187). North to Kingfisher Park

White-browed Robin

We found this beautiful endemic robin after wandering through a most-unlikely, dry, twisting stream-bed where the guide-book said these rare birds could be found. Lo-and-behold - there he was! We saw ONE the entire trip! So our foray into this buggy, hot, dead-fell-choked stream was a success.



The Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (this is a female) was reported in the 1870s in the thousands in the streets of Brisbane. Now populations are "of concern" due to the usual forces But in 2010 there were confirmed signs of recovery after 100 years of population decline and range contraction.

We did a night-spotting tour at Kingfisher Park -a marvelous bit of preserved rainforest (literally surrounded by sugarcane fields). The owners really know their birds and beasts.

A Striped Possum giving us the eye...

Also out in the dark were Long-nosed Bandicoots snuffling about in the leaf-litter looking for tasty critters to eat. We had seen these fellows earlier  whizzing across the road near Lake Eacham, but this guy was far less manic and watched us for a bit...

And his cousin the little Brown Bandicoot (notice the small rounded ears)











A local wetland hosted hundreds of  Plumed Whistling Ducks. Here they are following the leader out into deep water --- or something















.....Coming in en masses to land.....

I spotted large green movements in the trees along the road - investigation revealed a flock of Red-winged Parrots. I kept telling Nancy "sure- sure I see why they are called that--sort of. Yeah, kind of red(ish) wings............"

...

Then I saw the male ---who exemplifies the name!

We had to make a pilgrimage out to some grasslands in search of - yep. Australian Bustards. That's them out there periscoping...... As they stand 3' tall that's some mighty high grass!

Australian recycling -need a new mailbox?

I have some old white-goods!


Or... a  new form of drive-thru kitchen......

Spectacled Monarch coming in for afternoon bath

The creek through Kingfisher Park was the place to be late afternoon. Dozens of birds came in for a drink and a bath. Here is Rufous Fantail heading jumping in....

and then winging back to the woods.

In search of the (still) elusive Blue-face Parrot Finch....