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Red-throated Bee-eater

Red-throated Bee-eater
join us for a fantastic tour of The Gambia this November

Saturday, November 1, 2014

AUSTRALIA - HOLIDAY/RECCE TOUR - DAY 36 - NOV 1ST - CURRUMBIN

LAKE SIDE ECO VILLAGE - ELANOR WETLANDS - SPRINGBROOK PARK

Yes I was up and out at 5am! Again!  The first bird I saw was a Buff-banded Rail, in the garden of Guy and Annette's lovely home in Currumbin Eco Village. Guy turned out and we both waited for John the third participant in this mornings birdathon, John is a regular local birder who also lives in the village.

We set off in John's car whilst noting a number of birds, most of them seemed to be Black and White.....Magpie, Pied Currawong, Magpie-Lark and Willie Wagtail.

Ducks and swans at Elanora wetlands

We arrived at Elanora wetlands and our walk began, John led us over a footbridge and into a wood, we walked along a well maintained track. Our first sighting was a new species for me as we found a small flock of White-naped Honeyeaters, about 5 of them were very high up in the canopy. Next came Channel-billed Cuckoo, at last I could see this species perched, what a bill, it is massive! I didn’t get a picture as my scope was still in Brisbane.
 
White-necked Heron

Over the next half an hour we were busy tracking down Kingfishers, we eventually found several pairs of Sacred and a pair of Collared Kingfishers. Brown Honeyeaters, Figbirds and Olive-backed Orioles were common and not much else appeared.


A circular lagoon held a large number of Pacific Ducks, with Wood Duck, Hardheads, Grey Teal, Black Swan, Australasian Grebe, Purple Gallinules, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, Silver Gulls, Latham’s Snipe and Black-winged Stilts.
 
White-headed Pigeon
 
 More woodland provided us with brief sightings of Koel and Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike as well as both the Superb and the Red-backed Fairy-Wrens, we also found a nice flock of Red-browed Finches.

 John drove back to the Eco village where we spent sometime looking for Tawny Frogmouth and Azure Kingfisher, none of which turned up, however we did see a White-necked Heron and a flock of White Headed Pigeons, they were really nice to see and it was my first viewing of them perched, likewise it was nice to see a flock of some 20 Topknot Pigeons feeding in a fig tree back down the hill near to Guy and Annette’s home.

 Back at Guy’s house we had a superb late-breakfast on the deck overlooking the lake and after a short nap Dawn and I went sight-seeing up the Currumbin Valley. It was a beautiful scenic drive up to Springbrook National Park, a lush green, fertile valley with many trees in blossom, we stopped several times to admire the view and to look at Rainbow Lorikeets, King Parrot, Noisy Friarbirds and I got my second glimpse of Brown Cuckoo-Doves, I’ve yet to see this species perched up and posing for my camera.
 

 Our walk through Springbrook National Park was brief, it proved to be a very popular spot with local visitors as there a lot of rocky pools where many young people were swimming. Lots of bird calls but very few sightings, the butterflies were nice as were the trees and ferns.

 We got back just before it got dark and prepared ourselves in readiness for our evening out at a Japanese restaurant with Guy, Anette and their son Magnus. It was lovely, great food and a nice atmosphere, birding did not dominate the conversation I hasten to add.

TOTAL SO FAR  

268 White-naped Honeyeater
 

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