Subject: [Oversea] Queensland birdwatching - Atherton Tableland and surrounding area [Print This Page] Author: pchunchiu Time: 26/11/2010 18:55 Subject: Queensland birdwatching - Atherton Tableland and surrounding area
Got a chance to work in Queensland and squeezed some time to do birding. I had done it mainly in Atherton Tableland near Cairns and the surrounding area. A total of 150 species were seen in the trip and I have attached a bird list at the bottom of this post. Rainforests there are classified as Wet Tropics World Heritage which contains lots of flora and fauna. Field guide I used is "The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds".
Rainbow Lorikeet
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Willy Wagtail
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo - look more like a crow from distance
Olive-backed Sunbird
Laughing Kookaburra
Spangled Drongo
Pacific Black Duck
Dusky Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Australian Figbird
Bush Stone-curlew
Threat-display by the bird as I accidentally approached its nest
Noisy Pitta
Purple Swamphen
Rufous Fantail
Spotted Catbird - A nearly endemic to Wet Tropics
Lewin's Honeyeater
Grey-headed Robin - Wet Tropics Endemic
Bridled Honeyeater - Wet Tropics Endemic
Australian White Pelican
Tooth-billed Bowerbird - Wet Tropics Endemic. It is the group of birds which builds bower and collect shiny and colorful stuff to display. You may find many video clips about Bowerbirds on Youtube such as: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1zmfTr2d4c
Bower of the Tooth-billed Bowerbird
Great Bowerbird
It will give a flower as a gift to a female bird which is attracted to visit its bower!
Victoria's Riflebird - Wet Tropics Endemic, one of the four Birds of Paradise found in Australia
Magpie Lark
White-breasted Woodswallow
Sarus Crane
Whistling Kite
Buff-banded Rail
Masked Lapwing
Red-capped Plover
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Chowchilla - Wet Tropics Endemic
Australian Bustard - it's now quite rare to see one
Red-winged Parrot
Golden-headed Cisticola
Black-necked Stork - Good to see one!
Collared Sparrowhawk chased by a Willy Wagtail
Silvereye
Leaden Flycatcher
Lesser Sooty Owl
Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher - The most beautiful Kingfisher I have ever seen. Definitely a must-twitch bird if you visited the area.
Black-backed Fairy-wren
White-cheeked Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Australian Darter
Yellow Honeyeater
Varied Sittella
Pale-headed Rosella
Black Kite - Doesn't look quite like the one in Hong Kong which has a paler head
White-throated Honeyeater
Sacred Kingfisher
Bar-shouldered Dove
Yellow-throated Scrubwren
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Silver Gull
Eastern Barn Owl
Southern Cassowary - A huge flightless bird which is related to Ostrich and Emu. Listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Redlist. Lucky to see a father with three chicks. The little chicks are definitely not little.
Here is the bird list for the trip. Sorry that it is not in systematic order. Feel free to contact me if you want more information about birding in Queensland.
Silver Gull
Masked Lapwing
Greater Crested Grebe
Pacific Black Duck
Pied Cormorant
Australian Pelican
Australian White Ibis
Red-necked Crake
Southern Cassowary
Australian Brush-turkey
Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Bush Stone-curlew
Black Kite
Nankeen Kestrel
Emerald Dove
Spotted Dove
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Rainbow Lorikeet
Pheasant Coucal
Laughing Kookaburra
Sacred Kingfisher
Forest Kingfisher
Dollarbird
Noisy Pitta
Spotted Catbird
Fairy Gerygone
Lewin's Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Macleay's Honeyeater
Scarlet Honeyeater
Dusky Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Brown Honeyeater
White-cheeked Honeyeater
Little Friarbird
Helmeted Friarbird
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Figbird
Black Butcherbird
Pied Currawong
Australian Magpie
Torresian Crow
Spangled Drongo
Magpie-lark
Willy Wagtail
Rufous Fantail
Leaden Flycatcher
Spectacled Monarch
Black-faced Monarch
Pale-yellow Robin
Silvereye
Metallic Starling
Olive-backed Sunbird
House Sparrow
Australian Grebe
Plumed Whistling-duck
Wandering Whistling-duck
Brolga
Sarus Crane
Cattle Egret
Purple Swamphen
Whistling Kite
Brown Goshawk
Brown Cuckoo-dove
White-throated Treecreeper
Bridled Honeyeater
Eastern Whipbird
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Grey Fantail
Grey-headed Robin
Red-browed Finch
Victoria's Riflebird
Peaceful Dove
Chowchilla
Yellow-breasted Boatbill
Red-backed Fairy-wren
Australian Pipit
Little Fied Cormorant
Atherton Scrubwren
Welcome Swallow
Tooth-billed Bowerbird
Little Black Cormorant
Black-shouldered Kite
Australian King Parrot
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Wompoo Fruit-dove
Grey Whistler
White-breasted Woodswallow
Lesser Sooty Owl
Australian Darter
Royal Spoonbill
Tawny Grassbird
Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
Varied Triller
Yellow-throated Scrubwren
Australian Bustard
Great Bowerbird
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Bower's Shrike-thrush
Large-billed Scrubwren
White-faced Heron
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Blue-faced Parrot-finch
Noisy Friarbird
Red-capped Plover
Grey-tailed Tattler
Shining Flycatcher
Buff-banded Crake
Bar-shouldered Dove
Intermediate Egret
Australian Swiftlet
White-throated Needletail
Green Pygmy-goose
Magpie Goose
Yellow Honeyeater
Black-necked Stork
Comb-crested Jacana
Golden-headed Cisticola
White-browed Crake
Collared Sparrowhawk
Red-winged Parrot
Varied Sittella
Little Shrike-thrush
Nutmeg Mannikin
Brown/Stubble Quail
Pied Butcherbird
Ground Cuckoo-shrike
Azure Kingfisher
White-headed Pigeon
Pale-headed Rosella
Black Swan
Bassian Thrush
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
White-throated Honeyeater
Double-barred Finch
Pied Monarch
Eastern Barn Owl
Brown Gerygone
Eastern Koel
Little Bronze-cuckoo
Bar-tailed Godwit
Great Knot
Terek Sandpiper
Rock Dove
Little Egret
Eastern Reef Egret
Wimbrel
Red-necked Stint
Eastern Curlew
[ Last edited by pchunchiu at 26/11/2010 21:34 ] Author: kmike Time: 26/11/2010 21:22
How nice for you to have to go here for work!
A great selection of Australian birds - I love the pic of the Chowchilla scraping leaves!
Cheers
Mike Author: ypakwai Time: 26/11/2010 22:37
Great Trip Author: Gumbei Time: 26/11/2010 23:00
Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures! Author: lchunfai Time: 26/11/2010 23:13
Fantastic....thanks for sharing...what a wonderful trip...Author: John Holmes Time: 27/11/2010 14:54 Subject: Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands
It's a great reminder of a really exciting bird-watching area..
Thanks a lot ! Author: thinfor Time: 27/11/2010 15:59
Bowerbird...yes, really a very nice creature. It has been introduced in the recent BBC program 'Life' in Pearl. Author: pchunchiu Time: 27/11/2010 22:19
Thanks a lot everyone. It is indeed a very good and easy birding place!
Welcome to HKBWS Forum 香港觀鳥會討論區 (http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/)
Fantastic....thanks for sharing...what a wonderful trip...
