Kedron Brook Wetlands is an excellent birding site just near Brisbane Airport. Brackish lakes, grasslands and mangroves are the dominant types of habitat. It should be possible to get over sixty species without to much trouble...especially when the lakes are dry enough to have mud margins for the waders. Occasionally there are Eastern Grass Owls present. Today I managed 57 species in three hours. I arrived at 0500 to the sounds of a multitude of Mangrove Gerygones. I don't think I've ever heard so many at once. Also Reed Warblers and Grassbirds.
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| Mangrove Gerygone |
The Mangrove Gerygones (God I hate that name) are reasonably easy to see, but they rarely leave the mangroves so it's hard to get a clear shot. Today I found some associating with, of all things, a group of Yellow-rumped Thornbills. I've never seen them here before and I usually think of them as an inland bird. If you look closely you can see I've shot them on the same branch.
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| Yellow-rumped Thornbill |
In a couple of weeks I'll be on Christmas Island, where one of the bird families that creates a lot of interest is the swift family (Apodidae). This is because scarce vagrants are a real possibility, and given the difficulty of identification, good photographs are invaluable. For this reason I was happy to get the chance to practise some swift shots, with large numbers of White-throated needletails passing over. I don't know how some photographers manage to get razor sharp images of theses birds. Anyhow, if I can get a shot of a rare vagrant that's about this standard it should be useful enough.
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| White-throated Needletail |
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