NEW BIRD SPECIES RECORDED AT THE LODGE - AUGUST 2007

Dick Eussen recently filed this report from a guided trip in August 2007

In total 140 species of birds were recorded by the party of four, guide Trevor Rob, and myself. Of note is that several species not recorded before were also added to the ever growing listing of species variety in the Maningrida region. The Grant and Herda party were experienced bird watchers who travel the world looking for and recording birds. They said were most impressed with the large numbers of birds seen during their seven day visit to the Lodge.

Some species, while common elsewhere are not listed in guide books as being in the region, but as birds have wings they move about freely, while the ongoing drought might be responsible for the several flocks of Hardhead (white-eyed) ducks that were seen on the Crater billabongs, though are not supposed to be there.

Species that have been added to the newly revised list (attached) are: Hardhead Duck, Grey (white morph) goshawk, Tawny frogmouth, Grey Falcon, Black-tailed Tree Creeper, White-browed Woodswallow, and a rare sighting of a White-throated Grass Wren at the bottom of the escarpment below Ranger Station. Also recorded for the first time was the Arufura Fantail, a smaller and rare sub-species of the Rufous Fantail.

Night spotting was again poor, though this had probably to do with the lack of insect as the nights were cool. We did manage to spot an Owl-let Nightjar and a Bush Thick-knee. I also saw a Black-tailed Wagtail (positive identification) - the second sighting of these rare vagrants, however the Grants who were still in the car failed to spot the bird as it vanished into the fringing paperbarks of the Tomkinson River, which is a pity as it may have convinced the southern-based “experts,” who so far remain unconvinced and ignorant of what this region has in both endemic and vagrant species.

Dick Eussen