Hi , I did the Araucaria track on Sunday morning starting at 06:45 . It was cool about 14 C and clear . It's a 5 km track by the waters edge but I stop constantly to observe birds so it takes 3.5 hours to go round.
It got 34 species which I class as a good mornings birding, 20 -25 is poor ,30 - 40 good and 45 or more excellent . It is, of course, a very good spot for birds. There are water birds, ducks and grebes, comorants and egrets fishing or hunting frogs, high in the trees King parrots , lorrikets and honeyeaters, in the understorey, robins, finches and cuckoos. Highlights for the walk that day were a shining bronze cuckoo and a Fan tailed cuckoo taking catrepillars from 3 trees which showed obvious signs of caterpillar attack to the foliage. Sitella's were also present which work the bark of trees downwards very much like the european nuthatch does. Silvereyes were in large numbers and there was a flush of rustic on their flanks indicating they may be winter migrants from Tasmania in their winetering grounds of Southern Queensland.Whipbirds and Bell miners made for the major call factor ,but a Goldern Whistler made for a more melodious interlude.
