Still have no power or mobile access at home but now at the office in Toowong, thought that I’d mention some sightings from yesterday. On Sunday evening it was impossible to get through Dayboro due to flooding but on Monday morning the water had receded and I decided to check out Steve Murray’s Shorncliffe Booby. As I drove through Strathpine’s main shopping street, Gympie Road I was astonished to see a Sooty Tern fly over, nearby at Bald Hills the fields were inundated and I could see many more hawking over the water (it was still very wet and windy at this time) On arrival at Baxter’s Jetty I soon saw Steve armed with his camera and bins and watched as many Common and Black Noddies, Sooty and Bridled Terns, Lesser Frigatebirds and the odd Wedge-tailed Shearwater were coming out of Cabbage Tree Creek into Moreton Bay (seemingly as the weather was easing but the conditions were still very wild, with high south-easterlies and showers) The mass exodus lasted till around 10 am but with seabird numbers becoming very low I headed to Redcliffe which turned out to be a large traffic-jam. At Nathan Road (Redcliffe Airport) I watched 3 Lesser Frigatebirds heading north and saw another from the BBQ area near the North Pine Dam (Lake Samsonvale) It looks as though Oswald is heading south (hopefully with less tragic-consequences) so NSW birders should check out the coast for impending ‘goodies’! Also does anyone have contact or news regarding the Lockyer Valley…. particularly Bill and Eileen Jolly and Mick Atzeni?
Tom
