Written by Richard Noske
Thirteen intrepid birdwatchers freshly plucked from the cool spring of the South Temperate Zone (including South Africa and New Zealand) ventured to the Lodge this September, and although the humid “build-up” season lived up to its name, all evidently enjoyed their 5-day remote tropical birding adventure immensely.
The week started on a high note with a rare view of the male Red Goshawk perched on its nest (rather than hidden while sitting), and coincidentally finished on a similar high, with the discovery of another nest of this species, this time attended by the female.
Nesting was evident almost everywhere. Although all but a few Bridled Terns had left Haul Round Island, Crested Terns had recently bred and at least 5 pairs of Silver Gulls had nests with eggs. A pair of noisy Pied Oystercatchers tried hard to distract our attention from their two downy chicks, while three Lesser Frigatebirds chased terns around the island, looking for a free feed. Brown Boobies, Pied cormorants and Reef Herons of both colour phases graced the rocks offshore, as well as recently arrived Palearctic waders of ten species, marooned by the high tides.
In the seasonally inundated low paperbark woodland, a pair of Northern Shrike-tits, one of the Top End’s rarest birds, was watched as they built their nest, and Jacky Winters and Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters attended their eggs and young, respectively. Here also a small water hole, about 80 m long, attracted dozens of Rufous-throated Honeyeaters, and finches of three species, simultaneously, including three young Gouldian Finches. Up to 50 Gouldians, including one red headed male and two black headed birds, were seen in similar habitat just 2 km from the Lodge.
In the mangroves a male Mangrove Golden Whistler reacted nicely to imitations of its call, and male Broad-billed Flycatchers displayed frantically to a female, while pretty Red-headed Honeyeaters flitted between flowers. A Chestnut Rail put in a brief but tantalising appearance at low tide. Travelling along the rivers, lined with majestic mangroves, was (as always) a treat, especially when right behind or beside a huge Great-billed Heron, or creeping up to within a few metres of a Mangrove (Collared) Kingfisher. In one of the monsoon rainforest patches, a pair of very large Rufous Owls was found, close to a colony of Black Flying-foxes.
With the lack of flowers, apart from mistletoes, only a few individuals of the highly mobile Banded Honeyeater were seen, and flocks of Varied Lorikeets (up to 50, each day) provided only a fleeting glimpse as they raced westward. But with a total of 161 species for the five days, including some of the country’s rarest birds in a remote wilderness, noone was complaining!