Horn Island

The Seisia caravan park from the ferry

The supply ship from Cairns. It visits all the Torres Strait Islands delivering supplies

After three days of flat out birding combined with the long flight from Melbourne (approx. 3,000 kms in total) and the un-accustomed heat and humidity it was nice to have a slow day. The ferry left at 0800 so we arrived at the shelter beside the wharf, unloaded and I returned the car. It was a fun ride, sitting on the top deck, as we passed first Red Island and then Entrance Island before sailing between Prince of Wales Island and Horn Island and on to the wharf at Thursday Island.

Ferry route Seisia to Thursday Island then to Horn Island

As we got closer to Thursday Island we could see birds sitting on channel markers so up came the binoculars and we scanned for new birds to add to the list. Nothing new was seen but as we watched three fellow passengers came up and asked what we were looking at. We handed over our binoculars and showed them how to use them and the smiles became huge. I doubt they saw many birds but they certainly got a different look at the islands and boats that we passed.

As the ferry across to Horn Island runs about once an hour we decided to have a look around so after storing our luggage at the ferry office we walked up into town. For once on the trip we were real tourists. Thursday Island is quite steep so after getting to the shops my main aim was to find a shop that sold cold drinks, and then a spot to sit in the shade and drink the whole bottle. Feeling better we checked out the shops and in one we found we could buy toy dugongs. As I have never seen one in the wild I had to have one and it now sits with the red lobster from Boston and the purple dragon. The local cafe had very good food for lunch and then we decided to find a taxi driver who was prepared to drive us around the island to "see the sights". He was an interesting guy and we saw everything from the cemetery where his family members are buried to the gun emplacement at the top of the hill.

Seisia to Thursday Island Ferry

One of the small Thursday Island to Horn Island Ferries

We were booked into the "Gateway Torres Strait Resort", which is a bit of an overstatement but still it was very comfortable and it had a swimming pool. After the heat of playing at tourist the swimming pool was a major attraction. Sadly I had not bought any bathers with me so I went in a tee shirt and shorts. In hindsight it may have not been a bad idea as one of us got very burnt as she lolled about in the warm water. Luckily the motel had planted a lot of Aloe Vera plants and with the use of some very large leaves we anointed her liberally for a few days and the pain and damage was minimal.

The pool at the "Gateway Resort". 

The birding was slow on the island as very little was in flower and I ended up with a bird list of only 48 species but it did include Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Horn-billed Friarbird, Varied Triller and Mangrove Gerygone.

Rose-crowned Fruit Dove

The road out to the sewage treatment plant. The hills of Thursday Island in the background

Varied Triller

We had one full day for birding and an extra one would have been nice to enable us to get to some of the water reservoirs to check for waterbirds. For accommodation there is also the Wongai Beach Hotel. From the outside it looks better than the "resort" but we did see some young men lugging very large speakers in for live music one night. I am not sure how much fun that would be but it may be an interesting experience to hear the local rock music, but for one night only thank you.

All text & images © Jenny Spry

Bamaga and the Tip.

For a keen birder there is only one reason to go to the tip of Cape York in the middle of the wet season. To see a Red-bellied Pitta. This Pitta is a migratory bird from New Guinea to the tropical rain-forest down the east coast of Cape York from the tip to Iron Range, usually arriving during the wet season in December.

 

Our flight from Cairns to Bamaga

As we were going on a trip to the islands of Torres Strait Barb, Joy, Mel and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to see the Pitta. All reports said it was a risky business though because the roads around Bamaga are all dirt and February is the middle of the wet season; it was possible we would get there and not be able to drive out of town. The wet season can dump hundreds of millemetres of rain on Bamaga but this year the seasons seem to be in a real mess. When we got there at the end of February they had only had 10mm of rain where they should have had a couple of hundred. The result was that the roads were all open and dry and we had no trouble hunting for birds.

The Tip

Seisia bottom right, Bamaga bottom left. Injinoo top right and Umagico just below it and slightly left

We flew out of Cairns on the regular Skytrans flight that has the extra benefit in that it calls in at the small towns along the way. This time we stopped at Arukun and Weipa before arriving at Bamaga. We had a four wheel drive booked with Seisia Car Rental but after about half an hour at the airport there was no sign of it. The local police were there though and they helped as much as they could. Eventually a car arrived for a couple of off-duty nurses who also had to rent a car and I got a ride into Seisia and left the others stranded at the airport. At the back of the house where the cars are rented from I started filling out the paperwork and the rental guy drove of to get the rest of the group from the airport.

Great Knot coming into breeding plumage

Blue Argus

The rental car was a Toyota Troopy in the last days of its decline but it worked well and didn't let us down. We even got a discount on the very expensive rental because the a/c didn't work. First stop when we were all back together was our accommodation at the Seisia Camp Ground. It was a really good place to stay because Palm Cockatoos strutted around the street just outside and one night a Red-bellied Pitta was heard calling behind one of the A-frame cabins. It is also close to the wharf where we were to catch the Ferry to Horn Island, which we had to do to meet up with the start of the Torres Strait trip. While I am on the subject of accommodation etc the food at the Bamaga Resort is exceptional. There is also a small bakery near the supermarket that has very good crab meat pies and shrimp claws.

Left to right, Joy, Barb and Mel on their way to the Tip

Now onto the birds. We mainly explored the road north from Bamaga to the tip which was open and in very good condition. Our first trip was to the tip, of course, and we got to what I believe is called Frangipani Bay. From there it is a short walk to the actual tip and Barb, Mel and Joy headed that way while I went to the exposed low-tide sand flats and looked at waders. On the way back we stopped a number of times because all along the road there are old tracks along which one can wander into the forest.

Great Knot

Grey-tailed Tattler

The next day we spent hunting for the pitta. By doing research before we left we had three or four sites in the Lockerbie Scrub lined up as potentially good areas. As it turned out we met our friends on the road and they stopped us and said they had just seen one, right on the edge of the road. We drove to the spot and way off in the bush we could hear a pitta calling. It eventually came toward us and then walked parallel to the road. Seeing the bird was one thing as it bounced from fallen branch to branch, behind trunks, onto the ground, around rocks etc but getting a photo in the dark forest was too much of a challenge for me and I just enjoyed the pleasure of watching this wonderful bird.

Greater Sand Plover and Pacific Golden Plover

The Tip, the lighthouse and a wreck

This road through the Lockerbie Scrub bought many new species for Mel who had not birded this far north and we put in a lot of time on it. We did find one species that is always a challenge and that was the Yellow-billed Kingfisher. Surprisingly two of the more common birds were the Palm Cockatoos and the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. We saw the kingfisher regularly as they flew back and forward across the road in front of the car.

Greater Sand Plover

Grey Plover

South of Seisia are two small towns, Injinoo and Umagico, and half way between them are some sewage treatment ponds and there we found a pair of Spotted Whistling Ducks, only my second sighting of them and a special treat. There are also ponds between Seisia and Bamaga and we checked these too but without seeing anything special. We also drove the road south from Bamaga to the Jardine River crossing looking, without success, for Black-backed Butcherbird but did find White-streaked Honeyeater, which was a nice consolation prize. The last place we checked out thoroughly was the wrecked plane site on the way to the airport and here we found a good number of the smaller dry-country birds.

Pacific Golden Plover

Common Sandpiper

We only had 2 1/2 days at Bamaga and on the Friday morning we went down to the Seisia wharf and caught the ferry to Thursday Island and a second one to Horn Island where we were all meeting. My total species list for Bamaga was 88 and we didn't even do any night birding as we were too tired after long days of chasing everything else. Some special birds were Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouth, Lovely Fairy-wren, White-streaked Honeyeater, Tropical Scrubwren, Black Butcherbird, Northern Scrub-robin and the local race of Noisy Pitta. The Noisy Pitta turned out to be the bird that gave us the hardest time. We heard them often but they kept out of sight. It was a new bird for Mel so we followed one bird around and around in the rainforest as it called, skulked, scuttled along the ground, flew over our heads and generally made life hard.

Sign at the Tip showing Torres Strait and the Australian Islands

Sand flats at low tide at the Tip looking south

For anyone considering chasing the Red-bellied Pitta at Bamaga in the wet, it could be worth doing even during a normal wet year. The main roads in and out of Bamaga, including down to Injinoo and Umagico, are sealed and most birds special to the area could be located while doing short walks off these roads. For the Red-bellied Pitta, one was heard calling from the bush behind the A-frame cabins at the caravan park in Seisia while we were there so even that is possible without needing to go as far as the Lockerbie Scrub.

Common Eggfly

Black & White Tiger

To get in and out of Bamaga in the wet one can fly with either Skytrans or Rex from the main Cairns airport. Another option would be to fly with QANTAS to Horn Island where there are a couple of good hotels, and then take a ferry to Thursday Island to catch the ferry to Bamaga. This ferry runs on a regular schedule and the Seisia car rental people will meet you at the ferry with a car. And because Bamaga is a major tourist hub during the dry season, catering for tens of thousands of tourists each year they told us, they have every facility anyone could want, including crab meat pies, YUM.

Yellow-billed Kingfisher

Yellow-billed Kingfisher

The Lockerbie Scrub where we saw the Yellow-billed Kingfisher

Walking a track just south of Bamaga

Palm Cockatoo

Spotted Whistling-Duck

All images & text © Jenny Spry

Cairns and Tinaroo

So much has been happening over the last few months that it is only now that I am finding time to write blogs that date back to March. The first blog to do is for a trip to Cairns and the tip of Cape York that was a lead-in to a larger trip to the islands of Torres Strait.

Our adventure started with four of us, Mel, Joy, Barb and I, flying into Cairns and renting a car. As there were birds to be found, and some that were going to be new for us, we headed to the Botanic Gardens in the hope of finding a Pale-vented Bush-hen for me. This was a bit of a long shot because it was the middle of the day and the Bush-hen is the ultimate skulker that prefers wandering around early in the morning. As it was just on lunch time we wandered into the cafe in the gardens only to find three people with binoculars, always a good sign, so we wandered over and asked about Bush-hens. As the conversation continued the pennies started to drop and we realised that we are were all actually part of the group for the Torres Strait trip, and we were all going to be in Bamaga at the same time before the trip as well.

The swallows were right at the top of this image from Google Earth, just before the boat-ramp.

They couldn't help with the Bush-hen but did tell us that they had seen Red-rumped Swallows up at Lake Tinaroo near Yungaburra. This would be a new bird for Mel so we cancelled the Bush-hen hunt and headed for the swallows. The drive up onto the Tablelands is an amazing climb and our rental car struggled a bit with the four of us and luggage but it was worth it. As we drove down toward the lake, wondering where we should start looking, we saw Welcome Swallows on the powerlines above the cabins of the caravan park ... and then we saw they were not all Welcome Swallows, some were Red-rumped.

Job done we drove back down the unbelievably steep and twisty road and into Cairns and headed for our next target, the Rufous Owl in the fig tree at the corner of Grafton and Hartley Streets. We got vaguely lost in Cairns on the way but suddenly there was the tree, right in front of us. After wandering in circles around the tree for some time Mel finally said the magic words, "Got It". It is amazing how a large owl can hide in the middle of one tree.

Rufous Owl with the remains of dinner, a  Torresian Imperial Pigeon

It was now time to check into the Ibis Styles hotel, which I can recommend if you are looking for somewhere reasonable to stay. There is only limited off-street parking at the hotel so when we went out for dinner we left the car there and walked down to the Esplanade. Thousands of Spectacled Fruit-bats were leaving their roosts and care had to be taken on the footpath as the little darlings occasionally peed down from above. Dinner was OK but I find the hordes of tourists more than I can take so I was glad when we finally got back to the room and got ready for our Skytrans flight the next morning to Bamaga.

All text & images © Jenny Spry

New Year's Day 2016

The New Year started just as it should, at Werribee WTP for a mad day of birding and lunch and bubbly with friends. I was surprised though at how few people were at the plant and we saw very few cars as we drove around.

Why do the interesting birds always hide in the middle of the flock? Rarity?

As well as socialising we also wanted to get the year's bird count off to a good start and were pleased to head home with 103 species. It was especially good as we turned up some normally hard species such as Great Knot, Red Knot and Baillon's Crake.

No, just a Curlew Sandpiper who forgot to get rid of its breeding plumage. There were 2 in this flock.

During our New Year's Day's birding plans for the rest of the year were discussed, as usual. The hottest topic was the arrival in NSW of a Paradise Shelduck from New Zealand, the first time this species had been seen on the mainland and only the second Australian record since a flock of 5 were seen on Lord Howe Island in 1950. Mel also mentioned that her plans included the Brisbane area and Norfolk Island and Joy and I have some plans in common like Torres Strait in March, and some different. Joy is off to India with Barb and I am planning on a return to Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling in November.

Our route along the Hume Highway to Culburra

As we drove and chatted Joy and I agreed our first priority was to see the shelduck, as I am sure it was for every other birder in Australia who is interested in twitching. Plans were tentatively set for the following weekend but Mel was not available so it would just be the two of us. Of course plans like this can always fall apart, especially when a vagrant bird is involved, and time is critical.

Lake Wollumboola at Culburra. The shelduck was way down at the trees in the background and the Hudsonian Godwit was meant to be near where I am standing.

At 0600 on the 2nd of January I was lying on my bed quietly listening to the radio when the phone rang. It was Joy: "I have looked at airfares and the cheapest and quickest way to get to the shelduck is to drive. I will pick you up in an hour." My reply, of course, was: "I'll be ready." We ran a bit late but by 0800 we were on the road and heading north.

And this is the Paradise Shelduck

By doing 2 hour shifts we drove straight through and arrived at Culburra, near Nowra by 1730. We checked into the motel and headed for the lake. As we expected, other birders were there and we chatted about the birds and they pointed us to the shelduck. We found it and took a few distant photos so as not to frighten it as we knew many more birders were either on their way to the lake or would come during the next week.

There were lots of godwits on the lake. These Bar-tailed Godwits were just quietly feeding on sandworms in the shallows

There was meant to be a Hudsonian Godwit at the lake too but we couldn't find it so left for dinner and our motel. The next morning we were up at a reasonable hour, about 0600, knowing we had a long drive ahead and went down to the lake for a final try for the godwit and a second look at the shelduck. More birders had arrived and a group of us concentrated on finding the godwit, sadly without luck. Still we had found the bird we wanted and by about 1000 we were on the road and heading for Melbourne. As it turned out it is a good thing we went immediately because by Thursday the shelduck had disappeared.

And this pair got really upset and had an extended shouting match

That Sunday, the day we left Culburra, the weather was meant to change with a major storm bringing rain to the Culburra area. We met the beginning of that storm as we headed south. Around about Holbrook the skies opened up and we slowed down to remain safe in the pouring rain. Out the window we could see small creeks overflowing their banks as they rushed toward the larger creeks and drains. A second storm met us soon after we crossed into Victoria but by the time we were getting close to Melbourne all was clear and dry.

The Hudsonian Godwit has a black under-wing with a white stripe. We took flight photos of every godwit we could find and none had that unmistakable under-wing colour.

The 1600 km +/- round trip had taken us about 36 hours but we had our bird and Joy was back in time for work on Monday. What a perfect way to start the year. The question now of course is, what's next.

All images & text © Jenny Spry