Gumlon Falls and Pine Creek

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For three days I wandered around the stone escarpment in hot dry conditions. I walked early and while the rocky surrounds seemed quiet, I saw enough life to keep me interested and my mind off the steep and gnarly rocks I was scampering over. I also wandered up the dry river bed for several kilometres where an occasional deep water hole was lined with Bloodwoods or Paperbarks. The inhabitants are very shy and its hard to get around on the quite because of all the underbrush and sandy banks.

Pine Creek was full of life in the morning as many birds come to drink. I was lucky to see the Hooded Parrots drinking from water collected on the pavement from overnight watering. It is quite clear from this outing that water is essential and nothing lives very far from it.
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Coutship:Agile wallaby Macropus agilis
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Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca
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Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
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Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera
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Hooded Parrot Psephotus dissimilis
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L-spot Basker Aethriamanta nymphaeae
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Northern Rosella Platycercus venustus
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Pygmy Percher Nannodiplax rubra
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Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah

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Robber Fly Asilidae Asilinae
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Sandstone Shrike-thrush Colluricincla woodwardi

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Silver-crowned Friar Bird Philemon argenticeps
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White-lined Honeyeater Meliphaga albilineata
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Mary River & Mary River Excavation Pits

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Predawn arrival at the Mary River Excavation Pits insured I had front row seat and the action got very hot until mid-morning. I was hoping that another finch might be about but no luck yet. I spent some time near the entrance road to Bird Billabong and managed to get the Tree Creeper to come out from hiding from the sun long enough to get the shot. The Kingfisher was out hunting and I was only able to get a long shot. Seems every type of Kingfisher is wanting his picture taken at the moment.
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White Winged Triller Lalage Tricolor
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Banded Honeyeater Certhionyx pectoralis
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Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton
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Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula female
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Black-tailed Treecreeper Climacteris melanura
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Red-backed Kingfisher Todirhamphus (Halcyon) pyrrhopygia
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Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis airborn
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Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida
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Windy Afternoon At Buffalo Creek

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A windy balmy afternoon at Buffalo Creek. The River mangrove are in flower but it was fairly quite because of the wind.
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White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster immature first year
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Red-headed Honeyeater Myzomela erythrocephala on a
River Mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum
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Towards sunset in the monsoon forest quite a few birds were annoying the Lemon-bellied Flycatchers currently nesting. They in turn were fizzing them back(the sound they make when indicating their territorial rights). One such innocent bystander was the female Shining Flycatcher.
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Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto female
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Pongamia pinnata in flower
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Large-billed Gerygone Gerygone magnirostris
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Kingfisher

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Its very exciting finding a different looking Kingfisher. They all seem to be shy especially if they sense you are stalking them. On the other hand they can’t seem to resist the temptation to see what you are up to after they have scampered away and feel safe.
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Collared Kingfisher Todirhampus (Halcyon) chloris
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Those Dragonflies

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Exquisite flying machines we see but never see.
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda female
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda female see through
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda female front end
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Palemouth Brachydiplax denticauda male
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Buffalo Creeking Again

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Walking through the quiet corridor between the mangrove and vine forest I came across the Caesalpinia bonduc seedpods. I recognised them as the seeds used by a local Great Bowerbird to line some of his bower. Not surprising when I read that the seeds remain vital for many years. The last thing you would want in your bower is rotting seeds.
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Caesalpinia bonduc
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I have also watched the Kapok Tree flower and now shed its bags of down like fibre which almost reminded me of the snow country the way the fluff collected on the floor beneath several of the trees.
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Kapok Tree Bombax ceiba var leicarpum
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I also saw swarms of elegant dragonflies.
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Slender Skimmer Orthetrum sabina
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Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum
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Dove Morning

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A cool morning hike around Buffalo Creek and plenty of leaf litter and flowering plants provided just the right ingredients for some of the shyer birds to poke their heads out long enough to get a picture.
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Emerald Ground Dove Chalcophaps indica
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Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Ptilinopus regina
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Yellow White-eye Zosterops lutea
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Walk In The Burnt Woodland

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A few birds seem to be making there way back into the burnt woodland and I am very happy to see the Dollar Bird again, but wonder where it will nest this year as its tree was burnt out. The White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike seems to enjoy the burnt offerings as I have seen them in the terees and on the ground since the day after the fire.
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Dollar Bird Eurystomus orientalis
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White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis
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Walk Above Buffalo Creek

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The area has been burnt out recently but there is water and vegetation in parts. In the afternoon it was very quiet, but the vegetated areas were visited by a few seed eaters and amazingly a few honeyeaters. I found this surprising because I know the mangroves near the water are currently flowering.
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Rufous-banded Honeyeater Conopophilia albogularis
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Green Plum Buchanania obovata
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White-gaped Honeyeater Lichenostomus uniclor
eating a Cocky Apple Planchonia careya
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Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton female
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Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
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Masked Finch Poephila personata
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Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah
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Walk At Howard Springs

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Besides the hordes of mosquitoes, the walk at Howard Springs was a quiet and pleasant change from urban flux.
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Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis
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Agile Wallaby Macropus agilis
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Eucalyptus porrecta
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Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Microeca flavigaster
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Rainbow Pita Pitta iris

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