Australian Good Birding Guide: Southern & Central Queensland. Ted Wnorowski
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Good places for Lewin’s Rail include the creek near the metal gate and weedy vegetation by the causeway. In the same areas look for Spotless Crake.
On the water in the Reservoir you will find large flocks (60-70 birds) of Australasian Grebes congregating here in autumn/winter. Great Crested Grebes have also been recorded several times. Other waterbirds include Hardhead, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Buff-banded Rail, Nankeen Night-Heron (often hunting in the vicinity of the dam wall), Comb-crested Jacana and Azure Kingfisher.
Australasian Grebe with chick
Everywhere in the area and all year long you can hear the calls of Bell Miners.
Check the large fig trees growing behind the toilet block. When fruiting, it can yield Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Emerald Dove, Topknot Pigeon, Wonga Pigeon, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Wompoo Fruit-Dove. White-eared Monarchs have also been spotted in these trees.
Spotlighting is good here, so give it a go. Concentrate on the area near the dam wall when you may encounter White-throated Nightjars hunting over the grassy areas at dusk. Bush Stone-curlews are the regulars as well as Tawny Frogmouth, Nankeen Night-Heron and Southern Boobook. Occasionally, you may hear Powerful Owl and Australian Owlet-nightjar.
Bush birds on the walk around the Reservoir include Varied Triller, White-winged Triller, Crested Shrike-tit, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Forest Kingfisher, Scarlet Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrubwren, Green Catbird, Rose Robin and Dusky Woodswallow. In the rainforest patches, look for Russet-tailed Thrush, Noisy Pitta, Spectacled Monarch, Regent Bowerbird and Grey Goshawk.
You may come across Buff-rumped Thornbill and Painted Button-quail in the drier forest near the ridgetops. Occasionally, Spotted Quail-thrush has been recorded there.
A large nest of the resident pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles is located near the Reservoir. Other raptors at this site include Pacific Baza, Brown Goshawk, Square-tailed Kite, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Peregrine Falcon.
Mount Coot-tha Forest
Mount Coot-tha Forest, also known as Mount Coot-tha Reserve, is located just 15min drive west of Brisbane CBD. The mountain provides a picturesque backdrop to the city and is the largest natural area of Brisbane. It comprises 1,600ha of open eucalypt forest, rainforest gullies and creek lines. The forest borders the southeastern section of the D’Aguilar National Park, providing together 40,000ha of pristine wilderness in the metropolitan area.
Access to Mount Coot-tha is from Sir Samuel Griffith Dr that runs around the mountain and leads to nine well-equipped picnic areas. Gap Creek Rd provides access to the Gap Creek Reserve included in the site description below.
A good, complex network of tracks criss-crosses Mount Coot-tha. They are well signposted. The Mount Coot-tha Forest Track map can be downloaded from here: https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/20171013-mt_coot-tha_track_map.pdf.
Among many good birding spots are Gap Creek Reserve, Honeyeater Track, Simpson Falls, JC Slaughter Falls and Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.
The star attraction of Mount Coot-tha is the pair of resident Powerful Owls. We know birders who would eagerly fly to Brisbane, take a taxi, go to JC Slaughter Falls, see the owls, take a picture and return to base the same day – such reliable a sighting of this species is at Mount Coot-tha.
In 2018, a controversial venture was proposed to be built at Mount Coot-tha which may seriously jeopardise the future of the Mount Coot-tha Powerful Owls. A mega 1.5km treetop canopy zipline is proposed to be constructed between the Lookout and JC Slaughter Falls. An application was lodged in September 2018 to Brisbane City Council for approval. The proposal suggests it would be only used by education ecotours with guides. The birding community has serious concerns about the impact of construction and exploitation on the Powerful Owls. They have been here for over 30 years and successfully bred several times. The close proximity of a zipline to the nest is of particular concern. At the time of printing, the Council decision was not yet made.
Slaughter Falls
For birding in the area, follow the Summit Tk to the top of the ridge where it intersects with Sir Samuel Griffith Dr. Come back along Aboriginal Art Tk.
Slaughter Falls is the best spot for Powerful Owls in the whole Brisbane area. They often roost in trees near the carpark and can be sometimes seen on Aboriginal Art Tk.
Over 130 bird species have been found at this site. Key species are Powerful Owl, Greater Sooty Owl and White-throated Nightjar. Other birds of interest include Tawny Frogmouth, Varied Sittella, Rose Robin, White-eared Monarch, Eastern Spinebill, Tree Martin, Little Lorikeet, Southern Boobook, Common Cicadabird and Grey Goshawk. Among the rarities are Oriental Cuckoo, Noisy Pitta, Dusky Honeyeater, Masked Owl and Square-tailed Kite.
White-throated Nightjars can be found hawking insects around the carpark. Look for them also near a small dam on Hovea Tk before its intersection with Aboriginal Art Tk.
Grey Goshawks are often found near the falls. For White-eared Monarch, inspect the trees near East Ithaca Creek. Four lorikeet species may be visible during the walk, with Little and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet often in higher numbers than Rainbow Lorikeet. Other bush birds here include Australian King-Parrot, Pale-headed Rosella, Eastern Whipbird, Spangled Drongo, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Little Shrike-thrush, Varied Triller, Large-billed Scrubwren and Spectacled Monarch.
Grey Goshawk
Mount Coot-tha Summit Lookout
This site is located immediately east of Honeyeater Tk. There is a carpark and café here. Look here for a pair of Squair-tailed Kites. Their large nest is located nearby in a large gum tree. You may be sipping coffee in a café and observing them circling over an old quarry. Occasionally, they may be joined by Peregrine Falcon. We also once observed here a pair of Brown Goshawks doing aerial displays.
Other birds in the area include Southern Boobook (nesting near the café), Large-billed Scrubwren, Olive-backed Oriole, Leaden Flycatcher and plenty of cheeky Blue-faced Honeyeaters that will try to steal jam from your scones.
Honeyeater Track
This 2km-long, easy track begins 400m from the lookout. It provides access to Chapel Hill and the Hut Environmental Centre. Striated Pardalotes and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are everywhere along this track. You may also find White-throated Nightjar, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Rufous Fantail, Varied Sittella, Sacred Kingfisher and Little Lorikeet.
Simpson Falls
This site offers a nice picnic area and a 650m walk to the falls. Fantastic wildflower displays occur in winter and spring along the track. This is another roosting site of the Mount Coot-tha Forest’s pair of Powerful Owls.
When heath is flowering, there is plenty of honeyeaters including Scarlet Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater and Little Friarbird. Spectacled Monarch, Golden Whistler and Common Cicadabird are often found in the area.
Other birds at Simpson Falls include Tawny Frogmouth, Little Shrike-thrush, Crested Shrike-tit, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Emerald Dove, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet and Bell Miner.
Hoop Pine Picnic Area
Hoop Pine is located at 114 Sir Samuel Griffith Dr. Powerful Owl Tk starts here. This is another good spot to look for Powerful Owls; they usually roost near the carpark. While spotlighting, you may