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Contact Call

Newsletter of Birdlife Northern Queensland Volume 4 Number 1. February-March 2015

birds are in our nature

Newsletter Contents

1. From the Convenor – time to be strategic

2. Information about the upcoming AGM

3. Lloyd Nielsen wins the prestigious John

Hobbs Medal, with celebrations at Ringers

Rest Mareeba

4. On the lookout for Australian Panted Snipe

5. White-bellied Crimson Finch observations

6. Grasswrens may bounce back

7. Australia day weekend at Kingfisher Park

Birdwatchers Lodge

8. Hornswaggling in Malaysia

9. Identifying the yellow spot honeyeaters

10. Keep an eye out for the destructive weed

Limnocharis

11. Birding for Beginners (BfB) a big success

12. Notice board and Activities for 2015

Birding for

Beginners with

Graham Harrington

If you are interested in learning

how to look for and identify

birds, then this FREE beginners

workshop is for you.

Meet at Cairns (Flecker) Botanic

Gardens information centre at

7am on Saturday 11th April.

Contact Graham Harrington at

Phone 4096 5051 or 0423 794

836 to book. Bring binoculars,

or let us know if you need to

borrow binoculars.

Please register with Graham

Harrington

Ph: 4096 5051 or 0423 794 836

Red-winged Parrot Seen close up, the colours on an adult male Red-winged Parrot have to be seen to be believed. No photoshop

saturation adjustments! Dominic Chaplin (AIPP Accredited Photographer) & Lisa Tanner

Creating beautiful images for the people of Far North Queensland since 1995 www.pinecreekpictures.com.au

Easter Campout at Cooktown For more information about this activity as well

as other upcoming meetings, outings and

surveys, visit the activities section of this

newsletter, or our website for the latest details

http://birdlifenq.org/

Spotted Whistling-duck. Image courtesy of Dr Eric Sohn Joo

Tan www.moutainsbeyond.org

http://birdlifenq.org/

http://www.mountainsbeyond.org/Nature/Birds/Ducks/SpottedWD02a.html

2 Contact Call. Volume 4 Number 1. February - March 2015

Birdlife Northern Queensland

From the Convenor -

Time to be Strategic Hope you have all had a good start to 2015. The

rains have finally come at last! At the moment, I

have young birds begging from all round my garden

and a few ambitious parents are even starting to

nest again! Numerous birds are making full use of

the bird baths throughout the garden, during the

hot afternoons before the storms set in. And the

rains have triggered flowering in many plants – a

great time of the year to be a bird and a

birdwatcher!

During the holiday break, your committee has been

active, preparing a program of activities for the year

– check it out on page 19-20 of this newsletter.

The first thing you should notice is that except for

the AGM in March, we have shifted the regular

meeting day to the third Saturday of each month.

This was to avoid conflict with several long

weekends at the beginning of the month, and give

our members the opportunity to go birding further

afield, as well as ensuring that we had use of

Cominos House for our Cairns meetings.

We have also decided that the time is right for us to

be a bit more strategic, as there are so many

possibilities for us to spend our limited time and

energy and resources on. We are going to develop

a 5-year strategic plan, so that we just don't get

lost in the day-to-day needs and reacting to all the

requests we receive. We will use the national

BirdLife strategic plan as the starting point, and

develop some specific goals and actions we will

work on over the coming years. The national

strategic plan has the overall goals of:

1. Improve conservation outcomes, by mitigating

threats to birds and their habitat; identify solutions

to bird and habitat threats; and monitor bird

populations and habitat trends.

2. Promote appreciation and understanding of

birds, by having a large network of people who give

their money, time and expertise to BirdLife, and the

community values BirdLife Australia.

3. Build one strong organisation through the

BirdLife network.

What are the local achievements you would like us

to reach over the next 5 years? And what are the

actions we could take to get us on our way to

making those achievements a reality? We would

welcome your ideas, so please contact any member

of the committee with your thoughts, or email me

directly at [email protected].

Good birding

Kath Shurcliff

The Birdlife Northern Queensland committee, from left: Kath

Shurcliff, Sam and Martin Willis, Ceri Pearce, Graham

Harrington, Murray Hunt, Ian Northcott, Dominic Chaplin,

Doug Herrington, Peter Valentine and Mikey Kudo

Your Birdlife Northern Queensland Committee

Convenor - Kath Shurcliff

Deputy Convenor – Martin Willis

Secretary - Murray Hunt

Treasurer - Ian Northcott

Activities Coordinator - Doug Herrington

IBA Coordinator - Graham Harrington

Birdlists and Brochures - Dominic Chaplin

Conservation Coordinator – Peter Valentine

Crane Count Coordinator - Virginia Simmonds

Outreach/Media Officer – Sam Willis

Website Management - Mikey Kudo

Newsletter Editor - Ceri Pearce

Contact us:

email: [email protected]

www.birdlifenq.org

mailto:[email protected]



Birdlife Northern Queensland Annual General Meeting 2015

The BirdLife Northern Queensland AGM, will be held on Saturday, 7th March 2015, at Cominos House in

Cairns, starting at 5.00pm

Please mark the date in your calendar, and consider nominating for a position.

Nominations are called for the following

positions:

Convenor

Deputy Convenor

Secretary

Treasurer

Committee Members

Birdlife Northern Queensland Committee

Nomination Form

Position:

_______________________________________

Nominee:

______________________________________

Nominated by:

__________________________________

Seconded by:

___________________________________

I hereby accept this nomination: (signature of nominee)

_________________________________

Date:

_________________________________________

Please return this form before the meeting to

[email protected]

Don't miss the AGM

Saturday 7th March, Cominos House, Cairns

5pm: AGM, then pizza, followed by our

special guest speaker:

Dr. Steve Murphy will be presenting

Fire and birds in north

Queensland and central

Australia.

Image courtesy of Mundi Allen

DONT FORGET

TO RENEW

YOUR

MEMBERSHIP

Contact us: Birdlife Northern

Queensland committee

Email: [email protected]

www.birdlifenq.org


http://www.birdlifenq.org/



Lloyd Nielsen, Del Richards, Alan Gillanders and Murray Hunt

with painting donated by Bill Cooper

Prestigious award for

Lloyd Nielsen

Over 70 people thoroughly enjoyed the BirdLife Northern Queensland social event of the century, the John Hobbs Medal presentation at the Ringers Rest, Mareeba.

The John Hobbs Medal was awarded to Lloyd Nielsen for a lifetime of devotion to bird studies. He was proposed by Alan Gillanders and Del Richards. A stunning piece of art work was specially commissioned by Australia’s best wildlife artist, William T. Cooper. Bill very kindly produced the painting of the elusive Buff-breasted Button-quail free of charge in appreciation of Lloyd’s work. In addition it was beautifully framed free of charge by Australian Art Framers in Cairns.

The John Hobbs Medal is awarded annually previously by the RAOU and now by BirdLife Australia for “outstanding contributions to ornithology as an amateur scientist”. It commemorates John Hobbs (1920-1990) and was first awarded in 1990.

In addition we were treated to two other top speakers.

Sean Dooley, ‘BirdLife Australia’ magazine editor, birding celebrity and author, gave a hilarious account of ‘The Big Twitch’, his yearlong campaign to see a record number of bird species in Australia.

International writer and broadcaster Steven Moss, BAFTA Award winning producer with the BBC Natural History Unit, was our last speaker. Steven kept us all amused with clips from his nature film making career and gave us insights into his work with Bill Oddie. His presentation finished with a stunning montage of video segments showcasing the best of BBC wildlife filming over the last 50 years.

Dominic Chaplin



The crowd arrives

Ian Montgomery, Margaret & David Merrall

Alan Gillanders and Del Richards

Paul and Jean Newman, Dawn Magarry

Doug Herrington, Pippy Cannon, John Seale, Andy Anderson, Ann Anderson

Ian Northcott, our trusty treasurer

Rupert Russell and Graham Harrington enjoy a chat and a beer

One of our photographers of the evening, Dominic Chaplin. Thanks also to Doug Herrington.

Lloyd Nielsen, accepting the award

The crowd listens attentively

Sean Dooley with map of his travels during the Big Twitch

Kath Shurcliff presents Sean & Stephen with a collector’s edition BirdLife Northern Queensland mug

The John Hobbs Medal Award Night at Ringers Rest, Mareeba.



My Sincere Thanks I would like to thank everyone who attended my

presentation of the J.N. Hobbs medal on Saturday

night, 1st November. It was a great night and

greatly appreciated. The presentation of the Bill

Cooper painting of the Buff-breasted Button-quail

was a huge surprise – thanks immensely to

everyone. Thanks too, to Janet Goodall who kindly

made the very beautiful and professional plaque. I

will appreciate all of that for the rest of my life!

Being awarded the medal was such a surprise. I

thought there would have been a long line up of

people more eligible than me to receive it.

I did not get to see all people I wanted to see on

the night, some of whom I have not seen for quite a

while. I apologise too for forgetting some people’s

names!

Many thanks to Sean Dooley for coming from

Melbourne to do the presentation, also to those

great blokes and great mates Del Richards, Alan

Gillanders and Murray Hunt for the nomination and

organising everything. The organisation could not

be faulted. Special thanks to Dorothy Window who

has helped me in the background for many years

and without whom I could not have achieved all

that has been done.

Someone said to me a couple of days after the

presentation that the North Queensland birding

community is a great community. I thoroughly

agree.

Lloyd Nielsen, Mt Molloy

To learn more about Lloyd

on Twitter, go to

https://twitter.com/faroutqld/status/556002269468

971009

or in the Cairns Post, go to:

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/endangered-cape-

york-quail-near-cairns-keeps-experienced-

birdwatcher-on-the-hunt/story-fnnjfpar-

1227143115207

or check out the webpage:

http://www.birdingaustralia.com.au/lloyd.html

On the lookout for Australian Painted

Snipe

Australian Painted Snipe have been extremely

scarce this year. There were only nine records on e-

bird of this species in the whole country for 2013.

But in addition the Northern Gulf Resource

Management Group saw one on their survey at

Tallaroo Station, 50 km East of Georgetown and

another at Flat Creek Station, about 50km SW of

Georgetown.

Hopefully a small pocket of these mysterious birds

is persisting in our region. If you happen to come

across an Australian Painted Snipe make sure you

fill in an Atlas report and also alert Chris Purnell at

BirdLife Head Office.

Article and image by Dominic Chaplin

Birds are in our nature

For Coming Events and activities in the

North Queensland area

Visit these websites for the latest details:

www.birdlifenq.org

www.birdlifetownsville.org.au



http://www.cairnspost.com.au/endangered-cape-york-quail-near-cairns-keeps-experienced-birdwatcher-on-the-hunt/story-fnnjfpar-1227143115207




http://www.birdingaustralia.com.au/lloyd.html




White-bellied Crimson

Finch Observations During November 2014 I was observing a small

flock of White-bellied Crimson Finches along the

Normanby River in Lakefield NP. Weather conditions

had been hot and dry for some weeks and the

closest available billabong had been reduced to

churned up mud around the edges.

The finches were spending a lot of time on the

ground foraging for seed and a couple were noted

to fly into a stand of yellowing Cane Grass. Under

closer scrutiny one bird was noted to be "chewing"

a frayed section of growing stem. Upon further

inspection this stem had been visited regularly and

it appeared that the birds were sucking some form

of sugar from the stem itself. This happened early

in the morning when sap flow in the grass would

have been more likely.

In view of the above circumstances nutrient value

of the surrounding food resources was at this time

in the "Dry" very much lacking.

Del. Richards, Fine Feather Tours, Mossman

White-bellied Crimson Finch image by Paul Newman, Brisbane.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Grasswrens may

bounce back I spent a productive morning on McNamara Rd near

Mt Isa in early December looking for Carpentarian

Grasswrens. It was raining out in Mt Isa and the

district was looking quite green with water

everywhere and grass growing. The gullies around

the stone cairn at km 8 were all full. The spinifex

was looking green, healthy and getting quite dense.

McNamara Road was still incredibly busy with road

trains, mining vehicles, road graders etc. passing all

the time. I was prepared for a long hot day trudging

about and seeing nothing. So no one was more

startled than me to see a Carpentaria Grasswren

singing his heart out on top of a small mound of

stones, right next to the road, from the car window

before I had even got there!

This was about 200m from the new stone cairn. I

explored about 1.5km down the side road from

09.30-12.30 seeing 2 more pairs of CGWs and one

single bird including this very perky one in the

photos. He was moderately easy to approach, even

going up a couple of meters into small trees to sing.

It is hard to know if I saw the same birds twice as

they are incredibly fast and mobile but there were

definitely 4 separate animals and probably up to 6.

I put a new notebook inside the stone cairn so

future visitors can report their findings. I am

thinking of putting this report on birding-aus with a

request for people to make use of the notebook.

Cross your fingers but perhaps these Grasswrens

are bouncing back.

Dominic Chaplin

Carpentarian Grasswren photographed in early December

near Mt Isa. Image by Dominic Chaplin



Situated 1½ hrs north of Cairns in Tropical

North Queensland we offer accommodation in

self-contained units - single or two bedroom -

and bunkhouse rooms. The property is a

rainforest wildlife sanctuary catering for

birdwatchers and naturalists.

We are central to a variety of habitats and

provide bird species lists, area maps and Wi-Fi

internet access.

Guiding is available by arrangement.

We offer packages for individuals and small

groups.

Carol and Andrew Iles

RN6, Mt. Kooyong Road Julatten QLD 4871

Ph:- (07) 4094 1263 Email: [email protected]

www.birdwatchers.com.au



Australia Day

Weekend 2015: Kingfisher Park

Birdwatchers Lodge Thirty birders undertook their annual migration to

Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge for the Australia

Day weekend. Hosted by Keith & Lindsay Fisher, the

weekend kicked off with a very social gathering for

dinner at the Highlander Tavern.

The lure of Mt Lewis was the next temptation, so

Saturday morning saw us venturing up the

mountain. Many of the group were rewarded on

arrival at the grassy clearing, about 10km from the

Bushy Creek crossing at the base of the mountain.

This site is well known as Blue-faced Parrot-finch

habitat. Flocks of Red-browed Finch were found

feeding in the seeded grasses, accompanied by the

occasional but elusive Blue-faced Parrot-finch. Only

one or two of the latter were seen. The Red-brows

were nesting, so were very active, carrying nesting

material to and fro across the clearing.

The group then explored along the road and down

the track to the old tin miners dam. Other good

sightings during the morning were Eastern Spinebill,

Chowchilla, Mountain Thornbill, Atherton Scrubwren

and Bowers Shrike-thrush.

As we headed down the mountain for lunch at

Kingfisher Park, the clouds gathered and our trip

back was accompanied by a wet season deluge.

By mid-afternoon, the skies had cleared again.

Carol led a birding excursion down McDougall Rd to

explore the creeks and lagoons there. Then, the

evening was spent sharing a communal dinner

followed by a presentation about Christmas Island

natural history and birds, by well-known local bird

guide and ‘birding’ radio celebrity, Del Richards.

Sunday was a big day birding. At 6.15 am sharp,

Keith and Carol Iles led a morning walk around the

lodge grounds and local vicinity. Three species of

monarchs were seen: Spectacled, Black–faced and

Pied. Other great sightings were Pale-vented

Bushen, Fairy Gerygone, Fork-Tailed Swift , White-

throated Needle-tail, Yellow-breasted Boatbill and

three Papuan Frogmouth. It was also hard to ignore

the beautiful Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher

flitting everywhere, possessed with the task of

preparing their nests for breeding season. There

were around 7 nests under construction in the park

grounds alone, with one right behind the communal

camp kitchen. However, the best bird of the

morning had to be the prompt arrival of a Red-

necked Crake at 7.30am at the Crake Pool. He

seemed quite unperturbed by the observers as he

paddled and plopped in the shallows with his feet,

stirring up breakfast.

After a quick breakfast ourselves, we set out with

Del Richards for Clackerty Rd and surrounds. On

arrival to our first stop, Alan Gillanders quickly

spotted a nesting Macleay’s Honeyeater, with Del

locating a Black-faced Monarch nesting not 50 m

away. We explored the area including Jeannette and

Fred Birkbeck’s extensive gardens at

Feathers’n’friends.

After lunch, Carol and Keith lead a walk around

local cane headlands by a rainforest lined stream.

This was followed by a visit to Abattoir Swamp,

which has recently undergone some much needed

repairs to the boardwalk. A Varied Triller being

harassed by a Rufous Whistler caught our attention,

as did the good views of Northern Fantail,

Cicadabird, and a nesting Brown-backed

Honeyeater. A detour to Wessel Rd to find drier

woodland birds completed the afternoon.

The evening was spent watching a DVD, filmed at

the Lodge, about the breeding cycle of the Buff-

breasted Paradise-Kingfisher.

A leisurely Monday morning was spent in and

around the Lodge and for those who stayed long

enough, Australia Day was celebrated with a cuppa

and Lamingtons.

Complete bird lists compiled over the weekend can

be found on Eremea e-Bird. Special thanks to Keith

and Lindsay Fisher, Carol Iles and Del Richards for

organising the weekend and making it such a

success.

Ceri Pearce

Red-necked Crake. Image courtesy of Keith Fisher



Oriental Pied Hornbill

One of the climbers ascending to the canopy

Positioning the camera trap

Hornswoggling in

Malaysia Few avian taxa elicit such strong responses as

hornbills. The ca. 50 species are Palaeotropical, with

ten occurring in Malaysia; Buceros rhinoceros, the

Rhinoceros Hornbill, is the national and Sabah

emblem. Having said that, some hornbills are not

doing well, six of these ten has a global

conservation status of Near Threatened (NT) and

one of Vulnerable. These large, generally

frugivorous, birds are being affected by of loss of

habitat and breeding sites due to clearing of forest

and corridors between remnant areas of forest, and

hunting pressure and poaching. The solid ivory

casque of the largest (to 127 cm) and NT Helmeted

Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, is taken for carving.

Studies and efforts to conserve hornbills are being

conducted across Asia. The best known of these are

being co-ordinated by Prof. Pilai Poonswad in

Thailand, the Malaysian Nature Society (MSN) in

both Peninsular and Bornean Malaysia, and

researchers at Danum Valley, and Danau Girung

Field Station on the Kinabatangan River, in Sabah.

In Malaysia in 2014 some of my activities focussed

on the conservation of hornbills in that country. In

August, Monash University Malaysia ecologist Dr

Robyn Wilson (who is also my wife) and I visited

Palau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) to repeat surveys of

hornbills and the introduced House Crow, Corvus

splendens. Pangkor is atypical of most coastal

locations in western Peninsular Malaysia as the

forest cover is mainly intact, coastal development

restrained, the beaches clean and the water clear -

you can take the family, they can enjoy themselves,

and you can watch the birds in comfort.

An attraction on Pangkor is the numerous Oriental

Pied Hornbills, Anthracoceros albirostris, and

several pairs of the NT Giant Hornbill, Buceros

bicornis. A good location to stay and see them is

Telok Nipah (Nipah Village - which has a terrific

beach), where for 14 years retired electronics

engineer Noordin bin Bakar has been monitoring the

activities of both species. Each evening Noordin

feeds bananas to the Orientals and provides an

interpretative spiel to visitors. During the day he

runs Sunset View Chalets but needs little persuasion

to go off in search of hornbills. Suffice to say we did

our surveys, enjoyed the good company and

ambience, and obtained the photos we needed.



In September, I accompanied Robyn and her PhD

student Ravinda Singh to Sukau on the

Kinabatangan River in Sabah to set up a program to

monitor the activities of hornbills there and

determine what are the preferred parameters for

nesting by the different species. The Kinabatangan

is a green corridor through an increasingly

disturbed habitat, and is the focus of a thriving

tourism industry with hornbills, Orang utan and

Probocis Monkeys, and Bornean Pygmy Elephants

being amongst the attractions. Loss of surrounding

forest, mainly to oil palm plantations, means less

area of habitat is available to these species and

more human-animal conflicts are occurring. For the

hornbills, fewer trees with hollows suitable for

nesting are available and the provision of nest

boxes is being trialled as an ameliorative response.

We were working with the Sukau-based Hutan

Foundation, who also have long-term survey and

management programs of primates and elephants

in progress. Prior to our arrival some of their staff

had erected nest boxes at various heights in

selected trees and identified previously used natural

nest sites. I was impressed by the skills of the

climbers in hoisting nest boxes weighing as much as

70 kg as high as 40 m. I was equally as impressed

as the team then re-climbed those trees to position

data loggers inside and adjacent the nest boxes and

in natural nest sites, and camera traps adjacent

them to record activities about them.

Conditions were extreme as the Wet Season was

late and daytime temperatures were in the mid-30s.

Only by working 10-hour days, with climbers up

trees an average six hours a day, were we able to

position the recording equipment. Conditions were

all the more demanding as Asian hornets had

invaded several nest boxes and nest locations and

several climbers were severely stung by them. The

response to this problem was to return at night

when the hornets were less active, re-climb the

trees and neutralize the hornets!

This is a long-term project and only a small part of

wider activities to conserve Malaysia’s rich

biodiversity. However, it is pleasing to report that

within a week of our placing the recording

equipment, images downloaded from cards in the

cameras showed hornbills of several species

inspecting the nest boxes and nesting hollows being

monitored. They also showed inquisitive Long-tailed

Macaques testing the mounting of the cameras and

re-orientating several – one never can

underestimate the capabilities of a primate.

Climbers installing a nest box

Robyn Wilson and Noordin bin Bakar feeding one of the

hornbill at Telok Nipah

Images and article by Gary Wilson



Identifying Lewin’s, Yellow-spotted and Graceful

honeyeaters is one of the ongoing challenges for

birders especially those visiting the Wet Tropics.

Lewin’s is the easiest of the three to identify but

separating Graceful from Yellow-spotted can be

frustrating to say the least. There are a few helpful

pointers but even so, there are times when one just

shakes one’s head.

Much has been written about identification in this

group. The older field guides often stated that each

could be separated by the shape of the ear-patch

i.e. Lewin’s had a half-moon shaped, Yellow-spotted

had a diamond shaped and Graceful had round.

However, that was a fallacy. To add to the

confusion, the description of Lewin’s was made on

the southern race which ranges north only to about

Rockhampton. It does have a half-moon shaped

ear-patch. However, the Wet Tropics race has a

different ear-patch which does not resemble a half-

moon!

A number of other “differences” have been put

forward but when one examines enough

photographs and live birds, it becomes obvious that

there is variation and overlap, especially in

Graceful, such that it makes all of these fairly

useless.

Bill shape has more recently been given as useful

for separation of Yellow-spotted and Graceful, the

bottom line of the lower mandible in Yellow-spotted

being straight while that in Graceful is curved.

However, I have many photographs of each species

which indicate that there is too much variation,

especially in Graceful, for this feature to be useful. I

have photographs of Graceful Honeyeaters with a

bill almost as long and curved as that of an Eastern

Spinebill and others with a straight lower mandible

line and the bill as short as that of a Yellow-spotted.

Where a honeyeater has an obviously curved bill

however, it can only be a Graceful.

Calls, as described below are the best guide. It has

sometimes been stated that the single note of the

Graceful is occasionally uttered by the Yellow-

spotted. In twenty-three years in the Wet Tropics, I

have never heard a Yellow-spotted give a call other

than its own. I suspect there has been an unseen

Graceful in the background when this has been

noted.

Forehead colour is sometimes given as a discerning

feature – that of Lewin’s being darker than the

crown, but the same colour as the crown in Yellow-

spotted and Graceful. Lewin’s certainly has a darker

forehead but there are better features to identify

that species.

Lewin’s Honeyeater

Normally confined to the higher rainforests but with

a considerable altitudinal migration through the dry

season – usually from about April to late August. At

this time, it can reach the coast.

Fairly easily identified by its bluish eye and grey

lores. It has a “larger honeyeater” appearance with

slower movements.

1. Call: A long loud exploding series of quick down-

scale staccato rattling notes often described as

“machine-gun like”.

2. Eye: Diagnostic greyish-blue. Juvenile Lewin’s is

sometimes said to have brown eyes. I have had

Identifying the yellow spot honeyeaters by Lloyd Nielsen

Lewin’s Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater

These three images courtesy of Ian Montgomery: Birdway.com



Lewin’s coming to my feeder for many years and

obviously some are juveniles but I have never seen

a Lewin’s with a brown eye.

3. Face: Distinct and diagnostic grey area between

ear-spot, eye and gape.

4. Underparts: Subtly striated from lower throat to

under-tail coverts giving a shaggy look.

5. Bill: Shortish with a straight line to the lower

edge of the lower mandible.

6. Ear-spot: Subtly distinct from Yellow-spotted and

Graceful and diagnostic. Not “moon-shaped” in the

Wet Tropics as the field guides describe. The inner

edge is slightly convex or almost straight with a

small point (outward) in the middle.

Lewin's: head shot. Note ear spot shape, grey in front of ear

spot, eye colour (greyish-blue, except juveniles which may

have brown eyes), dark forehead and shaggy underparts.

Lewin's: - full body (Forty Mile Scrub). Note ear spot shape

grey in front of ear spot and shaggy underparts.

Yellow-spotted Honeyeater

A bird of the lower coastal area, getting up to about

600 metres. Intermediate in size between Lewin’s

and Graceful.

1. Call: A series of loud, slow, deliberate notes,

slightly accelerating but descending in pitch.

Resembles a slower Lewin’s call.

2. Eye: Dark brown in all ages.

3. Face: Plain. Lacks grey in front of the ear spot of

Lewin’s.

4. Underparts: lightly striated from lower-breast to

under-tail coverts with similar shaggy look as in

Lewin’s. Throat and upper-breast are usually plain

which in head photographs can cause confusion

with Graceful.

5. Bill: Shorter than that of Lewin’s and Graceful

and always with a straight line to the lower edge of

the lower mandible. Does not vary as much as

Graceful.

6. Ear-spot: Roundish with a vague point at the top.

Not useful for identification.

Yellow-spotted: Note ear spot shape, slightly shaggy breast,

lack of grey in front of ear spot, brown eye and straight lower

edge to bill.



Graceful Honeyeater

Also a bird of the lower altitudes. An obviously small

honeyeater with quick movements similar to Dusky

and Brown honeyeaters. Rare above about 500

metres.

1. Call: The common call in the Wet Tropics is a

single ‘tick’ resembling a hiccup.

2. Eye: Dark greyish-blue (diagnostic) which is

difficult to pick up in the field even at close quarters

when eye always looks dark-brown or blackish.

Useful when a photograph can be blown up and

eye-coloured determined. Brown in juveniles.

3. Face: Plain. Lacks grey between eye and ear-spot

of Lewin’s.

4. Underparts: Diagnostically plain and unstriated.

A diagnostic pale vertical streak on the centre of the

belly.

5. Bill: Variable but nearly always curved. Lower

edge of lower mandible is usually curved which is

diagnostic but can be straight.

6. Ear-spot: Small, roundish. Not useful for

identification.

The race of Graceful from Cape York Peninsula

(north of about Musgrave) differs considerably from

the Graceful of the Wet Tropics – so much in fact

that it would not be surprising if it were given full

species ranking at some time in the future. Not only

is it paler and slightly more yellowish, but it has a

series of about six rather complicated calls,

including the “tick”. The Wet Tropics bird utters only

the single “tick” call, although it does use another

call similar to one of the calls of the northern race

on very rare occasions, probably only at the start of

the breeding season.

(The above is a shortened version of an entry in a

section on birds difficult to identify from my

forthcoming, updated book – Birds of Queensland’s

Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef. All diagnostic

and other features have been illustrated separately

in the book).

Graceful Honeyeater: head shot - Adult. Note curved line to

lower edge of bill, ear spot shape, lack of grey in front of ear

spot, bluish eye and plain (not shaggy) underparts.

Graceful Honeyeater: (in hand) - Juvenile. Note straight line

of lower edge of bill, bluish-brown eye (juvenile) and plain

(not shaggy) underparts. The latter along with small size is

diagnostic for Graceful. This photograph and the other

(above) demonstrates the variation in the bill of the Graceful.

Article and images by Lloyd Nielsen,

Mount Molloy, NE Qld

www.birdingaustralia.com.au



Keep an eye out for

the destructive weed Limnocharis It’s green, succulent, healthy and thriving, but we

don’t want it here! Next time you are out bird

watching in our beautiful natural environment here

in North Queensland, cast an eye over the plants

growing along the waterways you come across. You

might find Limnocharis.

Limnocharis is an exotic aquatic weed that has been

found on properties between Mossman and

Townsville. From the tropical regions of America,

Limnocharis is naturalised in parts of South East

Asia, Papua New Guinea and China.

Although it may look pretty, Limnocharis poses a

serious threat to agriculture and biodiversity in

northern Australia. It displaces native plants by

outcompeting them for space and resources,

drastically reducing the biodiversity in the area. It

grows in the shallows of riverbanks, dams, wetlands

and drains, creating silt traps and restricting water

flow which can lead to flooding. It can also restrict

human and livestock access to water and provide

favourable breeding sites for disease vectors like

mosquitoes.

Limnocharis was first identified in 2001 in North

Queensland, and has since been detected between

Mossman in the north, Atherton in the west and

Townsville in the south. Currently it is only found in

North Queensland, however potential distribution in

Australia includes northern regions of Western

Australia, the Northern Territory and coastal regions

of Queensland and New South Wales.

Limnocharis is a target species of the National Four

Tropical Weeds Eradication Program, managed by

Biosecurity Queensland and jointly funded by the

Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory, New

South Wales and Western Australian Governments.

As a declared Class 1 pest plant under the Land

Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act

2002, all landholders are required by law to keep

their land free of Limnocharis.

Limnocharis is an erect, anchored perennial aquatic

plant that forms clumps reaching up to one metre

above the waterline. It is generally found growing in

saturated, fertile and muddy conditions in drains,

dams, wetlands and waterways.

It has pale green, oval-shaped velvety leaves with

up to 15 parallel veins. Its leaves can grow up to 28

centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide. A

distinguishing feature of Limnocharis is its

triangular-shaped leaf stem, in contrast to most

aquatic plant stems which are round. The leaf stems

can be up to 85 centimetres long and produce a

milky sap when broken. The narrow blade shape on

young leaves can be mistaken for Water Hyacinth.

Limnocharis flowers and produces fruit throughout

the year. Yellow cup-shaped flowers each with three

petals are arranged in groups of up to 15 blooms on

triangular stalks. Fertilised flowers develop into

spherical capsules which are up to two centimetres

round. When the flower stem ages, it droops

towards the water and the capsule is released to

float away. The tip of the old flower stem may

develop a plantlet or mini-plant that can establish

as a new plant in its own right.

During times of flooding, Limnocharis seeds can

spread quickly and over a long distance.

Limnocharis seeds can also be spread in mud stuck

to vehicles, machinery, footwear, water-birds and

animals. Limnocharis plants have also been shared

between gardeners for use in water features or as a

vegetable.

Mick Jeffery, Biosecurity Queensland Project

Coordinator (Tropical Weed Eradication)

If you think you have seen Limnocharis,

contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

For further information visit www.daff.qld.gov.au

and search for Limnocharis.



BfB a Big Success On November 15th 2014, Graham Harrington led a

Birding for Beginners (BfB) workshop at Mission

Beach. Seventeen people rocked up at 7.30am at

Lacey Creek, ready to take on the challenge of

learning how to identify birds. It was Graham’s

biggest ever Birding for Beginners workshop!

First up Graham presented an introduction on how

to identify birds, in the pagoda at Lacey Creek. Graham provided excellent tuition based on

identifying the birds behaviour, size and shape and

showed the group the type of resources they could

use to help them. A basic bird identification

handout, specific to our area, helped learners too.

It was then time to put the new knowledge into

action and go bird watching. Fortunately a few birds

cooperated by hanging around so they could be

easily seen. This helps when you are a beginner!

The essence of the course is that the people leading

the small groups after the introductory talk DO NOT

tell the students what the bird is nor do they find

the birds for them. The students point to any bird

they see or hear and are prompted to describe their

behaviour and size. They then turn to the field

guide with a limited list of possible birds and they

are assisted to identify the bird themselves. Three

or four new species in a day is quite enough. Our

first birds were Dusky Honeyeaters and Metallic

Starlings. A Spangled Drongo also put in an

appearance, which was a nice contrast to the

similarly ‘black’ starlings (see comparison below).

Graham in action, checking out the birds with the

students.

These birds can look similar, especially in poor light. Recognising their different size, shape and behaviour can help you tell them apart.

Metallic Starling 21-24 cm Pointed tail Highly sociable, often in groups, loves eating fruit,

flight in a rush like lorikeets darting through the air

Spangled Drongo 29-32 cm Fishtail Usually single bird or pairs, flicks its tail when stationary, dashes into the air after insects

Images courtesy of Ian Montgomery at Birdway.com



The group searching for new birds to identify and

describe. The best bird of the morning had to be the

Azure Kingfisher perched over the stream, though

some people also got a quick view of a Superb Fruit

Dove before it too flew off.

The response from participants was exceptionally

positive. Not only did the event make it onto

Facebook, but there were also emails of thanks

about the interesting and informative morning and

re-ignition of a passion for bird watching.

Special thanks to Graham Harrington for organising

the workshop and sharing his fantastic birding

knowledge as well as inspiring new people to take a

closer look at birds. Thanks also to our team of

helpers, Jeff Larsen, Julia Hazel and Sandra

Christensen.

Images courtesy of Liz Gallie and Ian Montgomery

Report by Ceri Pearce

Notice board From the Editor

Thanks once again to our fabulous contributors of

both articles and images. We wouldn’t have a

newsletter without your valuable involvement.

Please keep the articles, observations, activity and

trip reports and reviews rolling in.

Please send in your photos

Do you have a great bird photo that you would like

to share? If so, then the newsletter editor is keen to

hear from you. Just email your photo (size 3MB or

less), with 100 words or less, identifying what the

bird is, where you took the photo, what the bird

was doing, why you love it, and any other details

about the image or your camera/lens and the

settings you used at the time. You can email your

photo and supporting information to:

[email protected].

Next newsletter deadline

Please submit stories/news/reports by April 10th

2015 to [email protected] for the

May/June Edition.

Newsletter deadlines for 2015

April 10th for the May/June Edition*

July 10th for the September Edition*

October 10th for the December Edition*

*please note, if you have requested to receive

printed newsletters from Birdlife Australia, these are

usually posted out with the Australian Birdlife

Magazine. The electronic version of Contact Call is

available earlier, via email or on our web site,

usually in February, May, August and

November/December each year.

BirdLife Northern Queensland

Newsletter

'Contact Call'

[email protected].

www.birdlifenq.org






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Activities

Come and join us. Everybody's welcome.

For day trips, do bring a hat, sunscreen, lunch,

refreshments/water and a folding chair.

For more information about an outing or an event,

contact the leader listed or check the website.

Doug Herrington, Activities Coordinator

http://www.birdway.com.au/publications.htm

The CAIRNS BIG DAY OUT

APRIL 11th

You are welcome to join us for all orf part of the day,

it’s up to you

Birding for Beginners with Graham Harrington

at 7am, Cairns Botanic Gardens

Optional and at own cost - consider meeting

birding friends for lunch at the RSL at 12, and

then…………

Come and join us to…….

Wave the Waders Goodbye

Join others to learn more about waders and their

remarkable journey from the Northern

Hemisphere as well as how to identify these

difficult birds better.

Saturday 11th April at 1 pm

Catalina Room, Cairns RSL, 115/117 Esplanade

Cairns.

Wader spotting on the Esplanade

foreshore from 3pm

Image courtesy of Ian Montgomery. Birdway.com

Finally, meet up with us for the

evening at the…..


group meeting

at Cominos House, 6-8pm

Everyone is WELCOME

Bring a friend!

For Coming Events and activities in the

North Queensland area

Visit these websites for the latest details:

www.birdlifenq.org

www.birdlifetownsville.org.au



Calendar of events for 2015 Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Leader

Phone/email

Saturday 7th March

5-8pm Cairns, Cominos House – corner of Greenslopes and Little Street

AGM (5-5.45pm) followed by Pizza ($2 slice) Then March meeting Special speaker: Dr Steve Murphy will talk about fire and birds in North Queensland & Central Australia

Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929

Sunday 8th March

Vessel boards at

7.30 am, returns around 4.30 pm

Pier E1, Marlin Marina, Cairns

Pelagic to Michaelmas Cay and snorkelling at Hastings Reef on Sea Star

Full day departing from Cairns. Cost $190p/p including all gear, tea’s and lunch. If we have enough takers we may be able to negotiate a discount!) Sea Star website http://www.seastarcruises.com.au/ It is important to make bookings as early in Feb. to be sure of a seat (only 35 available) as this is a general trip not dedicated to birders...

Please contact Dom if you intend to come.

(Dominic Chaplin) [email protected]

Easter weekend 3-6th April

Friday -Monday

Cooktown Cooktown Campout with Kath Shurcliff Camping, powers sights, bunkhouse, cabins and units available at Peninsula Van Park: - go to http://www.peninsulacaravanpark.com/ for details and phone 4069 5107 for bookings. Please feel free to book any accommodation in town as we will be using Kath’s house as a meeting point for each day’s activities. Welcome BBQ at Kath’s place on Friday evening. Activities to be announced (TBA) closer to the date.

Contact Kath to let her know you are coming. [email protected]

Saturday 11th April

7am Cairns Botanic Gardens

Birding for Beginners with Graham Harrington Meet at Cairns (Flecker) Botanic Gardens information centre

Graham Harrington Ph: 4096 5051 or 0423 794 836

Saturday 11th April

1pm for workshop

3pm for Wader spotting on the foreshore

Catalina Room, Cairns RSL,

115/117 Esplanade

Wave the Waders Goodbye Saturday 11th April

Join others to learn more about waders and their remarkable journey from the Northern Hemisphere as well as how to identify these difficult birds better. Come to the RSL earlier and enjoy lunch before the workshop


11th April 6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.

Group Meeting Speakers to be announced


25th – 27 or 29th April

Meet 17.00 on 25th April at Goldfields

Georgetown area and ?beyond

Georgetown campout – with extension to Karumba! Venue: Goldfields Caravan Park, Georgetown http://turu.com.au/parks/qld/tropical-north-queensland/goldfields-van-park.aspx 26th & 27th - Explore Georgetown area 28th Drive to Karumba. Explore area 29th Morning boat cruise with Ferryman $60

Contact: Dom Chaplin [email protected] Ph: 0419 028 077

Saturday 16th May

Arrival from 5.30pm for 6pm

Port Douglas at the Wildlife Habitat

Group Meeting Speaker: John Rumney from Eye to Eye Marine Activities Encounters.


Sunday 17th May

7am Daintree River 2 hour Daintree Cruise. $40 per person. Departing Daintree Village public boat ramp 7am. Spaces limited.

Reserve a seat directly with Murray Ph: 0417651929.

5th – 8th June

Queen’s Birthday Weekend

Artemis Station

Queen’s Birthday Long W/E Camp-out at Artemis Station: Golden Shoulder Parrots and Red Goshawk Details TBA

Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929 and Peter Valentine

http://www.seastarcruises.com.au/



http://www.peninsulacaravanpark.com/



http://turu.com.au/parks/qld/tropical-north-queensland/goldfields-van-park.aspx

http://turu.com.au/parks/qld/tropical-north-queensland/goldfields-van-park.aspx





Calendar of events for 2015 continued Date Time Locality Meeting place and other information Leader

Phone/email

Saturday 20th June

6-8 pm Cairns, Cominos House.



Saturday 18th July




Saturday 15th Aug.

Proposed Atherton

Group Meeting proposed for Atherton. Venue and speakers to be announced

Murray Hunt Ph: 0417 651 929 and Doug Herrington [email protected]

Saturday 5th Sept.

Malanda Annual Crane Count Details TBA

Virginia Simmonds Ph: 40958302

Saturday 19th Sept.




3-5th Oct. Labour Day weekend

Georgetown area

Labour Day Long W/E camp-out Flat Creek Finch Count

Contact Peter and Adam at Flat Creek Station

Saturday 17th Oct.




19-25th Oct.

Great Aussie Bird Count Details to be announced

Doug Herrington Ph: 0418757288 or

[email protected]

Saturday 21st Nov.

Mission Beach Pip Count at Mission Beach Details to be announced

Trish Pontynen Ph: 04 1773 5410

Sunday 22nd Nov.

6.30am Mission Beach Ninney Rise bird survey, Mission Beach Details to be announced

Helen Larsen

Saturday 5th Dec.


Group Meeting and Christmas Party Details to be announced






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