Tag Archives: Coolmunda

How To See 25 Australian Parrot Species In Whirlwind 8 Days From Brisbane

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If you have been following this blog for the last couple months you’ve seen how I saw all kinds of parrot species in South-East Queensland. So now let’s string it together and tally up the possible parrots.  Remember, this itinerary only gets you into the habitat where the birds are commonly seen.  There is never a guarantee with wild birds but if you plan well and do your homework on eBird’s Species Maps, you have a very good chance to get them all!

This is sort of the Amazing Race of Birding and designed for people with limited time.  If you can, add one day to each location and a final day in Brisbane before your flight out.  It’s easy to get to Australia with airline miles, then just rent a car and take off!  This trip must be done while Bowra Station is open between the months of March to September.

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SEQ Birding

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LAKE COOLMUNDA/DURIKAI – 2 DAYS

Start in Brisbane.  Pick up your rental car at the airport and drive to Lake Coolmunda.  Stop at the Durikai Watering Hole on the way.  Possible Parrots:

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BOWRA STATION – 3 DAYS

This will be about 7 hours drive so start as early as possible.  Here you can find Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Red-winged Parrots, Blue Bonnet Parrots, Red-rumps, Cockatiels & Little Corellas (already mentioned).  Then add new species:

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STANTHORPE/GIRRAWEEN – 2 DAYS

Make an early start for about 7 hours drive to Stanthorpe.  Here you have a 2nd chance at Turquoise Parrots, Eastern Rosellas, Galahs, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, Scaly-breasted Lorikeets.  There are several good reserves in this area so I would check eBird first to see where the birds have been seen most recently.

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BRISBANE & RAINBOW BEACH – 1 DAY

If you haven’t seen King Parrots yet, have lunch at the small cafe near Jolly’s Lookout as King Parrots, Rainbow Lorkeets & Sulphur-crested Cockatoos hang out there.  Then make the 3 hour drive north to Rainbow Beach or Tin Can Bay.  Up here you have another chance at Yellow-tail Black Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, Galahs & Sulphur-crested Cockatooos.  But the main reason to come here is:

So there you have it – 25 parrot species all in South-east Queensland.  We do occasionally get Swift Parrots up this far as well but that’s a longshot.  They made it to Brisbane in 2014 but not this year.  I do recommend doing 3 days in Coolmunda, 4 in Bowra, 3 in Girraween, 1 or 2 in Tin Can Bay/Rainbow Beach and one final day in Brisbane so try to allow 2 weeks if you can for a more leisurely birding experience!

Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)

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The Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus), is a broad-tailed parrot of the genus Platycercus native to northeastern Australia.  This beautiful parrot is special for me as they sometimes come into our property.  Their visits are sporadic so I always feel honoured when they come around.

IMG_1232a IMG_1229a Pale-headed Rosellas have a large range extending from the far north of Queensland into New South Wales.  They are readily seen both in bushland and in suburbs of Brisbane (lucky me!) and prefer open forests.  They were very easy to see at Lake Coolmunda  and Mosquito Creek Road.

phr rangeLEARN MORE ABOUT PALE-HEADED ROSELLAS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birdlife Australia

Birds in Backyards

VIDEOS

Beautiful close up to appreciate the colours on this bird.

They not only sound sweet, they are great communicators!  Check out how this one chats to a Butcherbird!

 

Red-winged Parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus)

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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.

IMG_8396a IMG_0359 IMG_0366They 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).

RWPrangeLEARN MORE ABOUT RED-WINGED PARROTS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

 

VIDEO

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

Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea)

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The Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea), also known as the bare-eyed cockatoo, blood-stained cockatoo, short-billed corella, little cockatoo and blue-eyed cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea.  It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the central and western Pilbara.

IMG_0257 IMG_8261a IMG_8802aLittle Corellas are seen just about everywhere, often flocking together with Galahs.  They frequent the park near my house, I can hear them flying overhead most mornings.  They have a huge range in Australia and are found in all capital cities so whichever gateway city you use, you are bound to see them even before you hit the bush!

LCorellasLEARN MORE ABOUT LITTLE CORELLAS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

VIDEOS

Some amusing behavior by Little Corellas in this compilation.

Corellas of a feather floch together!

 

Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)

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The Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the western Pacific. In New Zealand the species is also known by its Māori name kōtare.

It is called “sacred” for it was said to be a holy bird for Polynesians, who believed it to have control over the waves. Likewise, the local subspecies of collared kingfisher and other kingfishers in the southwestern Pacific were ascribed venerable power over the ocean.

IMG_1281a IMG_1279aThey have a very large range throughout Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia so odds are good you will find them on most birding trips in these areas.  I saw the one above at Mosquito Creek Road, South-east Queensland.

SKrangeLEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Birdlife Australia

Birds in Backyards

VIDEOS

Nice close-ups!

 

Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster)

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The eastern Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster) is an Australian parrot, one of two species in the genus Northiella.   The Bluebonnet is a medium sized inland parrot commonly found in the interior of southeastern and central-southern Australia. It is adapted to life in semi-arid regions but can also flourish in regions of medium rainfall towards the eastern and southern extremities of its range.  Since my photos are too blurry (see below) to do justice to the subtle beauty of this bird, I have to reply on Wikipedia’s photo.

BluebonnetwkiI only saw them at a distance.

IMG_1312a IMG_1316 IMG_1316aThey do have a large range over most of inland eastern Australia.  I have personally seen them at Bowra Station & Mosquito Creek Road  near Lake Coolmunda (blue dots) in SE Queensland.  Both times the birds were flying at lightning speed but at least the Coolmunda birds made a nice semi-circle through the trees giving me more time to try to get a photo!

BluebonnetLEARN MORE ABOUT BLUEBONNETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Beauty of Birds

Birds in Backyards

VIDEO

It wasn’t easy to find a video of these birds in the wild though there are some captive bird on Youtube.  I found this clip on Vimeo but you have to click through to Vimeo to see it.

IBC also has a few clips.

 

 

 

Return To Mosquito Creek Road & Coolmunda

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The final day of the Birds Queensland Camp was a visit to Mosquito Creek Road & Lake Coolmunda including a private property near the lake.  I was really hoping to get a good look at Bluebonnets and hopefully some photos this time.  The nice thing about birding with a group is that you have a lot more eyeballs at work and one of the group did spot a pair of Bluebonnets that I probably wouldn’t have found as they were well camouflaged and being very quiet.  Once they were pointed out to me, I was able to follow them with my 400mm lens and grab a few shots – none of which came out well other than to prove we saw Bluebonnets!  I’ve included some untouched shots and some cropped ones to show just how far away the birds were and how difficult they are to see.

IMG_1299a IMG_1303 IMG_1303a IMG_1308 IMG_1309 IMG_1309a IMG_1310 IMG_1310a IMG_1311a IMG_1312a IMG_1314 IMG_1314a IMG_1316 IMG_1316a IMG_1317 IMG_1317aAnother highly sought after bird was the White-winged Fairy-wrens bustling around in bushes.  They weren’t too keen on being photographed either!

IMG_1245 IMG_1245a IMG_1247a IMG_1248a IMG_1250a IMG_1253aLuckily a few birds were happy to pose for photos.  First up is a Pale-headed Rosella who looks to have some hybrid blood in him.  Oddly enough Pale-headed Rosellas often breed with Eastern Rosellas around here though there is no reason they couldn’t find a partner of their own species.

IMG_1220 IMG_1220a IMG_1221a IMG_1223a IMG_1226 IMG_1229a IMG_1231a IMG_1232 IMG_1232aSacred Kingfishers also put in an appearance.

IMG_1278 IMG_1279a IMG_1281aHere’s a few more random shots.

IMG_1235 IMG_1261 IMG_1296a IMG_1324 IMG_1345 IMG_1349 IMG_1350 IMG_1351 IMG_1353 IMG_1352We had a nice spot to have a picnic lunch by the lake and watch some Little Corellas play in the trees.  After lunch, Ina & I took off as I wanted to make it back to Brisbane before dark and also have a quick look-in at the Durikai Watering Hole enroute.  Traffic back to the city does build up in the afternoon on a Sunday so bear this in mind when planning your journey.

 

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

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One of the birds you are most likely to see in Australia is also one of the most beautiful.  The galah Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, galah cockatoo, roseate cockatoo or pink and grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.

Notice how this first Galah’s crest (Nallan Station) is pinker than the other ones?

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IMG_0161Galahs are known for their silly, playful nature.  If an Aussie calls you a “galah”, they usually don’t mean it as a compliment!

You won’t have to try to hard to find them as they are pretty much all over Australia.  I’ve seen them around Perth, Nallan Station, Stirling Range, Tasmania, Melbourne, Brisbane, Bowra Station, Coolmunda, Karara, Girraween just to name a few.  They frequent the park a couple blocks from my house and I can usually hear them as they fly overhead in the morning to forage for breakfast.

Galah rangeLEARN MORE ABOUT GALAHS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

The Australian Galah

VIDEOS

Wild Galahs in  action – playing and foraging.

 

 

 

Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii)

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The Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii) is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. They are sometimes referred to as Bicheno’s finch; and also as owl finch, owing to the dark ring of feathers around their faces.

The name of the species commemorates James Ebenezer Bicheno, a colonial secretary of Van Diemen’s Land appointed in September 1842.

I saw these guys at the Edith Falls Campground in the Northern Territory.

And these are from Wikipedia

DBFinch DBFinch2 They have a good sized range in Australia but to date the only places I have seen them is Mosquito Creek Road near Lake Coolmunda and Edith Falls in the Northern Territory.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

Australian Finches

Australian Bush Birds

VIDEOS

Up close and personal with Double Barred Finches, very cute little bird!

 

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

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The Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), also known as the quarrion and the weiro, is a member of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia.  Cockatiels have a special place in my heart as they were the first bird I had as a pet and it was my love for them that led me to learn more about them and ultimately led to me being a conservationist.  It will always be a magical experience for me to see them in the wild!

These photos were taken along Mosquito Creek Road which is near Lake Coolmunda, about 4 hours drive from Brisbane.

IMG_0475 IMG_0467 IMG_0628 IMG_0634 IMG_0647They have a large range covering most of Australia but seeing them is harder than you may think as they prefer remote grassy bushlands and they blend in well if they are on the ground foraging.  Mosquito Creek Road and Bowra Station (blue dots) are 2 easy places to find them.  I recommend searching on eBird since they are so widespread and there is bound to be a place within a reasonable drive from most cities in Australia.

Cockatiel rangeLEARN MORE ABOUT COCKATIELS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Birds in Backyards

Birdlife Australia

IBC

VIDEOS

Any search through Youtube will find 1000’s of pet cockatiel videos so I had to search for the wild cockatiel clips.  I found some good ones showing wild cockatiels going about their daily life in the bush.

I wish I could see this many all at once!

Mini doco with good basic info but be advised that some photos are pet mutation cockatiels, not the wild ones though they also have wild cockatiel pics.