Birding Stanthorpe Area Back Roads

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Tara

Girraween may be the main draw to Stanthorpe but it’s not the only game in town. Drive down virtually any back road and keep your eyes and ears open, you are bound to see lots of birds!

See that yellow line – Pyramids Road? Keep an eye out here for Eastern Rosellas, King Parrots and Red-browed Finches. Notice the interesting colouration of the juvenile? I though at first it was a hybrid!

On the main road near Ballandean.

If you are staying at Banjo’s Retreat or any of it’s sister properties, you’re bound to see Crimson Rosellas, Superb Fairy-wrens, Red-browed Finches and Kookaburas.

The back roads around Amiens are a great place to spot Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos and Turquoise Parrots.

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Tara

The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a carnivorous bird in the kingfisher family Halcyonidae. It is probably the most iconic Australian bird and its distinctive “laugh” is as true blue Aussie as you can get.

They are very clever and more than one picnicker has lost a BBQ steak or bread roll to a swiftly swooping Kookaburra. We have quite a few of them in our suburb and I often wake up to the laugh outside my window and if you walk through any reserve or national park in Queensland, Victoria or NSW you will most likely see Laughing Kookaburras or even have unexpected guests at your picnic!

LEARN MORE ABOUT KOOKABURRAS

VIDEOS

The best video of the laugh was actually filmed at San Diego zoo. It’s kind of hard to predict when a wild one will laugh unless you want to sit there and film until it does. This is how they actually sound in the wild………..or in your backyard! What a wake up call!

Here’s some wild Kookaburras

And just to show you how iconic they are in Australia, here’s a kid’s song about them!

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Tara

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) is an Australian lorikeet found in woodland in eastern Australia. The common name aptly describes this bird, which has yellow breast feathers broadly edged with green that look like scales. Look for them on nectar-bearing plants such as bottlebrush and grevellia.

Next to the gaudy Rainbow Lorikeet, these more delicately hued birds are the easiest Lorikeet to see in Eastern Australia. I’ve seen them in my neighborhood, in most local Brisbane reserves and parks and as far west as Coolmunda Dam where I took the above photo.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SCALY BREASTED LORIKEETS

VIDEOS

Nice close up at a feeder

Chattering flock

Lodge Review: Banjo’s Retreat, Amiens (Near Stanthorpe)

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Tara

This was a departure from my usual eco-lodge style of traveling although at the end of the day it was much the same for birding purposes. Cobb ‘n’ Co is a group of 4 privately owned cabins that are for rent and can accommodate families or small groups. All 4 are beautifully situated in the bushland villages near Stanthorpe and convenient to Girraween and surrounding birding areas.

Since I needed 3 private bedrooms, I went with Banjo’s Retreat. All cabins are near each other and easy to find if you follow the directions provided. The location is in gorgeous bushland with lots of birds about!

Keep an eye out for birds while having breakfast!

These interior shots require the usual WordPress neck exercise, sorry for that! I don’t know how to make it stop turning the photos like that.

You need to book the cabin directly with the owner in advance, especially if you want a weekend or public holiday. If it’s a slow season you may be able to negotiate a better rate if it’s midweek. It’s worth it to have neighbors like these!

Stanthorpe & Girraween Area For Birders

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Tara

Just a 3 hour drive from Brisbane, Stanthorpe and the nearby Girraween National Park are a popular weekend getaway for Brisbanites for the scenery and wineries. The area is also rich in birdlife so it’s a great addition to a SE Queensland itinerary.

Now let’s take a closer look at Girraween National Park. I have highlighted some of the best birding trails. The access road – Pyramids Road from Ballandean is a great place to look for birds too.

Even just having breakfast at the picnic tables can be very entertaining. I had a Kookaburra snatch half a croissant right out of my hand while I was chatting to some fellow birders!

Hanging around the picnic area looking to steal food.

Girraween is well sign-posted and has several educational signs about the trails and wildlife.

Sorry, please turn head to the left!

There’s a Satin Bowerbird bower near the toilet block. The Bowerbirds and some of their neighbours have learned that if they sit near the water fountain, eventually a friendly human will come and turn it on so they can grab a drink! Love those purple eyes!

I have no idea why these photos aren’t loading right ways up, that’s how they are on my computer but WordPress is turning them for some reason. Sorry, please turn head to the left again. Bringing blue bottle caps will make a Bowerbird very happy – free home decor!

A lovely Red-Wattlebird

Crimson Rosellas were everywhere!

WHERE TO STAY NEAR GIRRAWEEN

There’s all kinds of accommodation in the surrounding towns of Stanthorpe, Ballandean, Amiens and Storm King – everything from camping sites to pricey romantic cottages. We ended up renting a 3 bedroom house as we had other people with us. More about that in the next post. The usual booking engines – Pointshound, Wotif and Cobb ‘n Co have some good options.

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri)

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Tara

The Major Mitchell’s cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) also known as Leadbeater’s cockatoo or pink cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo restricted to arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia. Regardless of what common name you use, it’s arguably the most beautiful of all the cockatoos and a real joy to see in the wild, especially in flight with the sun backlighting their pink wings. These photos I took at Bowra Station don’t do it justice! I noticed they always had a sentinel or two while most of the flock foraged on the ground.

Don’t be fooled by all the green on the map, this highly nomadic bird may have a large range but it is really difficult to find them outside of the major birding hotspots such as Bowra Station (blue dot) in Queensland and Eyre Sanctuary in Western Australia.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR MITCHELL COCKATOOS

NSW Environment & Heritage

VIDEO

One bird foraging in a tree.

Enjoying a paddy melon.

Birding Bowra Part 3 – Deeper Into The Property

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Tara

In this section we will see birds that are found as you leave the Bowra homestead area and turn in the opposite direction of the main road, heading deeper into the property. Of course it’s pot luck which birds will be there at any given time of year and depending on rainfall. Most cars can make it about 5km down the road but depending on road conditions you will probably need a 4WD to go further. Always check with the caretaker before heading out.

Look in dense bushes for Fairy-wrens, Homey-eaters and Crimson Chats.

Ground foragers like Cockatiels and Bourke’s Parrots are common here.

Major Mitchell Cockatoos often breed in this area.

Odd looking Noisy Friarbird.

And a close-up of a beautiful Bourkie!

Birding Bowra Part 2 – Pond & Homestead Area

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Tara

There are some great places to see birds just a few steps from the shearers cabin at Bowra Station. Getting up at dawn, bringing a chair outside and watching the birds wake up is very rewarding!

Black-winged Stilts are very common here.

White-breasted Woodswallows

Black-fronted Dotterel

Another stilt

Red-winged Parrot

Rainbow Bee-eater

Spoonbill

Red-rumped Parrot

Spotted Bowerbird with Bower

Kangaroos

Paddy Melons – food for hungry parrots

We’ve all seen pet Budgies but nothing beats seeing them in the wild! They have nests in the trees near the homestead.

Red-rump Parrot

Diamond Dove

Red-winged Parrot

More Budgies

Beautiful Red-winged Parrot posing nicely

Red-rumps are usually in the trees around the pond

Red-winged Parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus)

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Tara

The Red-Winged parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus), is a parrot native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. It is found in grasslands, savannah, farmland, and woodland.

They have quite a large range throughout Queensland, Australia and even a small bit of Papua New Guinea. I found it quite easy to see them at Lake Coolmunda, especially near the caravan park and near the shearer’s quarters at Bowra Station (blue dots).

LEARN MORE ABOUT RED-WINGED PARROTS

VIDEO

Wonderful close up of this bird, seems to be a juvenile going by the feathering.

Birding Bowra Part 1 – Road To Homestead Area

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Tara

Since there are so many places to see birds, I am breaking this down into several parts. The first area to explore is the part where you first enter Bowra Station at the letterbox and drive the main road to the homestead – about 5 or 6 km. This is a fantastic area for parrots, as you can see from the photos below we saw many species just in this area such as Cockatiels, Mallee Ringecks, Galahs, Major Mitchell Cockatoos, Mulga Parrots and various Honey-eaters, an Emu and of course lots of kangaroos! I also saw a Bluebonnet flying away at the speed of light near the gate.