Black Gully Road

On returning to Cairns, I notice that the sun is rising later and the mornings are cooler already. Arriving at Black Gully Road this morning, conditions were a little overcast with a light breeze coming in off the lake the wind chill made the 21 degrees feel a little brisker. The enthusiastic welcome from the Cairns Birders makes the going away for work all the more bearable. It was a lovely morning of exploration and conversation once again. I noticed that the lake level is particularly high at present with the sedges and grasses enjoying wet feet. The Agile Wallabies are also showing the signs of an increased water content in their diet. Nala especially enjoyed the swimming and then rolling in the soft droppings in order to disguise herself.

Brown Gerygone

We headed into the bush reserve to what initially seemed very quiet, one of the first birds identified was a Scarlet Honeyeater (a lifer for Janet) and we had some really spectacular views of them throughout the morning as they feasted on the Callistemon flowers. Next up was the Brown Gerygones that showed well in the scrub allowing the photographers amongst us some special views. Then, as the group started to spread out the stragglers were presented with a couple of Fairy Gerygones and Large-billed Scrubwrens. There are many trees and shrubs flowering at present along the roadside and this made for a great opportunity to spot several honeyeater species, along with Rufous Shrike-thrush feeding young, Spectacled Monarch and Silvereyes. 

Fairy Gerygone

Leaden Flycatcher

The highlight of the morning came courtesy of Trish and Midge who were wandering quietly a little further ahead of the rabble. They flushed a Large-tailed Nightjar as they walked along the laneway towards the environmental centre. Whilst telling their story a few more of us were able to spot it too as it flushed again to the delight of Kerri and Trevor (it was a lifer for them). 

Scarlet Honeyeater

Black Gully Road and the area of Tinaroo dam near the sailing club is in fact quite a small area but it produces a nice list of birds (54 species today). Whilst I have only been here a handful of times, I have never been disappointed. I truly think this spot is under appreciated as a birding location. This weeks outing ended in a very civilised manner with a group of satisfied birders congregating for birdcall and a particularly scrumptious morning tea and cakes. 

Napranum and Weipa 2023

I am currently working in Napranum for 6 weeks. It is the wet season and so far we have recorded 861mm (34 inches) of rain since January 1st. The biggest benefit here is that it has cooled off a little.  Napranum is a community on the west coast of Cape York, Queensland. Situated six kilometres south of Weipa and 800 kilometres north west of Cairns. Normally I would drive to a contract, but during the wet, the roads become impassable and so I have flown to work this time. 

Napranum and the nearby mining town of Weipa are surrounded by a large bauxite mine and the Mission and Embley Rivers. Flying in at the start of the month I could see just how much ground water was lying around. I can only imagine what it is like now from the air.

The whole landscape is teeming with life and I awake in the mornings to the cacophony of dawn birdsong. It starts at 5.30am with the Blue-winged Kookaburras, before the Blue-faced Honeyeaters, Australasian Figbirds, and occasional Papuan Frogmouth begin. Amongst them I hear the Green (Yellow) Orioles and Black-backed Butcherbirds. Then as the tempo increases, the  Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Bar-shouldered Doves, and Great Bowerbirds add to the symphony.

Sunset Gonbung

Red-browed Finch

Bar-shouldered Dove

Beach Morning Glory

My weekends are pretty quiet, however I have had the great opportunity to get out and explore on my days off thanks to the generosity of friends. I have been to Red Beach, Uningan Nature Reserve, Mission River bridge, Napranum, Gonbung, Lorim Point, and Evan's landing. 

Scar tree on the left

Red Beach

Red beach is named for the bauxite that makes up the majority of the geology. There are scar trees that have been installed at Red beach as they were cut down during mining. They are a reminder of the traditional hunting and gathering methods - in particular the "scars" from honey collection.

Taking any opportunity to do some birding, I find myself distracted by the number of butterflies and dragonflies around. Last Saturday we counted eleven species of butterfly that were attracted to a single plant and I managed to photograph a few. 

Cane Toadlet

Caper Gull

Tawny Coster

Swamp Tiger

Eichhorn's Crow

Grass Yellow

Lesser Wanderer

Graceful Honeyeater

Brown-backed Honeyeater

The biggest disappointment up here is the amount of rubbish that is dumped in the bush - every side road seems to lead to a dumping point despite the local tip being free to access. If you look past it though it is beautiful here. The red colour of the bauxite, the shell middens, the yellow sand beaches, the swamp paperbarks, the sedges, the remnant rainforest and the billabongs all stunning and a pleasure to be amongst all the while remaining aware that I am in croc country.

Graphic Flutterer

Blue Argus

Red-headed Honeyeater

Yellow Honeyeater

Update

It has been a while since I have put pen to paper in a literal and figurative sense. I had recently found my journals that I commenced when travelling back in 2003 and then more recently when in 2015 I commenced the life of a locum midwife and nurse. There are so many things that have changed in my life since that time. I have now relocated, and have a wonderful place in Cairns. I still work as a nurse but midwifery is no longer part of my work life focus. I have had the privilege of spending most of the past five years working on Cape York in the smaller communities and Primary Health Care Centres. They provide me with a diverse and satisfying work life.

Shining Flycatcher

Another change is the addition of birding to my everyday consciousness and overall happiness. What once started as a general interest as part of my photography has now become an obsession, keeping lists for each year and each location. Birding has provided me with a focus and entertainment as I travel to remote locations and spend so much time alone. They become another reason to explore.

A big day

New Years day dawned earlier for some than others and I turned up to the first birding site (Centenary Lakes) a little late (but as the adage goes … better late than never). It was an overcast morning and comfortably cool but the light was a challenge. The mozzies were not too vicious either which was a pleasant surprise. It was such a good feeling to see the Cairns birding crew today.

Mangrove Robin

I caught everyone up at the bridge that crosses Salt Water Creek as they entered the big paddock. On the way in, I spied a Channel-billed cuckoo, Brush cuckoo and Little Bronze -cuckoo. So imagine my delight when most of us got onto an Oriental Cuckoo down near the creek - a Cuckoo kind of morning and voted bird of the day to my delight.

Pied Heron

Of note as well, were the many nests and the courtship activities that continue. We spied Rainbow Lorikeets surveying for nesting hollows and two Radjah Shelducks were roosting near a large hollow as we wandered past Salt Water Lake. Hopefully they have family plans in mind. 

Great-billed Heron

For those of us that keep “lists” each year our tallies reverted to zero at midnight as the calendar turned over. So a few of us engaged in a Cairns “big day”. What an adventure and a treat to engage in 12 hours of solid birding. 108 Species to start our Cairns year off is not shabby. For those that have not tried this before it is worth doing some research first into what species you can expect where, tide times and expected weather. Having a wing-man to document whilst the other is driving is also a bonus. I couldn’t imagine trying to achieve this solo. We were lucky to see some special birds on the first day of the year. 

Chestnut Teal

My favourite moments were a Great-billed heron standing fishing in the rain at the Barron Rivermouth, Terns fishing close to shore, Eastern Yellow Wagtails at France Road, Pied Herons at Killaloe, and Chestnut Teal on the side of the road at Ferrero Road. What a day!  As I head off shortly for more travel adventures and work on Cape York, I look forward to seeing you all again later in the year and trust that 2023 is a safe and joyful one.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail