Archive for category Ducks, Geese, Screamers and Allies

Saturday’s Yorkey’s Knob Stop-off

Dec 14

Apologies for the delay in posting this little write up, but since Sunday morning I have been struck down with an incredibly nasty gastric virus. Battling fever I took the day off work today but I thought now that I feel a little better I might post some photos.

As you can see from the photo, it was a busy day at Yorkey’s Knob. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay as long as I would like but still I got some nice snaps of the waterbirds present. The weed that is usually on the lagoon seems to have increased since the last time I was here and with it the number of waterfowl species present. The usual suspects were there, being the Pacific Black Ducks (Anas superciliosa), Green Pygmy-geese (Nettapus pulchellus) and a lone Australasian Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae). The new arrivals were some Grey Teals (Anas gracilis) and Wandering Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna arcuata).

One thing I noticed was that as the weed increases, the number of Pelecaniformes seems to decrease. For the first time on Saturday, I saw absolutely no birds from this order at the lagoon. Amazing to see how the habitat, no matter how it changes, is utilised to its maximum potential. If there is lots of clear water, cormorants and darters will be present, if there is lots of weed, a larger variety of waterfowl are present. Here are some photos of the Grey Teal:

The Wandering Whistling-ducks have a rather strange habit of sticking together in tight groups, as can be seen from the photo of a raft of them at Cattana Wetlands posted Saturday. Their behaviour was no different at Yorkey’s although I noticed it is limited to when the birds are not feeding.

Some other interesting sightings were a lone Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) perched on powerlines next to the lagoon and this Yellow Oriole (Oriolis flavocinctus). I know the Oriole is fairly common, but take a look this photo with its throat extended while calling!

Overall it was well worth the stop. It was the first time I have seen Grey Teal in Queensland.

Tags: Australia, birding, birds, Cairns, waterfowl, yorkeys knob

Centenary Lakes and the Cattana Wetlands

Dec 12

Posted by Sebastian | 6 Comments

Our day started at the freshwater lake at Centenary Lakes searching for that elusive Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana). Not surprisingly as it was the middle of the day, we failed in that regard. We did get a better look at those Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata) though and they didn’t mind our presence much so we managed to get within ten or so metres.

Unfortunately, as often is the case with disturbed habitats such as Centenary Lakes, ten metres just isn’t close enough for some. Half of the birds on the protected little nook took off before these two decided they were close enough.

Thankfully the rest of the day was a great improvement! We arrived at the Cattana Wetlands greeted at the first body of water next to the entrance by these two Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) feeding in the low water.

A first for north Queensland for me! This has been our first trip to the wetlands since their opening a week ago and we were very impressed. These man-made wetlands are truly spectacular. After spotting some Comb-crested Jacanas (Metopidius gallinacea) jumping around on the lillies, we thought the area augured well for birding too.

This has to be the closest location to Cairns where you can observe this species. Coming here I was hoping to see my first Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) after reports at Cairns Birds, but it was not to be. Although the on-site bird hide at Cattana Wetlands proved fruitless, I did make some sightings of a couple of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins (Lonchura castaneothorax), Brown-backed Honeyeaters (Ramsayornis modestus), Little Pied (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) and Pied (Phalacrocorax varius) Cormorants. These are all species I do not often see this close to Cairns.

One of the surprises and another first for me was this small group of Wandering Whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna arcuata).

More regular, but still nice, some Green Pygmy-geese (Nettapus pulchellus).

There was more waterfowl seen at Yorkeys Knob Golf Club where we stopped by afterwards, but I think I will leave that until tomorrow! The Cattana Wetlands development was a very nice surprise — not the sort of thing councils seem to spend money on these days. The improvements were all positive and overall it looks like it is heading towards becoming a well managed eco-tourism spot. Here are some random photos from the wetlands. We actually came across an Amethystine Python (Morelia amethistina) on the boardwalk but it was hidden away and I couldn’t get a good photo darn it!

Thanks for sharing today with me!

Tags: birding, birds, Cairns, cattana wetlands, Centenary Lakes

Broken Binoculars and a Strange Week

Dec 11

Posted by Sebastian | 4 Comments

So it has been a peculiar week or so, a week where little has gone to plan. If a trip to north Queensland is on the cards for you here’s a tip, don’t trust forecasts. One thing you will notice is that the forecast for the week changes daily and the meteorologists are masters at pretending as though nothing has changed. Yesterday, we thought we would head to Centenary Lakes to try to spot the Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana) that has been hanging around but alas the rain came pouring down the moment we arrived. The summary of our efforts is this photo of three Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata). The streaks you can see in the photo is the rain!

Thankfully the weather was kinder today, by which I mean dry, not comfortable. I went out to the Esplanade at low tide and left when it was half in. My binoculars are currently broken and I am awaiting some new Nikon Monarchs but it was a good day none the less. Some interesting species seen were the Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), a couple of dark morph Eastern Reef Egrets (Ardea sacra) and an Eastern Great Egret in full breeding plumage.

This was my first sighting of the Common Sandpiper at the Esplanade, or anywhere for that matter. A pretty good day considering the lack of proper glass! I also drew a couple of sketches. The Grey-tailed Tattler’s (Tringer brevipes) size always seems to surprise, leading me to double take when identifying them. I find a sketch is a good way to set yourself straight.

Grey-tailed Tattler sketch