Brolga - BirdLife...Brolga Vol 8 Number 1 March 2019 BirdLife Capricornia After a long hot summer we are now enjoying some cooler weather and with it the Scarlet Honeyeater, one of

Brolga

Vol 8 Number 1 March 2019

BirdLife Capricornia After a long hot summer we are now enjoying some cooler weather and with it the Scarlet Honeyeater, one of our winter migrants, has arrived. Winter is a busy time with some community events coming up. Ecofest at Gladstone and St Lawrence Wetlands Weekend are two that we will be participating in and members are encouraged to attend. In addition there are field trips to Carnavon Gorge, Kroombit Tops, Epping Forest and North Keppel Island. The annual BirdLife Australia Network Meeting will be held in Melbourne in May with Mick Barker and Kylie Jones attending as our representatives. Unfortunately we are starting the winter period with very dry conditions along the coast with several wetlands dry or drying out. If we do not get some winter rain many more will be dry by September. Tough conditions for our birdlife. On the other hand good rain out west has produced excellent conditions after many years of drought.

Contents

Astrebla Downs National Park visits Sept to Nov 2018 2

Cheap, slow and successful control of Harrisia Cactus in the Capricorn Yellow Chat Habitat 4 Capricorn Printmakers and shorebirds 5

Breeding plumage in Egrets 6 AGM 7 “The LAUstralia trip of 2018” – Part 1 8

Brolga – egg eaters 10 The relentless spread of the Common Myna 11 Bird surveys at Gladstone WWTP 11 Trip report – Colombia 12 Bringing Back Nature at Mt Archer 15 Ross Creek Discovery Day 15 U3A Bird walk at Murray Lagoon 15 Conservation news 16 Around the ridges 17

Direct seeding at Kinka Wetlands 18 Outstanding DSLR photographs 19 Outstanding non-DSLR photographs 26

Artistic interpretation 29 Calendar of Events for 2019 30

A group of 120 Australian Pelicans at Murray Lagoon taking advantage of an island that has

appeared due to the drought conditions (Allan Briggs)

BirdLife Capricornia

2 March 2019

Astrebla Downs National Park visits

Sept to Nov 2018

Shane and Mary Hume who are Rangers at Welford National Park took part in a coordinated team effort to remove feral cats from Astrebla Downs National Park to protect the Bilby. During this time they observed many bird species on this remote national park.

As part of our roles as Park Rangers, Mary and I made a number of trips to Astrebla Downs NP in the last few months of 2018. Astrebla is located SW of Diamantina NP and is 174,00ha of predominately Mitchell grass plains with sporadic coolibah lined drainage gullies. It is the only protected estate in Queensland where bilbies are still found in their natural environment. It is a Restricted Access Area and not open to the public to ensure impact on this vulnerable species is kept to a minimum. The boom and bust cycle dictates all terms here and 2010-2012 saw an extensive native long-haired rat plaque and consequently a feral cat plaque. In the corresponding years our team removed over 3500 feral cats. We are now in the bust and again feral animal predation is just another impact that we need to assist the bilby in managing to ensure they survive. In 2011 I can remember driving along one of only 4 tracks on the whole estate aptly named “Kite Drive” the skies filled with raptors predominated by letter wing kites. These latest trips we were again able to view 4 then later, 5 kites. While unable to confirm if the one in the photo was a juvenile, I like to think it was though. The environment is harsh and even in October we were reaching 46*C during the day with overnight temperatures down to 11*C. Our work involved collecting data from remote cameras on a transect of 180km, though it was taking 10 hours to circumnavigate this transect.

When driving that slowly you get to see everything including the birds.

Letter-winged Kite (Shane Hume)

The gibber birds were difficult to detect and even harder to photograph. They are surprisingly difficult to see on the ironstone and it usually only when they move, you can home in on them. I did end up with some photos from the seven sightings, including one at night.

Gibberbird (Shane Hume)

The best photo of the first trip was definitely the female brown song lark on the fence. While we see these regularly at Welford, to get so close was a bonus. Most rangers keep the “base” bird list up to date when they visit and being no exception our list included the usual suspects, budgies, zebras finches, spinifex and crested pigeons, brown falcons and the ever present pair of wedge tails. I was bemused by the 2 rainbow bee eaters though. The only regular


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water source is 30km away and they always seem out of place.

Brown Songlark (Shane Hume)

There had been a flow in the Diamantina River and Mooradonka waterhole which is the most easterly edge of the estate was humming and a great place for lunch breaks. To sit under a coolibah tree and have 3000 flock bronze wings flying in to drink and conduct group aerial acrobatics all around your lunch stop was very special. While looking across the flats into the distance you could see large groups of hundreds take to the wing and then settle on another location or take their turn in the queue for a drink.

Flock Bronzewing (Shane Hume)

All the regular water birds were there; grey teals, pink-eared ducks, galahs, white-faced herons, willy wagtails, black-tailed native hens

and the ever present white-plumed honeyeaters. Closer to the water’s edge a large group of orange chats chased insects and each other for the best foraging spots.

Orange Chat (Shane Hume)

The serious side of the trips saw 11 bilbies sighted and removal of a number of ferals with a large 6-8kg cat identified on a camera currently on the most wanted list. The yellow chats stayed elusive but maybe 2019 will reveal them again.

Bilby (Shane Hume)


4 March 2019

Cheap, slow and successful control of

Harrisia Cactus in the

Capricorn Yellow Chat

Habitat

Wayne Houston1 and Rod Elder have recently published a paper on their work since 2008 on Harrisia Cactus which was affecting the Capricorn Yellow Chat habitat at the Port Alma salt works and the nearby Twelve Mile Creek reserve. Harrisia Cactus is a noxious weed that looks like a long sausage with 30 mm spines. It is regarded as a serious pest of grazing land from the coast to Brigalow areas to the west. The study provided an improvement on our knowledge on the efficacy of mealybug (Hypogeococcus festerianus) control of Harrisia Cactus, after the last reported field assessments in 1985. In particular, effectiveness in a salt-influenced environment, on the marine plains of Central Queensland was demonstrated. Besides high value grazing land for cattle, these habitats also support a Critically Endangered bird, the Capricorn Yellow Chat. Effectiveness of biocontrol was evaluated by collecting mealybug-infected stems and placing them onto existing stands of Harrisia Cactus, concurrent with evaluation of current mealybug occurrence levels and groundcover estimates of Harrisia Cactus. Similar to the 1970s study, mealybugs reduced dense stands of Harrisia Cactus to low levels within four years, although plants were only killed after being heavily infected for a few years. New plants were also infected with mealybugs and did not reach more than one or two small unhealthy stems in size. For the first time, successful inoculation of relatively sparse infestations of Harrisia Cactus was demonstrated.

The mealybug established in ~70% of treated clumps. Mealybugs also dispersed to adjacent non-release areas at two locations indicating that sustainable long term biocontrol may be possible even in low density infestations. The study establishes the efficacy of mealybugs as a control agent in these physically extreme marine plain environments.

Healthy stand of fruiting Harrissia Cactus in the Capricorn Yellow Chat Habitat at the salt works,

Port Alma (Rod Elder)

Mealybugs were originally introduced from South American Harrisia Cactus stands. The mealybug is spread soon after hatching by the wind and by mechanical means such as mammals and birds feeding on the fruit. The mealybugs move to the growing point where they suck the plants sap. This causes the plant stem to twist in a very distinctive manner, the plants food resources are depleted, and the plant eventually dies. There is often a waxy white covering over the bugs on the growing point. As with many biological control methods the key is patience, in this case up to 4 years for the plant to die. New areas of Harrisia Cactus can be controlled by taking 150 mm cuttings of the growing point of infected stems and placing them every 10 to 20m against an actively growing stem. The easiest way of harvesting the very spiny stems is with long handled secateurs and a bucket. Biological control avoids the need for much more expensive regular chemical control.


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Chemical control also damages non-target plant species essential to Capricorn Yellow Chats for nesting and foraging, whereas biological control is specific to the cactus leaving native plants unaffected. Further reading Wayne A. Houston1 and Rod Elder, (2019). Biocontrol of Harrisia Cactus Harrisia martinii by the mealybug Hypogeococcus festerianus (Lizer y Trelles) (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae) in salt-influenced habitats in Australia. Austral Entomology. Available at: doi: 10.1111/aen.12385 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Harrisia Cactus: https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/000

3/49179/IPA-Harrisia-Cactus-PP22.pdf

Capricorn Printmakers

and shorebirds Capricorn Printmakers are a group of keen local artists from Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast who produce prints and have a studio in the Walter Reid Centre in Rockhampton. They are involved with the Overwintering Project which seeks to raise awareness of our migratory shorebirds and their habitat by inviting artists to help make them visible. Allan Briggs was asked to assist the printmakers with information and photographs and gave a PowerPoint Presentation at the Walter Reid Centre in late January. The following week he and Graham Durant took members of the Printmakers to Kinka Beach to see some shorebirds and they were rewarded with good views of Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Greater Sand-plover, Red-necked Stint and Bar-tailed Godwit. The Printmakers will now work on artworks of different shorebird species for inclusion in the Overwintering Project. It is also anticipated that they will hold an exhibition of their work later in the year which may well involve

collaboration with BirdLife Capricornia in providing a multidisciplinary event of science and art.

Members of Capricorn Printmakers viewing shorebirds at Kinka Beach (Peta and Bruce Lloyd)

An example of a work titled ‘Flight Path’ by Ileana

Clarke from the print portfolio on the Overwintering web site

The Overwintering web site says, ‘Printmakers are invited to create and contribute one print in response to the unique nature of their local shorebird habitat. In pondering how their local habitat is precious to shorebirds, artists are also invited to reveal how it is precious to them. Migratory shorebirds provide the focus for the project, but artists can respond to any aspect that they perceive as rendering the area unique e.g. the geology, prey species, tidal patterns, flora, other local native fauna etc”.

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0003/49179/IPA-Harrisia-Cactus-PP22.pdf

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0003/49179/IPA-Harrisia-Cactus-PP22.pdf


6 March 2019

Breeding plumage in Egrets

Most of the time egrets are large white birds that stride around the margins of wetlands looking for food. The only colour that you might see is a bit of yellow on the bill and around the eye. But when they come into breeding plumage that all changes.

Intermediate Egret (Allan Briggs) The Intermediate Egret has a breeding flush of pea green around the eye, a deep rose red base to the bill and legs as well as a veil of fine plumes on the back and breast. Quite a transformation.

Intermediate Egret (Allan Briggs)

The Great Egret has a breeding flush of pea green around the eye and a black bill with a veil of fine plumes on the back but not the breast.

Great Egret (Allan Briggs)

Not such a startling transformation but still very impressive.

Great Egret (Allan Briggs)

The Little Egret has a brief flush of pink facial skin but is resplendent with two ribbon like head plumes and a thick veil of plumes on the breast and back.


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Little Egret (Allan Briggs)

The Cattle Egret goes for a more showy appearance with a breeding flush of burnt orange around the head, breast and back and red legs. The breeding plumes are often spiky giving the bird a rather startled look.

Cattle Egret (Allan Briggs)

All told egrets go through a very interesting transformation during the breeding season which makes them stand out from the crowd.

AGM

The AGM was held on April 11th in the Community Development Centre, Yeppoon. There was a good turn out with 16 members attending. The minutes of the meeting will be circulated in the next few weeks and the following committee was elected; Convenor: Kylie Jones. Treasurer: Mick Barker Secretary: Allan Briggs A vote of thanks was extended to Debra Corbet who stood down from the position of Convenor.


8 March 2019

“The LAUstralia trip of

2018” – Part 1

Andrew and Min Lau with their boys Henry and Oliver took a six month trip through Qld, NT and WA last year and this is the first part of a series of trip reports.

Forest Den National Park, 16th – 18th April, 2018 Having planned our six-month trip over a number of years, it was great to roll into the first national park of our trip, that being Forest Den National Park on Day 3 of the trip. The National Park is a fantastic park, north of Aramac on the road between there and Torrens Creek, despite the words of the NP website, it was easily accessible with our off-road caravan and we made it in to the Four Mile Camping Area adjacent to a great long waterhole around 4pm on the 16th. After setting up camp we enjoyed an hour long walk along the track that ran east along the waterhole, before heading back to camp walking a loop via a claypan further south than the creek. In the first afternoon we saw 19 species including Pallid Cuckoo, Budgerigar, Brown Treecreeper, Yellow-throated Miner, Restless Flycatcher, Little Woodswallow, and Blue-winged Kookaburra. We completed the day with exploring the waterhole after dark, finding shrimp, freshwater crab, blue-claw yabby, and a very interesting frog.

Pallid Cuckoo (Andrew Lau)

The morning of the 17th started with a two hour walk first heading west before retracing the walk of the previous afternoon. We added a number of new birds for our park list including Rufous Whistler, Laughing Kookaburra, White-browed Woodswallow, Varied Sittella, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Jacky Winter, Striped Honeyeater, Rufous-throated Honeyeater and Grey Shrikethrush.

Budgerigar (Andrew Lau)


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Striped Honeyeater (Andrew Lau)

After a day of relaxing and swimming in the waterhole, an afternoon walk back along the camping area access track found more birds, adding Pale-headed Rosella, Red-winged Parrot, Grey-crowned Babbler, Diamond Dove, Brolga, Red-backed Kingfisher and Collared Sparrowhawk to name a few.

Red-backed Kingfisher (Andrew Lau)

Our final morning of the 18th we repeated the waterhole and claypan walk adding Weebill, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo and Spotted Bowerbird to the list. Packing up the van and driving out it was great to have enjoyed the range of habitat in the park, and kick off the feeling of being on holiday. An Australian Hobby zipped by us as we were exiting to park, bringing our park list to a total of 48 species. A summary of the birds noted from four surveys as well as the drive in and out of the park is as follows.

Collared Sparrowhawk (Andrew Lau)

Species count, Species, Times Seen, Max Count

1 Apostlebird 1 12

2 Australian Darter 1 1

3 Australian Hobby 1 1

4 Black-faced Cuckooshrike 3 6

5 Black-faced Woodswallow 2 5

6 Blue-winged Kookaburra 1 1

7 Brolga 1 2

8 Brown Treecreeper 1 1

9 Brush Cuckoo 1 1

10 Budgerigar 4 40

11 Cockatiel 4 9

12 Collared Sparrowhawk 1 1

13 Crested Pigeon 1 2

14 Diamond Dove 4 18

15 Galah 5 39

16 Grey Butcherbird 1 3

17 Grey Shrikethrush 2 2

18 Grey-crowned Babbler 1 5

19 Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo 1 1

20 Jacky Winter 2 2

21 Laughing Kookaburra 2 1

22 Little Friarbird 1 1

23 Little Woodswallow 3 3

24 Magpie-lark 2 4

25 Pale-headed Rosella 1 2

26 Pallid Cuckoo 4 2

27 Peaceful Dove 4 13

28 Red-backed Kingfisher 1 1

29 Red-winged Parrot 1 3

30 Restless Flycatcher 3 2

31 Rufous-throated Honeyeater 1 1

32 Rufous Whistler 2 2


10 March 2019

33 Sacred Kingfisher 2 2

34 Spotted Bowerbird 1 1

35 Striated Pardalote 2 3

36 Striped Honeyeater 1 1

37 Torresian Crow 1 1

38 Varied Sittella 1 1

39 Wedge-tailed Eagle 2 2

40 Weebill 1 1

41 Whistling Kite 3 1

42 White-browed Woodswallow 1 2

43 White-plumed Honeyeater 3 9

44 Willie Wagtail 4 7

45 Yellow-billed Spoonbill 2 3

46 Yellow-rumped Thornbill 1 2

47 Yellow-throated Miner 1 3

48 Zebra Finch 4 20

Brolga – egg eaters

Helen Dunne relates a tale of predation at her property ‘Benmore’.

Recently I went for a ‘bit of bird’, wonderful rain around Christmas had replenished dams and triggered the breeding instinct for many local birds. Recently I have seen established Spotted Bowerbird bowers, newly fledged Black-Faced Woodswallows, Plumed Whistling Ducks, Australian Wood Ducks and Zebra Finches, as well as many species still on nests. Within 30 metres of each other, I saw Pied Stilts, Masked Lapwings, Australasian Grebes and Magpie Larks. They had chosen their spot in the local neighbourhood, laid their eggs and were awaiting their hatchlings to emerge. A couple of days ago saw the grebes building and becoming distressed as two brolgas passed by. They were flipping themselves around in the water and splashing the brolgas to get them to move on. Yesterday I decided to revisit their nesting site and see how things had progressed. On the other side of the dam I spotted a rather tatty Red-Backed Kingfisher and a Pallid Cuckoo. Across the dam I could see the brolgas again, one flicking weeds into the air and flapping it’s wing. I thought perhaps part of

a mating ritual. The stilts were near them and sounding alarm cries, as the brolgas were near where I later found the stilts nest.

Brolga taking Aussie Grebe eggs (Helen Dunne)

I moved around the dam and watched for some time. Glossy Ibis were foraging through the edges, Pelicans, Whistling Ducks, Grey Teal and Hardheads were on the water. Black-fronted Dotterel and Masked Lapwings were, as usual, in attendance. Then my attention was drawn to the grebes. They had started ‘yelling out’, flicking water and behaving in a distressed manner as the brolgas approached their nest. To my surprise, one of the brolgas began flicking their nest apart and proceeded to collect and eat each of the eggs. I watched it eat two and then thought ‘I should try and get a photo!!’ These shots are of the brolga eating the third egg from the nest with the distressed grebes looking on. I’m not sure if brolgas can count, but I think it thought there were four eggs because it returned several other times to look for more. If you notice the lump in the


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brolga’s neck in both shots, I think it is the previous egg going down. Subsequent shots don’t show any lump at all. Guides and internet searches say that Brolgas are omnivorous, eating bulbs, roots of vegetation, reptiles, frogs, fish, small mammals and birds, insects and larvae. I guess we should add eggs to that list now. Later I found the stilts nest, three eggs perched on a clump of grass. Beware stilts…BROLGA ALERT!!

Pied Stilt nest (Helen Dunne)

(A poor workman blames his tools…I apologise for the poor-quality photos…camera troubles.)

The relentless spread

of the Common Myna

In 2006 the Common (Indian) Myna arrived in Gladstone and we had an unsuccessful attempt to control their numbers. In 2012 they arrived in Rockhampton and again we attempted a control program without success. Since then they have been reported in ever widening locations throughout the region. The 2018 Birds in Capricornia survey recorded 225 in the Livingstone Shire, 16 in the Gladstone Region, 100 in the Rockhampton Region, 18 in the Central Highlands Region

and 54 in the Banana Shire. In January Bob and Olive McTrusty reported them arriving in Clermont.

Common Myna (Bob McTrusty)

It is a very smart and cunning species which no doubt contributes to its success. It can adapt to a wide range of habitat from heavily built up CBD areas to suburban gardens as well as rural areas. Unfortunately it looks as though we will have to accept that they have become a permanent species in our landscape.

Bird surveys at

Gladstone WWTP

At the request of Gladstone Regional Council some Gladstone members of BirdLife Capricornia have started doing monthly bird surveys at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Conservation officer, Emily Fehlaber said, ‘The surveys helps us to understand the value of the site in supporting bird populations and will help inform our management of the area to conserve valuable habitat’.


12 March 2019

Trip report – Colombia

Allan Briggs and Paula Ryan went on a month long adventure to Colombia and Ecuador in February/March. The trip to Colombia was with an organised tour of twelve people and was primarily birdwatching with some history, culture and sightseeing. The trip to Ecuador was with their own private bird guide and was hard core birdwatching. This is the first of two reports.

After a prolonged journey via Auckland and Santiago which included an overnight stop in Lima we arrived in Pereira in central Colombia. Our accommodation was perched on the top of a hill overlooking a dry rainforest and there were many bird species to be seen from our balcony. The wrap around floor to ceiling windows even allowed us to watch birds from our bed in the mornings. Of note were Black-throated Mango and Green Hermit hummingbirds that were flying around feeding on bromeliad flowers high in the canopy. Bronze-wing and Blue-headed Parrots flew overhead while many species of Tanager foraged through the trees. On a walk along a track down the hill we came across a small group of Crimson-rumped Toucanet and further down there were Blue-black Grassquits feeding on seed with a peculiar behaviour of flying vertically up and down as they move through the habitat. This introduction to birding in Colombia was delightful and gave us an appetite for more of the same in a country that is the second most bio-diverse in the world and has around 1900 species of birds, twice as many as Australia with a land mass of only a fraction the size. We joined a small group of twelve on a 12 day tour of Colombia which was primarily focussed on birding but included history, culture, flora and fauna and sightseeing. The itinerary would take us to the Cocora Valley, Manizales, Medellin, Santa Marta and Minca with side trips to the Rio Blanco and El Dorado Reserves as well as Tayrona National Park, a coffee farm and a flower farm.

Accommodation varied from simple but comfortable haciendas to a modern city hotel and an up an market boutique hotel. In each location we had good food and exceptional hospitality. The Colombian people are very kind, polite and happy to see tourists visiting their country. One of our guides said that their country had been through so many years of what they call the 'troubles' that it was time for them to be happy and enjoy life. Pablo Escobar, the drug lord who had inflicted much of the misery the country had experienced up to only a few years ago was now in the process of being expunged from Colombian history. We were amazed to find out that there were what were called 'Narco tours' where tourists were visiting many of the locations where Escobar and his cronies had peddled their evil trade. To stop this the Colombian Government had blown up an apartment block where Escobar had lived and were removing other 'landmarks' that tourists were visiting. The government is intent upon making eco-tourism and the natural wonders of the country the focus for visitors rather than the nefarious activities of the drug trade. Hummingbirds are one of the main birding attractions and we were fortunate to see 31 species on our trip. Many are restricted to specific altitudes and since we moved from sea level to around 3400 metres we had the opportunity to see many of these birds. One of the most spectacular is the Long-tailed Sylph which lives at altitudes between 900 and 3000 metres. It has a beautiful long and curved blue tail which glows iridescent in sunlight. Hummingbirds both refract and absorb light using tiny scales on their feathers so that the colour depends on the angle at which you view the bird. From one angle the bird can look a dull green but when it turns towards you it shimmers with brilliant greens, blues and pinks. Some have what are called Gorgets which are small round patches of colour on the throat that literally glow at the right angle.


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Long-tailed Sylph (Allan Briggs)

Of course South America is renowned for its Toucans which are notable for their brilliant colours and huge bills that look so spectacular and at the same time are curious oddities that begs the question why they need such enormous structures. They eat fruit so do not need such large bills for eating but their bill has a rich supply of blood vessels running along it which helps to radiate heat and so regulate body temperature. There are also a number of smaller toucans called Toucanets and Aracari that are just as colourful but on a smaller scale. One of these is the Collared Aracari which are quite common.

Collared Aracari (Allan Briggs)

In addition to these well known species South America has many species of Tanager which are one of the most colourful families of birds. The Summer Tanager is a migrant from North America and a lovely shade of deep red, the Beryl-spangled Tanager is a riot of blue spangles which is quite stunning at first sight. The Tanagers are an interesting family of birds with currently around 240 species spread through the America's with about 60% being found in South America and many are endemic. It is difficult to be specific with these numbers since like many other bird families the species are under molecular scrutiny and subject to taxonomic re-distribution.

Summer Tanager (Allan Briggs)

Beryl-spangled Tanager (Allan Briggs)

Another large family are the Tyrant Flycatchers which is considered to be one of the largest families of birds with some 400 species that occur mostly in Central and South America.


14 March 2019

The delightful little Common Tody Flycatcher with its black cap and yellow underbody has a tuneful dawn song. At the larger end of the scale is the Rusty-margined Flycatcher which is bright yellow under, a rusty colour to the wings and a broad white line above the eye. Several species of flycatcher are similar such as the Tropical Kingbird and the Kiskadees so it is necessary to examine each bird carefully to make an identification and this is where the value of having a local bird guide to assist is very beneficial.

Common Tody-flycatcher (Allan Briggs)

Rusty-margined Flycatcher (Allan Briggs)

We found that the bird guides were exceptional, well educated with good English and able to identify species by sight giving both English and scientific names. The other advantage was that they knew their local area so well that they knew where difficult to find species could be located. Without the guide

there would have been no chance of seeing many rare bird species.

Everywhere we went there were hummingbird feeders which meant that getting up close and personal with these delightful birds was quite easy. All that you had to do was sit quietly in a chair and watch them buzz back a forth to the feeders. They would often fly from the same branch and return to that branch after feeding so the trick was to focus the camera on that one spot and wait for the bird to come back, click and it was in the can. That is what I did with the Brown Violetear shown below and although it is a plain brown bird it has a dazzling violet patch near the ear and a glistening green patch on the throat.

Brown Violetear (Allan Briggs)

Colombia is a magical place to go birding and every day there are new discoveries to be made. Most people who we told where we had been would say things like, ‘hope that you had a bodyguard with you’. Well it is not like that anymore. The government have made a peace deal with the main separatist group FARC, the narco lords have been busted and the country is on a path to recovery with a strong emphasis on eco-tourism.


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Bringing Back Nature at Mt Archer

The Rockhampton Regional Council held a Bringing Back Nature Community Day at Mt Archer with four stations featuring indigenous culture, bush tucker, fauna and flora. BirdLife Capricornia were asked to deliver four consecutive presentations about the birds and animals that are found at Fraser Park and in Mt Archer National Park. Rod Elder, Mick Barker and Allan Briggs delivered the presentations and the first three were attended by around 20 participants with the fourth having only six. The presentations went very well with a focus on the different habitats that are found from the summit all the way down to Moores Creek and the various birds and animals that rely on these habitats for food and shelter. During question time the kids threw up some curly questions with one young tyke asking ‘what was the very first baby bird that was ever born?’ After some thought the answer was a dinosaur which of course required some explanation.

Mick Barker talking about fruit doves (Allan Briggs)

Ross Creek Discovery Day

Merv Anderson Park beside Ross Creek in Yeppoon was the location for the Ross Creek Discovery Day held on the last Sunday in March. Mick Barker and Graham Durant attended and ran an information stall. Activities included a Flying Fox presentation, guided mangrove walks and croc safe information.

U3A Bird walk at

Murray Lagoon

Rod Elder has started a bird group within U3A Rockhampton and they had their first outing at Murray Lagoon in early April. About 21 members turned out and were able to see a large number of bird species including some Bar-tailed Godwits on their migration north.

U3A members viewing bird species through a telescope (Allan Briggs)


16 March 2019

Conservation news Marian Davies and Allan Briggs report on conservation happenings. Senate enquiry into Australia’s faunal extinction crisis The interim report from the Senate was published on the 3rd April and says the laws meant to protect our fauna have failed, with massive exemptions and loop holes. The Senate environment committee is calling for a total overhaul of these laws saying that we have one of the worst track records in protecting our own wildlife. The recommendations of the committee are; Recommendation 1 The committee recommends that to limit the drivers of faunal extinction, the Commonwealth develop new environmental legislation to replace the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Recommendation 2 The committee recommends that the Commonwealth establish an independent Environment Protection Agency (EPA), with sufficient powers and funding to oversee compliance with Australia's environmental laws. BirdLife Capricornia made a submission to the Senate Enquiry and welcome these sensible recommendations. However, the current Environment Minister, Melissa Price, disagrees that Australia has not done enough to protect wildlife despite that fact the number of animals listed as threatened has reached 2000. The upcoming federal election will elect a new government and it is to be hoped that whoever is elected will endorse the recommendations of the Senate Committee and take action to halt the decline of our irreplaceable species.

Intertidal and Subtidal Aquatic Conservation Assessment of Central Qld We made a considerable submission to this assessment and it has reached the stage of a user acceptance trial and will be incorporated into the Wetlandinfo web site in the near future. Central Queensland Coal project (Styx Coal project) Last year we made a submission to the EIS for Clive Palmer’s proposed Central Queensland Coal Project with respect to the impact on shorebirds in Broadsound. The company then asked for a two year extension to consider the matters raised by the EIS and to make a response. This was granted and the company were given until June 2020 to make that response. Following that we heard that the project had been shelved because it was considered not to be financially viable. The company has since lodged a response in December of 2018 and DES is now in the process of deciding if the response is adequate to allow the EIS to proceed to the assessment report stage. This means that the coal mine proposal is back on the table and we will await the outcome from the decision by DES.


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Around the ridges Wader surveys at Kinka Beach and Kinka Wetlands

We are now doing surveys at three locations, north Kinka Beach, south Kinka Beach and Kinka Wetlands. Many thanks to those who have contributed to the shorebird counts throughout the year. The shorebirds at Kinka Beach south were quite good in February and March with six migratory shorebird species including 130 Red-necked Stint being recorded in February and seven migratory species including 87 Lesser Sand-plover in March. Kinka Beach north was not so productive with two species of migratory shorebirds recorded in March. Water levels at Kinka Wetlands are still very low with some rain filling them to around 75%.

Kinka Wetlands (Allan Briggs)

Wader surveys at Shelgrit Creek Gerry Woodruff has been conducting the surveys at Shelgrit Creek, Mackay. Wader surveys at Gladstone Margaret Worthington has taken over the shorebird counts at QAL and is being assisted by Ted Wnorowksi and Cheryl Hannant. Margaret would welcome any Gladstone member who has an interest in shorebirds and would like to assist with the counts.

Where does the count data go?

With regular monthly surveys in Mackay, Capricorn Coast and Gladstone we now have a good spread of wader surveys along our coastline. All of this data is submitted to QWSG and eventually finds its way into the BirdLife Australia Atlas.

Would you like to help?

The monthly surveys are a vitally important component of our coastal shorebird monitoring that are part of a nationwide effort to collect data about shorebird species. If anyone would like to help out with these surveys please contact Allan Briggs at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


18 March 2019

Direct seeding at Kinka Wetlands

Kylie Jones reports on the efforts of John McCabe and a band of volunteers to rehabilitate parts of Kinka Wetlands by direct seeding. Direct seeding of locally collected native plants at Kinka Wetlands is proving to be a rehabilitation success. This is one of the methods being trailed at the wetlands in efforts to stabilise and revegetate the disturbed section of a former quarry, and supplements the direct planting of native saplings, and placement of coir logs to reduce erosion. The fastest way to revegetate an area is to plant strong saplings, and this has been successful along the base of the hill, however there is not enough soil on the rocky eroded hill, even behind the coir logs, to dig a hole to plant saplings. This is where direct seeding was trailed. John meticulously collected seeds from existing native plants in the area, sorted and dried them, and after rain he sprinkled them onto the small amount of soil that had built up behind the coir logs and rocks on the hill. John described the actual application of seeds as "like feeding your chooks" as he mimicked walking along scattering small handfuls of seeds across the ground. The results of John's direct seeding in 2016 and 2017 can be seen in the photos. The results will continue to be monitored, but at this stage its provides another tool for rehabilitation. Direct seeding is time and knowledge intensive in preparation (identifying appropriate seeding trees, collecting/drying/sorting seeds), very quick to implement, with a very low success rate per seed but acceptable success rate taking into account the number of seeds scattered. With luck, some of the seeds that have made it to become little saplings will survive and grow big enough to stabilise the hill, drop leaf litter and seeds and result in a new generation of growth on the hill.

John needs to take a break from collecting native seeds, humorously stating his marriage may not withstand more boxes of drying seeds covering every available surface in his house. If you have interest in helping with the important task of collecting native seeds or helping rehabilitate local areas, contact John on [email protected].

Seedlings growing behind Coir logs (Kylie Jones)

Coir logs trapping erosion on the steep sides of the old quarry hill with the wetland in the background

(Kylie Jones)



March 2019 19

Outstanding DSLR photographs

Our photography section keeps getting better and we now have three categories, DSLR, non-DSLR and Artistic. Members are encouraged to send in their photographs to contribute to each section.

Black-shouldered Kite (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

Majestic, regal, aloof and beautiful are some of the adjectives that can be applied to the Black-shouldered Kite. Bob and Olive were thrilled to see two along MacDonald’s Flat Rd near Clermont.

Plum-headed Finches (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

Bob & Olive saw several flocks of Plum-headed Finches near Clermont and estimated well over 300. Here are some of them perched on a branch in the company of a lone Zebra Finch.

Rufous Songlark (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

This Rufous Songlark is carrying nesting material but Bob & Olive could not see where the nest was and did not want to disturb the bird by looking for it. Hopefully they will get to see the chicks once the parents start feeding.


20 March 2019

Budgerigar (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

Budgerigars are back at Clermont and Bob and Olive found this flock along their favourite birding spot at MacDonald’s Flat Road.

Mistletoebird (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

The male Mistletoebird is magnificent in his black and red plumage and caught here in a tree beside Clermont.

Eastern Yellow Robin (Sheryl Davy)

Sheryl saw this Eastern Yellow Robin at Byfield and says, ‘Late in the afternoon at Byfield on the weekend… I had just sat down on a little bank beside a stream… when this Robin came out of the bush. It perched opposite where I was sitting and proceeded to look around for something to eat. After a little while the Robin bounced onto the ground to catch a bug right beside me then flew back into the bush’.


March 2019 21

Black-shouldered Kite (Shane Hume)

Taken at Welford National Park this bird is a juvenile as shown by the brown features and distinctive spot at rear of the eye. These features are used to ID it from the Letter-winged Kite.

Collared Sparrowhawk and Willie Wagtail (Shane Hume)

Shane thought this looked like a Mexican stand off between a big raptor and a cheeky wagtail and wondered what they might be thinking. “CSH you little … I am going to eat you! WWT yeah, yeah! C’mon I have ya. Call that flying? CSH quite annoying.. like a nat WWT you're not that big, I’ll peck your knee caps! Or maybe Should we call a truce? Wanna go for a beer?”

Pacific Baza (Kylie Jones)

Kylie caught this Pacific Baza attending a nest at Parkhurst.

Little Ringed Plover (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

Bob and Olive saw this shorebird at Wunjunga Wetlands near Inkerman. Rarely seen further south in Queensland and has never been recorded on the Capricornia Coast.


22 March 2019

Masked Lapwing chick (Bob & Olive McTrusty)

A ball of fluff on long legs makes the Masked Lapwing juvenile look very awkward indeed. There were seven eggs in the nest with this one being one of the first to hatch.

Immature Buff-rumped Thornbill (Cecilia Prest)

Cecilia found young bird in some dry scrub near Woorabinda.

Yellow-rumped Thornbill (Gary Knight)

While on a trip to Queensland’s western downs Gary caught this Yellow-rumped Thornbill feeding in a grassy paddock. The yellow on the rump only becomes really prominent when the bird flies.

Brown Quail (Gary Knight)

The lovely light on the Brown Quail shows the intricate detail of the black and grey chevrons down the length of the body that are set against a deep rufous colour.


March 2019 23

Barking Owl (Ray Hastings)

One of a family of four Barking Owls that Ray found roosting in a tree at Reg Tanna Park in Gladstone.

Little Pied Cormorant (Ray Hastings)

Nesting time for Little Pied Cormorants at Reg Tanna Park and with three hungry mouths to feed the parent has a lot of work to do but needs to keep the feathers well preened. There were another five nests at the park making a small breeding colony.

Crested Tern (Kylie Jones)

Kylie caught this Crested Tern flying over Rosslyn Bay Marina on a clear blue sky day.

Rainbow Bee-eater (Kylie Jones)

While on a weekend weed busting trip to North Keppel Island Kylie caught this Rainbow Bee-eater after it had a swim in the dam.


24 March 2019

Bush Stone-curlew (Kylie Jones)

At the North Keppel Island Environment Education Centre there are a number of resident Bush Stone-curlews and Kylie was able to take a nice portrait shot.

Dollarbird (Olive McTrusty)

Bob and Olive witnessed a feeding frenzy of at least 27 Dollarbirds near Clermont and managed to get this lovely photo showing the upperside of the wings.

Royal Spoonbill (Allan Briggs)

The shock of breeding plumes cascading off its head, the pink mark on the forehead and the yellow mark above the eye all signify that this bird is ready for mating.

Capricorn Yellow Chat (Sheryl Davey)

Sheryl took herself down to Port Alma Rd near to Cheetham Salt on two consecutive mornings and was rewarded with the male in the photograph as well as a female.


March 2019 25

New Holland Honeyeater (Fran McFadzen)

While on a trip to South Australia Fran snapped this New Holland Honeyeater with yellow pollen on its bill feathers.

Barking Owl (Fran McFadzen)

Looking over its shoulder is no problem for owls who can look directly behind them. Taken in South Australia.

Black-breasted Buzzard (Fran McFadzen) The Black-breasted Buzzard is renowned for using stones to break open the eggs of Emu’s to get at the yolk.

Eastern Barn Owl (Fran McFadzen)

Barn Owls have excellent hearing with ears placed at different heights on either side of the face and the facial disc helps to channel sound to the ears. Taken in South Australia.


26 March 2019

Outstanding non-DSLR photographs

This is a new section for our photographers and features photographs taken with compact cameras.

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Sandra Harald)

Sandra found a number of these lovely birds along Yeppen Lagoon in Rockhampton. Sandra uses a Nikon P900.

Nutmeg Mannikin (Sandra Harald)

Not as showy as its chestnut-breasted cousin but the nutmeg has a charm all of its own. Taken along the shores of Yeppen Lagoon.

Immature Pied Butcherbird (Sandra Harald)

This juvenile butcherbird has caught a House Sparrow and is hanging it in tree before eating it. Taken through Sandra’s kitchen window.

Pale-headed Rosella (Allan Briggs)

Being a parent is a demanding business with two hungry fledglings to feed. One is happy to be getting some regurgitated food while the other is squawking for its share. Allan uses a Panasonic Lumix FZ300.


March 2019 27

Bar-breasted Honeyeater (Allan Briggs)

Allan caught this Bar-breasted Honeyeater in flight after it had visited the nest to feed the chicks.

Spotted Whistling Duck (Andrew McDougall)

While on a trip to Cairns Andrew came across a pair of Spotted Whistling Ducks at Centenary Lakes. First recorded in Australia in 1995 at Weipa, this species has since been a regular vagrant to northern Queensland from PNG. It has now been recorded as breeding in Weipa so is establishing a permanent residency for itself.

Immature Eastern Koel (Gillian Saunders)

This immature Eastern Koel has been hanging around Gillian’s garden for several weeks and no doubt will be flying off to northern parts soon. Gillian uses a Panasonic Lumix FZ200.


28 March 2019

Plumed-whistling Ducks (Gillian Saunders)

A family of 14 Plumed-whistling Duck chicks with their parents visited the dam on Gillian’s property.

Double-barred Finch (Gillian Saunders)

This cute double-bar was caught with nesting material which was being used to build a nest in a large shrub.


March 2019 29

Artistic interpretation A category in our photography section that features photographs “that take you to another place, makes you reflect on your own experiences, definitely has a back story or gives you an insight that you hadn’t thought of before.”

Red-backed Fairy-wren (Sandra Harald)

The lustrous black plumage on the front of the male Red-backed Fairy-wren is in stark contrast to the vivid red on its back. Here this delightful tiny bird looks out over Yeppen Lagoon from its perch on a twig.


30 March 2019

Calendar of Events for 2019 Set out below is a suggested calendar of field trips and other activities for 2019 that were agreed to at the end of year activity at Lake Awoonga. The field trips are planned to provide a variety of activities that suit members interests, locations that are interesting and have sufficient variety to suit local short distance day trips and more adventurous long distance weekend trips.

Month Date Event Where

April 6 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

10 Presentation to Horticultural Society Rockhampton

11 AGM CDC, Yeppoon

6-22 School holidays

16 Presentation at Girls Grammar School RGGS, Rockhampton

19-22 Easter

25 Anzac day

24-28 Extended weekend field trip Carnavon Gorge/Lake Nuga Nuga

May 4 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

18-19 Weekend field trip Kroombit Tops

23/24 BirdLife Australia Network meeting National Office Melbourne

June 1 National winter shorebird count Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

2 Ecofest Tondoon Botanic Gardens

7-9 St Lawrence Wetlands Weekend St Lawrence

29 June - 14 July School holidays

July 6 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

3-5 Australian Ornithological Conference Darwin

20-24 Extended field trip Epping Forest NP

August 3 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

30 Aug – 1 Sep Weekend field trip North Keppel Island

31 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

September 7 National Threatened Species Day TBA

7-8 Five Rocks Beach clean-up Five Rocks


TBA Annual shorebird survey Broadsound

21 Sep – 7 Oct School holidays

October 19 Monthly shorebird survey Cap Coast, Mackay and Gladstone

TBA Day trip TBA

TBA Tropicana Rockhampton Botanic Gardens

21-27 Aussie Backyard Bird Count Backyards nationwide

27 Twitchathon Nationwide

November TBA Urban birding Rockhampton/Yeppoon


December TBA End of year activity TBA



March 2019 31

Welcome to new members We would like to welcome the following new members and look forward to meeting them on future field trips. Kerry McKenzie – Blackwater Angela George – Rockhampton Julie Davies - Coowonga

Membership info If you have any friends or relatives who are interested in birds then please encourage them to join or why not buy them a membership for their birthday! Subscriptions: $79 Single, $58 Single Concession, $125 Family, $100 Family Concession, $58 Library, $29 Student and $25 Stickybeaks. This includes membership of the national organisation plus membership of our local branch. BirdLife Capricornia members also receive four issues of the full-colour BirdLife Magazine and regular issues of Brolga, the BirdLife Capricornia newsletter. Membership forms are available from the Secretary or send subscriptions directly to: BirdLife, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053. You can now join directly through the BA web site: www.birdlife.org.au.

Your Committee Convenor – Kylie Jones 0417 724 707 Email: [email protected] Secretary – Allan Briggs 4935 4645 Email: [email protected] Treasurer – Mick Barker 4939 5579 Email: [email protected]

Deputy Convenor – Position vacant

Postal address 192, Palm Valley Road, Coowonga, Qld 4702.

Representatives on BA committees;

Important Bird Area Nominations and Review Committee Allan Briggs Queensland Conservation Committee Marian Davies BirdLife English Names Committee Allan Briggs Conservation issues consultants John McCabe and Bob Black BirdLife Photography Special Interest Group Alicia Newport (Secretary)

Newsletter Editor Allan Briggs Newsletter proof reading Debra Corbet Indian Myna Project Coordinator Rod Elder STEM Consortium Representative Margaret Worthington

http://www.birdlife.org.au/




Documents

Brolga - BirdLife...Brolga Vol 8 Number 1 March 2019 BirdLife Capricornia After a long hot summer we are now enjoying some cooler weather and with it the Scarlet Honeyeater, one of