BEAUDESERT RACE TRACK - LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK
We left the coastal metropolis and headed for the hills, it was
dull and overcast, it looked darker over the mountains but if it rained we knew
it wouldn’t last. Before heading off to the lodge at Binna Burra we had to check out a small lake, this was because John, our friend from Currumbin, recommended a
spot where he had recently seen Pink-eared Duck, a bird well up on my most
wanted list.
The lake sat beside a large racecourse just outside the town of
Beaudesert and as we arrived the sun came out, perfect. There were many species
on the water and along the shore and this was despite the large amount human and equine activity adjacent
to it.
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| Royal Spoonbill |
Pacific Black Duck, Wood Duck, Grey Teal, Magpie Goose,
Australian Pelican, Pied Cormorant, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Purple
Gallinule, Great Egret, Black-winged Stilt and Black-fronted Dotterel were
quickly on the list, then I found a new species of wader for my ‘life’ list
when I scoped a Red-kneed Dotterel, lovely bird. A juvenile Whistling Kite sat
in a dead tree calling constantly and two Dollarbirds were squabbling above me.
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| White-breasted Woodswallow |
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| Juvenile Whistling Kite |
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| a distant record shot of my 'lifer' - Red-kneed Dotterel |
We set off for Binna Burra enjoying the wonderful scenery along
the way and stopping once or twice to watch birds or to take photos. Once at
the Binna Burra Lodge we quickly unloaded the car and I went off for a birding
recce. I was soon getting into some serious mountain rain forest and I got
bombarded with whole new set of bird calls. It wasn’t long before I was
watching a small party of Brown Cuckoo-Doves, it was the first time I had had a
close view of this species and what a cracker.
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| Brown Cuckoo-Dove |
Next I found a female Paradise Riflebird it clung to a tree
trunk trying to tear something from it, my first lifer at Lamington. Then it got very noisy as a party of
Green Catbirds came near and I also saw Satin Bowerbird, Eastern Yellow Robin,
Eastern Whipbird, Brown Thornbill and Spectacled Monarch. I did see a flash of yellow zoom across
the track in front of me which I assume was a Regent Bowerbird but I couldn’t
be certain, it may have been the very rare Regent Honeyeater! The light rapidly faded and it started to rain so I left to return
to our cabin.
Dinner was served at 6:30pm, it was delicious, really good
food here, by 8pm I was out again with a small group on a guided spotlight
walk. It was cold, a bit windy and still trying to rain, but it was very
productive and most enjoyable. We saw many Red-legged Pademelons, a few
Bushy-tailed Possums and a single Frogmouth, it wasn’t the common Tawny
Frogmouth but instead we found the rarer Marbled variety, another lifer in the
bag.
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The entrance drive to Binna Burra Lodge - the grassy verges are covered in
Red-legged Pademelons at night. |
Back at the cabin I was soon tucked up beside a very warm
wifey, I needed some sleep as my alarm was set for 4am!
270 - RED-KNEED DOTTEREL
271 - PARADISE RIFLEBIRD
272 - MARBLED FROGMOUTH
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