Tablelands Taster

Waterbirds & Waders

• Magpie Goose. Small group on the open water at Hastie's, typical post-wet aggregation.
• Plumed Whistling Duck. Good numbers at Hastie's, the plumes showing well in the afternoon light.
• Pacific Black Duck. Present at Hastie's; the default duck of the Tablelands wetlands at this time of year.
• Hardhead. A few among the ducks at Hastie's, the white undertail the giveaway at distance.
• Australian Darter. The reptilian neck and dagger bill are unmistakable; seen briefly over Hastie's.
• Little Pied Cormorant. The commonest cormorant here; white face and underparts.
• Little Black Cormorant. All-dark, smaller than Great; a few at Hastie's.
• Australasian Grebe. Pair on Hastie's; that chestnut face stripe in fine condition.
• Masked Lapwing. Roadsides en route; hard to miss, easy to underappreciate.
• Brolga. Two birds seen on the return drive in open paddock country, always an impressive sight at close range.

Herons & Egrets

• Eastern Cattle Egret. In breeding plumage around cattle paddocks, orange-buff wash on head and breast.
• Great Egret. At Hastie's; the large size and kinked neck in flight distinguish it from the next.
• Plumed Egret. Also at Hastie's; note the gape ending below the eye, separating it from Great.

Rails & Swamphens

• Australasian Swamphen. At Hastie's; the purple-blue gloss and red frontal shield in good light.
• Eurasian Coot. Also at Hastie's; white bill and frontal shield, lobed toes.

Megapodes

• Australian Brushturkey. Encountered en route; the mound-building instinct on full display at Hypipamee.
• Orange-footed Megapode. Heard in the rainforest understorey at Hypipamee; rarely seen despite its size.

Pigeons & Doves

• Brown Cuckoo-Dove. At Wondecla; the warm rufous-brown and long tail; moves through mid-storey in that deliberate, unhurried way.
• Crested Pigeon. Open country; the upright crest and whistling wing-beat on takeoff.
• Peaceful Dove. Roadsides; tiny, barred, and easy to overlook.
• Bar-shouldered Dove. The copper-scaled nape catches the light; more arboreal than Peaceful.

Raptors

• Black-shouldered Kite. On the return, hovering over open country, one of Australia's most elegant small raptors.
• Collared Sparrowhawk. Brief flyover; the squared tail tip and finer build separate it from Brown Goshawk.
• Black Kite. One over the Herberton area; the forked tail diagnostic.
• White-bellied Sea Eagle. Distant but unmistakable over the wetland; a big bird in the landscape.

Cuckoos

• Sahul Brush Cuckoo (H). Heard in the rainforest understorey at Hypipamee; the descending, mournful whistle.

Swifts & Swallows

• Australian Swiftlet. Over the wetland, flickering low; pale rump patch visible in good light.
• Welcome Swallow. The forked tail and rufous throat; common and easy.
• Tree Martin. Over open ground; the square tail and white rump; gregarious in flight.

Woodswallows

• White-breasted Woodswallow. In small groups; the clean white underparts and social nature.
• Dusky Woodswallow. A small family party on Spring Creek Road; the dark brown and blue-grey bill; often huddles together on exposed perches.

Parrots & Cockatoos

• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo. Three birds on Spring Creek Road; the males' scarlet tail panels brilliant against the black.
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Inevitable; loud, white, everywhere.
• Australian King-Parrot. The male's deep red and green is one of the better arguments for the Tablelands.
• Red-winged Parrot. Seen on the drive up; the crimson wing panel is the field mark, but the whole bird rewards attention.
• Crimson Rosella. The three roadside birds at Hypipamee were exceptional; full adult plumage, utterly at ease.
• Little Lorikeet (H). Heard overhead on Spring Creek Road; that sharp, high-pitched chatter; despite searching, couldn't locate them in the canopy.
• Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. In flight; the yellow-green scaling on the breast visible with bins in good light.
• Rainbow Lorikeet. Ubiquitous; the noise before the birds.

Kingfishers & Bee-eaters

• Rainbow Bee-eater. In flight over open ground; the long central tail streamers and turquoise-and-chestnut underparts immediately distinctive.
• Little Kingfisher. The Petersen Creek bird was the highlight of the day. Australia's smallest kingfisher, brilliant blue above, white below, improbably small, perched at eye level and stayed put.
• Laughing Kookaburra. The soundtrack of the Australian bush; greeted us at Spring Creek Road.
• Forest Kingfisher. The saturated blue and white; open country and woodland edges.

Currawongs & Corvids

• Australian Magpie. Open country on the return; the carolling is one of the great Australian bird sounds.
• Pied Currawong. In the forest; the yellow eye and harsh, carrying call.

Robins

• Jacky Winter. The pair at Wondecla; constant tail-fanning and that melancholy two-note call.
• Grey-headed Robin. At Hypipamee; the grey hood contrasting with rufous breast; a bird that rewards patience.
• Eastern Yellow Robin. At Hastie's carpark; the yellow breast and grey-olive back; perches low and watches.
• Pale-yellow Robin. Also at Hypipamee; paler than Eastern Yellow, slightly washed out; a rainforest specialist that stays low and close.

Monarchs & Fantails

• Yellow-breasted Boatbill. At Hastie's carpark; that broad, flat bill is unlike any other Australian bird. A north Queensland speciality that surprises most visitors.
• Australian Spectacled Monarch. The rufous breast and white spectacles; active in the mid-storey at Petersen Creek.
• Pied Monarch. Black-and-white, active, vocal; the Petersen Creek birds were in fine form.
• Magpie-lark. Open ground; the bold black-and-white pattern; ubiquitous and often overlooked.
• Willie Wagtail. The incessant wagging, the confident demeanour; underrated.
• Australian Rufous Fantail. Petersen Creek; the rufous rump and tail in constant motion; a restless, rewarding bird.
• Grey Fantail. Also at Hastie's; paler, more delicate than Rufous; the fanned tail is a nervous habit.

Whistlers & Shrike-thrushes

• Grey Shrikethrush. Spring Creek Road; the variable grey-brown plumage belies one of the finest songsters on the continent.
• Little Shrikethrush. At Hastie's carpark; smaller and brighter than Grey; a bird worth slowing down for.
• Rufous Whistler. At Wondecla; the rich rufous underparts of the male and that powerful, carrying whistle.

Cuckooshrikes

• White-bellied Cuckooshrike. Overhead and in the canopy; the pale grey and clean white; leisurely wingbeats.

Bowerbirds

• Tooth-billed Bowerbird. At Hypipamee; the stout, notched bill and the display court below, fresh leaves laid upside-down, pale side up.
• Golden Bowerbird. Also at Hypipamee; the male's gold and olive plumage is extraordinary but the maypole bower itself is what stops people in their tracks.
• Satin Bowerbird. The glossy blue-black male and the blue eye; the younger males and females in greenish plumage often fool beginners.

Whipbirds

• Eastern Whipbird. The long tease at Hypipamee before it showed: first the male's crack, then the female's answering notes, then briefly the bird itself crossing the track.

Riflebirds

• Victoria's Riflebird. At Hypipamee; the iridescent blue-green gorget of the male catches the light when he turns. One of the region's great birds.

Honeyeaters

• Eastern Spinebill. At Hastie's carpark; the long curved bill and chestnut throat; always busy.
• Lewin's Honeyeater. The yellow ear patch and rolling machine-gun call; widespread through the wetter forests.
• Yellow-tinted Honeyeater. Spring Creek Road, eight or so birds; drab but characterful; the drier woodland species in this group.
• Dusky Myzomela. The small, dark honeyeater of the canopy; often overlooked unless the light catches it.
• Scarlet Myzomela. The Spring Creek bird was excellent; the male's red is startling against the dark bark. Brief as it was, nobody missed it.
• Brown Honeyeater. Widespread; the small size and unobtrusive brown; identified by elimination as much as anything.
• Blue-faced Honeyeater. The blue facial skin is one of the more arresting patterns in Australian honeyeaters; seen on the drive up.
• White-throated Honeyeater. At Wondecla; active and numerous in the flowering gums.
• Macleay's Honeyeater. The Petersen Creek bird was part of the famous multi-species bush moment; the yellow-streaked brown and white facial pattern distinctive.
• Noisy Friarbird. The bare grey head and the casque; loud, sociable, unsubtle.

Treecreepers

• White-throated Treecreeper. Working bark on the larger trees; the diagnostic white throat patch; spirals up the trunk with mechanical precision.
• Brown Treecreeper. Spring Creek Road; a piping call that carries well; spirals up the trunk with that mechanical precision.

Cisticolas

• Golden-headed Cisticola. In long grass; the golden cap in breeding plumage; flushes and drops back quickly.

Scrubwrens & Gerygones

• Yellow-throated Scrubwren (H). Heard but not seen at Hypipamee; an occupational hazard of scrubwren-watching.
• Large-billed Scrubwren. Seen at multiple sites; the heavy bill and restless foraging through leaf litter; a reliable companion through the day.
• Mountain Thornbill. At Hypipamee; the streaked breast and upland habitat; easy to conflate with other thornbills without attention to the streaking.
• Brown Gerygone. At Hastie's carpark; the soft, descending call often locates it before the eye does.
• Fairy Gerygone. Also at Hastie's; slightly richer below than Brown; the two species often associate.

Silvereyes

• Silvereye. Petersen Creek; the white eye-ring and olive-green plumage; moves through in loose flocks.

Sunbirds

• Sahul Sunbird. The curved bill, the yellow underparts; the male's purple-blue throat patch iridescent in good light.

Pipits

• Australian Pipit. Open country; the streaked brown above, white outer tail feathers; walks rather than hops.

Finches

• Red-browed Firetail. Spring Creek Road; fifty birds in the roadside lantana was the morning's showstopper. The red supercilium and rump are vivid even at speed.

Orioles & Drongos

• Australasian Figbird. Seen on the drive up; the olive-green body and bare red facial skin of the male; gregarious in fruiting trees.
• Spangled Drongo. The fish-tail and the iridescent blue spangles; a confident, aggressive bird.

Starlings

• Common Myna. Present; introduced; noted for completeness.