BIRD SIGHTING ANECDOTES (while in relative lockdown) – 07 April, 2020 - by Ben Gundry

In early April I became aware of a nearby clamouring to be fed. Upon investigating (any excuse to stop work) I found a female Superb Fairy-wren feeding a fledged chick that was two to three times her size. Jean took a photo and we concluded that it was a Horsefields Bronze Cuckoo chick – one of our more commonly observed cuckoos here. A bit of emerging bottle green on the back and a light hachuring of bars across the front were its distinguishing traits. It revisited next day to the same tree and vine tangle, with multiple wren attendants.

There was a moment when the male wren appeared, looking disturbed and apparently about to start legal proceedings related to paternity testing.

Our dam is a shallow puddle again, having breached in the heavy rain of mid-February. It is full of tadpoles etc. and attracting birdlife. There is a pair of White-faced Herons and there has been a brief visit by a Great Egret (a rare sighting for us here). I watched as a heron did its special dance of right foot, scratch-scratch-scratch, left foot, scratch-scratch-scratch – probing for any subsequent movement, (all to hokey-pokey rhythms that I could almost hear). Suddenly it became aware of me and promptly vacated.

A pair of Plumed Whistling Ducks was occasionally sighted near the dam since early March, being very secre-tive. In early April, one adult started noisily carrying on, near the house, in the early afternoon, with occasional muted responses from the dam/gully area. Next day, by coincidence, I encountered the two Plumed Whistling Ducks and five very small ducklings on our smaller but permanent dam on the east side of our property. They had abandoned their puddle for a better piece of real estate. What amazed me was the 700 meters of dense pasture they had to negotiate en route.

We also had a rare (for us) sighting of a pair of King Parrots drinking at the dam. Our resident Pheasant Cou-cals have been most vocal recently and have adopted the top of a maturing Silky Oak as their trysting perch. (As Uncle Remus said, “Everybody got to have a singin’ tree!”)

In recent years we’ve had occasional brief visits by Eastern Whipbirds. This year a pair arrived in our gully and scrub patch in January and have been around (not all the time) until almost the end of March. We’ve been so privileged to have those iconic bush calls to start our days at dawn.

The Collared Sparrowhawk has been working the house environs where we have several bird baths, looking for any opportunities, even visiting the insect screens.

Double-barred Finches, Speckled Warblers and White-browed Scrubwrens have all recently been seen busy with nesting materials. So the rush is on, after a tough summer, to produce a next generation before winter sets in. Grass seeds and insects are in abundance following those February rains. Good luck to them!

Photos by Jean Gundry

Pheasant coucal

Speckled warbler

Plumed whistling duck

Horsefields bronze cuckoo

Eastern whipbird

Photos by members

FROM LAUREN MARLATT

Seeds off a Brachychiton rupestris tree in a park in Hursley Street

White fungus found growing on the underside of a persistently wet cardboard 

FROM DIANA BALL

Eudocima fullonia - common fruit-piercing moth caterpillar found crossing the road on Prince Henry Drive (Photo by Jim Ball)

Birds seen in a garden in Pechey area - by Tricia Allen

In the absence of an outing on 05 April, I decided to have an outing in our garden with our daughter Carolyn. This turned into two separate one-hour sessions. These are the birds seen and heard in order of their appearance.

Grey Butcherbird, Eastern Whipbird, Eastern Spinebill, Currawong, Magpie, Brown Honeyeater, Lewins Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Kookaburra, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Striated Pardalote, Red-browed Finch, Brown Thornbill, Noisy Friarbird, Red-backed Fairywren, Superb Blue Wren, Eastern Yellow Robin, Scarlet Honeyeater, Pale-headed Rosella, Pied Butcherbird, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo.

Carolyn's photo is of a scarlet honeyeater, which has run out of the red callistemon it usually frequents but seems perfectly happy in the salvias at our front door.

Lamprolina, a genus of Leaf Beetles in the Chrysomelidae family - by Glenda Walter

Although this insect season had a late start, I’ve been able to find quite a few leaf beetles on my walks around local parks. Some of these are brightly coloured to warn predators that they are inedible, but others with dull colours rely on not being noticed.

The common name of the Lamprolina genus is “Pittosporum beetles”, most feeding on plants belonging to the Pittosporaceae family including Pittosporum and Bursaria. At first glance many beetles in the Lamprolina genus look the same, but they can be differentiated by the black patterns on the pronotum and head. As I have only been able to identify L. impressicollis, I can’t say for certain that the spot and patch patterns are identifiers for separate species or if there are just local variations on one or more species. The fact that they are found on different food plants may indicate that those in the images below belong to at least several species. Experts on iNaturalist website including Martin Lagerwey, an acknowledged Leaf Beetle expert, are unable to help.

Members of the Lamprolina genus are said to be found in the East and North of Australia. As in many insect families, the taxonomy is in need of revision.

The colour of the elytra (wing covers) varies between dark blue, dark purple and very dark green, and head/ pronotum are shades of crimson to orange and yellow. The pronotum was differently shaped in some, and the beetles also varied in size.

Here is a list of those I have found in South East Queensland:

·         Lamprolina impressicollis, with no spot or patch markings, was seen at Bellthorpe and at Stanthorpe.

·         Species A – black patches on front of pronotum and back of head - Hartmann Reserve, Rogers Reserve and Withcott.

·         Species B – two black spots on pronotum and large patch on head - Federation Park.

·         Species C – large black patch on noticeably bright crimson pronotum, and none on head - Peacehaven.

·         Species D – black patch at rear of head - Crows Nest National Park.

·         Species E – blue elytra and yellow pronotum with grey marks - Lake Broadwater.  

·         The larva of an unknown Lamprolina species- Rogers Reserve.

Chris Reid in his paper A taxonomic revision of the Australian Chrysomelinae, with a key to the genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), published in 2006, says that there are 14 described species in the Lamprolina genus. (This number may have changed since 2006, and there may be undescribed species as well.)

Article and photos by Glenda Walter, April 2020

Lamprolina species A  Hartmann Reserve

Lamprolina species B Federation Park

Lamprolina species C  Peacehaven

Lamprolina species D

Crows Nest

Lamprolina species E

Lake Broadwater

Lamprolina impressicollis

on Bursaria, Stanthorpe

Lamprolina species larva Rogers Reserve

Lamprolina impressicollis Bellthorpe

 

                                               




                                                                                               

OUTING REPORT: Ambrose Treacy College and Sherwood Arboretum, 03 November 2019

At 7.30am sharp, nineteen Field Nats, including our driver Phil Haxen, departed by bus from the Neil Street car park bound for Ambrose Treacy College, Indooroopilly. On arrival we met up with Lesley Beaton and John Ball, who had travelled independently. The focus of our visit was Brother’s Gully. 

An article by Alexander Davies entitled Brother’s Gully: A story of habitat regeneration increasing biodiver-sity, in the June 2019 edition of “Metamorphosis” the Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club (BOIC) had alerted Ben Gundry to the potential of the Gully for a visit. To quote from the article: “Brothers Gully is a patch of sub-tropical riparian rainforest adjoining mangroves, located at the south western end of Ambrose Treacy College, Twigg Street, Indooroopilly, Brisbane. The Gully area starts at the top of Kate Street, Indooroopilly, and stretches 140 metres till it reaches the riverbank”.

The Gully is the subject of a weeding and revegetation program, initiated in 2015 by a Year 11 student, Alex-ander Davies, with support from the school and his grandparents, Trevor and Tina Lambkin. Alexander, our guide for the morning, had been motivated by the sight of this small remnant area of riparian rainforest becoming choked by exotic weeds. He told us that revegetation of the steep Gully is also supported by the Brisbane City Council under its Land for Wildlife program, and free plants from the Moggill Creek Catchment Group (MCCG) and Save our Waterways Now (SOWN) nurseries. But the weeding and planting is all done by students (Gully Men) under the direction of Alexander.

We were impressed by Alexander’s knowledge of both the flora and fauna as he guided us around different sections of the Gully, some relatively advanced and others still being cleared in readiness for planting. Over 180 (mainly local native) species of ground cover, understorey, mid-storey, and canopy plants have been grown to enhance the existing vegetation. An increasing number of birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates have been recorded since commencement of the project – a reflection of the plant species selected.

After a leisurely lunch on a wide deck overlooking the river, we departed for the Sherwood Arboretum, to be joined by Tricia Allen and her grandson. On arrival we were met by Brisbane City Council volunteer Guides, Dick and Jankees. Opened on 21 March 1925, the heritage-listed Sherwood Arboretum covers an area of 15 hectares, contains approximately 1,100 trees from about 300 species, and comprises parkland, artificial fresh-water wetland and has an extensive frontage to the Brisbane River. Of particular note is an avenue of Queens-land Kauri Pines (Agathis robusta) planted for the 1925 opening. 

Splitting into two groups, we followed our knowledgeable guides as they identified fine specimens of native trees, some local and others from further west that were familiar to many of us. A boardwalk along the Bris-bane River introduced us to three species of Mangrove. A very comprehensive description of the Arboretum is available on Wikipedia and interested readers are encouraged to access it for further information.

Leaving at 4.00pm Phil drove us safely back to Toowoomba, where we arrived at 5.30pm after an enjoyable day blessed with perfect weather

(Report by Deb Ford)

Plus Dusky Moorhen & Barred Cuckoo-Shrike

Brown Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda jugalans, family Sparassidae, at Brothers' Gully 
(Photdo: Francis Mangubhai)

Avenue of Qld Kauris at Sherwood Arboretum (Photo by Diana Ball)

River mangrove flowers and salt crystals on the leaves (Photo: Diana Ball) 

SPEAKER’S REPORT: Dr. Henrik Ferreira

Dr. Ferreira’s presentation could well be named ‘Birds from Around the World’ as his 341(!) seven second each photos of birdlife began in Brazil and finished in Australia. Each segment was punctuated with stories of inter-esting and humorous situations he found himself in during his bird photography trips. As well as birds many other animals, insects and flora were incorporated into his address including jaguar, caiman, snake, deer, water buffalo, capybara, river otter, fox, giant snails, bees, lizards, fish (piranha!) and frogs.

His Brazilian trip in 2013 encompassed three distinct regions: The Pantanal, a huge tropical flood plain and wetland in the western state of Mato Grosso; the Ubatuba, a coastal forested area on the Atlantic north of Sao Paulo; and the Itatiaia National Park, in south-eastern Brazil’s Mantiqueira Mountains. The following are just some of the bird types that were shown: guan, trogan, ant shrike, woodpecker, toucan, heron, ibis, humming-birds, tanager, eagle, and finch. Some of his photos have been prize-winning, capturing birds in typical, or odd and funny poses, in flight, in pairs, and in flocks.

The countries Dr. Ferreira covered next were Hawaii, England, New Zealand, and South Africa, finishing in local and far western and northern regions of Queensland. In each, he showed us birds that were the most uni-que or beautiful of that country.

This was an impressive, breathtaking at times, whirlwind presentation backed up by digital photo books of each of his trips for us to browse through afterward. This was roughly only 20% of his total collection, so I’m sure we can look forward to inviting him back to show us more in the future. 

(Report by Lauren Marlatt)

BIRD LIST FOR CLUB OUTING, 08 SEPTEMBER 2019

Highfields Falls: On a windy, but clear, morning, we parked on the “James Byrne” side of the Reserve and were pleased to walk into the forest to beat the wind. Once at the Falls side, we were totally out of the winds. Most of our sightings occurred on this Falls side, where, of course, the birds had access to the trickling stream.

Our bird list for the Highfields Falls Reserve morning: Lorikeet (most likely Scaly-breasted); Red-browed Finch; Grey Fantail; White-naped Honeyeater; Rufous Fantail; Grey Shrike thrush; Eastern Yellow Robin; White-browed Scrubwren; Lewin’s Honeyeater; Variegated Fairy-wren; Golden Whistler; Leaden Flycatcher; Crested Shrike-tit; Galah; Eastern Whipbird; Straw-necked Ibis (flying overhead at the carpark).

Williams Park (middle of the day) list:

(at the Park) Scaly-breasted Lorikeet; Noisy Miner; Crow; Currawong; Magpie; Galah; Tawny Frogmouth; and Jim Ball’s late-arriving King Parrot. (on the creek-side walk) Grey and Rufous Fantails; Common Bronzewing pigeon; Brown Cuckoo-dove (Mike Ford’s sighting); Superb Fairy-wren; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; heard a whistler (probably golden).

The bird of the day, and it was my sighting, was the Crested Shrike-tit (Falcunculus frontatus). I have only ever seen it a few times, and never here, although Jean photographed it here two years ago, in the creek, a little further above the Falls. There are three races, with our “frontatus” being the most widespread. I was watching the Leaden Flycatcher on a branch over the path when it was “buzzed” by the shrike-tit, which then gave me 15 seconds of excellent viewing. It is a beautiful bird, with strong yellow body markings below, olive on the back and vent, and otherwise grey. The black head and throat patch are most distinctive, with two white stripes across the face, separated by a narrower black stripe through the eye. The crest is, I think, always partly or fully erect – giving it an over-sized “boof-headed” or Mohawk appearance. “Simpson and Day” tells me that “they feed mostly in the upper branches, prising invertebrates from the bark with their robust bills. They give distinctive chuckling calls or drawn-out plaintive whistles.”

I was thrilled with (and Jan Veacock was jealous of) my sighting. Enough said. 

(Report by Ben Gundry)