Far North Queensland

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pacman
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Far North Queensland

I made a quick trip to FNQ last week. Drove north on Monday, birded for 3 days and drove south on Friday.

I made arrangements for Del Richards of Fine Feather Tours (http://www.finefeathertours.com.au/) to be my bird guide for the 3 days and stayed at Kingfisher Park, Julaten (http://www.birdwatchers.com.au/).

It is always an interesting deciison to utilise a bird guide but with Del I got 29 new ticks. Not certain how many I would have got by myself but it would have been nowhere near that number. I have made tentative arrangements for a return visit next season.

Day 1- (forward travel day)

4 ticks - Rufous Owl at Cairns; Graceful Honyeater at Dell's and Yellow-breasted Boatbill and Red-necked Crake at Kingfisher Park (KP)

also Spectacled Monarch and Pale-yellow Robin at KP

pacman
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Day 1 - Julaten and Mossman

10 ticks - Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Spotted Catbird, Macleay's HE, Spotted HE, Victoria's Riflebird, Lovely Fairywren (isn't that female just lovely), Metallic Starling, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Superb Fruit-Dove (I will add this pic later)

also - Pale-vented Bush Hen, Graceful HE, Yellow Figbird, Torresian Imperial Pigeon and Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove

Peter

Reflex
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What a magnificent trip! It would be esay to dismiss the Graceful HE for a Lewins if you weren't careful.

enlightenedI might shout my wife a nice relaxing three day trip to Julatten after reading this.wink

Samford Valley Qld.

pacman
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Day 2 - Mt Lewis, Abbatoir Swamp, Mt Molloy and Julaten

10 ticks - Pied Monarch, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Mountian Thornbill, Bridled HE, Grey-headed Robin, Atherton Scrubwren, Chowchilla, Fernwren, Bower's Shrikethrush and Golden Bowerbird

part 2 of Day to come

Peter

rawshorty
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Well i know where part of my next road trip will be.

How the hell am i going to catch you if you keep doing so well laugh

Well done and congrats, Peter.yes

Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

pacman
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Reflex wrote:

What a magnificent trip! It would be esay to dismiss the Graceful HE for a Lewins if you weren't careful.

enlightenedI might shout my wife a nice relaxing three day trip to Julatten after reading this.wink

the Lewin's, Graceful and Spotted can all be present in close proximity; the Lewin's half-crescent at the back of the eye is unmistakeable; the Graceful has an almost constant call and the Spotted seemed to be the shy one of the three.

yes, consider the trip and if you need a guide tell Del that I sent you

Peter

pacman
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rawshorty wrote:

Well i know where part of my next road trip will be.

How the hell am i going to catch you if you keep doing so well laugh

Well done and congrats, Peter.yes

yes, it was a great 5 days - year end summary of life ticks is 552 Australian (and 126 sub-species and counting), 92 North American and 26 Samoan; 5 new ticks in 2015

Peter

Woko
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Bragging rights are with you this week, Peter. 

Rick N
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That's a busy trip!! Great set of birds & photos Peter.

darinnightowl
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How good was that Peter, always good to get a little local help . Each Time I have travell over seas I will always pay for help it's just easier to find some of those birds 

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

Reflex
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Excuse me Peter. Where's part two of day 2?

Samford Valley Qld.

pacman
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Reflex wrote:

Excuse me Peter. Where's part two of day 2?

work seems to get in the way of my birding, including sorting pics

Peter

Reflex
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pacman wrote:
Reflex wrote:

Excuse me Peter. Where's part two of day 2?

work seems to get in the way of my birding, including sorting pics

Feeble excuse. wink

Samford Valley Qld.

Reflex
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pacman wrote:
Reflex wrote:

What a magnificent trip! It would be esay to dismiss the Graceful HE for a Lewins if you weren't careful.

enlightenedI might shout my wife a nice relaxing three day trip to Julatten after reading this.wink

the Lewin's, Graceful and Spotted can all be present in close proximity; the Lewin's half-crescent at the back of the eye is unmistakeable; the Graceful has an almost constant call and the Spotted seemed to be the shy one of the three.

yes, consider the trip and if you need a guide tell Del that I sent you

' I have already disscused this with my wife and I will advise Del you put me on to him.

Sensational! Can't wait!

Samford Valley Qld.

pacman
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I omitted a Superb Fruit-Dove pic from day 1 and 2 other pics that those who know me will question

Peter

pacman
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day 2 (cont)

on the way up Mt Lewis and stopped and helped this little fella off the road

after we had finished for the day there was still some daylight so I went to Abbatoir Swamp and saw a Brown-backed HE (another lifer)

and then onto Mount Molloy where there was a photgenic Great Bowerbird

Peter

pacman
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Day 3 - 1 January - head west to the Mitchell River area

we stopped at a rest area at Julaten/Mount Molloy; did not get the new tick but we did see Yellow-breasted Boatbill and Pale Yellow Robin again

further along we got Australian Bustard on the roadside

getting close to Mitchell River we stopped at a lagoon and I saw the Squatter Pigeon ssp Geophaps peninsulae  with the red eye flesh - pic of the ssp Geophaps scripta with blue eye flesh also attached

my first lifer for 2015 was the Banded Honeyeater

and then a Rufous-throated Honeyeater

an unproductive walk to another lagoon but a nice setting nonetheless

we had a stop on the way to the lunch stop and Del heard and then I confirmed a Noisy Pitta call; we couldn't call it in for a pic; shame as it was out of range

lunch and another stop and then back to the 1st lagoon

another first with Black-throated Finch - a poor pic as the birds went to the wrong part of the lagoon for their drink

Great Bowerbird came to drink - about 4-5 visits so maybe 2-3 birds

Pale-headed Rosella ssp Platycercus adscitus came to visit but not to drink

Brown Treecreeper was in the trees close-by

then on the way back we had roadside stops for Australian Bustard, Helmeted Guineafowl and Brolga

Peter

Reflex
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Great trip!

Samford Valley Qld.

rawshorty
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You have convinced me to do this trip, Peter.

With free accommodation at Port, Gold Coast and Rocky should be a cheap trip for me wink

And besides, i am getting sick off taking shots of P Owl, Owlet Nightjar and Pilot bird here winklaugh ( had to jib you )

Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

Rick N
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Must have been a slow period when the Flower and Wallabies were deemed worthy smiley

I sometimes comment when having a bad day in the field " will be taking photos of flowers next " smileysmiley

rawshorty
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Rick N wrote:

Must have been a slow period when the Flower and Wallabies were deemed worthy smiley

I sometimes comment when having a bad day in the field " will be taking photos of flowers next " smileysmiley

That's my fault, i got him started when we went to Chiltern laugh

Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

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