Woodswallows on the coast of Cairns a month or so ago…???

By Birding-Aus, on May 21st, 2015

hello all… being a very very time poor person atm, it’s just now that I recall seeing some Masked & White-browed Woodswallows here from my balcony overlooking the beachfront of Trinity Beach (about 25kms north of Cairns) at dawn – this was few weeks ago – BUT I can’t remember the actual date, but it was definitely a mixed flock of these 2 species – eventhough I struggled to actually SEE the birds due to pre-dawn light (it was 6am here when I could see them silhouetted) but the calls were definitely a help… it was a huge flock (possibly over 1000 birds, definitely more than 500)… very very unusual here!! I stupidly didn’t write the day or date down anywhere, so now i’m trying to remember it all… I have no doubt that they were these 2 species, but did anyone else see, hear, this at all up here?? help plz…. thanx, martin cachard

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mcachard

May 24, 2015 at 8:14 pm

Thanks Ian & Dominic, I figure I was pretty lucky to have these Masked & White-browed WS here over the beach at Trinity Beach that morning a few weeks back because they have definitely not been back here since – such numbers of these typically inland species, especially so on the east coast of Qld, was a remarkable sight indeed above the palm trees & sea!! Black-faced WS are not an uncommon bird well behind the coastal ranges here from say around Mt Carbine, but for Andy Anderson & others to see big numbers of them much further east towards the coast & just in behind the coastal ranges is significant. Andy’s record up here of some Black-faced WS in a mixed flock with the other 2 inland species would have been quite a sight too – even though his does happen further inland much more commonly. I was never doubting Andy’s observation of this mixed flock, or his ID of Black-faced – I was just checking that that was actually what was reported. you have got to love the Wet Tropics!!! cheers, martin cachard. trinity beach, cairns

dominic.funnell

May 23, 2015 at 3:27 pm

Hi Martin I don’t know Andy personally but got the info from John Seale via his Recent Cairns Bird Sightings email. Further to this was up on the southern Tablelands this morning and there are still good numbers of both Masked and White-browed Woodswallow around, although did not see any Black-faced. Dom On 21 May 2015 at 13:52, martin cachard < mcachard@hotmail.com> wrote:

May 22, 2015 at 7:20 am

Whoah, LLoyd that’s amazing news – thanx sooo much for this… I’ll tell u now, mate, honestly… I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw those massive numbers here directly above the shoreline here !!! & yep, u ARE spot on about these extreme times inland!! & thanx for reminding of that too !!! I just wish I had an exact date for my sighting here – just so the record is spot-on too…??? thanx soooo much, & let’s catch up again next month PLEEEEEEZ… all the very to you & thanx again , martin :-)))

May 21, 2015 at 1:52 pm

hey Dom, thanx heaps for that… that narrows it down to about 4 or 5 days then for mine to be at my place right above the beach!!! strange of Andy to say he saw Black-faced WS with WB & M though!! are u sure?? I’ve got to go now sorry…cheers for that!! martin cachard, trinity beach. cairns.

May 21, 2015 at 1:18 pm

Hi Martin Oddly enough Blue-faced HE are one of the commonest HEs in my garden – was really surprised as had never seen them on the coastal plain before! I did not see the Koah birds but I know via John Seales e-mails that Phil Gregory had 40+ over Cassowary House on 2/5, the Koah record was from around then as well I believe. There have been a few records of White-browed; Black-faced and Masked in the general area east of Mareeba as per John Seale e-mails – a mixed flock of all three at Clohesy River Rd reported by Andy Anderson on 29/4 “near highway, hundreds have been there for three days” Would be good to meet up Martin, we did live in Yorkeys until about 7 months ago then had to move out but will be moving back in a couple of weeks Dom On 21 May 2015 at 13:01, martin cachard < mcachard@hotmail.com> wrote:

May 21, 2015 at 1:01 pm

Hey there Dominic, nice to get a quick reply mate, thanx. I was sort of relying on you a little Dom, knowing (or assuming!!!) that u lived at Yorkeys Knob (that’s on the coast less than 5kms to south of Trinity Beach for our non-local birders out there). do u recall the dates Dom of when these Masked WS were at Koah? did u see the birds yourself or just hear about them?? I wonder if any White-browed WS were with them?? even though I didn’t get the best of light from 45-10mins before sunrise on the day I saw the huge flock at home, I reckon there would’ve been a smattering of White-browed’s amongst the Masked’s. the light actually got more difficult as sunrise got closer (I saw this flock from my beachfront balcony & I face EAST, so the light was tricky to say the very least!!). but I remember as soon as I heard them & looked up, they were fairly low, but once I got my trusty Swarovs onto a few of them, I did see one White-browed WS… it wasn’t the best of looks, so I ran downstairs to get a better view(always an optimist!). but they were so much higher, & the height got worse & worse as the sunrise got closer & closer!!! but at least I got a much better handle of the number of birds by being on the ground with a perfectly clear (but by then DISTANT) view!! Koah is just inland of Kuranda for the non-locals, but in the eucalypt belt. so that’s more normal than beachfront, shall we say… But these two WS species aren’t recorded at Koah all that often either – probably once every 4 or 5 years a small group gets reported somewhere between Mareeba & Koah, usually a mixed species flock of both WS but not always… & not always in same species ratio either. & certainly never have I heard of 500++ being recorded in relative recent times in our district here either!! so Dom, thanx for that. but also mate, a Pied Butcherbird in Caravonica is also more than a bit unusual too!! I’ve never seen one there myself or even heard of one ever being there, but guess what Dom…?? I totally believe you… because I often see Blue-faced Honeyeaters in that Lake Placid-Caravonica-Smithfield area, & even at home (seen only once at home) beachfront at Trinity Beach too!! So thanx so much mate for your reply & keep looking & stay open-minded… we will have to meet up one day too Dominic… cheers, martin cachard. trinity beach, cairns.

May 21, 2015 at 7:55 am

Hi Martin I live in Caravonica (about to move back to Yorkeys) and have been keeping an eye out as there have been Masked WS at Koah and I believe there were Whitebrows in the Goldsborough area but have not seen or heard anything g other than the normal white breasted. Although have had Pied Butcherbird in garden and am aware of Red backed Kingfisher near Mossman so interior birds do seem to be moving eastwards Dom On 21 May 2015 7:30 am, “martin cachard” < mcachard@hotmail.com> wrote:

Birding-Aus

Woodswallows on the coast of Cairns a month or so ago…???

7 comments to Woodswallows on the coast of Cairns a month or so ago…???

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