well known to many of our original members of BQ. A
delightful historian – this time with John, may be for a future
article. In the meantime, he and Ruth were pleased to be
brought up to date with the health and well-being of many
old friends.
Chelmer Feed Lot (Sheena Gillman)
20
Warbler
Sheena Gillman
BIRDS IN BACKYARDS
Plasticine eggs can also be shaped and placed in the nest.
The great thing about plasticine is that if you put the nest out
Bird watching is an activity that brings nature to life! It can in the garden you can look for signs of nest predation by the
be as relaxing as a sitting in your yard or as vigorous as a marks left in the eggs.
hike in the bush. Even better, it is something you can do as a
family - it gets you outdoors and connecting with each So involve the kids in your bird-watching adventures. Not
only is it enjoyable, but getting them out and in nature is
other as well as the environment.
good for them as well.
More and more children today have less and less contact with
the natural world. And this is having a huge impact on their
health and development. Research shows that it isn’t so
much about what children know about nature, but what
happens to them when they are in nature. Obesity is perhaps
the most visible symptom of the lack of outdoor play, but
many studies from around the world show regular time
outdoors produces significant improvements in attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning ability, creativity and
mental, psychological and emotional wellbeing. Of course if
you develop a love of nature you are more likely to take
action to protect it – and that is certainly a good thing.
Holly Parsons
Birds in Backyards Program Manager
HAVE YOU BEEN IN YOUR GARDEN?
Share your bird garden stories in Warbler.
Articles to Peter Crane, editor
Children are naturally curious and love to learn new things take advantage of that and get them outdoors with you. Start
in your own backyard, learning what birds are visiting and
what they are doing. The Birds in Backyards program has a
range of A4 ‘Backyard Birds of…’ posters and BirdLife
Southern Queensland also has a Junior Birdwatchers booklet
to help them discover their local bird life. You can also get
them to help you planting in the garden. What child doesn’t
love getting their hands dirty – and they get a great sense of
pride that with watching something grow that they have
planted themselves.
Nest building (Holly Parsons)
On days when the weather might not be conducive to playing
outdoors, there are still many activities that they can do
indoors. The Birds in Backyards website has a range of
colouring sheets and other activities that they can take part
in.
A favourite of mine is nest building. This is actually
something I adapted from a first year biology nest predation
experiment. Halved tennis balls make a great base but you
can also use food containers (like a cream cheese container).
The aim is to glue materials around the base to mould a nest.
Children can forage in the garden for leaves, twigs and
grasses or you can use things like coconut fibre, wool and
bright feathers from a craft shop.
Scarlet Myzomela, White-cheeked Honeyeater (Peter Crane)
June 2016 21
THE PLACES THAT MATTER THE MOST
Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are sites of global bird
conservation importance. Each IBA meets one of four global
criteria used by BirdLife International.
IBAs are priority areas for bird conservation - we aim to
monitor birds at our IBAs, advocate their importance to
government, and work with land-holders and other local
people to conserve them.
Background to the IBA program
The IBA program is an international non-governmental
conservation scheme lead by BirdLife International Partners
such as BirdLife Australia.
IBAs are sites of international importance for bird
conservation. IBAs are small enough to be practical targets
for conservation management but large enough to meet the
global IBA criteria.
The Australian IBA program will help protect a network of
sites critical for the conservation of Australia's birds by:



To qualify as an Important Bird Area, the site must meet one
of the following criteria:
A1. Globally threatened species
The site must regularly support threshold numbers of a
Critical, Endangered or Vulnerable species, as categorised by
the IUCN Red List.
A2. Restricted-range species
The site forms one of a set protecting 'restricted-range
species' (birds with a global range of <50,000 km2).
A3. Biome-restricted species
Species restricted to a single biome have been used to
identify IBAs in some countries but not Australia. Biomerestricted species are however documented for IBAs
identified by the other criteria.
A4. Congregations
The site supports > 1% of the world population of a
waterbird (similar to Ramsar Convention criteria) or seabird.
For categories A1 and A4, IBA boundaries include all suitable
habitat for the key species, regardless of land tenure. For
categories A2 and A3, enough IBAs are identified to
'adequately' conserve each target species; protected areas
are preferentially taken as IBAs, as these are already
allocated for conservation.
promoting IBAs as a tool for biodiversity conservation
planning
encouraging government to prioritise conservation at IBAs
(e.g. in grant-giving schemes)
IBA designation has no legal basis but a strong scientific
encouraging and facilitating local community-based
basis to justify conservation action. Monitoring and practical
groups and land-owners to manage land sustainably and
conservation action will only be undertaken with the support
conserve key bird species
of land-owners.
The IBA process
Identification - any site which meets the global IBA criteria
will be identified as an IBA. Published data will be analysed
and local experts, land-owners and other local stakeholders
will be consulted.
Monitoring - basic data on the key birds and habitats will be
collected annually where practicable.
Conservation - the project will help any local group or landowner with advice, contacts and possibly fund-raising and
lobbying, to conserve their IBA.
The IBA process has proved very successful across the world
with 7,678 global IBAs identified in 198 countries and
territories by mid-2008. For more background on the use of
IBAs in assessing conservation status, threats and actions,
see BirdLife International's State of the World's Birds.
Southern Queensland IBAs
1 Bunya Mountains & Yarraman
2 Conondale Range
3 Moreton Bay & Pumicestone Passage
4 Tamborine Mountain
5 Scenic Rim
6 Cooloola & Fraser Coast
7 Great Sandy Strait
8 Traprock
9 Palmgrove
10 Paroo Floodplain & Currawinya
11 Lake Bindegolly
12 Bulloo Floodplain
13 Lake Yamma Yamma
14 Cooper Floodplain below Windorah
15 Diamantina Floodplain
16 Lake Machattie Area
17 Lake Muncoonie, Mumbleberry & Torquinie
18 Simpson Desert
Identifying IBAs
To ensure accurate and up to date information, IBAs have
been nominated by local experts working alongside the
program manager.
The project has used the published literature, Atlas data,
expert knowledge and volunteers to identify IBAs. The
project has worked with BirdLife Australia regional groups,
other bird groups, government departments and other
interested parties to identify and document IBAs.
IBAs meet the criteria for bird conservation importance, as
summarised below.
22
Warbler
Edited Peter Crane
TRAPROCK IBA
This profile piece is about an IBA that could benefit from
some additional survey effort as it is thought to support a
small but regular breeding population of the Regent
Honeyeater (A1 – Critically Endangered). As a Critically
Endangered species, it provides a more than sufficient trigger
for this IBA, coupled with a resident population of Diamond
Firetail (A1 – Near Threatened).
If for example, you are able to tell us when the eucalypts in
the IBA are undergoing a flowering event, this can be very
useful as it helps researchers and citizen scientists target
strategic times for bird surveys looking for the Regent
Honeyeaters. Having local eyes (and sometimes ears) on the
ground in some of our more remote IBAs (and there are lots
of them), can be a huge help to the folks undertaking the
surveys for birds in those IBAs.
Diamond Firetail (Peter Crane)
Regent Honeyeater (Peter Crane)
The Traprock IBA covers over 62,000 hectares, with 50,000
of that under private ownership. This makes surveying the
trigger species for the IBA, and any others in the area,
extremely challenging. I can only imagine the reception some
binocular-wielding birders might receive should they trespass
onto these private properties without permission from the
land owners. Don’t laugh, this really does happen! Most of
the time, trespassing happens accidentally. But I have heard
some stories from both here and overseas of how ‘keen’
some birders can be to see some species they know are
lurking beyond public protected areas. I guess this nicely
demonstrates how such protected areas are not sufficient to
protect all biodiversity. Anyhow, the remaining 13,000
hectares of Traprock lie within state-owned forestry lands
(Durikai State Forest). While not protected for conservation
purposes, Durikai does provide good eucalypt forest habitat
for species in the region and the ability to access the area
and collect data on the species in that part of the IBA without
the fear of trespass dramas. The Traprock IBA comprises
both eucalypt and grassy woodlands. Other (non-bird)
threatened species in the IBA include: Border Thick-tailed
Gecko (Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus) and the Little Pied Bat
(Chalinolobus picatus). I would hazard a guess that there is
much more biodiversity (including threatened species) in the
area, but given how much of the IBA is in private land, it is
difficult to give a full appraisal here. That brings me to what I
am going to make this IBA profile about. A call to action!
Do you live in the area near the IBA? The area sits south of a
little town called Karara and north of a town called Terrica. It
is west of Warwick and North-West of Stanthorpe. If you are
a BirdLife member reading this, perhaps you live in this area?
You might even know some of the folks that own significant
parts of the IBA. If this is you, we need your help. You don’t
even have to be a really keen birder to help. Any information
about what is happening in the IBA can be very helpful in
understanding the status of the area, as well as the trigger
species dependent on it.
Prompting some collective effort to monitor rural IBAs can
require a slowly, slowly approach. It can all start with a
cuppa and bringing up the topic of some of the local birds
around. You might even mention that the Critically
Endangered Regent Honeyeater is known to visit the region
and breed there. From there you will probably be able to
gauge how interested and perhaps supportive a land owner
might be to allow access to the IBA for some bird surveys. If
you are thinking you might be able to help us learn more
about the Traprock IBA then please get in touch with either
myself or Mick Roderick ([email protected]). Mick
is one of BirdLife Australia’s Project Officers, and he has a
special interest in the Regent Honeyeater. He is especially
keen to get some more information about Traprock IBA and
its importance for these special birds at such high risk of
extinction.
Diamond Firetail (Peter Crane)
As always enjoy your birding activities, and don’t forget to
spread the word about how much enjoyment we get from our
native birds. Tell your friends, start a conversation and let
local businesses know when you visit their neck of the woods
for birding. We all need to do our bit (no matter how big or
small) to avoid more birds finding themselves on the brink
like the Regent Honeyeater.
Rochelle Steven
June 2016 23
OVER THE BORDER – FROM THE NATION’S
CAPITAL
Gday all,
Currently I am at Port Maquarie visiting family so birding is
not my main aim here but I am getting some done. Just
sitting on the back deck has produced many nice sightings.
Researching before I came up I discovered a place called
Cattai Wetlands and not being far from Port a visit was a
must. I am sure spring time would be best for a visit here but
I still managed 39 species without really trying as many
small birds went by without me being able to identify them.
The highlights for me were Comb-crested Jacana, Southern
Emu-wren and a new bird for me Tawny Grassbird.
The other day was set aside for a day on the water fishing
with my brother but I did take my camera and listed all the
birds I could identify. I caught some fish and got a count of
40 species. Upon arrival at the boat ramp a White-headed
Pigeon was walking along the beach and not long out on the
water a Brahminy Kite was chasing Silver Gulls away so it
could pick up fish scraps fishermen were throwing to the
Australian Pelicans.
Later on an Eastern Osprey was seen taking two large fish in
a short period to a nest I later found. With the amount of fish
it took to the nest I assume that the young may be hatched.
After a few hours I suggested to my brother that we go
further up the creek to see what is there. We didn't get too
far up and I spotted two Black-necked Stork so we retreat
back down the creek and go up a different arm so that I can
get some pics of these large birds.
I also got a Beach Stone-curlew while here so for a nonbirding trip it has been very successful.
Happy birding.
Shorty
Photographed life list 332
Black-necked Stork (Shorty)
WHAT HAS BEEN IN YOUR BACKYARD?
Share your story in Warbler - articles to Peter Crane, editor
Beach Stone-curlew, Striated Heron, Grey Butcherbird (Shorty)
24
Warbler
OVER THE BORDER – FROM THE DRIEST
STATE
Hi All,
Winnowie Conservation Park is located in approx 30
kilometres South of Port Augusta, SA sandwiched between
Highway one and the East side of Spencer Gulf. A 10klm dirt
track leads from the highway to the shorefront and continues
a couple of kilometres North, following the shoreline, to the
entrance of Chinamans Creek .
Driving in can be a rewarding birding experience with a
recent visit turning up Blue-winged Parrot, Southern
Whiteface, White-winged Fairy-wren, Rufous Fieldwren,
White-fronted Chat and Australasian Pipit all feeding around
the local Saltbush dominant vegetation alongside the track.
Reaching the shoreline a couple of small, sandy, side tracks
lead to carparks adjacent to the beach area. High tide is the
time to be here with the water pushing the shorebirds up
closer to land. When the tide is out here it is really out, and
most low tides would have the water about a kilometre away
over soft mud.
Crested and Caspian Terns and Australian Pelicans are
usually present in good numbers as are Red-capped Plover
and Red-necked Stints. The usual Cormorant species can be
seen with a very good chance of Black Swans in formation
making their way down the gulf.
Curlew Sandpipers, Double-banded Plover and Bar-tailed
Godwit are a little less common but both around at certain
times of the year.
White-bellied Sea-Eagles patrol the shoreline looking for a
feed with Whistling Kites adding to raptor sightings.
A short drive to the mouth of Chinaman’s Creek will usually
turn up the odd Sacred Kingfisher perched creek side
patiently waiting for a feeding opportunity.
Morning is by far the best time for the photographers
amongst us with the sun rising over the Flinders Ranges to
the East providing some lovely soft light.
A great place to stop for a look especially in shorebird season
as the birds can be in their many hundreds and you never
quite know what you will find tucked away in the feeding
masses. A couple of hours can easily be spent early morning
just watching the aerial theatrics of the large flocks of Rednecked Stints and Plovers
Cheers from SA
Rick Nash
Sacred Kingfisher, Southern Whiteface, White-fronted Chat, Black Swan (Rick
Nash)
Red-necked stint (Rick Nash)
June 2016 25
OVER THE WATER – A THAI DISH
habitat. As I have got to know the area around where I live,
I have found various good spots for seeing birds. Initially I
found a small farm dam that is a reliable spot to see BronzeLOOKING OVER PLACES YOU OVERLOOKED
winged Jacanas, and sometimes I can see White-browed
On many occasions when I’ve been out looking for birds and Crakes, Yellow Bitterns, Javan Pond Herons and Whiteother wildlife, I’ve seen places that might have been good, breasted Waterhens on and around the dam which is covered
but I didn’t bother to check them out. In spite of their with water lettuce.
potential as wildlife habitat these places remained
The farm dam is along a regular route that I used to walk
overlooked. I went past them without bothering to see what
that also included walking past a ponded pasture near the
might have been there. Then one day, something catches my
Siamese Fighting Fish Village. I usually had a look towards
attention and I take the time to go and have a closer look.
the ponded pasture, but didn’t really bother to go closer to
have a good look until a couple of months ago. Then I
decided to have a closer look just to see what was there.
This was a good idea. I found a Greater Painted Snipe hiding
in the grass and saw a Cinnamon Bittern fly into some low
bushes by the edge of the pasture. It’s also good for Cattle
Egrets, Common Snipe and there were two Purple
Swamphens there for a while. Now it’s an important stop on
my regular birdwatching route.
Another spot I didn’t really check out until recently is a pond
with lots of water lilies and other water plants. It’s one of a
number of aquaculture ponds at the end of a road. I could
see the pond was there, but there is another pond between
the end of the road and it. One day I heard a Stork-billed
Kingfisher calling on the other side of this pond so I went to
get a closer look. The kingfisher didn’t wait around for me to
get photos, but I found families of Bronze-winged and
Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, White-browed Crakes, Javan Pond
Herons and a Little Grebe on the pond. On subsequent visits
I have found Whiskered Terns, a Cotton Pygmy Goose and a
Black-capped Kingfisher on this pond.
Black-capped Kingfisher (Barry Heinrich)
From the photos that I have taken you can see the places
that I hadn’t previously bothered to look at before. So now
that I have a bicycle to expedite my rate of travel around my
regular Nongpaklong birdwatching circuit, I find myself
looking over places that I had previously overlooked. You
should do the same.
Barry Heinrich
Pheasant-tailed Jacana, adult & juvenile; Javan Pond Heron (Barry Heinrich)
This has been the case for a number of places I now regularly HAVE YOU BEEN ON A BIRDING TOUR?
go to where I currently live in Thailand. Like every new place
I move to, there are lots of places that have potential as bird Share your story in Warbler - articles to Peter Crane, editor
26
Warbler
BIRDS & ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA’S TOP
END: DARWIN, KAKADU, KATHERINE AND
KUNUNURRA – NICK LESEBERG & IAIN CAMPBELL
BOOK REVIEW – Gil Porter
A WILDGuides book – ISBN 9780691161464. 2015
$53.95 from Footprint Books and bookstores.
272 pages, Page size is 148 x 210 mm (A5)
Available from Footprint Books or good book stores.
Bird species take most of the pages of this book, comprising
172 pages, whereas Mammals (24 pages) and Reptiles &
Amphibians (44 pages) take up many fewer pages. Each of
these pages has a background colour with distinctive easyto-read page numbers on the leading edge of the page. I
believe this will be helpful while using the book in the field,
as it will cut down the glare from a white page. As noted
above this is a book to be carried on your outing and kept
available for ready reference. The two indexes in the final
pages include a one page quick index to all the birds,
mammals and reptiles and amphibians in this book.
This
handy-sized
book
is
designed to be carried with you
for ready reference. It should
appeal to those who are new to
wildlife tourism and those who
have limited time to explore the
top end or who are on a package
tour. The book does not attempt
to list all the wildlife of the area
but covers what are most likely
to be seen in the various areas.
To this end the book organises
observations for the different
areas to be visited.
Following some general information on how to use the book
and maps of the Top End there are sections on geography,
weather, habitats, how to watch and where to find wildlife.
The main section follows these helpful pages from page 26,
starting with Birds of Wetlands and Beaches. Only the more
likely birds are listed and care is taken to show differences
between similar species to help the observer. This first
section is followed by Raptors, Birds of the Forest, Birds of
Open Areas then on to Mammals and lastly on Reptiles and
Amphibians.
Little Kingfisher (Iain Campbell), White-throated Grasswren (Rob Hutchinson)
In summary, I reckon this book will be really helpful for the
tourist adventurer to the Top End that will enhance and
stimulate their appreciation of the special wildlife and places
there. After all that would be at the top of their reasons for
visiting the Top End. And for those who are new to or
occasional observers, this book could well spark a wish to
take a keener interest in birds in particular and their value
Australia’s Top End
and wildlife in general. But I see value for the experienced
A good colour photograph, brief details and comments on the birder who has limited time available to explore the treasures
bird including scientific name and a highlighted paragraph on of the Top End too.
where to find the birds is noted for each species. Some
photographs show differences for female and/or juveniles
and in-flight for some species, especially for the raptors. No Gil Porter
description of the bird is attempted as the reliance is on the
photograph.
The
main paragraph
describes
helpful
information on how to locate the bird in its preferred habitat.
What have you been reading?
This follows the pattern of the book providing broad
information to users.
Write a review of your last birding book for Warbler - articles
to Peter Crane, editor
June 2016 27
BIRDSCAPING AUSTRALIAN GARDENS –
GEORGE ADAMS
Adams notes that selective plantings will attract insects
including butterflies providing possible food and added
attractiveness.
BOOK REVIEW – Gil Porter
The Plant Directory (pp 77 to 197) lists his suggested plants
in alphabetical order of their scientific name. Succinct
Penguin books - ISBN 9780670078707. 2015. $59.99.
symbols,
common
names
and
helpful
descriptions
360 pages – 210 x 279 mm hard cover.
supplement colour photos of the plants. Of particular note is
the comment on birdlife for each plant. Some of the plant
Are you looking for help to link your love of Australian native photos include a bird in the picture to emphasise attraction of
birds and plants in your garden space, be that small or large? the plant.
Which plants look great in your yard yet still provide for the
needs of birds you want to attract to your space? I believe
The Bird Directory (pp 203 to 319) lists the 54 species
you will find George Adams can help you find answers to your
selected for this book on page 205. This alphabetical list
questions in his book Birdscaping Australian Gardens. The
shows the page number to locate the species. The next few
objective is to look at some plants common to and suited to
pages have information on major Australian Garden Bird
your area and the more common birds to be found in your
families and identification suggestions and how to use the
space as well. Obviously the list for both birds and plants is Bird Directory. Each species has a double page spread
specially selected for this purpose. Suggestions cover various allocated to it with a colour photograph and monochrome
possible sites and aspects to consider for successful sketch. A distribution map shows expected locations and
outcomes.
breeding areas. In addition there are notes on suitable plants
for food and shelter with page references to find the plant
details quickly.
More helpful information starts on page 320 with a map of
the broad climatic zones for Australia. This is followed by
Plant tables with separate tables to show plants for Nectarfeeding birds, Fruit-eating birds, Insect-eating birds, Seedeating birds, and Some small trees for attracting birds. Page
333 starts the section on resources for birdscapers. This has
a sample design of a typical urban house on a reasonably
large site. Then follows a State-by-State list of Native
Gardens and arboreta. Also listed are recommended
associations, societies and websites but this is not a complete
listing and mentions the older name of Birds Australia
(RAOU) and website. Fortunately the old web address will still
reach BirdLife Australia. Final pages have photography
credits and an index.
Whilst there will be additional plants and birds for various
areas, this book has a lot of very pertinent information
between its covers. The lists and tables should prove
valuable to those wanting to start or upgrade their garden
spaces with more bird-friendly features.
Gil Porter
What have you been reading?
Write a review of your last birding book for Warbler - articles
to Peter Crane, editor
Adams has used his skills as an architect, knowledge of
plants and birds, his artistic bird sketches and lots of colour
photographs of plants and birds with descriptions of both
making this a valuable resource. The first 75 pages cover
introductory comments about aspects of this activity. General
comments about caring for a garden with native plants and
helpful suggestions on how to go from landscape to birdscape
prompt some questions to ask. Sections on providing food,
shelter,
water
and
nesting
(including
nest
boxes
construction) are helpful. Recognition of small garden spaces
and suitable pants for containers also expands to include
grassed areas (lawns etc) as well as larger spaces such as
streets and other areas.
28
Warbler
BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA – A PHOTOGRAPHIC
GUIDE – IAIN CAMPBELL, SAM WOODS, NICK
LESEBERG
BOOK REVIEW – Peter Crane
Princeton University Press 2015 – paperback – 392 pages
$54.95 – ISBN 9780691157276 - 2015
238 x 160mm page size. Available from Footprint Books or
good book stores.
The Introduction tells us that
‘The goal of this book is to
make
birding
and
bird
identification accessible to
the vast majority of people,
while
still
providing
a
resource
to
more
experienced birders.’ This
section also states ‘The key
to birding in Australia is in
understanding the habitats’ –
sound advice indeed. We are
advised that IOC world Bird
List v3.3 is used with some
predictive species splitting. A
paragraph explains that the
photos used have the subject
birds in different positions
and are not to the same scale. The authors mention that
learning bird calls and songs is well worthwhile. The
geographic range covered by the book is detailed – mainland
Australia and Tasmania. Rare vagrants are not included. A
paragraph details the work used to draft the species maps.
We are advised that the descriptions have been simplified.
There are four maps – Australia and Cairns, Brisbane and
Sydney Regions and a list of 42 Select Australian Birding
Areas. The first five Areas are: Atherton Tableland (Qld),
Back Yamma SF (NSW), Barkly Tableland (NT), Barren
Grounds NR (NSW) and Binya SF (NSW) – do you agree?
The Habitats of Australia chapter is comprehensive and has
26 pages. There are sections on ‘Marine and Coastal
Habitats’, ‘Tropical Habitats’, ‘Temperate Habitats’ ‘Arid and
Semi-Arid Habitats’ and ‘Man-made Habitats’. Each of these
major sections has one or more sub-sections to provide
additional information on areas within the main habitat. Most
sections have a map to indicate its location and a photo to
provide an illustrative example of the habitat. This chapter is
very interesting and suitable for re-reading to provide a
better understanding of the various habitats in this land of
ours.
Australasian Gannet (Nick Leseberg)
Species Accounts is the largest chapter and comprises 336
pages. This chapter provides information on all 714 species
of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants. Each
species account describes key identification features such as
size, plumage, distribution, behavior and voice. There is a
small distribution map and at least one excellent colour photo
of each species.
There is one page of Abbreviations that are in common usage
except I use ssp for sub-species and this list suggests subsp.
The five page Glossary is suitably comprehensive and
Australian Climate and Rainfall is summarized in a chapter of
contains good explanations on each of the words or terms
one page length. The belt of high pressure at 30ºS latitude is
listed.
explained as the primary influence of our weather. Annual
monsoons are stated as the primary cause of rainfall in far
north Australia. The Great Dividing Range plays an important
role as most rain falls around these mountains.
White-throated Nightjar (Nick Leseberg)
The Photo Credits page advises that the majority of the in
excess of 1100 photos used are the work of Geoff Jones. It
also lists the other 20 photographers who supplied approx
269 photos.
The book finishes with the 11 page Index of Species that lists
each species under both common and scientific names.
In summary an excellent guide that will find a prominent
place beside my desk with the two field guides that I
regularly use.
Crested Tern (Nick Leseberg)
Peter Crane
June 2016 29
FINDING AUSTRALIAN BIRDS: A FIELD GUIDE
I believe this book to be a valued resource for planning trips
to new areas to find that elusive bird species. That will help
TO BIRDING LOCATIONS – TIM DOLBY & ROHAN and appeal to the twitchier as well as those new to bird
CLARKE
watching. The information will help determine how much time
to allow when planning to visit some of these areas. This
BOOK REVIEW – Gil Porter & Peter Crane
book’s affordable cost may well offset overall trip costs by
helping you organise your forays into those new areas.
CSIRO Publishing – May 2014 - Reprint 2015 – paperback –
620 pages AU $49.95 – ISBN 9780643097667 - 215 x 148
mm page size and 32 mm thick weighing about 1.1kg. Gil Porter
Authors Tim Dolby and Rohan Clarke, who are both well
known in Australian birding circles.
The main body of the book is the State chapters and this is
the section that you will use in planning your birding trip.
Although this book says it is These chapters are from 34 pages (Tasmania) to 100 pages
a Field Guide to Birding (Queensland) in length. I will comment on one or more of the
Locations, at just over 1kg sites mentioned in each of the State chapters.
it is a heavy book to carry
around or to pick up to Northern Territory
read. In addition, the print Darwin Botanical Gardens – Key species is Rufous Owl and
is set at 9/11 so is fairly specific directions are given to its location within the Gardens
small for aging eyesight! although it is noted that ‘in recent years this pair has proved
Fortunately the text is set- more difficult to find’ and they were when I visited. In
up in two columns per page addition to the other species noted I was also able to sight
that
eases
reading. and photograph White-gaped Honeyeater, Rufous-banded
However, I would want to Honeyeater, Green–backed Gerygone, Little Shrikethrush,
study the proposed site(s) I Australasian (Yellow) Figbird, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin and
wanted to go to before Yellow White-eye.
setting out and make a few
notes rather than carrying Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve – The Key Species list does
the book with me but not include Green Pygmy-goose that was a key species for
leaving it in the car. The me. One of the two mentioned walks was closed during my
extra weight I believe will 2013 visit. There is an extensive species list mentioned in the
be because high gloss body text most of which I sighted and in addition I sighted
coated paper is used that enhances the illustrations in the and photographed Spotted Whistling Duck.
book.
The introduction outlines how to use this book then goes on
to a number of helpful topics about Australia and general
birding aspects. Then follows the main part of the book with
state-by-state material that is further subdivided into
regional areas within the states. Included also are the
Australian territories including offshore islands as part of the
total scene. Where appropriate, some suggested itineraries
are provided and some maps are included. Care has been
taken with the places of high interest on how to locate these
and the expected special birds to be usually found in those
locations. Any endemic species are noted, as these may be
your reason for visiting the location. Over 400 sites over the
varied Australian landscape are covered in this book. Each
site has a very comprehensive list of bird species expected to
be found there.
Alice Springs and surrounds – This section includes but is not
limited to the Waste Stabilisation Ponds, Old Telegraph
Station Historic Reserve, Olive Pink Botanic Gardens and
Santa Teresa Road. The many species listed as Key or Other
Species and in the body text were generally seen though the
Dusky Grasswren at Santa Teresa Road was difficult to locate
and I/we dipped on Rufous-crowned Emu-wren.
Queensland
Kingfisher
Park
Birdwatchers Lodge – A
well-publicised
birding
location
and
generally
accepted as the place to
visit
in
far
North
Queensland. An extensive
species list is included and
An Annotated Bird List is provided following the section on
you should see the majority
offshore islands and territories, and lists expected locations
of these dependent on your
where these birds are likely to be found. This is followed by
season of visit. A highlight
suggested further readings; useful resources, contacts and
is the Red-necked Crake
bird watching groups; an index of common names with the
and the book should have
page number reference in the Annotated List; and finally an
an additional sentence ‘The
index of place names with the page reference in this book.
Red-necked Crake is a regular visitor just before nightfall so
make sure that you bring your camera to the dam and be
Although the book is relatively heavy as a Field Guide, it prepared to wait for the bird/s to appear.’
nevertheless collects a lot of information in the one place and
would be admirably suited to those exploring new territory as Eungella Plateau – The Key Species is, of course, Eungella
either overseas visitors or experienced bird watchers Honeyeater with its very restricted range. The directions to
unfamiliar with areas where they are seeking new bird the end of Chelmans Road as the first site to look at are
species to add to their list(s). The helpful comments on the correct however it should include a reference to the species
expected habitat, special needs for some terrain such as 4WD feeding on the climbing pandanus flowers when available and
places, and things to watch if going to outback and remote instructions that therefore you should look for these flowers.
areas are valuable to those not familiar with such areas and The Key and Other Species listed are regularly sighted. I
the risks involved in travelling there.
would have also included Crimson Rosella as ssp nigrescens
30
Warbler
is regularly sighted along Dalrymple Road on your way to days in March 2014 and ticked 11 of the endemics and 9
Chelmans Road.
other lifers. I am overdue for a return visit.
Bowra – The Key Species list is Grey Falcon, Bourke’s Parrot,
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush, Hall’s Babbler, Painted
Honeyeater and Chirruping Wedgebill. The Other Species list
has nine other species and this indicates the importance of
Bowra in south-western Queensland birding sites. A map of
Bowra Station is included in the three pages on this site. I
dipped on the Quail-thrush and so have to return.
Beach Stone-Curlew (Adrian Boyle)
Noisy Pitta (Rohan Clarke)
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
Sydney Pelagic Boat Trips – A great way to increase your bird
list is your first pelagic trip. My first pelagic was the Sydney
trip on Saturday and then the Port Stephens trip on Sunday
but that is another story. We are told that about 80 species
have been recorded on the Sydney trip and provided with a
list of common and rarities.
Canberra and surrounds – Includes paragraphs on
Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve, Fyshwick Sewage
Treatment Works (check as I believe scoping is no longer
viable due to recent works), Australian National Botanic
Gardens, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National
Park. There is an extensive species list for this section and
there should be a statement to not underestimate the time
that you will need for each site.
South Australia
Gluepot Reserve –
The book states ‘a very special birding location’ and the Key
species list includes Black-eared Miner, Red-lored Whistler,
Scarlet-chested Parrot Striated Grasswren and others. I am
looking forward to another as yet unplanned visit.
Western Australia
Cheynes Beach – ‘is a superb birdwatching location, where,
with luck and patience, you can catch a glimpse of the
notoriously skulking trio of Noisy Scrub-bird, Western
Bristlebird and Western Whipbird.’ I must have been lucky
but impatient as I only ticked the Noisy Scrub-bird.
Offshore islands and territories
For those who like to travel further afield this 40 page section
provides details of the eight offshore Australian territories.
A great reference source and one that I use each time that I
plan a trip.
Capertee Valley – is included in the book ‘100 Best Birding
Sites in the World’ and rightly has more than 2 pages in this
field guide. There are extensive Key and Other species lists.
The Valley is known as a reliable breeding site for the
endangered Regent Honeyeater and it is great to see the
amount of replanting to attract this bird.
Victoria
Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park – The Key Species list
includes Turquoise Parrot, Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater
and Painted Honeyeater - enough to entice any birder. Those
species are seasonal so select the right time to visit. Specific
locations within the general area include Honeyeater Picnic
Grounds and Cyanide Dam; Bartley’s Block; Magenta Mine;
Green Hill Road and Klotz Track; the two Chiltern Valley
Dams and Fishers Road. Well worth a visit.
Turquoise Parrot (Rohan Clarke)
Tasmania
Peter Crane
Bruny Island – ‘is a superb birding location. It supports
relatively large populations of Forty-spotted Pardalite and
Swift Parrot and provides habitat for all 13 of Tasmania’s
endemic bird species.’ An accurate summary – I visited for 2
June 2016 31
BIRDS OF THE WET TROPICS OF
QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
& WHERE TO FIND THEM – LLOYD NIELSEN
BOOK REVIEW – Gil Porter
Well known birding personality Lloyd Nielsen published this
revised edition in 2015. The 404 pages have 208 pages
covering the main section (Field Guide) and 85 pages
devoted to Difficult to Identify birds. Available for AU $45
plus p&p – ISBN 9780957988156 - 230 x 162 mm page size,
through Lloyd’s website – www.birdingaustralia.com.au.
Following on from the above, pages 354 through 386 cover
the Best Birding Areas in the Tropics, with maps and
paragraphs numbered on the map for location, facilities and
access and highlight birds to be found there. This section
would assist getting the most out of time spent by visitors in
the book’s areas of coverage.
References (pp 387-8) lists the authors quoted in the book,
and the Gazetteer (pp 389-390 lists where to find the map
reference of locations. A Glossary of terms used and an Index
of common names round out this book of useful information.
Even though I found this book difficult to read due to the
small point font used throughout and also with text
presenting right across the page, I believe many will want to
add this book to their library, even if they do not plan to visit
the tropical areas it covers! I would have preferred larger
sized text and two-column formatting where a full page is
used for text. However, I believe Lloyd Nielsen’s revised and
updated volume could be a worthwhile addition to your
birding library.
The
book
has
been
completely revised and
updated from the 1996
edition.
Profusely
illustrated with Nielsen’s
own paintings of the birds
including
special
identification
features
where appropriate. The Gil Porter – [email protected]
first ten or so pages have
a lot of text covering
Contents, How to use this
book, Key to Field Guide
and Key to Difficult to find
birds etc. This appears to
be printed in about 8 point
sized text used throughout
the book that does make it
difficult
to
read
for
extended periods.
However once read, many of the introductory pages and
some of the other sections of this book will probably be
referenced only as needed.
The Field Guide (starting on page 8) has birds in various
categories to aid identification. The categories are listed on
page 8 – eg Multi-coloured 9-10; Some red plumage 11-12;
Red head 13; Red cap or crown 13; and on for many
different combinations. This means that some birds will
appear in more than one category. The Index of common
names (pages 394-397) lists page numbers where the birds
are to be found. The Field Guide content has an illustration of
the bird, text of interest with key features and a distribution
map (tropic area only in this map). Nevertheless this section
could still be of interest to all birders.
The next section is Difficult to identify birds from page 214.
Forty-one groups are identified – Garganey 216-7; Egrets
218-9; etc. The pages have illustrations of the birds plus
parts that are key identifier features such as head, wing
patterns, bills, tails and so on. I believe this section would be
helpful to all birdwatchers and newbies in particular, as the
comparisons between species with similar marking are well
illustrated by Nielsen. As expected, many of the birds listed
in this and other sections of this book will be found in many
other areas of Australia.
The next section – Status and Range (pp 307-353) includes
the common name, scientific name and where it is to be
found in the tropic areas covered in this book as well as some
helpful comment on status in the area. However, comments
on Habits will generally apply to the bird in any areas of
Australia.
32
Warbler
2016 QUEENSLAND
ORNITHOLOGICAL
CONFERENCE
THE BACK PAGE
Annual General Meeting Notice
The Fifth Annual General Meeting of BirdLife Southern
Queensland will be held at 4pm on Saturday, 9 July 2016 at
the University of Queensland, St Lucia immediately following
the 2016 Queensland Ornithological Conference.
The agenda is:
1 Quorum, proxies and apologies
2 Approve the Minutes of the 4th AGM held 20 June, 2015 at
Toowong
3 Presentation of the Annual Report
4 Presentation of the Financial Accounts
5 Election of the Committee (details of Committee positions
are available from Judith Hoyle)
6 Announcement of Distinguished Service Awards
7 Any other matter that the meeting agrees may be
discussed but not resolved
Peter Crane
Secretary, BirdLife Southern Queensland
Outings
Go to the Events page for events, information and contact
details.
Surveys
Get involved and make a difference for Australia’s birds. You
are welcome to come with us no matter what your level of
experience, background or age.
BirdLife Southern Qld shop page
Visit our Shop page and order your birding items. All profit
goes toward supporting avian projects.
University of Queensland,
Brisbane
July 9 2016
Register now! Don’t miss out!
Night Parrots, Carpentarian Grasswrens, Gouldian Finches,
Black-throated Finches, Eastern Bristlebirds, Red-backed
Fairy-wrens, Shorebirds, Rosellas and many more birds!
Swarovski spotting scopes and binoculars demonstrations
Bird walks to areas such as Oxley Common, Mt Glorious and
Samsonvale plus a wader ID session at the Manly High Tide
Roost will be offered to conference participants on Sunday 10
July. Details are on the registration form.
Registration fees (including morning tea, afternoon tea and
lunch) for this year’s conference are:
Full Registration
Student Registration
#Printed Copy of Abstracts – if required
#All registrants receive a free email copy of
$75.00
$35.00
$ 5.00
the abstracts
To register for the 2016 conference and take advantage of
the early bird fee visit tinyurl.com/ndl24ap or print off an
application and post it to:
Queensland Ornithological Conference
c/- P O Box 3784
South Brisbane BC, Qld 4101
A raffle is being run in conjunction with the Conference and
the following prizes have been generously donated by the
businesses mentioned:
1st Prize: Pair of Swarovski 8 x 32 Swarovision Field Pro
binoculars
2nd Prize: Two-night stay at Mt Barney Lodge
Warbler Newsletter contributions—if you have an article or 3rd Prize: One night stay at O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat in a
news item (electronic format preferred) send it to Peter Crane, Mountain View Room
editor. Please note that photographs with people need to have Ticket Price: $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00
Download the complete version of this newsletter at
http://www.birdlife.org.au/locations/birdlifesouthern-queensland/publications-sq.
consents from them for publication in this newsletter. The
opinions expressed by authors in this publication are not
You can purchase tickets at the Queensland Finch Society’s
necessarily those of BirdLife Southern Queensland or of BirdLife
monthly meetings from David Exton or on-line:
Australia. COPYRIGHT© 2016
http://tinyurl.com/gu9smtf
June 2016 33