Mitchell River surveys lower Cape York 2017

20/7/2017

Showered, breakky and pulled the top down on the camper and off I went from Mareeba wetlands at 8.00 into Mareeba to do my shopping. Yu and Ray and Pam arrived at 9.00 and we were on the road west by 9.30. We stopped at Petford rail and found 19sp with Bar-breasted Honeyeater, it certainly does help having multiple quality birders to get a more complete count of the birds. We went to Chillagoe NP ramparts and totally dispelled that theory as we got less species than when I was here by myself a few weeks ago, though we did add Leaden Flycatcher to the total list. It seemed like a long drive into Tarwood station where we met the owners and they directed us to a billabong to camp for the night. We were dismayed by the amount of cattle and the damage they are doing to the country here, the owner says he’s de-stocked, but it still seems like too many cattle here. They’ve had a long period of under average rainfall, and the whole area is suffering with too many cattle still here. Past the homestead the track was horrible to drive with thick clouds of bulldust hanging in the still air from our cars, at one stage I had a small group of cattle on the road ahead of me and the dust they kicked up was impossible to drive through. We arrived at Ridge Lagoon Tarwood station 17.50 it still has some vegetation on it which is encouraging and we had 20sp by dark.

21/7 52km

Yu and I drove north after a wander around the lagoon in the morning. The track was easy but had tall grasses in the middle of the track, so I took it slow, thankfully I never hit anything, going slow also enabled me to keep an eye out for finches, but it was to no avail. We stopped at three sites , Lynd river 1, Lynd river 2, and you guessed it Lynd river 3. The first two sites were good with the river flowing, at the third site though the river was dry being a sandy bottom, and there were very few birds here. We had lunch then went back to Ridge lagoon and met up with Pam and Ray. Ray and I then went for another walk around the lagoon, but no finches in the heat of the afternoon. We then backtracked stopping at small lagoon Tarwood station, and camped at Jacks lagoon at 16.35, and sat near the lagoon until near dark, again no finches, dinner and not long after, bed.

22/7 41km

We finished the survey of Jacks lagoon and walked down to the river. Ray and Pam went upstream, Yu and I went downstream, the river was flowing and there were lots of birds around the river, we did two 500m surveys back to back at Lynd river 4 and Lynd river 5, ending at what looked like a good drinking spot with plenty of cover near the water, but there were no finches. We got back to the cars an hour before Ray and Pam, we had lunch then went back to the homestead at Tarwood and met with the owners, then headed towards their exit gate, along the way we stopped at dam Tarwood station and got some Double-barred Finches, then not too much further on we stopped at small dam Tarwood station at 14.50, I fell asleep in my chair mainly because there wasn’t much happening here. Dinner on dark and bed at 20.30.

23/7 73km

Yu and I finished off the overnight survey with a 500m transect down the river, but it was all dry and we only found Double-barred Finches, though ended with a good overall count. We headed into Bolwarra station, and found a small water point and did a survey but no finches. Next was Ladies dam, there were a lot of cattle here, and the ground cover was trashed, but there were still a lot of birds here, though no finches again. Brownies dam looked better habitat with less cattle, there were also some ducks here, but still no finches. A water trough was our next stop, with still a good overall count in the late morning heat, no finches. We stopped at the homestead and were given some directions for a lunch spot on the Tate river, there was a bad washout on a hillside getting there which required a bit of skill to get up, The waterhole on the river was very pleasant, but no finches. We negotiated the erosion on the track again and made our way out the Big Black Chin Ck track to a large dam. It was still quite warm but I pumped up the canoe and took Yu for a paddle, we checked out an arm where the jacana and cormorants were, they were  wary but let us get quite close to them, we were on our way to another arm when we flushed a finch from a nest in one of the dead trees in the water, it was a Black-throated Finch, Ray came around and found 7 of them on the headland, I took both Pam and later Ray out to see the nest. Dinner then not long after bed.

24/7 115km

After brekky drove the short distance to the creek that leads down to Peartree waterhole and spent nearly 2hrs there getting a good load of birds with some Double-barred Finches and some Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. Met up with Ray and headed to Bolwarra station creek where there looks to be a permanent waterhole, I did a 500m walk down the creek past the large waterhole to where the water disappears into the sand. Yu spent the time trying to fix a fuse that has blown for his accessories, but it seems that it’s one that only a dealer can change, more silliness, why have a fuse that can’t be changed? He now has a fridge that he can’t charge, we are finishing tomorrow, but what if  we were days away from being able to get it fixed and what more important fuses can’t be replaced? There are way too many unnecessarily complicated things about these days. We had lunch at the creek and then drove into Chillagoe then to Almaden and down to Tate River Ootan Rd. There are a few pools here but a heap of people have been driving in the riverbed, doing much more damage that even the cattle and pigs have been doing to the river further downstream.

 

 

25/7 155km

Yu and I did a 500m walk down the river, but despite some more waterholes we added very few birds, we headed off at 9.30 and made our separate ways back to Mareeba, I stopped at Petford rail and Bruce Weir Dimbulah getting Cotton Pygmy-goose on the weir, we had a bite to eat at the visitor centre coffee shop, I had a spinach and feta filo pastry which as usual didn’t have enough feta cheese. It was then back to the Mareeba wetlands for a nice hot shower. Over the survey period my Hema Navigator HX1 continued to play up, turning itself off when it got above 30deg ambient, and not showing all my waypoints, which means I’ve got to turn them off then on again to see my waypoints. The Waeco fridge behaved well since the nights were all cool so it would turn itself off mid evening which means that it never flattened the battery. The Trailblazer camper continues to deteriorate at a faster rate than it should. My VW Amarok is also starting to show signs of wear, I’ve already had to replace one door lock on the drivers side after it seized up with dust in the locked position,  now the passenger side door has seized up in the unlocked position, so I can’t lock the car, and the passenger window isn’t closing properly.

 

16/8 158km

Did the 8.30 boat tour for Billy Tea Safaris, and a few other bibs and bobs, so it was 10.00 when I finally opened up my emails to find the call out for the second part of the finch survey, so I went back to the camper packed and was soon on my way into Mareeba to do my shopping, then headed out west. Stopped at Bruce Weir Dimbulah for lunch and found the Cotton Pygmy Geese still there, Petford rail was hot and dry, and I camped at Chillagoe NP ramparts at 15.40 and sat in the shade. I’m happy to report that my new Hema HX1 had no glitches. I sent Hema an email saying that the old navigator was still not working properly and they dispatched a new one immediately, even sending a postage paid express bag to send the old one back in, so big thumbs up for customer service there. I also got the door lock fixed on the VW Amarok $400 for the part!

17/8 286km

Only added Peaceful Dove in the morning and headed off at 8.00, first stop was Walsh river W of Chilagoe which still has a trickle of water running. Next was Elizabeth Ck Belleview Rd, there were a number of Bombax trees in flower, a large spectacular tree with huge red flowers and the Lorikeets and honeyeaters were moving around them all feeding. Mitchell river Gamboola had some gum trees in flower and had also had some lorikeets and honeyeaters around them. Boundry Ck was dry and drab, but a denser copse had a few birds including a Leaden Flycatcher. Drumduff Rd only had a small pool in the dam but still had 12sp. Stopped at Mitchell river Rd lagoon at 15.00, the water level was a bit lower than last time but still had 37sp by dark. The road is still generally good though it’s still rather poor past Drumduff Rd going west, there are still a lot of road-trains on the road.

 

18/8 109km

Added a few more species in the morning including some Masked and Black-throated Finches, and headed to Mitchell river north of Dunbar station, and spent some time relaxing in the shade and more time poking about the habitat, there were a few trees in flower and they had about 60 Banded Honeyeaters around them. Went down to Tea Tree Ck where there was a puddle in the creek and quite a few species, at 11.30 I went back the few kilometres to Dunbar station and arrived at the same time as Ray and Pam, they needed to get some washing done, so I waited around, eventually Ray and I went over to the tip in the heat of the day and found a waterhole that looked promising for this evening, back to the station and more waiting around until it was time to go back to my site at Mitchell river north of Dunbar station, we dropped Pam off and Ray and I went to Burkes lagoon Kowanyama Rd and walked around the lagoon getting 63sp, we then went back to the waterhole at the Dunbar station tip across the road from the station homestead, but there were no finches, back to the station where I plugged my battery charger in to their power since we’ve had a few hot days and warm nights the fridge has drained the battery, so I topped it up, hopefully I’ll get a few more nights before it’s drained. They had a BBQ which we were invited to, with home killed steaks, they were delicious. The owner said at one stage he wouldn’t mind people camping on his land if they’d just do the right thing, but he said too many people leave rubbish behind and drive off the tracks, so he, like many farmers now have no camping on their land as policy, and who can blame him? As we drove out in the dark we scattered about 50 Agile wallabies feeding on the well watered grassed lawns of the homestead. Drove back to camp squishing a few Cane Toads on the way.

19/8 79km

Had 4 night species overnight, but didn’t do a thorough search in the morning, and were on our way by 7.15 down to Sargents lagoon d4, the lagoon had both pig and cattle damage but still got a good number of species. Sargents lagoon d5 was similar and had a similar number of species. We went down to Blackfellows swamp which was more vegetated in the middle and surrounds, and we had a few more species, plus larger numbers of waterbirds. We had lunch then went back to Dunbar homestead to figure out our next step, which ended up being Dunbar station Tea tree Ck, which is essentially a waterhole, with good grasslands around it, where some of the station hands are claiming to have seen Star Finch, but I watched the water for many hours and the only finch that came in was a Masked Finch, just one. Dinner was had just before dark and bed not long after as the mozzies came out.

20/8 228km

Up early and went for a short stroll and found Masked Finches drinking from a scungy small green pond, but it had cover near at hand, which is why they were preferring it to the larger lake we camped at with wide cattle and pig damaged margins between the water and cover, though we did have the honeyeaters use a tree near the water to launch into the water from, so I don’t know why that wasn’t close enough for the finches, perhaps it’s just the closest pool to where they were feeding. Crossed the Mitchell and went to Paddys lagoon, a long body of water, Ray and Pam drove up to the top whilst I walked up, they walked down and I drove their car back to the start, another large count, with Black-throated and Double-barred Finches included. We dropped Pam off at tonight’s campsite and drove in to Kowanyama, put some diesel in at $1.51cpL at the card only always open pump and went to Topsy Rd Kowanyama and got the promised Star Finch as well as the white bellied form of the Crimson Finch, though they are hybridizing here and with some with a black ring around the white belly. Back to Rutland Plains Kowanyama Rd where a pipe was pumping water in to Hymenachne infested swamp, got Masked, Black-throated and Double-barred Finches. Back to Swan lake where we had dropped Pam off to camp, a nice looking lake with not too much cattle or pig damage around the edges, there are even some Northern Laughing Frogs around the edge chortling away.

21/8 214km

Up early and drove to a spot as close to Mitchell river Dunbar station as we could and walked in to a smaller creek, greeting us at the waterhole in the creek was a 3m Saltwater Crocodile. We split up as I went up the creek and Ray went down towards the river, I saw some Freshwater Crocodiles, but the habitat wasn’t good for finches, in one pool I got a Black Bittern. Later I got another Saltwater Crocodile that let me get close enough to take its portrait, what a magnificent beast! We met up again and walked back to the cars, then drove back to Dunbar station to say goodbye and then we drove south and camped at Longreach lagoon, but it wasn’t very popular with the waterbirds, I did get over 100 Little Friarbirds streaming overhead in small groups through the late afternoon. As the sun set there was a misty look to the view down the lagoon, but it was dust from the trucks.

22/8 113kim

With a walk through the woodland in the morning we got a good list for the site in the end. First stop on our way east was Dinner camp lagoon, then a small track that leads to the homestead has Wallaby lagoon, which was absolutely trashed by cattle around the edges, but still had some lilies in the middle and quite a few waterbirds using it, very few bush birds though, and no grass users. Gamboola station track 1 on the same track as Wallaby waterhole had 7 Banded Lapwings. Waterholes Gamboola station were dry so not many birds here. My spot at the Mitchell river at Gamboola station was poor again, it was 37 degrees by now again as I had lunch. Met up with the others again at Gamboola lagoon, which was trashed around the edges again, but there were good grasses away from the water and good woodland. No3 well had water in a cattle excluded mound and had Black-throated Finches and Double-barred Finches. Charlies dam little no2 well also had a cattle excluded mound with water but only had Golden-headed Cisticolas in the enclosure. Bottom No. 1 dam had a perfect little pond with a perfectly placed rubber vine next to the water, but only a single Double-barred Finch was using it. We went to the homestead at Wrotham Park then took the track west to stop at Wrotham Park lagoon which was full of reeds, though it did have a few patches of open water. It was soon time to cook dinner and head off to bed.

23/8 250km

There was a lot of night bird noise last night in the area, and in the morning I went down to the southern part of the lagoon where there was open water. On the way out we stopped at Walsh River Wrotham Park, I went upstream through interesting woodland with huge Bombax trees flowering and an interesting looking large shrub called Chinee Apple which was fruiting, as I brushed past it I had a very sharp surprise as a thorn dug into my arm, later I brushed another one and it took me several minutes to disentangle myself from the thorns. We split up and I searched Golf bore Wrotham Park, which had a pool below the tanks but no finches. We met up again at Elizabeth creek which was also searched and the lone small cattle fouled pool was the only access to water for some Double-barred Finches.  From there we went to Paddy’s lagoon Wrotham Park which was a disappointment with too much cattle damage on the small lake. Our last search for finches on Wrotham Park which has now been dubbed Rotten Park because of the poor state of the savannah woodlands, was Haystack lagoon Wrotham Park which was good for waterbirds but still only had Double-barred Finches in the poor woodlands. I headed off back towards Chillagoe and surveyed my site at Walsh river W of Chillagoe, then drove back to Mareeba Wetlands getting back well after dark. There were a lot of cattle on the road west of Dimbulah but thankfully I was past the cattle country before it got dark.

20/9 41km

My day starts at 6.30 with a bowl of cereal and then up to the wetlands to pick up the four passengers for the morning’s tour, two were birders with big lenses and two were non birders, but were interested in seeing everything. The problem with non-birders is they usually go hard at a bird and frighten it off, which the lady promptly did with some Black-throated Finches, thankfully the birders were very good-natured and the morning was really quite pleasant, at some point one of the customers noticed that he didn’t have his wallet, at the end of the tour he went back to his tent and searched his car to no avail, so it was with little hope that we retraced the stops of the tour, and with a whoop of relief he found it, and although I tried to refuse it he gave me a $100 tip, easiest $100 I’ve ever earned! The rest of the day was quite slow until 16.30 when we knocked off, I went back and packed, washed the car to get off the seeds and went down to Rocky Ck war memorial camp. The sign here says no tents or small campers, which is unfair, there were several other slide on campers and small campers here so I stopped.

21/9 168km

Up early and away by 7.10 and down to Hastie’s Swamp, there were the usual myriad of Plumed Whistling Ducks, Magpie Geese were arriving in droves and a Buff-banded Rail was out for a stroll on the road. I was just about to head on south when Ray rang to say that they were going to Brooklyn Station instead of Amber Station, and he’d like me to join him but not till later in the day, so I kept on going to Cherry Tree Ck NE Herberton and got some Scarlet Honeyeaters, then tried again to get to Longland gap micro tower, I got close enough to do a survey but couldn’t find a track that led up to the towers, I spent an hour and a half slowly trawling the tracks with dense forest all around, getting Yellow-throated Scrub-wren, Atherton Scrub-wren and a lot of Bridled Honeyeaters. Had lunch at Mt Hypipamee and got nesting Bridled Honeyeaters, a Mcleay’s Honeyeater, Bower’s Shrike-thrush and just as I was leaving a Southern Cassowary finally showed itself. A quick look at Broomfield swamp for both Sarus crane and Brolga and then I drove to Ray’s place getting there just after 16.00, there weren’t many birds around, mainly Mettalic Starlings, in the eve a Sooty Owl gave a single call, we went for a short walk and got a Striped Possum, a Long-nosed Bandicoot, a Large-tailed Nightjar on a nest and a 3m Australian Scrub Pyhton, (which used to be called the Amethyst Python, but has recently been split to become its own species). So an interesting spot after all.

22/9 143km

Went back down the road to the Speewah camp ground, re-found the Nightjar and heard a lot of birds, but didn’t see many, and down the bottom was the worst, Patrick came at about 10.00 and we left at about 10.30. We stopped in Mt Moloy at the pub for lunch I had my usual hamburger with the lot and chips, but at $14.50 for the hamburger and $3 for a handful of chips it’s not a cheap meal, though I’d give them top marks for tastiness, and I left with a full belly so in reality pretty good value. Not far up the road was Brooklyn Homestead, where we met the manager, then drove around to Goodnight Crossing and stopped at the outstation, I got in to Ray’s car and we went out to Brooklyn BR2 for 20sp then Brooklyn BR 3 for 19sp, both dams had Black-throated finches. We had a brief look at another dam but it was too late so back to the outstation at Brooklyn BR1 to camp.

23/9 0km

Up early, Ray and Patrick headed off and I staked out Pennyweight dam and the small one behind the outstation getting 59sp until 11.30 when the others returned, we had a long lunch until a bit after 14.00 then went up to Brooklyn BR9 for 18sp then back to Brooklyn BR2 where there was 30sp with a Black-necked Stork. A Brown Goshawk landed by the dam wall amid a flurry of alarm calls from the honeyeaters, it spent 15min standing still facing the dam wall, eventually it turned around and walked down to the water, where it stood in the shallows and took small sips of water every couple of minutes, after about a half hour there it walked back towards the dam wall and hopped up into the Rubber vine thicket, I expected it to be be lying in ambush, but it must have snuck out the back as birds came in to the water without an recourse. Got back on dark, Ray got his bat frequency detector out and found that they were transmitting at 70mhz, after dinner chatted until 20.30 bed.

24/9 64km

Up at 6.00 and walked over to Pennyweight dam, I staked out the dam wall area whilst Patrick staked out the upper dam, I got a few finches and added a few more birds to the area such as Nankeen Night-heron and Australian Kestrel, by 9.30 activity had ceased so I went for a walk but found little more, still ended with 55sp by 11.00. We had lunch packed up, drove to the crossing and had a swim in the quite cold water then after a few false drives up tracks Ray went to find out where we were trying to get to from the station, Patrick and I went and did my Mt. Carbine dam site, there was more water in it than last time and the reeds were looking healthy, got 250 Hardhead. Ray got directions for our target area and we camped at Holmes Ck at 16.20. Patrick found the waterhole whilst I sat around the camp finding Spangled Drongo and Black-faced Monarch. After dinner in the dark we went to look at the waterhole and were dismayed to find it ringed by wall to wall Cane Toads, hundreds of the horrid beasts. Tonight the bats were transmitting at 40mhz, apparently all bats transmit at different frequencies, Ray had a device that could detect that, but we couldn’t narrow it down to which species it was.

25/9 76km

Up early and went back to the dam with Patrick and staked it out, we had a few Black-throated Finches and Double-barred Finches, and a steady procession of other birds come down to the water, we packed it in at 10.00 when things started to quieten down as the day warmed up. Packed up and signed out of the station, had a pie at Mt Carbine roadhouse which was expensive at $6.00 so although nice was poor value. I surveyed my site at Lake Mitchell causway which seems to be suffering the same fate as Mareeba wetlands with not many waterbirds. Big Mitchell Ck was very quiet with only 5 sp. Got back to the Mareeba wetlands mid afternoon for a nice hot shower.

Bird list for the duration of the trips it includes several surveys of Mareeba Wetlands. It should be noted that many of the sites that we surveyed are on private land not accessible to the public. % is of the 83 surveys done. B is for breeding

• Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius 1 (1.20%)
• Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 6 (7.23%) (B)
• Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata 13 (15.66%)
• Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni 9 (10.84%)
• Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata 2 (2.41%)
• Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus 3 (3.61%)
• Black Swan Cygnus atratus 5 (6.02%)
• Radjah Shelduck Radjah radjah 11 (13.25%)
• Hardhead Aythya australis 13 (15.66%)
• Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 23 (27.71%)
• Grey Teal Anas gracilis 10 (12.05%)
• Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata 5 (6.02%)
• Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus 3 (3.61%)
• Green Pygmy-goose Nettapus pulchellus 17 (20.48%)
• Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami 4 (4.82%)
• Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt 2 (2.41%)
• Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophora 4 (4.82%)
• Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae 14 (16.87%)
• Brown Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia phasianella 2 (2.41%)
• Squatter Pigeon Geophaps scripta 26 (31.33%)
• Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera 2 (2.41%)
• Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 22 (26.51%)
• Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata 18 (21.69%)
• Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida 53 (63.86%)
• Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis 38 (45.78%)
• Brown-capped Emerald-Dove Chalcophaps longirostris 1 (1.20%)
• Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus 3 (3.61%)
• Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus 1 (1.20%)
• Topknot Pigeon Lopholaimus antarcticus 1 (1.20%)
• Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus 15 (18.07%)
• Eastern Koel Eudynamys orientalis 1 (1.20%)
• Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae 3 (3.61%)
• Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites basalis 5 (6.02%)
• Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites minutillus 8 (9.64%)
• Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis 2 (2.41%)
• Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus 7 (8.43%)
• Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis 4 (4.82%)
• Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides 13 (15.66%)
• White-throated Nightjar Eurostopodus mystacalis 1 (1.20%)
• Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus 1 (1.20%) (B)
• Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus 7 (8.43%)
• Buff-banded Rail Hypotaenidia philippensis 1 (1.20%)
• White-browed Crake Amaurornis cinerea 3 (3.61%)
• Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio 2 (2.41%) (B)
• Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa 5 (6.02%) (B)
• Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 5 (6.02%)
• Sarus Crane Antigone antigone 15 (18.07%)
• Brolga Antigone rubicunda 11 (13.25%)
• Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius 13 (15.66%)
• Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris 1 (1.20%)
• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus 5 (6.02%)
• Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus 1 (1.20%)
• Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops 23 (27.71%)
• Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor 1 (1.20%)
• Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles 31 (37.35%)
• Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea 24 (28.92%)
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 1 (1.20%)
• Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis 1 (1.20%)
• Latham’s Snipe Gallinago hardwickii 1 (1.20%)
• Red-backed Button-quail Turnix maculosus 1 (1.20%)
• Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae 1 (1.20%)
• Little Tern Sternula albifrons 1 (1.20%)
• Australian Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon macrotarsa 1 (1.20%)
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 1 (1.20%)
• Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus 14 (16.87%)
• Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus 7 (8.43%)
• Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis 1 (1.20%)
• Nankeen Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus 7 (8.43%)
• Striated Heron Butorides striata 1 (1.20%)
• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 19 (22.89%)
• White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica 27 (32.53%)
• Great Egret Ardea alba 28 (33.73%)
• Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 23 (27.71%)
• Pied Heron Egretta picata 4 (4.82%)
• White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae 29 (34.94%)
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta 5 (6.02%)
• Australian White Ibis Threskiornis moluccus 16 (19.28%)
• Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis 36 (43.37%)
• Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia 7 (8.43%)
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 2 (2.41%)
• Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos 24 (28.92%)
• Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 2 (2.41%)
• Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 6 (7.23%)
• Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 32 (38.55%)
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus 1 (1.20%)
• Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris 1 (1.20%)
• Black-breasted Buzzard Hamirostra melanosternon 1 (1.20%)
• Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata 3 (3.61%)
• Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax 11 (13.25%)
• Swamp Harrier Circus approximans 5 (6.02%)
• Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis 2 (2.41%)
• Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus 11 (13.25%)
• Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter cirrocephalus 6 (7.23%)
• White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 8 (9.64%) (B)
• Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus 50 (60.24%) (B)
• Black Kite Milvus migrans 58 (69.88%)
• Lesser Sooty Owl Tyto multipunctata 1 (1.20%)
• Barking Owl Ninox connivens 3 (3.61%)
• Southern Boobook Ninox boobook 13 (15.66%)
• Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus 42 (50.60%)
• Azure Kingfisher Ceyx azureus 5 (6.02%)
• Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii 31 (37.35%)
• Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus 13 (15.66%)
• Red-backed Kingfisher Todiramphus pyrrhopygius 4 (4.82%)
• Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae 20 (24.10%)
• Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii 39 (46.99%)
• Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides 7 (8.43%)
• Australian Hobby Falco longipennis 9 (10.84%)
• Brown Falcon Falco berigora 10 (12.05%)
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 1 (1.20%)
• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii 26 (31.33%)
• Galah Eolophus roseicapilla 32 (38.55%) (B)
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 20 (24.10%)
• Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus 30 (36.14%) (B)
• Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans 1 (1.20%)
• Pale-headed Rosella Platycercus adscitus 26 (31.33%)
• Varied Lorikeet Psitteuteles versicolor 4 (4.82%)
• Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus moluccanus 44 (53.01%)
• Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus 6 (7.23%)
• Double-eyed Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma 1 (1.20%)
• Noisy Pitta Pitta versicolor 1 (1.20%)
• Spotted Catbird Ailuroedus melanotis 2 (2.41%)
• Tooth-billed Bowerbird Scenopoeetes dentirostris 1 (1.20%)
• Satin Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus 2 (2.41%)
• Great Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis 37 (44.58%)
• White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaea 1 (1.20%)
• Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus 5 (6.02%)
• Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus 20 (24.10%)
• Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta 8 (9.64%)
• Macleay’s Honeyeater Xanthotis macleayanus 1 (1.20%)
• Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides 1 (1.20%)
• Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus 16 (19.28%)
• Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis 54 (65.06%)
• Banded Honeyeater Cissomela pectoralis 14 (16.87%)
• Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta 39 (46.99%)
• White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris niger 1 (1.20%)
• Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis 59 (71.08%)
• White-throated Honeyeater Melithreptus albogularis 21 (25.30%)
• Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris 1 (1.20%)
• Rufous-throated Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis 23 (27.71%)
• Brown-backed Honeyeater Ramsayornis modestus 1 (1.20%)
• Bar-breasted Honeyeater Ramsayornis fasciatus 3 (3.61%)
• White-gaped Honeyeater Stomiopera unicolor 6 (7.23%)
• Yellow Honeyeater Stomiopera flava 39 (46.99%)
• Lewin’s Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii 4 (4.82%)
• Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Meliphaga notata 1 (1.20%)
• Graceful Honeyeater Microptilotis gracilis 1 (1.20%)
• Bridled Honeyeater Bolemoreus frenatus 2 (2.41%) (B)
• Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Ptilotula flavescens 4 (4.82%)
• Yellow-faced Honeyeater Caligavis chrysops 2 (2.41%)
• Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus 6 (7.23%)
• Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus 38 (45.78%) (B)
• Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki 1 (1.20%)
• Fairy Gerygone Gerygone palpebrosa 4 (4.82%)
• White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea 24 (28.92%)
• Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris 1 (1.20%)
• Western Gerygone Gerygone fusca 6 (7.23%)
• Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris 36 (43.37%) (B)
• Yellow-throated Scrubwren Sericornis citreogularis 1 (1.20%)
• Atherton Scrubwren Sericornis keri 2 (2.41%)
• White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis 1 (1.20%) (B)
• Large-billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostra 2 (2.41%)
• Mountain Thornbill Acanthiza katherina 2 (2.41%)
• Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis 12 (14.46%)
• Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera 1 (1.20%)
• Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 19 (22.89%)
• White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis 31 (37.35%)
• White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor 21 (25.30%)
• Varied Triller Lalage leucomela 1 (1.20%)
• Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris 25 (30.12%)
• Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis 2 (2.41%)
• Little Shrike-thrush Colluricincla megarhyncha 2 (2.41%)
• Bower’s Shrike-thrush Colluricincla boweri 1 (1.20%)
• Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica 9 (10.84%)
• Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus 3 (3.61%)
• Australasian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti 6 (7.23%)
• Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus 13 (15.66%)
• Yellow Oriole Oriolus flavocinctus 8 (9.64%)
• Pied Currawong Strepera graculina 4 (4.82%)
• Black Butcherbird Melloria quoyi 1 (1.20%)
• Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 30 (36.14%)
• Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis 41 (49.40%)
• Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus 4 (4.82%)
• Black-backed Butcherbird Cracticus mentalis 3 (3.61%)
• Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus 1 (1.20%)
• Little Woodswallow Artamus minor 1 (1.20%)
• White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus 2 (2.41%)
• Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus 13 (15.66%)
• Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris 1 (1.20%)
• Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 51 (61.45%)
• Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons 1 (1.20%)
• Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa 31 (37.35%)
• Torresian Crow Corvus orru 40 (48.19%)
• Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 20 (24.10%) (B)
• Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula 23 (27.71%)
• Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca 2 (2.41%)
• Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta 20 (24.10%)
• Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca 58 (69.88%)
• Spectacled Monarch Symposiarchus trivirgatus 1 (1.20%)
• Black-faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis 1 (1.20%)
• Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea 23 (27.71%)
• Victoria’s Riflebird Lophorina victoriae 2 (2.41%)
• Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii 1 (1.20%)
• Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster 8 (9.64%)
• Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans 3 (3.61%)
• Grey-headed Robin Heteromyias albispecularis 2 (2.41%)
• Pale-yellow Robin Tregellasia capito 1 (1.20%)
• Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum 15 (18.07%)
• Olive-backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis 4 (4.82%)
• Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax 7 (8.43%)
• Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis 3 (3.61%)
• Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton 1 (1.20%)
• Star Finch Neochmia ruficauda 1 (1.20%)
• Masked Finch Poephila personata 6 (7.23%)
• Black-throated Finch Poephila cincta 16 (19.28%) (B)
• Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii 35 (42.17%)
• Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis 8 (9.64%)
• Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi 2 (2.41%)
• Tawny Grassbird Cincloramphus timoriensis 1 (1.20%)
• Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis 5 (6.02%)
• Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel 3 (3.61%)
• Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans 2 (2.41%)
• Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena 8 (9.64%) (B)
• Silvereye Zosterops lateralis 3 (3.61%)
• Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 1 (1.20%)
• Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica 1 (1.20%)

If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.