[Birding-Aus] RE: Girraween & Sundown NP, QLD
Lee Mason
Over Easter I spent a couple of days exploring Girraween and Sundown National Parks (near Stanthorpe and the QLD/NSW border). The Birding-Aus archives had plenty of information on these areas so I had a pretty good idea of what and where to find the various species I was after. I had a nice list of target species, some (supposedly) easy (e.g. Eastern Rosella) and some not so easy (e.g. Chestnut-rumped Heathwren).
On the way I stopped at the Toowoomba Waterbird Habitat where the only water birds present were some Wood and Pacific Black Ducks.
Arriving at the Day Use area of Girraween, I had no sooner got out of the car when I saw my first new bird of the trip, a Red Wattlebird, foraging in the treetops.
All reports said the Junction Track was the walk to spend the time on so I headed off to do the 2.5km walk. The picnic area had the usual suspects present; Crows, Magpies, Pied Butcherbirds, noisy families and kids chasing kangaroos. The forest just at the start of the walking tracks was alive with Brown Thornbills and Superb Fairy-wrens. As I started on the Junction Track two White-eared Honeyeaters landed close for a photo opportunity and giving me my second new bird of the trip. Further along the track White-throated Treecreepers were seen in the trees whilst Superb Wrens hopped all over the granite rocks and edges of the stream. A flash of yellow in a tree caught my attention and as I focused my binocs my first ever Yellow-tufted Honeyeater came into view. I took heaps of photos thinking I may not see another, but it turned out to be the most common bird in the park. I spent the afternoon wandering the Junction Track in search of the Heathwrens but had to concede defeat as the light started to fade. Arriving back at the Day Use area I found a flock of Crimson Rosellas.
Eastern Rosellas had still escaped me so with a little bit of light left I made a brief unplanned stop at a rest area just outside Stanthorpe. For a small park next to the highway it had some good birds including Apostlebirds, Grey Crowned Babblers, and just as I was about to leave five Eastern Rosellas landed in the treetops giving me new bird no. 4 for the day. I thought they would be easy to find but those five were the only ones sighted on the whole trip.
Next morning, I was at Girraween for sunrise. I headed straight to the area of the Junction track that has the reputation for the Heathwrens and along the way saw more Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters and Superb Fairy-wrens. A section of the track had plenty of bird activity so I stopped for a while and saw Grey Shrike Thrush, Dusky Woodswallows, White-browed Scrubwrens, more Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, an enormous Red-bellied Black Snake but no Heathwren. As I was watching the Woodswallows a flash of bright red and white caught my eye and sitting out in the open was a beautifully coloured Scarlet Robin (new bird No.5). I spent the next hour and a half walking the Junction track, stopping whenever I heard wren-like calls. It was getting late, warm and windy so I decided to make one last walk of the area and had only gone 10m when three Chestnut-rumped Heathwrens jumped up and showed themselves (new bird No.6). We eyed each other off for long enough to confirm the sighting and to take some quick photos before they headed off up the slope and away from the path. Back at the picnic area I found White-winged Choughs, Satin Bowerbird and Yellow-rumped Thornbills. I watched as a small flock of birds flew into the top of a tall tree and as I moved around to get better light they turned out to be White-naped Honeyeaters (new bird No. 7).
Several reports I had read mentioned that Spotted Quail Thrush could be found around the information centre or the start of the Junction Track. I searched for a while but ran out of time as I needed the afternoon at Sundown National Park.
Next stop was Sundown National Park, about an hours drive from Girraween via the Bruxner Highway in NSW. I arrived at the park about midday and checked in with the ranger (a good idea given I was on my own in a very quiet and secluded National Park). The ranger was out but his wife asked me what I was after, so I rattled off a few of my targets (White-browed Babbler, Turquoise Parrot, Diamond Firetail, Eastern Shrike-Tit to name a few) and she said to hang around as most of them turned up around their garden each day (the babblers even had a nest in her garden!). Whenever someone says to me “X, Y or Z bird turns up in my garden every day” I'll always be there on the day that none of those birds will turn up at all, which is exactly what happened. I did however see White-plumed Honeyeaters at the house and just about everywhere else in the park too, but I was pretty confident they wouldn’t be hard to find as every report I read mentioned them (new bird No.8 for the trip). I walked some of the tracks but didn’t see much else that afternoon. I met Peter, the park ranger, and he said there were not many Turquoise Parrots around at this time of the year. He had seen a flock of Diamond Firetails that morning, but this was in another section of the park well away from the main camping section. With not much light remaining I left the park, stopping briefly at a few locations highlighted in my research but again, didn’t see much else. Finally, just as I was about to leave the park boundary a flock of small parrots took off noisily from the long grass beside the road and flew up into a dead tree. I leapt out with the binocs and got a brief but good enough view of two Turquoise Parrots (new bird No.9). The road out of the park had plenty of Common Bronzewings wandering around the roadside.
Next day, I was at Sundown National Park for sunrise (how ironic). The morning had much better birding opportunities with the area alive with calls and birds. Red-winged Parrots, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas, Brown Treecreepers, Restless Flycatchers, several flocks of Turquoise Parrots, White-plumed, Spiny Cheeked and Striped Honeyeaters, Grey Crowned Babblers, Dusky Woodswallows, Tree Martins, heaps of Jacky Winters (nearly as common as the White-plumed Honeyeaters), Noisy Friarbirds, Red-browed finches, Mistletoebirds, Variegated Fairy-wrens and Eastern Yellow Robins were all easily found in my travels. The bird of the day however was one of my target species, White-browed Babblers (new bird No.10), with a family of about five birds found in the trees near the camping area.
With the prospect of a six hour drive back home I reluctantly had to leave with a few of my target species not seen. I dipped on the Diamond Firetails, Eastern Shrike-tit, Spotted Quail Thrush, Ground Cuckoo Shrike and Little Eagle (Peter told me one had been soaring over his house the day before I arrived) and Hooded Robins to name a few.
I would recommend camping in the park itself rather than driving from Stanthorpe. Both parks had different common species (and different scenery) so while I didn’t have much time at each park it was good to split the visit to both parks as I was able to easily pick up the common birds of each area. Girraween had the nicest scenery (and photo opportunities) but was by far the busiest park with people everywhere. The camping sites at Sundown were also fully booked but even then the park was very peaceful.
All up I saw 81 species of birds on the trip with 10 being ‘lifers’.
Happy to supply more info if anyone is interested.
Thanks
Lee Mason
Hervey Bay QLD
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Lee Mason
Further to Michaels post,
Not brave, just a full time worker making do with what time off I can get.
Both parks were full and since I have no camping gear anyway, I just stayed in a motel in Stanthorpe and got up very, very early each day and drove out to the parks, no big deal to me since I was on my own. Even with Girraween full, I did not see another person on the Junction track until at least 8:20am just before I saw the Heathwrens (and I was walking the track at 6am). Even in the afternoon on my first day the Junction track was pretty quiet with only a few other walkers seen. I didn't even see another birdwatcher (and you can pick them easily). Most people seemed to hang around the picnic area, info centre, the stream at the start of the walking tracks and the Granite Arch track. The few other walkers on the track were all kind enough to stop walking while I looked or tried to photograph something, which was nice and somewhat unexpected.
Sundown was much the same experience, but there are only a small amount of camp sites anyway, so even though it was fully booked, I didn't see anyone on the walking track, or the fields or in the scrub or any other location mentioned in my research.
New Holland Honeyeater was on my wish list and seemed to get a mention in most reports but unfortunately I can confirm that I didn't see any. There wasn't much in flower at either park (if that helps). That one will be on my list for a return visit.
So anyway, don't discount these parks because its a busy holiday period, most people weren't there to see birds anyway and stayed well away from the good birding spots. I still managed to see and photograph 3 new birds in the busy picnic area (White-eared and White-naped Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebird) and I'm sure I'll find the quail thrush somewhere else.
Cheers and Happy birding
Lee Mason
Hervey Bay, QLD
Hello Birding Ausers In response to Lee Mason's recent report regarding Girraween NP (near Stanthorpe, Queensland). It's a brave person to visit there on an Easter weekend. I was there only a few days beforehand with a friend doing research on the Bald Rock Creek Turtle and the rangers were telling us the campgrounds were booked out during the period and they were expecting close to 350 people. No Thanks! It's hard enough tracking down quail-thrush as it is. We too got a Scarlet Robin (male); it seems to be a great spot for these birds in the state. Also managed to see a pair of Spotted Quail-thrush on our visit. It's interesting to note that there is no mention of New Holland Honeyeater in Lee's report, which can be relatively numerous there on occasions; we too did not see a single bird of this species whilst there.Regards,Michael Wood
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Colin R
I have had the same experience at Sundown, but Giraween has always been
a bit too busy for my taste. I have to add that I have never seen New
Holland HE at either park, altho I have visited mainly between March and
Sept - maybe it's more a summer visitor?
Colin
On Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:34:21 +1030, "Lee Mason" <lmhm...@hotmail.com>
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Colin Reid
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So many birds, so little time......
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