BIRDWATCH REPORT JULY 2010

Hi Twitchers it's been a wee while since you've heard from us - but rest assured whilst we haven't been cooped up indoors on the computer, we've been out helping visitors to Fraser Island discover our abundance of wildlife and bird life... ah it's a great life!

Early starts on these Queensland winter mornings have certainly separated interested bird watchers from avid twitchers and for those that have braved the early starts, we've certainly spotted some great specimens in and around the wallum scrub and resort grounds.

With the sun slow to rise over the grounds at the moment, the first call of the day has become a contest between the Eastern Yellow Robin and the Laughing Kookaburra. In the end, the Kookaburra certainly played true to its nickname as the 'Dawn Breaker' and was often heard above all others. The Honeyeaters - White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Lewins Honeyeaters and Scarlet Honeyeaters were quick to add to the morning chorus once they warmed up.

Above average rainfall on Fraser Island over the past month has seen an increase in new grass shoots around the resort and a welcome return to our smaller feathered locals - the Red-browed Finches and Red-backed Fairy Wren - with both species delighting in the warm winter sun and abundance of food.

The beach truly came to life in July and early August with several bird walks occurring in the typical westerly weather - perfect for local birds of prey. Whistling Kites, Brahminy Kites, Osprey and the occasional White-bellied Sea Eagle made appearances showing their prowess in the skies over the Great Sandy Strait. A few morning we watched a Brahminy and a Whistling Kite jostle for prime nesting locations - the Whistling Kite winning out more times than not.

Am sure our twitchers, early morning risers and folks just new to birding will agree it's been a great time to photograph, view and chat about feathered friends on beautiful Fraser. Until next time, Ranger Bec.

BIRD WEEK WRAP UP MAY 2010

And so the sand has settled on another successful Fraser Island Bird Week. The Twitchers have gone and our feathered friends are again ruling the roost, without prying eyes checking out their 'crowns', 'napes' and 'lores'. It was another incredible week filled with laughter, stories and a celebration of the one thing that brought us all together - the birds of Fraser Island.

Despite the wet start to the week, sightings started flooding in from the get-go and our avid twitchers refused to let the weather dampen their spirits. All the usual suspects were spotted in and around the resort including Honey-eaters, Welcome Swallows, Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Eastern Yellow Robins and Eastern Whipbirds. In the skies above, local Whistling Kites and Osprey were enjoying the fresh conditions and making use of the thermal pockets.

The Hervey Bay Sites tour, conducted with the help of our friends from the Hervey Bay Bird Watchers Club, proved popular giving our guests an opportunity to cross some species that aren't found on the island off their personal sightings lists. We saw nesting Jabirus complete with their chick as well as the local Brolgas at Garnet Lagoon.

The highlight for the week in and around the resort was the presence of a lone Little Lorikeet who unsuccessfully tried to hide with a flock of Scaly-breasted and Rainbow Lorikeets. This was a fantastic spot by our eagle-eyed twitchers, as we haven't seen one of these since Bird Week 2007.

In total some 133 different species were spotted during the festivities. Numbers were down slightly on last year due, in part, to irregular weather patterns.

Next year's Bird Week will be held from 14-21 May 2011. Check it out or better yet come help us celebrate 10 years of twitching.

BIRDWATCH REPORT MARCH 2010

With the warm weather slowly subsiding and rain showers continuing to fall, the forest truly has come to life here at Kingfisher. Almost on cue at dawn, the skies fill with the melodious chorus of birdlife, providing a magical atmosphere to wake up to.

With fresh rain falls comes fresh seeds – much to the delight of our smaller locals. Red-browed Finches and Red-backed Fairy Wrens in their dozens flocked to the Wallum environment to tuck into these delights. Brown Gerygones, Brown Thornbills and even the occasional Tawny Grassbird were also spotted ensuring they didn’t miss out of the fresh food supply.

The skies above were consistently filled with the raucous calls of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos with Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos breaking up the monotonous screeching. Bird of Prey activity was fairly quiet around the resort with most of their movements occurring through the strong onshore winds of the Eastern Beach. We were lucky enough to have regular sightings of the ever-present Osprey throughout the month.

March was truly the month for the Scarlet Honeyeaters! Appearing in their dozens almost on a daily basis, these small but iridescent birds were a true spectacle to our bird watching guests – most of which had never had the opportunity to see them before.

Having now moved well and truly out of summer, the bird life is constantly changing around the resort and we all can’t wait to see what April has to offer!

BIRDWATCH REPORT FEBRUARY 2010

The drought has finally broken here on the island and despite the constant heavy downpours, our feathered locals have kept up the melodious displays around resort grounds.

Eastern Whipbirds, Rufous Whistlers and the iconic Laughing Kookaburras have all provided a spectacular morning symphony with Grey Shrike Thrushes taking centre stage completing a magnificent performance. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets and the occasional Scaly breasted Lorikeets have even joined the show despite their raucous calls not quite matching the rest.

The gardens around the resort have truly blossomed much to the delight of our smaller seed-eaters. Red-backed Fairy Wrens and Red-browed Finches in their dozens have been popping up taking full advantage of the fresh grass seeds now in plentiful stock throughout the Wallum with Brown Thornbills and Brown Gerygones taking to the Casuarinas with gusto.

The highlight for the month was a lone adult male Cicadabird. Perched high in the canopy amongst a Melaleuca forest, the individual was also taking advantage of the recent rains by indulging in a plethora of fresh insects. Despite being a relatively shy bird, not only were we lucky enough to have a clear sighting, but were also fascinated in the hunting prowess as the male nabbed a stick insect for breakfast!

With the recent rains bringing the island environments back to life, we can’t wait to find out the extent of quality twitching March will provide!

BIRDWATCH REPORT JANUARY 2010

What a brilliant start to the year we have had with the daily bird walks here at Kingfisher Bay Resort. As the temperatures increased even further than expected and the skies finally opening up to provide some well-needed rain, our feathered locals certainly took to the skies with great enthusiasm.

Honeyeaters of every shape and form showed their prowess of catching insects mid-flight in between delving deep into the centre of nectar-filled Banksias. Dusky Honeyeaters, Lewins Honeyeaters, Scarlet Honeyeaters, White-throated Honeyeaters, Brown Honeyeaters, Blue-faced Honeyeaters and the ever present White-cheeked Honeyeaters all made appearances throughout the month across the various environments around the resort.

The understorey also added an air of excitement as the bushes rustled with constant activity from Eastern Whipbirds and the vibrant Eastern Yellow Robins. Fresh rainfall meant fresh insect supply for these ground-dwellers, continuously being spotted thrashing through foliage in search of a high protein breakfast! Even the secretive Tawny Grassbirds popped up every now and again after the rains, surprising us all by performing elaborate mating displays and calls.

To complete the month, constant calling from our friendly Laughing Kookaburras, Willy Wagtails and Rainbow Lorikeets truly added the Australian Bush touch to the resort much to the delight of our many international twitchers. With such a fantastic start to the year, February sure has a lot to live up to. Stay tuned for the results!