AUSTRALIA - HOLIDAY/RECCE TOUR - DAY 31 - OCT 27TH - BRISBANE

SANDY CAMP ROAD WETLANDS

After last night's encounter with some local birders I decided to get up early today and try out a site that they had recommended.

Sandy Camp Road Swamp is just a 10 minute drive from where we are staying, I arrived at 6am it was easy to find I could see the pools from the road.

There was a clear blue sky but it was a little breezy, the temperature was 18C at 6am! The first pool I looked at had a boardwalk and viewing platforms, it was covered in birds. One of the first species I saw was a lifer, a small group of WANDERING WHISTLING DUCKS, very nice start.

WANDERING WHISTLING DUCK with Pacific Black Duck in the foreground

Other birds on the pool were:

Royal Spoonbill
Great White Egret
Intermediate Egret
Nankeen (Rufous) Night Heron
Magpie Goose
Pacific Black Duck
Grey Teal
Chestnut Teal
Comb-crested Jacana
Australasian Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Australian White Ibis
Dusky Moorhen
Eurasian Coot
Purple Swamphen
Black-winged Stilt
Latham's Snipe
Black-fronted Dotterel
Australian Reed Warbler

The pool was surrounded by trees, scrub and reeds this is where a good number of other birds were seen. Brown Honeyeater, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Sacred Kingfisher, White-breasted Woodswallow and many common species, in fact the air was alive with calls and songs.

Black-winged Stilt

a very wet Red-backed Fairy-wren

Australasian Grebe

Nankeen (Rufous) Night Heron

Comb-crested Jacana

I walked the tracks and glades for a while and added another lifer when I saw a group of four Quail run across the track. I waited for 20 minutes for them to reappear and finally got an ID on them, they were Brown Quails.

Brown Quail

That almost finished my birding for the day but I did have one birdie up my sleeve. After breakfast we both set off on foot to catch a bus into the city where we planned to spend the day. Half way to the bus stop I saw my first Dollarbird sitting on a telephone wire, another lifer in the bag, whoopee!!

The rest of the day was spent in the city centre, a beautiful place with lots to see and do, we spent time cruising the river and walking around all the tourist sites.

At 5pm we set off for home just as a terrific thunderstorm hit the city, we missed the heavy rain that followed.


253. WANDERING WHISTLING DUCK
254. BROWN QUAIL
255. DOLLARBIRD