Tag: SEQueensland

  • Buttonquail trailcam footage.

    Buttonquail trailcam footage.

    Whilst bird-walking locally this year (2023) I noticed an increase in the amount of buttonquail ‘platelets’ in the vine-forest scrub near the banks of the North Pine River. ‘Platelets’ are created by various species of Turnicidae when they spin around and kick the leaf-litter exposing the bare-earth whilst searching for invertebrates and seeds on the ground. I have never seen any of these birds perched in trees before. Initially, I assumed that the platelets were made by Painted Buttonquail (Turnix varia), which are the most frequently encountered Turnix species in the general area, but, after placing audio-sensors and trail-cameras out I discovered that they were actually made by Black-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix melanogaster). In the past year I’ve captured a reasonable amount of this rare and declining species on camera, but have only seen physically them on a couple of occasions. Interestingly, all buttonquails are polyandrous (the females are usually more colourful and leave the parental-care to the males.)

    One of the first-clips from July 2023, this infra-red footage shows three foraging-birds and how, when a threat is perceived, they can ‘freeze’. Check the bird on the right: it moves very slightly.

    Unfortunately the footage from the trailcams are not high-quality but it is definitely possible to identify which species is evident.

    Female Black-breasted Buttonquail
    Male Black-breasted Buttonquail
    Female Black-breasted Buttonquail

    During October I noticed another bird taken on an animal-track nearby, to my surprise this was actually a Painted Buttonquail.

    Painted Buttonquail
    Female Black-breasted Buttonquail
    Female (…..and male, just) Black-breasted Buttonquail

    Check out the camouflage of this male BBBQ (…footage just captured!) He is foraging in a platelet then is ‘alerted’ to some danger and freezes.

  • Cotton Pygmy-Geese

    Cotton Pygmy-Geese

    Recently I visited Wappa Dam near Yandina in SE QLD with Linda to try and get some images and video of Cotton Pygmy-goose, we ‘struggled’ with light on the first morning, spending nearly 3 hours trying to get reasonable sunshine on the birds, however were much more successful the next day….we returned later in the morning. Here are a few clips and images from my Canon EOS RP with RF800mm ISM lens.

    Pair of Cotton Pygmy-Geese
    Pair of Cotton Pygmy-Geese
    Nettapus_coromandelianus
    Male Cotton Pygmy-Goose
    Male Cotton Pygmy-Goose
    Cotton Pygmy-Geese
    Cotton Pygmy-Goose
    Immature male or female Cotton Pygmy-Goose?
    Pair of Cotton Pygmy-Geese
  • Black-fronted Dotterel

    Black-fronted Dotterel

    Have been getting some interesting video of this species Elseyornis melanops close to my residence near Rush Creek (Dayboro, SE Qld)

    This clip was taken hand-held (….without a tripod) hope it’s not too ‘jumpy’.

    Spring is in the air…..

    Black-fronted Dotterel
  • Golden-headed Cisticola

    Golden-headed Cisticola

    Nice find on my dawn-walk this morning, a Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) singing on the side of Strong Rd.

    Golden-headed Cisticola
  • Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo at the barn

    Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo at the barn

    Captured this footage of the Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx basalis) in early-November 2021 with a Canon RP and RF 800mm IS F11 hand-held. I think I may have discovered a new ‘martial art-form’, trying to hold a telephoto lens steady whilst several blowflies crawl up and down your bare-legs, and in and out of your facial-orifices, needs much practice.

  • Young riflebirds ‘hang-out’

    During mid-November 2020 up to 10 young Paradise Riflebirds (Lophorina paradisea) were observed ‘practising’ their courtship-dance at Mt Glorious in SE Queensland. Unfortunately the day that I filmed this was particularly cloudy and dull. Sadly I didn’t see any adults performing.

    Paradise Riflebirds
    Paradise Riflebirds
  • Green Catbird

    This Green Catbird (Ailuroedus crassirostris) was calling at Mt Glorious in mid-November, in the background you can hear a Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)

    Green Catbird calling…..
    Green Catbird calling…..