I must admit, despite today being another day of driving, I sure saw a lot of birds. The day started with a loud call right outside my car and a quick glance through the window revealed a Spangled Drongo, a new bird for me. It isn't often that you can claim a new bird for your lifelist without having ever left your bed. That was just the beginning and by the end of the day I added 15 new species, many of them unique to northern Queensland. Once I got on the road, I stopped at another random wetland along the side of the road, Tyto Wetlands and went for a walk. It turned out to be a fantastic wetland that was very well laid out and visitor friendly and had a nice array of birds as well. I lugged the camera but didn't end up with any images.
Once back on the road, I stopped at a roadside rest area to stretch my legs and make a sandwich for lunch. As I was standing their I noticed a bunch of birds in one of the three trees next to the car park. After grabbing my binoculars I found two more new species, one of which was a gorgeous little parrot, the Double-eyed Fig Parrot. My day continued like this with an Emerald Dove walking across the ground right in front of the office at Kingfisher Park where I will be staying for the next few days. A quick walk around the grounds confirmed that this could be a fantastic few days before I head north as this really is a birder's paradise. Ican't wait to get out with my camera in the morning and see what I can come up with. Until then, you will have to enjoy a photo from last week, a Rufous Fantail.
|